The phase of a page...

From Stephen's keyboard, to my hands, ladies and gents I give you: The Journey of a Page!

Once Stephen sends me the script, I get to sketchin! In the beginning I
had tried to scan all the pencilled pages of Ham and Eggs, but for some reason
or another the scans were never very good. Luckily the first page had a decent scan
so I'm able to show you all how it looked!

Of course, next once the pencils were approved I went on to inking!
I wanted to give enough black and detail work so the page could stand out
either in B&W or full color, and I think it came out nicely :)

The second to last step is the color, and then Stephen letters it!
That about sums up the process for a page of Ham and Eggs! Keep checking back for new pages every week!

Launch Week Extravaganza Special!

Due to the excitement of "Launch Week" here at the Ham 'n Eggs studios, we just couldn't help ourselves... we had to post Page 2! So hop on over to Captions and Balloons.com and check it out!

Next Wednesday we'll begin our regular schedule of 1 page per week.

And if you'd like to leave us a comment on any of the pages, please do so right here!

3...2...1... LAUNCH!

The Slightly Askew Adventures of Inspector Ham & Eggs is LIVE!
Check it out!

Introducing, the Colonel...

I apologize for my lack of post yesterday! Even now, Blogger seems to be taking an attempt at foiling my post. Why, I re-typed that sentence about four time now! Any-whobee, here is the adorable, the devious, the stoic and curious Colonel Towsta Strudel! (you'll have to imagine an umlaut over the 'u' in Strudel)
This was the first and only design drawing I did for Col. Strudel. The character was so vivid in my mind as to what I felt Stephen and I both wanted to see from him that it just spilled right onto the page!

With the uniforms, it was tricky. As previously stated, there was an obvious influence of Waffen-SS, and SS in the design for the uniforms. For example, Baron Von Blackforest's uniform was influenced by Himmler's uniform. The goats and rabbits were regular SS-inspired, if I recall correctly, and Strudel here was based off Waffen-SS.

** Now these characters are not at all nazis, nor do Stephen and I respect, admire, like or even tolerate nazis or nazi-esque behavior! **

Ha ha, all disclaimers aside, the point is, since they were design based only, and not copied exactly, it was difficult in a way to establish rank through uniform with these guys. Even if I were to have staunchly followed the designs I used for reference, there wasn't really much of a difference in rank uniforms, aside from the applicable chevrons etc.

So in order to set the colonel apart from the rest of BVBF's army and the Baron, himself, I placed the BlackForest logo on his helmet and gave him a strap across his shirt. I suppose when he goes out for a skirmish he could attach a MP34 or MP40 to it, but right now it probably just keeps in his belly! Apart from that, his belt buckle is an ornate metal buckle with the BF logo and two engraved leaves on either side, somewhat mirroring the pattern on Blackforest's belt.

So, yeah, that pretty much wraps up Col Strudel's design, and the Blackforest army uniform! Keep checking back for more, and remember to check Captions and Balloons tomorrow for our first page!

Everyone Needs a Good 'ol #2!

I'm going to introduce you to another character today, even before Lauren posts the design for him. Why? well, because Lauren and I have been alternating posts, and it's my turn, and crazy people like us need structure, dammit! Without structure, we'd simply fall into the chaotic chasms of our own minds! Is that what you want to happen? Is it? IS it? ANSWER ME!

See, I told you... crazy.

Today's character we're learning about is Baron Von Blackforest's right hand man, his #2, his most trusted adviser - Colonel Strudel. As you will see once Lauren posts the design, Strudel is a raccoon. Why? Because raccoons are devious little bastards, that's why! And Strudel is no different. His loyalty to Blackforest is his greats asset, and quite possibly his biggest foible. (nobody uses the word foible anymore... why is that?) There is nothing he isn't willing to do for the Baron. No lengths he won't go to. But please don't think of this raccoon as just another 'yes man'. There is far more to Strudel than meets the eye.

In our original stream-of-consciousness chat about this comic, Colonel Strudel was General Strudel. Then, I believe, for a brief time he was Captain Strudel. And I'm positive that at one point I threw out the name Commandant Strudel, simply because I remember the Commandant from the Police Academy films and it made me laugh... Oh, Steve Guttenberg... how I miss you so!

But it was finally decided upon that Strudel shall forever be a Colonel. Why? Because I perosnally think it's more fun to say with a hockneed German accent. Come on, try it with me -

Colonel Strudel.

Colonel Strudel.

No, no.. you've got to allow the uuuuuu sound to linger a bit more. There you go!

