Hey all:
First I just wanted to thank you all for your great support, as always. I think Vargas is awesome, and Jim and I have been full-on geeking about Bullets & Laughter for months and months. So, we're thrilled to be able to finally share it with y'all - and say thank you THANK YOU for supporting us with these projects.
people need to go out and buy this NOW because it is flipping amazing!
You are like the coolest person of....EVER. Thanks, man.
Yep, pretty much, lol. Foot fans, once again, will love what's come from the mind of Deeto. You won't be disappointed.
Also, nice button tickling as well, if somewhat short. Thanks Deet.
Thanks for the kind words and for the patronage, good buddy. I always try to include some very specific button tickling for you. It doesn't always happen perfectly - but I always try. Glad you enjoyed B&L, amigo.
I can't stress this enough.
This is a must buy.
Must buy.
You again? LMAO. Thank you so much my friend. You have no idea how much I appreciate the very generous review.
No hyperbole, no bullshitting, no shoddy sales pitches from people trying to sell you snake oil. This, here, is the real deal. This, here, is something truly special in the medium. MTJ has had a lot of good stuff come out, and this is very high near the top of their all time best. This isn't exaggeration; it's fact.
B&L is definitely different. Special, even. And I don't mean that in a chest pounding i'm-so-awesome kind of way. I mean that we really tried to go in some challenging directions with BULLETS & LAUGHTER. So much so that we weren't entirely sure folks would come along for the ride. I'm so glad that they have and that everyone I've spoken with has really enjoyed the comic. Whew.
I don't want to spoil the "twist" in this comic for anyone, but doing what we did with the characters involved felt a bit risky. Doing the first person narration felt a bit "graphic-novelly" and risky at the same time. So, anyway - I'm so glad it all came together. Thank you for the validation.
Bullets & Laughter is different, more so than even Bot Corps was because of the fact that it's a different genre entirely. It's pulp. Pure pulp, harkening back to MTJ's old Pulp Tickles series, but this time, it's a little more involved. Let me explain. The little sliver up there about the story leading up to and the story within? Usually, that's flavor text to get you in, give a reason for tickling, and just forget about it. A lot of people, past and present, do this. B&L uses its background, its story, and weaves it into the proceedings. Scratch that. It IS the proceedings. The main character, Betty Bee, is a reporter, digging deep into the underground of these, well, Laughter Mills, trying to dig up dirt. The narrative is told through her perspective, each and every step of the way. Given her reporter chops, you'd expect someone to be a bit involved in how they see things, but often times, this is not the case. Not here. We get the thoughts, the details, and the rises and falls through the perspective of someone going through a transformative experience of sorts. I actually really enjoyed the building up of the universe she does; this could've been contrived, but it's made real and sincere by how she talks, how she speaks, how she thinks about the topics. But the main event is for once the tickling ramps up, where the reader is, essentially, drowning in details, the blow by blow, the breakdown. It's really deep and personal. It's extraordinarily well done. It pushes all the right buttons and leaves you panting, wanting, demanding more. It's really inside your head kind of stuff. The rival families all come together well, and the Boss Fontucci...daaaamn. What a wicked little pack of dynamite she is.
Did it come across as pulpy? That's awesome.
You and I have talked about this before, but obviously we're all here for the same reason: tickling. We love it. It's our kink. And we all adore it in all its many forms. Something about the gangster and crime noir vibe of BULLETS & LAUGHTER allowed us to really delve into the first person narration. To really get inside Betty's pretty head while she goes through her hysterical ordeal. Now that's been done a bajillion times in fiction. It's kinda what we use fiction for. But doing it in a comic like this was something I hadn't done.
And like you...I liked it. I liked being inside the main characters head to see what saw. Feel what she felt. AND BOY....DID SHE FEEL IT. LMAO.
And honestly I love Betty. She started as an extra in the MTJ Tour series. A sexy female filler. That's all. But we dug her so much we included her again. And then again. And then before you knew it - she had become a part of MTJ. I love seeing her in her own series - and we haven't seen the last of Betty Bee - that's for sure.
The writing is great. The art is even better. Vargas did the MTJ Tours pieces, and this is him fully unleashed. The art style reminds me of the later run of Batman the Animated Series, and with that in mind, it fits. His females all have curves to die for, but it's the small details that get me. The looks in the eye. The dam bursting and breaking. Every panel with Betty swelters under her heat, and she's just so well drawn. Everything is well drawn. The way the clothes roll up before being stripped off. The build up to the world, which is filled and vibrant and distinctive. So much loving care put into every bite. The tickling. Oh man, the tickling. Vargas hits the spots hard and expresses why they work as hot buttons for me. The breast tickling, the slow stripping...the revenge...Jesus.
Vargas is incredible. And it's so funny that you mentioned Batman the Animated Series - it's axactly what Jim and I talked about when we first saw his stuff. It's stylized. It's professional. It's sexy. It's awesome. I love the way he draws surprised expressions. I love the way he draws ticklish reactions. I love the little details he adds - like the guy with a gun to his head on the first page. That literally made me LOL.
Thanks so much for your feedback on his work. So glad you dig him as much as I do.
This is awesome. It's pure, action packed quality that hits all the high notes and leaves you invigorated. It's dark and grimy but it's total fun, and a call back to the great BAC stories that were foundational to me, for whatever reason. I adore this comic. I absolutely adore it. Betty is a damn star, and I can't wait to see her squeal in the hopefully not too distant future. She's a damn treasure.
You're wonderful, my friend. And.....BAC. That's a guy that's foundational to this entire genre. And I'll be the first to admit that he influences a lot of what's in my little head. His work changed me, like it did for a lot of us. I'm so glad you see glimpses of him in B&L.
And lastly, I can certainly promise more Betty on the way. I'm smitten with her. And knowing her stubborn reporter personality I can virtually guarantee that she's up to her eyeballs in trouble again soon. I can hear the squeals already. Can't wait to share more with you, my good buddy. Thank you for everything.
Excellent comic!
Bandito is showing, yet again, that he can set up any scenario, and executes them flawlessly.
And I am a huge fan of Vargas. Talk about dynamic. Clean and simple, wonderful characters, and great staging.
This one hits all the marks. I concur with the previous comments, anyone who hasn't yet picked this up should really consider doing so.
You're the best, Doc. Thank you so much for the kind words. Vargas just blows me away with his stuff - much like you do with yours! Thanks for your wonderfully generous feedback on behalf of the whole creative team. You rock!!
Great cover art and wonderful sample pages.
Thanks for sharing them here.
Thanks, Mils!
Great story and art.
Thanks so much, Zod. We really appreciate your kind support!
I enjoyed this comic very much; well done! I caught two movie references (Star Trek VI and Scarface) and one cartoon reference (TNMT); makes me wonder how many others I missed. =D
Wow. You're awesome. So, yes. Good catches. All 3 of them. I always wonder if anyone notices these little easter eggs. LMAO. There's also a Fletch reference and a pretty direct Robert Frost reference (his Fire and Ice poem).
I'm so thrilled that you enjoyed the comic, my friend. Thank you for your awesome ongoing support!
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Thanks again to all of ya.
We appreciate the support and feedback very much!
Talk soon,
Deeto
