Never mess with a Mother, even a swinging one! I gotta get Lorraine back to being a Brunette, too much blonde, even for California! They’re on their way to meet the Devil/Producer. Mayhem will ensue.
The first time you heard Robert Plant’s wailing cry “Aaaaaaaah-ah!” at the beginning of Led Zeppelin’s 1970 single “Immigrant Song” you got goose-bumps. I still do today! The idea for today’s comic came as a simple rhyming “dick” joke to Nordic. Then I looked up the words to “Immigrant Song” (below) and I knew I had to do Jeff as Thor telling of his heroic Nordic ancestry!
I originally did a parody of those lyrics in the third panel. Then I asked for some input from my resident Editor. The ideas in the poem part were contributed heavily by her. So a Viking hat’s off to the Editor! She’s laughing somewhere as we speak…
🙂
“We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!”
Oh, one last thing… for you nit-pickers… I know “mead” is not beer, it’s more like wine, but I could not have Jeff holding a big mug of wine! So, I gave him a 1977 touch by including a HUGE glass of beer. I’m thirsty now for some odd reason…
**************
Discussion (78) ¬
Great comic; but it’s hear, not here. 🙂
Thank you. Correction made.
The final panel had a totally different line for Bud up until essentially the last minute. As I made the correction, I was on the phone with an incredibly irritating issue (a really old one to boot) and that kinda just fraks your day, so “hear” became “here” as that’s what I type more. I have been typing for 35 years now and certain words just come out as a matter of habit… and unfortunately spell checkers don’t check MEANINGS and thus my mistake.
Long explanation, but I want folks to know I’m not an idiot, just a very distracted old fart sometimes. Other times, I’m just an idiot…
😀
keep em comin byron!
That I shall! I am trying to make the Road Trip “epic” and what better way then to have Jeff shouting out the glories of his Viking history…
🙂
Love that 3rd panel!!!
Thanks! The moment I drew it I got all excited and changed the direction of the comic. Originally Bud was going to yell at Jeff for blocking his mirror in the 4th panel, but once I got the poem completed, I couldn’t take away Jeff’s moment of Nordic glory. So, we sing the praises of Led Zeppelin. The original comic title was “Hold Your Head Up” by Argent, and was totally different in my opinion. One thing can make a huge change. I love this work…
🙂
Here some Zeppelin or hear??
“Here, hear!” No, I got distracted… ugh! But hey, that gives you readers something to point out! I should play “catch the grammar/spelling errors” contest. I think I’d lose every time!
😉
That third panel rocks! 😀
Thanks Andy! You rock too… 🙂
It’s the hair still in his face under the helm that really nails it.
Is Jeff like a sheepdog? Can he see through all that hair? Or does he echolocate?
Yes, like the old Chuck Jones “sheepdog vs coyote” cartoons. How does a sheepdog watch his flock when his eyes are covered? They occasionally showed the dog lifting his bangs, which I do with Jeff from time to time.
I love drawing Jeff, he’s just too cool…
🙂
Every moment is a good moment for Zepplin!
*Zeppelin*
AH-HA! I’m not the only one with a faulty keyboard! At least you caught your boo-boo… I had to be “reminded” of mine!
😛
Love your Thor, and heck yeah, I’m ready for some Zeppelin!
Yeah, Jeff’s Thor is gonna be a desktop here REAL soon! I had a ton of fun drawing it and wanna take it to the next level. Thanks for the compliment and it’s ALWAYS time for Zeppelin!
🙂
THOR!!!
I always think of a line from Galaxy Quest when I see the 3rd panel:
“By Grabthar’s hammer, by the suns of Warvan, you shall be avenged!”
Loved that movie, and that line seems like it should be said by some heroic icon figure or something…
🙂
OMG… I just got to work and kicked off my playlist, read this comic and loaded the immigrant song. While he was screaming i reread the “Thor” cell… dude, then the lyrics kicked in. Struck with some serious goose bumps… that ROCKS!!!!
It is a damn great song. No guitar solo, no big drum fills, just one of the best heavy metal riffs of the 70s thumping your stereo’s speakers for all they’re worth! Plant’s vocal wail was used in “Shrek 3” and I was like the ONLY person in the theater that knew it was from Led Zeppelin! I was stunned. I guess Zeppelin fans didn’t go see Shrek films…
For me, when the bass line hits with the vocals it gets me going as well. I’ve got the song playing right now and it’s making my morning! Yes, it does ROCK!!
🙂
attempted to load an avatar…. just testing
SKOL!
This episode ranks among my favorites. Thank you!
Surely you’ve seen this? http://www.vikingkittens.com/
Enjoy!
Right back at you!
No, I had not seen that website, but I had heard of it. South Park meets Viking Kittens. I like being able to see the lyrics, as I’m one of those folks that don’t catch lyrics in certain songs. I won’t tell you what I thought the lyrics were to Immigrant Song, but they were really WRONG, let’s just say that.
🙂
Heh – glad to show it to you, then.
Allow me to turn you on to a few newer-vintage Viking-style bands, then. After all, your comic inspired me to drive my partner in to work while listening to The Sword’s album Age of Winters, so I’d like to return the favor.