Launch Date Part Two!

Don't mind Ham's cautionary ways,
he's just as excited as the rest of us!

Launch Date!

On Wednesday, February 27th, Lauren and I will officially be launching page 1 of The Slightly Askew Adventures of Inspector Ham & Eggs!!

We will be publishing 1 page per week, on Wednesdays, over at Captions and Balloons.com.

I'm absolutely in love with this story, and it's some of the most amazing artwork I've ever seen Lauren produce, so y'all are in for a real treat!!

So don't forget... this coming Wednesday - Ham & Eggs shall be released upon the world!

~ Stephen

Zee Greatezt Army In Zee Vorld!

So once we started actually plotting out H&E, and the concept of Baron Von Blackforest was figured out, we realized he needed an army! With the obvious nazi-esque influence in his uniform, we figured a funny idea would be an albino army of sorts. So we came up with the idea of albino rabbits and goats!



From a Boar General's perspective, rabbits are perfect soldiers! Well...as far as numbers anyway!!

Run, Piggy! Run!

So I'm writing this chase scene... Everybody loves a chase scene. Regardless of the medium used (books, TV, movies, comics, etc.) chase scenes - when done correctly - are awesome. They add energy and vitality to a story that is unmatched by any of type of action.

But dammit, they're hard to write. Hard, I say!

I mean, there are certain beats I know I want to hit. I want this character here and I want this to happen here, but beyond that, it feels like I'm writing "so-and-so runs down an alley with hoozy-what closely in tow..." over and over again.

You see, as a comic writer, I try to offer enough description in my scripts to give the artist a clear blueprint of what I'm trying to accomplish while still leaving it open enough to allow the artist room to create. I mean hell, that's what they do! They breath LIFE into the simple words on a page I put down! But on the other side of the coin, I don't want to write "The next 3 pages are a chase scene. Make it tense and kinetic and fun." What the hell is an artist going to do with that?

So, yeah... writing a chase scene is hard.

A City and it's Porkers...

Well, what is a city worth without its people? Not a whole lot! In that light, it's my privilege to introduce some of the Pigs and Piglets that make New Pork City run as smooth as the creamy white fat on a strip of bacon! First off is The Mayor, no official name as of yet, just "The Mayor".
The Mayor, like the most of other subsequent characters that were designed, didn't really go through any visual development stages. As previously mentioned by Stephen, we talk extensively about the details of the characters and story of Ham and Eggs. So when we mentioned the idea of a Mayor character, we decided a tall, more slender built pig would be more interesting than the typical pig, and incidentally, typical mayor design of a fat balding man with a sash that said "Mayor" across his torso. And so it was...

Another thing we discussed, since the nature of Ham's work is investigation, was the police department of NPC. Stephen had mentioned the funny idea of tough-talking piglets as the cops. The idea was just too funny to me to pass up, so of course I agreed! Being somewhat familiar with NY History and NYPD history, the next logical thing I added to the mix was having them be of Irish and Italian heritage. So I present to you, respectively, Police Officer Rashers, Police Officer Bologna, Sargent Salami and Sargent Bangers!


Well that's enough talk for today! Have to leave some stuff to talk about :)

Welcome to New Pork City

Every comic needs a world for its characters to inhabit. Hopefully it's a world that feels lived in... like it's been there long before the reader discovered it, and it's going to continue to be there long after. It needs history and the erosive passage of time. Without at least the feeling of all of these things, the reader is never going to be able to fully invest in the story. Why? Because it's never going to ring as true to them.

With The Slightly Askew Adventures of Inspector Ham & Eggs, we're trying to transport the reader into New Pork City, a place obviously inspired by New York City. It looks and feels like a long past version of New York City, only it's not. The buildings are tall, but not very modern. The streets are lined with citizens dressed in clothing that is at the same time familiar and foreign... as if something out of an old magazine or news reel. The manner of speech may feel a bit dated, but not quite so much as watching a 'period piece' movie. Basically, New Pork City is a bit of old world, and a bit of new.

This purposefully anachronistic approach allows me, as the writer, total creative freedom in representing the dress, speech, technology, and even social values of the world in and around New Pork City. It also allows me to keep things familiar, yet slightly off kilter, for the readers. Granted, that only works if I'm on top of my game as a writer. If I'm off, it plays out more like I just don't know what the hell time period I want this story to take place around!

It feels like it's working so far. Here's hoping I can keep it up! Of course, I won't really know until you guys start reading it... Until then, enjoy this sneak peek if New Pork City Harbor. (Yes! I got a chance to post some art!)


