The current story arc started with this strip: A New Adventure.
Our Blacky is inspired by the raccoon of the same name that was featured prominently in “Raccoons: In History, Folklore & Today’s Backyards” by Virginia C. Holmgren. (The book is filled with interesting facts about the history of raccoons not available anywhere else and may be available for cheap at Amazon.com.)
One day when spring was still around that unseen corner, Blacky showed us still another facet of his special personality. Somewhere – probably down by the frog pond – he’d met a scrawny, thin-tail Bachelor Boy who was desperately hungry. Raccoons store excess fat in their tails for emergency rations, and his bone-thin tail was proof no such rations remained. Blacky must have told Boy to come along for an easier meal than frogging, and I just happened to be looking out the west windows as they came up the hill from the frog pond together. I hurried to meet them, bread in hand, but hungry as Boy was, his caution was greater and he dived for the bushes.
Blacky took his own survey for danger and then with a reassuring glance for his new friend came on to take bread from my hand with a thank-you pad – as always. He stayed only long enough to take a nibble to prove his trust and then turned to the bushes with a look that said more plainly than words, See, this is a friend. Come, eat.
Boy took one step but was afraid to come any farther and so I tossed the bread his way and went back inside, hurrying to find a curtained window where I could watch unseen. Boy came out now, Blacky staying beside him while he gulped it all down, and after a stop at the water bowl they went on up the hill. Before long Boy was coming on his own and for a while that thin tail allowed us to tell him from the others with one glance.
- Blacky: Now, who are you?
- Woo: I– I’m Woo.
- Blacky: Hello, Woo. I’m Blacky. Don’t be afraid, I’m not gonna hurt you.
- Woo: O– o…kay.
- Blacky: Are you injured?
- Woo: I don’t know. But my leg hurts more than a bee sting in the paw.
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He sure looks awfully different from Woo… Is he really a raccoon? Or perhaps, a tanuki..?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Raccoon_Dog
maybe he is the japanes intercourse student
Blacky? Really?
I… I don’t know if I can read this comic anymore… Can’t… Take… BECOMING PREDICTABLE AND GENERIC
Heh…Blackey does look like a tanuki….depending on the anime I saw.
IT’S MARIO! He’s wearing the Tanuki Suit!
Whew… he’s safe for now.
So this is an interesting twist, Woo will go with his new friend, Sandra and friends will running around looking for Woo, the hunter will do… something and the search team will be looking for Sandra and co.
The forest is mighty busy today.
The last panel is an awesome way to remind us of the sensitivity of racoon’s paws.
As for why Blacky’s coloration is so different, maybe he’s a raccoon from the real world?
it looks like a tanuki from a rlly old anime
He definitely isn´t mario….
if he where, instead of asking him if he was alright, he would simply jumped on his head…
Oohh!! New character! And a brotha at that!!
well this is sure to cause racial tensions
@ Zeronikku:
Yes, Blacky the Coon does make me a tad uncomfortable.
Maybe I’ve just been looking at Super Dickery too much.
@ thedavey:
Never heard of Superdickery before… It’s friggin hilarious thanks! XD
@ thedavey:
2nd Black the Coon uncomfortable reference.
No pupils, does not bode well for long life.
Hoping/Assuming the “Blacky the Coon” thing is a cultural misfire.
Well-well-well again a new friend? 😀 … At least I hope he’ll be a friend. O_o”
BTW what did he throw away on panel 3? Was that a rock?
@ gaboris:
Whoops. Just read the second half of the author comment. Nice touch with bringing that book up, it sounds interesting. 🙂
So that “rock” was a reference to that bread in the book?
maybe blacky’s so generically drawn cause he’s gonna take woo back to his family where everyone looks similar
@ Blitz:
If Mario 3 is any indication, Blacky here can fly, kill small animals using only his tail, and crush large ones under his enormously heavy stone body. A fearsome creature, indeed…
That passage sounds sooo familiar to me. I must have read part of “Raccoons: In History, Folklore & Today’s Backyards” at some point in my childhood.
I love that Blackie was inspired by a character from that classic book. Don’t change a thing about him.
umm…blacky…the…raccoon???
couldn’t you come up with a name with a less racial connotation?
@ firedome:
When I first saw this strip, I was wondering about the name. But after Novil gave that explanation (in the dotted box), I don’t think there’s any reason to see it as racist. Sure, in modern English it may sound inappropriate. But is it any different from naming an orange cat “Ginger”? Doing that wouldn’t make you discriminatory against red-haired people, would it? Considering the origin of the raccoon’s name, I don’t have any problem with it.
Personally I don’t care one way, or another what you name your characters. This is yours, and your co-writers creation. You have the liberty to name characters whatever you wish.
I liked this entry, I think it’s great that you are trying to pay homage to something you like.
As for why people aren’t happy, it’s because Coon is a racial slur against blacks. Didn’t know if you knew that, or not. But that’s why people are upset. So there. The elephant in the room, has been addressed.
Looking forward to the next installment.
@ WolfieMario:
Exactly. I like the way you think Wolfie.
@Wolfen:
Man, that old hunter won’t know what hit him!
this page is mezmerising.
…I don’t get it. When I started reading this comic in late 2010, I found an archive full of entertaining, brilliantly-written comics, going right up to the story arc that had just ended, and immediately became a huge fan of the comic. Right after that point, a new story arc started, and ever since then, there’s barely been any of that. I’ve been holding out hope that more comics like the ones I read in the archives will be made, but I’m starting to lose confidence. What happened?
I’m still a fan of the comic, but the change is just mind-boggling.
I’ve been putting off homework for at least an hour reading all of these. absolutely love this, and I am very much looking forward to future updates =) Oh, and I just now noticed the “now 20% cooler” in the top corner. I sort of love this more than I initially thought I would!
Oh cool, another raccoon! Hmm… are we to see double the trouble now? May take two to take care of that hunter.
I like Blacky, just hope you are not planning on any surprises with him… like an evil raccoon or something.
Hi there, I am sorry if this has already been asked, but I am not able to find the Click Here to see Comments link on the comic’s main page under the news post or anyplace at all. I was only able to find this comment thread by routing through the Facebook page. Is there a way to have the main page display the link to strip comments?
The last few days I’ve seen seen many trolls around (genus homo7r011z) They have all been complaining about a large number of “predictable” and “done” plots.
Well, I want you trolls to read this.Read it first thing every time you get onto the internet. (if you’re not a troll, and value your time, I suggest you don’t)
I’ve been reading Tv tropes for years, and learning to write for more. I have read many things and put a lot of thought into the construction of a story line. I have not been surprised by a plot line in a very long time.
I have seen most large plot twists coming from a mile away. It just comes with what I’ve spent the last couple of years doing in my free time.
I choose to give some of my tight free time to Sandra and Woo because I love the characters, the plots are solid, the art excellent and it makes me laugh. If you are in a story for “plot twists” go watch an M. Night Shamaldongledingle movie.
Good people! I have linked the trolls to Tv tropes! You are fREeeee! (unless you clicked the links)
Just want to say, I had no idea that “coon” was even a racial slur. Guess that’s what I get for living up north? :\
The things the internet teaches you.
things don’t have to be racial if you don’t make them racial @ firedome:
@ Dave: I have the same issue. Can anyone help us?
Used to have a cat named blacky. I miss him a lot
Hey its the raccoon from starfox training mode!
Raccoon dog!
I am somewhat surprised that humanity hasn’t devised a commonly used numerical scale for pain yet. Then again, a simple description like this seems to work quite well.
My paw hurts just imagining that.