Check out:
The Sword
Where Angels Fall
Leaves Eyes
Nightwish
Domina Noctis
Dragonland
…and if you’re really feeling like spilling some serious Saxon blood,
Bathory
Korpiklaani
Hammerfall
Iced Earth
Svartsot
and Eluveitie
GGGGGG!!!
(That should actually read…)
RAAAAAAGGGGG!!!
I’m checking them out… thank God for MySpace! Thus far Hammerfall tops my list, but I’m by no means all the way through your list!
Rag? Or were you going for RARG! Not sure…
🙂
Glad to be of service. The Gods of Metal must be appeased! 🙂
Oh yes, a wonderful song indeed. As for the strip, both art and concept – nicely done, sir. Nicely done indeed.
Wait a minnit!
EXCEPT: Whatever he’s drinking, it shoulda bin in a foaming Drinking Horn. See “The 13th Warrior” for details.
Harumph Harumph! This is typical of the lack of historical fidelity in this strip. What’s next? Blackberries and iPods? Why, if it wasn’t for the muggymuggymugmugs I would take my eyeballs elsewhere.
Mugmugmug. Must buy the latest 1977 mug. Must have it.
Mmmmmmmmmmmug. doP
What was the question?
8oD
LOL! Okay, you can take your “harumphs” right with you… I call artist’s prerogative on this one and even warned you all about it!
But since you buy stuff from me, I’ll take your comment in the manner in which it was meant… completely tongue in cheek! Thank you sir, may I have another?
😉
On an unrelated topic I have a shelf full of translated Icelandic Sagas tucked under the twenty shelves of SF at home.
Synchronicity. Can’t beat it.
Someone’s a poet, but did he know it ?!? Love panel 3!!
I did take my “editor’s” suggestions and created the “poem” above. I do not know how to write poetry at all, so it turned out really well considering my lack of understanding of that art form.
I’m no Lord Byron for sure… 🙂
actually, you drink mead much like beer, but usually from wooden or tin pints, never from a glass pint as it looks kinda disgusting 😛
Never had it or seen it, so I was going by what I found on Google… is it like a wine or is it like beer? I really didn’t get a clear understanding… so that’s why I went with Jeff holding a glass of beer… more his style anyway!
🙂
Kinda like a weak fizzy (not sparkling, more like beer) wine that tastes heavily of yeast… But as it’s usually kinda badly made (homebrews) it’s not a very nice experience. I find the fact that when we scandinavians got real glasswear mead fell out of popularity in just a few decades, and beer took it’s place as mead looks a bit like sewage water…
Mead is fairly good. It’s a bit like cider (what you lot call ‘hard cider’) in taste. Unfortunately, it’s hard to get good mead these days unless you have a DeLorean – or Rufus’ phone box…
When I had mead it reminded me of honey flavored wine.
Depends on the mead 🙂
You realize of course, that you need to draw up your characters as superheros now…since you’ve gone down the Thor road, maybe the Avengers? …Lorraine as the Scarlet Witch, Robyn as the Black Widow…Bud could be the Vision… 🙂
Any Norse mythology/Zeppelin reference is going to sit well with me. 🙂
From the response today, I think that seems to be true with a lot of folks! You never know what’s going to ring a bell with folks, so I just crank ’em out and see what happens. I couldn’t resist this one.
I am a big fan of not only Molly Hatchet’s music, but their damn phenomenal album covers as well. Perhaps Jeff could be cutting one up in my desktop version…
🙂
Oh, yeah…and I agree…let’s get her back to brunette. The world is too full of big chested blondes. I want my big chested brunettes! Or redheads, for that matter. 🙂
…or skinning up on one?
LOL! Behave! 🙂
I am behaving. Badly. 😛 😛 😛
You just made me throw on IV. Great album!
Most of Zeppelin’s albums were good, but the first 4 were my favorites. Good choice on an album to listen to!
I like how even in the wind, his eyes are covered by hair.
That’s the Hanna-Barbera cartoonist in me coming out… I try really hard to keep Jeff’s eyes covered, though they’ve been seen from time to time…
who is this…. led zepplin… you speak of? *ducks to avoid inevitable pummeling*
… and, of course, I am kidding. quit it with the kicking.
Kicking? *foot swings* Who’s kicking? *foot recoils*
LOL! You made my day with that one! Thanks! 🙂
By Odin’s hammer! Things just got Scandinavian! To the longboat!
“I am THOR! Son of Odin, god of thunder, who commands the lightning and the storm!”
Love that old “thou shall kneel before thee” speak… should order like that at McDonald’s and confuse the cashiers… “Thou taketh thee Biggest Mac, nay on the fries!”
😉
Odin’s the one with the eyepatch and the noose marks round his neck. The hammer is Thor’s. It’s called “Mjolnir” if I remember right. You pronounce the “j” like a “y” in true Norse fashion, of course. Which begs the question: how did they pronounce the “y” in “Ygdrassil”? We need a Scandinavian to answer this and other vital 1977/Led Zep matters.
A Norse! a Norse! My kingdom for a Norse!
