Dr. McNinja with Miniature Hippo

"America, do you not want tiny hippos?"

We caught up on one of the kids' favorite web comics, Christopher Hastings' Dr. McNinja last week.

The Doctor's nemesis, King Radical sees it as his mission to make the world more "radical." One of the improvements he offers is tiny pet hippos. I am going to resist the urge to explain that any further, as I won't have much success.

Speaking of lack of success...I foolishly thought a tiny hippo would make for a pleasantly easy drawing subject. There is something about this napkin that reminds me of drawings I might have made in say, sixth grade. Maybe there are several somethings. The rainbow background does come from the comic itself, but my 12 year old self would have been pretty enthusiastic about that as a background solution for almost any drawing. Dr. McNinja's eyes and eyebrows are often slightly oversized and expressive in the comic, but in this slightly more realistic context... well, they say preadolescent girl to me. And the mangled hand....And the purple hippo.

My younger son pronounced it "Weird. Just weird." Normally, I might not take that as a criticism, but here, I have to agree.

Judy and Yoshi from Dr. McNinja Web Comic

Last night we were catching up on "Paleontologists, Politicians and Prologue," the latest installment of Christopher Hastings' webcomic, Dr. McNinja.

The kids love the over-the-top randomness of many of the characters and events in the story.  The Doctor's secretary and driver is a large gorilla named Judy. Gordito, Dr. McNinja's 12 year old moustachioed sidekick, rides Yoshi the raptor.   When we came to an image of Judy the gorilla giving Yoshi the raptor a piggyback ride while he imitate Gordito, both kids said, "I want that on my napkin!"

I was just not capable of rendering the exaggerated facial expressions of both characters late last night.  The picture is a lot funnier in the comic.

Flying Creature from Doctor McNinja

The kids were very taken with the weirdness of this flying Dinosaur creature
in Dr. McNinja's "Paleontologists, Politicians and Prologue."  The female, eye patch and epaulet-wearing president of the United States uses it to exile her treasonous vice president to space, while she and Dr. McNinja ride in its mouth.

Interest was expressed in having this creature on a napkin. By the cold light of the morning, it was clear that my rendition was more lame than fantastically weird. Too much pink and purple too....

Gorilla Drives Bear

As I might have mentioned previously, my sons adore anything that has a whiff of the inappropriate... even when they are not sure what exactly is inappropriate about the material. 

They really enjoy the scandalous (for lower school children) qualities of the webcomics Dr. Mcninja (slightly inappropriate) and Bearmageddon (quite inappropriate).

This is the case even though the younger kid cannot read yet, and the older one usually doesn't pay close attention.  I can substitute other words for the profanities and skip the references to drugs.  The disembowelments, however, are harder to skate past.

On this napkin, Dr. McNinja's receptionist Judy takes a non-violent member of the Bearmageddon cast for a drive.  The latest installment of Dr. McNinja, a prequel about Judy, titled "Why a Gorilla," describes how her translation device malfunctions and she ends up saying things like "dog farts."

It just doesn't get any better than that for our kids.

Axe Cop, Battlepug and Dr. McNinja

 

"Why must I be plagued by these ridiculous animals?'

We've been catching up on several web comics that we follow during bedtime reading over the last couple of nights.  

Axe Cop, Battlepug, and Dr. McNinja all embrace the ridiculous and often include "inappropriate" content... making them particularly delightful as far as our sons are concerned.

Wexter With Dr. McNinja and Axe Cop

Who do you call when your pet gatling gun-armed T-Rex has a sore throat?
Dr. McNinja is not a veterinarian, but in the Axe Cop universe, he seems as likely a candidate as any.

The request from the boys yesterday was Wexter, Axe Cop's pet dinosaur, and Dr. McNinja.
To be completely honest, what they really wanted was for me to draw them as the two characters- the older child as the gun-armed tyrannosaur, and the younger as the masked doctor. 

They went to bed later than usual last night, and it was just too late in the evening for me to get my mind around the problem of how to make my 10 old son look like a dinosaur.  Dr. McNinja was less problematic, but still daunting as only his eyes are visible... and was I going to draw him with the physique of a six year old?

So, I went for something more straightforward... although as it turns out, no less complicated.

Maybe tonight a solution to the dinosaur-gun-boy will come to me.
(If I do manage to draw such an image... it will definitely not be going to lunch at their Quaker school in the fall.)

Flying Cat Legged Manta and Shark from Axe Cop and Dr. McNinja

Our kids really liked the flying, legged sea life created by the witch doctor cats in Axe Cop's "The Dogs." (link to Axe Cop archive)

They agreed that it was reminiscent of the flying sharks summoned by a ghost wizard in Dr. McNinja (link to Dr. McNinja archive)

Since we were first introduced to Axe Cop through his team-up with the Doctor, here is a team-up between a flying manta and shark.

Dr. McNinja and The Rise of the Guardians' Easter Bunny for Ansel

 

Perhaps Dr. McNinja would be the man to stand up to the threatening alpha bunny from "Rise of the Guardians"

Judy and Kitten from Dr. McNinja for Archer

We are rereading the entire online archive for Dr. McNinja, again.  Pictured is his receptionist, Judy, and her second kitten.  The first was eaten by Yoshi the raptor.  

Dr. McNinja's Flying Shark for Archer

One of the flying sharks from Dr. McNinja's "Punch Dracula" episode.  We had to read it again at bedtime last night.  The "Nuts" remark is made by the ninjas who were hoping they were going to be fighting a fireball rather than winged sharks.

Homicidal Dolphin from Dr. McNinja for Archer

Another character from "Dr. McNinja"- the homicidal dolphin: Perhaps our last foray into unrepentant violence before the kids head back to their Quaker school in September

Doctor McNinja and Victim of Paul Bunyan Disease for Archer

The kids find "The Adventures of Dr. McNinja" to be hysterically funny: Particularly Paul Bunyan's disease and maple syrup flavored vomit.