~ Stephen

The World's Most Boar-ing Villain!

Yes that was a horrible pun, thank you! Well how can I properly follow-up that lovely post from Stephen? How does introducing our villain sound? Hmm?

Baron Werner Von Blackforest was the third character to be created in the cast. We knew as soon as this was more than a conversational joke that our hero needed a villain! And since the whole thing was inspired by cold cuts and pigs, an evil black boar named Blackforest seemed the logical choice!

the very first visual incarnation of Baron Werner Von Blackforest!

As you can see the above sketch was later morphed into the more sophisticated and final design here:

The final design for BVBF

And if you're excited about this little guy, wait until you meet his friends later on!

I hope you look forward to reading Baron Von Blackforests misadventures as much as Stephen and I have making them come to life! Check back soon for some more insight and designs of Ham and Eggs!!

A Writer's Post - Not as Exciting as an Artist's Post!

I've gotta say, I feel like I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here... Lauren gets to post all the cool art, and I get to say things like "I wrote 3 more pages today! Whoop-i-dee-do!" Ah well, such is the writer's life!

But this post isn't all about me complaining... No, this post is about how the first story arc of Ham 'n Eggs is all fleshed out, and it's called All in the Family! Lauren and I have all of the beats worked out to get us from the beginning of this story arc to the end. And what an end it has! I'm so excited about it, I can't wait to get to that point in the writing. In fact, I've don't something I never do when it comes to my writing... I made an outline! We've bantered so many hysterical ideas around that I got worried I was going to forget them all. So I decided I should do what real writers do and work up an outline.

Typically I'm not a fan of outlines. I feel like they stifle the story I'm trying to tell a bit. I like to let the characters, pacing, and plot dictate where the story goes. If I try to pigeon-hole the story into the established outline, I find I'm just going through the motions, writing to get from bullet point to bullet point.

That said, why the hell would I outline this story, essentially crippling my creativity? Simple - Lauren. The daily communication I have with her about this story keeps it fresh and new and exciting. The way we create together energizes me and never allows me to feel like I'm writing to fill int he gaps from bullet point to bullet point.

Because of that, the story is moving along at a great clip. We're nearly ready to launch it. Here's how it's going to work: One page of the story is going to be posted each week on CaptionsandBalloons.com, kinda like a webcomic. Once the first story arc is complete, we'll collect it and publish it! So keep your eyes peeled here and at CaptionsandBalloons.com for the official launch!

Ok, enough boring writer diatribe for one day... But don't worry, Lauren will be posting more art soon!

~ Stephen

And here we meet our heroes...

Greetings, one and all! Welcome to Makin' Ham and Eggs! I suppose a proper first post from me, the artist half of our team, would be to show you our two heroes:

Inspector Serrano Ham, and his plucky sidekick, Eggs Benedict

So I suppose a little of how this all started is in order! Stephen and I had been diligently at work on our other project, Jesus Hates Zombies/Lincoln Hates Werewolves, and I was wrapping up work on Venture Bros Season 3 while trying to figure out what job I could get between seasons. Jokingly, whilst talking with Mr. Lindsay one day, I said that I might pursue a spy or detective career, and that perhaps Boars Head brand would hire me to look after their competition and make sure they stay ahead of the game. In this silly fantasy I decided I would take up the moniker of Inspector Ham (The Serrano was later added by Stephen) and the idea for our new project was planted!

the original 'concept' quickie for Inspector Ham based off the name

Soon Stephen suggested a sidekick, an idea I had originally opposed, but when Stephen said the sidekick would be a little chick named Eggs, I simply could NOT resist! Thus the team was born!!

The first quickie of Ham and Eggs

Since it's inception, we've been working and developing on Ham and Eggs with 100% cooperation and team approval on all we do! It's been a great ride so far and I hope you continue to join us on The Slightly Askew Adventures of Inspector Ham and Eggs!

Welcome to a New World Order!!

Wow... it feels good to be posting this inaugural post on Makin' Ham 'n Eggs - the production blog for the new comic co-created by me (Stephen Lindsay) and Lauren Monardo called The Slightly Askew Adventures of Inspector Ham and Eggs.

I'm handling the writing and lettering duties while Lauren handles all of the art (pencils, inks, and colors). And together we're coming up with the story. Both of us will be posting here, so you'll get insights into the entire process, from outlining and writing to character designs, page layouts, and finished art.

We're both really stoked about this project and really proud of the stuff we're creating along with it. So hopefully you'll stick around and join us for what looks to be a pretty wild ride!

~ Stephen