As you folks have probably heard before, I’m not a big reader of comic books or graphic novels… I’m into cartoons for the funny and the comic strip format fits my extremely short attention span very well.
So with that said, I know very little about Thor, or for that matter things Scandinavian, so yes, of some of our fine Nordic readers could put in some facts, I’d love it! I want to do more with Jeff’s, and the other characters, backgrounds now that I’ve firmly established them all.
🙂
Y’need to do a bit of reading in the “mythology” section of yer library. Comic books are okay, I guess, but how do they compare with the tale of how Odin hung by the neck over The Abyss from a branch of Ygdrassil, the World Ash, all to learn the secret of runes? There’re even neater tales in the other countries’ mythologies. Most Americans delve lightly into Irish folklore, but there’s much more outré stuff to be had from Wales or India. Not forgetting Scandanavia either. I saw an interesting comment the other day: “Thank god for libraries. Can you imagine if we were trying to get them started today?”
I never learned Old Norse, but based on what I picked up of German, Old English, and Greek in school I’d guess that the Y is pronounced like a u (or a double o) and a short e mushed together.
Man, I’m so jealous of people who took second languages. Got through high school and college without having to take a single course in a second language. Regret that now. But, I can re-wire just about any stereo, build decks and work a welder… mere mortal talents…
😛
Panel 3 FTW! And speaking of The Immigrant Song, I have it as one of my ringtones. It’s great to see the expressions of ‘WTF?!’ and the grins of recognition when it goes off in public 😀
Give yer editor a virtual cookie for me 😛 😛 😛
Consider the cookie being sent as I type this! She rocks! 🙂
And having that as a ringtone would be very cool indeed! I have “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin” as mine…. gets attention!
Cookie has been received!
I used a 2Gb memory card in my phone, so I have dozens and dozens of songs loaded in it and can set any one of them to a different caller number. Sometimes I use Audacity to edit a piece of a song so only the chorus comes up (or so it loops in funny ways, e.g. the Flash Gordon theme). I even have the Monty Python Australian Wines sketch as a ringtone! Though my favourite ringtone-related observation is that one of my best friends uses The Offspring’s song Get a Job as the ringtone for when her slacker kid bro calls her 😛
Holy crap! Busy comment day! I’ll remember to do more Led Zeppelin/Nordic jokes in the future!
🙂
Oh, look for a Jeff/Thor Desktop for everyone here pretty quick! Check Facebook for a rough sketch.
Erm, I wouldn’t touch Facebork with a bargepole. Plz to email, ‘k?
Kick arse song Byron – simply kick arse. I am using Radiohead’s ‘Fade Out’ as my ringtone at the moment
But yes, Kick-Arse is exactly what this song is! Thanks, man!
I know I’ve already commented, but – guess what? – I’ve just finished reading through your entire archive! Great stuff, man. Lots of funny bits and brilliant characters. You’re now on my list of comics I will regularly check back on!
Alright! To be honest, I get both excited and slightly nervous when folks read through the archives. I’ve come a long way both in terms of art but also in story telling. My punchlines are better executed, and I draw the female form (and male as well) so much better these days.
Thank you for taking the time to read the archives! I’ll be adding a lot more in the months, years to come!
🙂
The God of Thunder rode abroad, mounted on his filly,
“I’m Thor!” he cried
The horse replied:
“You forgot your thaddle, thilly!”
Son of a bitch, man, that cracked me up! 😀
Luckily, I’ve learned while reading your comments to first put down my can of Mountain Dew. Luckily, my monitors were spared the usual spray from the elixir of life!
I believe the Tree of Life is pronounced “ig-DRAG-sil” or something of the like. Bonus points for anyone who can name (preferably without Google’s help):
–Odin’s 8-legged horse
–his two ravens
–his spear
Anyone? Norse Mythology for $500, Alex?
Crap, as a former redneck, I have no idea… but I’m willing to give the ol’ ISU college try:
Horse: Stumbles
Ravens: Edgar and Poe
Spear: Mint
The last one you have to think about for a second… gum anyone?
🙂
I totally want to create a character to named his spear “mint.” Brilliant. 😉
But, to Norse-nerd out on you, the horse was “Sleiphnir,” the ravens “Hugin and Munin” (Thought and Memory), and the spear was Grungnir. Can’t remember three things my wife sends me to the store for, but THIS I remember.
“I wanna hear some Zepplin!”
That’s why God invented 8-tracks, Bud.
And my old Chevy had a top of the line Delco 8-track/AM/FM set up in it too. STEREO for a 1969 car was very rare, but it had one. I hated 8-tracks and installed a cassette deck under the dash and split into the speaker wiring and installed a switch for the cassette or the radio. I was that way back then. Radio Shack was my temple…
🙂
What that Jeff won’t do to impress the ladies but the Norsemen left what is now New Found Land after the mini ice age and indigenous people drove them off. Jeff could always sing Abba songs used as torture in some countries Odin’s fury, the blonds of doom. Instead of Chevy how about a Saab or a Volvo. No I regret doing Thor impressions my Danish co worker was less than amused. Jeff can always be Viguard the Danish leather slave make me beg for mercy if your man enough.