Cos-Play Hero p226: Drill that will pierce the food court!

That last frame turned out even creepier than I'd hoped. The first frame... not so great.

Cos-Play Hero p225: Loss of respect

I feel like this is going to be a difficult week for America. Whatever happens, don't let those in power turn us against each other. Stay united, indivisible, and remember that this is a democracy: No one is above the law.
...
Except for famous saxophonist Sergio Flores. He has millions of dollars.
Seriously, though, be ready to protest.

Cos-Play Hero p224: Rad Forge Zone

I still can't believe people have started saying "rad" again.

Cos-Play Hero p223 - Doomed Factory Zone

How appropriate that I start Penguin's infiltration of the deadly robot factory the same day that Megaman 11 is FINALLY announced. YAY!

Winter Vacation

Now available on Redbubble:

Cos-Play Hero P222: The Coolest Shoes

Why did his shoe end up looking like a bread bowl soup? I need to do something about that... buuuuuuut I probably won't.
Oh, by the way, I have a new toon up on Youtube. I'm having some trouble getting it formatted right for PPL-Comics.com, but I'll have it up there soon as well.

Cos-Play Hero p221: Parting Ways

Oooh, of course. The shoes. I should have known. That's actually how Sonic the Hedgehog got the job.

Penguin Plays

Little break. I just bought myself a new drawing tablet, and I'm trying to get some practice in.

Cos-Play Hero p220

Cos-Play Hero p219: Pulled from the Jaws of Defeat

Cos-Play Hero p128: What? How?

Holy Ex Machina, Batman! Wait, what just happened? Is this supposed to make sense? Well, you'll just have to wait till next week to find out.

Cos-Play Hero p217: Say No Evil...

Glad I waited to get it done right. I mean, even now it has some problems, but I really didn't feel like doing it Monday.
I'd also be remiss if I didn't provide you with some links for those of you who feel the need to help our neighbors in Puerto Rico recover from hurricane Maria. Here are a couple of my favorite charities seeking to help out. You can't go wrong with any of these:

Oxfam Puerto Rico Relief

Week of Compassion (My church's youth minister fully recommended this one.)

Unicef (I can't find the page specifically for Puerto Rico, but it's there somewhere.)

Previously:

Comic will be a little late this week. I've finished drawing it, but I'm having some trouble coming up with funny dialogue, with the multiple tragedies occurring. Why did we have to lose Tom Petty when we were already reeling from the unthinkable gun violence in Vegas? We suddenly lost one of the greatest rock legends of our time, and it wasn't even the worst thing to happen this Monday! I just can't process it. I try to make this comic a place for us to take a break from all the pain in the world... but I'm finding it difficult at the moment. Please come back later this week.

Cos-Play Hero p216: A Disturbance in the Clown Force

Not sure that's how most people spell "Griswald." It might be "Griswold." I've not seen it spelled. Well, this is how Griswald the Political Action Clown spells it.
I just realized I've never drawn him in color. I wonder what color his clown wig is... Maybe blue? Maybe rainbow?

Cos-Play Hero p215: Don't Jump... in the Sewer!

Seriously. Lots of games have levels like this. "TMNT 2," "Blaster Master," "Batman..."
What's that coming up out of the sewer grate? IT must be that monster that terrified us all as children... IT's that thing that comes up from the sewer.. That's right, it's "Ghoulies."
On an unrelated note, could you please call your senator again and tell him or her not to take away my friends and family's health insurance? We'd be very much still alive.

Cos-Play Hero P214: HE'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU... AGAIN!

Finally, the storylines are starting to intertwine.

Cos-Play Hero p213: Chew on This!

Agh. What a dreadful day in the world.
For whatever it's worth, PPL Comics fully supports our country's immigrants, especially our immigrant youth, and strongly urges the remaining sane and compassionate voices in our government to do whatever is necessary to protect these innocent people who are just trying to lead a peaceful life in the only country they've ever known.
I'm going to be pestering my congress people about this.

Cos-Play Hero p212

If you're just joining us, a little old lady is fending off an army of robotic bears using an axe and a fire extinguisher. Yes. That's what's happening.
These chaotic battle scenes are a lot of fun to draw. They're much easier to write, as well.
On an unrelated note, my prayers go out to those of you in the south Texas area during this catastrophic storm. Please stay safe, everybody.

Cos-Play Hero p211: Axe Crazy

Cos-Play Hero p210: Forget the Plan

EDIT: Corrected the typo.

Cos-Play Hero p209: SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!

Cos-Play Hero p208: Markerboard Strategem

Awesome! Blades and lava!
I'm experimenting with coloration again, because Maskstaschen drew all of this up on a marker board. That's why it looks all smudgy. Certainly not because I didn't have time to do it properly.

