The Belch Dimension Comics
  

 It's my world. You only live in it. 

    

 
 

Return to Covers


 
 
Solicitation
   

Undercover work can be a real drag--especially when Gort and Ben, a.k.a "Gretel" and "Bernadette", are on the case. Plus, Punkin has a date for Valentine's Day with a persnickety purebred--but he's going to have to work hard to woo her.
____________________________________________________

 
 
Episode#: 210

Issue #: 22

Release Date: Jan 26, 2007
 ________________________________________________

Cover

The cover is a mock-up of the movie poster for Some Like It Hot (1959), starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe.
According to the character's creator, J.M. Sweet, Punkin's middle initial stands for "Tom". "Diva Stiles" is a play on the expression "diva style". "Tiger Wood" is a reference of famous golfer Tiger Woods. Note their full names are only given on the movie poster mockup.

 _____________________________________________

 Title: "What A Drag!"

Story (out of 24 pages): 12 p.

Writer: Jean-Kate Costman

Penciller: Jason W. Keane

Letterer: J. Antwon Shea

Colorist: Annette T. "Jo" Shaw

Summary:

Gort is watching an episode of "Gilligan's Time Machine" when the phone rings. A man on the other end asks for "the man they call Sweetchuck", who isn't there. A moment later the would-be snitch is fatally shot. Gort decides to take on the case himself. When he learns that Reginald Montenegro and Duke X. Machina, two of the city's top crime bosses, will be meeting that night at Mario's, he and Ben dress up as a pair of cocktail waitresses and try to tape their conversation (with a mike hidden in Ben's bra). However, one disaster after another threatens to blow the boys' cover.

Notes:

Silly as it seems, such a show isn't as far-fetched as it might sound. In the mid-eighties Filmation created a short-lived series called Gilligan's Planet. The highly-improbable concept was that The Professor constructed a rocketship that launched the castaways into space. The ship crashed on an alien planet, and they became stranded.

Gort's line, "Hark, the herald gibbon swings" is a takeoff on "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing".
    The following line about "one appearance a year" is not wholly inaccurate; as of this date Jason has only been seen in the May 2005, January 2006, and November 2006 issues. This is his first appearance for 2007; fourth overall.

Besides being a partial parody of Some Like It Hot (see cover notes), Gort's appearance as a woman is rather reminiscent of one of Woody Woodpecker's in "The Woody Woodpecker Polka" (Lantz, 1951)--particularly the shape of his gown (though Gort's is yellow rather than the purple one Woody wore), his bobbed red hair, and the long elbow-length gloves (Woody wore wine-colored ones as part of his getup, about the same shade as Ben's). Also, the manner in which Ben stores an improbable amount of surveillance gear in his bra is exactly how Woody stored food he was filching from the dance he attended (at one point cramming an entire roast turkey in his top).

"Duke X. Machina" is an allusion to deus ex machina, or "god in the machine", an old theater term for an improbable plot twist or event that saves the hero from danger.

page 12. The police officer bears a striking resemblance to Archie Andrews.


________________________________________________

Title: "Desperate Housecats"

(Original Working Title: "Punkin Goes Tomcatting")

Story (out of 24 pages): 10 p.

Writer: Jake C. Thomas

Penciller: Scott J. Hanna

Letterer: Noah Jewett

Colorist: Theo A. "Jet" Swann

Summary:

Punkin is looking to score a date with Diva, a pretty, pampered, rich cat with many suitors. It comes down to him and a handsome tabby named Tiger. The two perspective beaus must engage in tests of cathood, each hoping to prove himself worthy of the fair lady. Tiger, however, isn't above using a judicious bit of cheating to win the contest....

The title parodies that of the steamy ABC drama Desperate Housewives.

Although depicted as a homeless stray in BABF06-c, it seems Punkin is now one of Jon's pets. This refers to the deliberate loose continuity of the early theatrical shorts in which Tom (MGM) or Sylvester (Warner Bros.) would play either domestic cats or street cats, depending on what the script's needs dictated.

Punkin is singing Tom Jones' "What's New, Pussycat?" as he gets ready for his date. It's a two-pronged reference: besides obviously being a cat, Punkin is voiced as Woody Allen. What's New, Pussycat? was the title of Allen's first directorial debut, a noisy romantic farce.

Diva's other prospective boyfriends are "Arnold Scratchenposter", "Jean-Clawed Van Dumme", and "Chuck Morris"--referring to Arnold Schwartzenegger, Jean Claude Van Damme, and Chuck Norris. Morris is referred to as a "cat food mogul"--a reference also to "Morris", a former spokescat for 9 Lives cat food.

____________________________________________________
There are two pages of filler in this issue:

"Phone Lines/Belch Dimension Dos and Don'ts". Marcie tries to concretely define her and Scragg's relationship; what and what not to do when giving Valentine's Day gifts.      

  • It is revealed Marcie is 25.      
  • This marks Jon's smallest appearance, a nonspeaking cameo, to date since last February's issue (although he is mentioned in passing in "What A Drag!").

    No title. Love means never having to say you're sorry--and when you're a mime you needn't say anything at all.


    _______________________________________________

    Look inside!
    Click on the thumbnail to see full-size image.
       



    ____________________________________________________

     
     

    This Site has been designed for 800x600 resolution and Macromedia Flash Player 5. ________________________________________________________________________________ 

     
     © 2004 Smoking Cat Productions
     

     

    		 

    This site built for free by an evil conservative. Click here, fartknocker.