Hip's Top 5 Flamings of Frank, #1

"What Has Hip Been Doing Since November?"
Originally posted: 9 March 2010





























Even I will admit that this is a debateable pick for the top flaming of Frank by Hip, but every time I read this one, I just laugh myself silly. When I relaunched the Lair in March of this year, I produced an entire week of episodes to show fans what some of their favorite characters had been up to since the Lair went on hiatas. This episode was one of the main inspirations for that idea.

So what is it about this one that makes me laugh so much? Part of the episode was inspired by my 37th birthday. I don't do much heavy drinking, and I'd never really been flatout drunk... until that night in January of this year. I honestly don't remember a lot after a certain point, but I clearly recall my declaration that I wanted to do thirteen shots in honor of the short-lived TV series "Rome," arguably one of the greatest TV drama series ever. I can only hope my fellow diehard fans of that show won't take offense to Hip's mispronunciation of Lucius Vorenus' name. Oh, and for those wondering, I didn't make it to thirteen shots... thank God. I suffered enough for however many I did.

The one thing I hated about this episode was going back to the Scales and Tails club. I created the club (which my wife named) as part of last year's "Richmond Vice" storyline. I spent ten straight episodes in that place, and I can't tell you what a nightmare it was. The entire setting was created within my computer, so any change in angle required rebuilding the entire bloody place from scratch (I really came to hate that light-up, dance floor. It's also worth noting that the episode that introduced the Scales and Tails club is also the only time in which Frank has flamed Hip.

Coming up on Wildcat Wednesday: "Lost in London, Episode XXII"

Hip's Top 5 Flamings of Frank, #2

"Frank Meets Hip, Episode II"
Originally posted: 16 February 2007

















Ah, the original flaming... Brings a tear to my eyes and immediately evaporates it. Hip was the first of my wife's dragons to get into the act. The entire idea to add him to the Lair's cast came from the fact he really does look so much like a Hippo (heck, it's how he got his name!). I took one look at him after my wife bought him and thought, "I've got to do an episode with this guy."

Little did I know at the time what fast friends Hip and Frank would become. Nor did I realize how many of my wife's dragons would invade future episodes of the lair. Even for a comic strip, these stories and characters have a way of taking over and writing themselves.

I paid homage to the last frame of this episode more than a year later in August of 2008 when I introduced another of my wife's dragons, Bubbles. Poor Hip got a taste of his own medicine in that episode, too.

Coming Up Tomorrow: "Hip's Top 5 Flamings of Frank, #1" (Bet you thought today's episode was gonna be my pick for #1, didn't you?)

Hip's Top 5 Flamings of Frank, #3

"Foreign Aid"
Originally posted: 28 January 2009





























"Foreign Aid" was part of an ongoing storyline inspired by the new laptop my wife got me for Christmas. As for why this made the top five flamings of Frank by Hip, I think the sheer volume of flamings in this episode was hilarious. In a later episode, Hip is confronted about this incident by Inspector Merlin as part of the infamous "Who Flamed Waffles?" storyline. I love that Hip defends his actions as a "mercy flaming."

Unfortunately for me, I don't think my wife (a.k.a., Dragon Queen) was amused by the storyline's suggestion that my new laptop was defective, even if the ultimate blame for the computer virus ended up being revealed as the result of all the kitty porn Frank hid in his music folder. With that in mind, I'd like to add that I'm still using that laptop, which has proven one of my most useful Christmas gifts of all time. Thanks, darlin'!

Coming Up Tomorrow: "Hip's Top 5 Flamings of Frank, #2"

Hip's Top 5 Flamings of Frank, #4

"The Killer Bunnies, Episode IV"
Originally posted: 14 November 2008



















The "Killer Bunnies" episodes provided one of the most difficult "shoots" of any episodes I created in 2008. Producing the set took so much effort (figuring out the best seating arrangement for the players, how many players to have, limiting the cards to just the first two decks, dealing the cards, fabricating the many drinks on the table, etc.) that I realized I needed to milk it for as many episodes as possible. More importantly, I realized I wouldn't get any second takes for these pictures once I broke down my set. As such, I stayed up until after two in the morning and spent more than four hours taking 124 pictures just for those four episodes.

Just as humorous is that you can find a reference to me, Frank and the others getting together to play "Killer Bunnies" in an episode posted three months prior.

I should add that "Killer Bunnies" is an actual card game. My wife and I still get together every month or so with two other couples who are good friends of ours just to play "Killer Bunnies." Our last Killer Bunnies night, we finally added in the final deck.

Coming Up Tomorrow: "Hip's Top 5 Flamings of Frank, #3"

Hip's Top 5 Flamings of Frank, #5

"Richmond Vice, Episode II"
Originally posted: 17 June 2009





















Had a hard time narrowing this list to just the top five. Once I'd cut it down to six, I found myself choosing between this episode from last year's "Richmond Vice" storyline and an episode I originally posted in July of 2008 which also featured my son. I eventually decided to not include "Frank's Padawan, Episode V" in the top five based on a technicality (Hip doesn't directly flame Frank in that episode). Still, the episode was definitely worth an honorable mention.

Coming Up Tomorrow: "Hip's Top 5 Flamings of Frank, #4"