Cos-Play Hero p207: Brink of Safety

Cos-Play Hero p206: Teddy Bear Apocalypse

This is where the teddy bears start their apocalypse!
This seems really weird out of context...
I think it might be weirder IN context...

My car smells better now.
I'm going to go eat an entire bag of cherries.

Cos-Play Hero p205: Beware the Murder Bear!

If I get to base a game off of this comic, those murder bears are going to be a primary enemy in the later stages, much like the dreaded jet pack ninjas of Ninja Gaiden.
I'm trying out a couple new fonts. Feel free to tell me what you think.
On an unrelated note, I've figured out why my car smells funny. I also figured out what I did with those carrots I bought last week.

Cos-Play Hero p204: Peculiar

Seriously, what kind of person smokes on the job, in this day and age!? Don't get me started on that slicked-back hairstyle, either.

Cos-Play Hero p203: Major System Error

Experimenting with colors.
I wonder how long that coffee has been there...

Cos-Play Hero p202: BZAP!

Boy, if I ever electrocute myself like this, my parents will never let me hear the end of it.
Sunglasses and Ninja continue to compete over who can absorb the most punishment.

Cos-Play Hero p201: 10 Hit Combo!

Cos-Play Hero P200: MAX OBSCURITY!!!

I thought about doing an "It's Over 9000" joke here, but I feel like I've exceeded my meme quota for this story already.
I had a bit of trouble with Cos-Player's new costume, but I managed to make it look right with a little clever shading.

Cos-Play Hero p199

I colored in part of it, just to see how it would look.

Cos-PLay Hero p198: Playing With Power

I'm thinking the NES game they're playing is something like a cross between Final Fight and Secret of Mana. I might have to actually make this game, if there's time. Who wants to fund my Kickstarter? Stretch goals start at $5 million.
I don't know why she's wearing bunny slippers.

Cos-Play Hero p197: This was a bad idea.

Yeah, attacking a super villain on your lonesome might not be such a great idea. I don't recommend this.
CRUD! Raccoon and Ninja aren't supposed to be there in this scene! I've created a time paradox!

Cos-Play Hero p196: Epic Attack Names

C

What, you thought this fight was going to be easy?
Still, I feel bad about drawing her getting socked like that... Hmm...
Well, I'm sure I'll make it up to her later somehow.
On a totally unrelated note, I'm worried I might now have to admit the French are smarter than we are.

Cos-Play Hero p195: Entropic What Now?

I can probably come up with a better name than "Entropic Flip Kick." I'll put it in later.

Cos-Play Hero p194: YOU AREN'T HIM!

"You aren't him." What could she possibly mean?
If you know, please don't spoil it for me.

Cos-Play Hero p193: Buildup

"C'mon, c'mon... Get to the fight scene already!"
This needs some dramatic music. I don't have any prepared, so here is someone else's.

Cos-Play Hero p192: Uncomfortable Underground Robot Factory Brain Computer and Other Things.... Dot Com

You like the colors? I felt like adding a little bit of color this time. That second frame just didn't look right without some shading. Keep in mind, this is all pre-write. I plan on doing some shading and/or color later on in the process.

Intermission

Let's take a quick break.

Cos-Play Hero p191: Worse Than Before

Kind of messed up Raccoon's face there at the end. Remind me to fix it.

Cos-Play Hero p190: Ninja probably needs an icepack or something now.

I hope I don't have to say this, but do not try this at home.

If you do, though, be sure to put it on YouTube.
I'm not at all happy with the way this turned out. It's really difficult to draw somebody stuck on a wall and still make it interesting. If you can do it, well, then you must be a better cartoonist than me.

Science-y Things

I took a break from the novel this week to make some designs for the national march for science this April. They need a bit of work in Illustrator first, of course.

Cos-Play Hero p189: Back Alley

He got kicked out of the bar, if that wasn't clear. Sometimes I'm not sure I get the plot across.

Cos-Play Hero p188: English Pub

So, I hear the Oscars last night were a bit of a mess. My condolences to those of you who were rooting for "La La Land." To be honest, I really don't care. If you ask me, "La La Land" is just a knock off of the Warner Bros. animated classic "Cat's Don't Dance."
I feel like maybe I need to start using a different font for these comics besides Comic Sans... except for Eel Marty's text. Eel Marty will always speak in Comic Sans.

Cos-Play Hero p187

Well, this one's a little boring. I guess that's the trouble with a storyline. You have to spend some time on setup. I did make an unintentional Legend of Zelda CDi reference in the third frame, so I guess there's that.
"Mah boi! This is what true web comic artists strive for!"

Cos-Play Hero p186: He'll be FINE

He'll be fine, it's fine. It's fine, itsfineitsfineitsfineitsfine.

Cos-Play Hero p185: Dramatic Irony

Oooo, dramatic irony!
Previously...

Cos-Play Hero p184: The Best Laid Plans