You should see what he put together for his sister’s wedding, it was really quite lovely. Stunning but understated...
But to look at him tear up the racetrack you wouldn’t know that his head was filled with daffodils and dandelions. He ruthlessly (and adorably) pounds down the path focused on the finish line, destroying anyone and anything that gets in his way. It is how he was raised. It is the Turtelson way.
Turtle resides in Willow Swamp with his mother and father Bart and Alice Turtleson. He enjoys skiing, reruns of Small Wonder, and spelling words with numbers.
This fall Turtle will be attending Dartmouth to pursue a double major in Botany and Law. He hopes to continue his work with flowers as well as take the first steps towards legally making “numbers as letter” an official recognized language. For more on his struggle go to www.d0ntb3ah8ter.com
Robert “The Bob” Bunny - Born into a family of artist and entertainers, while growing up, the race track was the furthest thing from Bunny’s mind. His brothers would go on to be entertainers and spokesmen on a worldwide scale and he aspired to do the same.
One day while writing a poem on the shore of Glowing Creek a gust of wind swept his parchment up and whisked it away. Running down the river’s edge after that paper Bunny discovered a new love... for speed. He felt the “need for speed”, if you will, much like a junkie or a fighter pilot with enormous teeth.
From that moment on Bunny dedicated himself to the race taking on any and all challengers. Sadly, for all his energy and enthusiasm, Bunny was simply not the quickest animal out there, and his kind demeanor made him a push over in the racing circles.
After this years devastating loss, Bunny plans to hit the training room and return for next years race as a lean mean running machine. With determination like that and a big family supporting him anything could happen. But with a record of 0-23 no one’s holding their breath.
Grandpa Turtle As a former winner of the Great Race himself, Grandpa Turtle is determined to see his grandson carry on the fine family tradition, and he’ll do whatever he has to do to make sure it happens. No matter what little Bunny gets in the way.
Grandpa Bunny - Where Grandpa Turtle helps his grandson with an iron fist Grandpa Bunny chooses to help with words of support and a helpful suggestion. This quiet and kind old rabbit has had his day in the sun and finds peace in seeing his grandson enjoy the competition.
Mama Turtle - Mama Turtle has little interest in the race. That is until her son’s life is threatened. Then, like any good overprotective parent, she bursts into action taking out anyone that means her little boy harm. With bursts of adrenaline that leave her with an seemingly limitless amount of strength there is nothing more powerful than a mother’s love.
Easter Bunny - This famed holiday mascot was more than happy to take some time away from his busy egg hiding schedule to help out his little brother in the race. After all, if a worldwide celebrity with arms like tree trunks can’t scare off a bear attack, than nothing will.
Billy “Crash” McKitten - The son of Bill and Mary McKitten always dreamt of flying. His dreams came true when he got a job piloting a helicopter for the Catburg News covering traffic, migration, and races. The future looked bright for this spunky young upstart. A new career, a litter on the way...He will be missed.
The Question Troll – “Answer me these questions three.” And you best answer truthfully lest the old Question Troll turn you away. Unfortunately, due to a short-term memory problem, the Question Troll’s questions are relatively easy one’s to answer. If you know who you are and where you’re going, you should be good to go.
Turtle in the Clouds - What happens when we die? Who knows, but we do know what happens when Turtle catches a beat down and finds himself drowning in two feet of water. He has a fever dream about a strange Turtle angel that doesn't speak and apparently is a bit of a biter.
Bears - All bears, be they cave dwellers, forest inhabiters, civilized or wild have one thing in common. They hate bunnies. Heaven knows why, but it’s rumored that the unspoken feud goes back to the earl years of the great race. They had better figure out what the problem is soon, because until they do, these grizzly beasts will continue to thwart the Bunny families attempts at winning the race.
Edna and Ernie Fragile (the birds of Fragile Rock) - When you come upon the towering cliffs of Fragile Rock, it’s best to walk around than climb up an over. Because the only thing awaiting you at mountain’s top is this pair of angry birds trying to retire in peace.
After last Thursday’s strip I had no idea how to follow it up. Especially when it turned out that Bunny won! I mean, he was hurling towards the ground tethered to a harpoon with a jet pack on his back. There was no way he was just going to spin around, land on his feet and take off towards the finish line. I suppose I could have had him flung past Turtle at break-neck speeds, but the boys have been in the air for a couple of weeks. It was time for mammal to meet ground.
The finished result came out pretty good, I think. It’s not a really triumphant Bunny strip in that he doesn’t slow Turtle down or propel himself into the lead, but I feel like him pushing on after surviving such a crash is a big moment for his character. This isn’t a classic Spy vs. Spy style joke, but I kind of hope the Bunny supporters look at this strip and see that there man’s not out of things just yet…
I’m not 100% sure that coloring in the blood was a great idea. After posting it I called Yeo over and asked what she thought, and before I could finish the sentence she was saying, “It’s inconsistent with what the strip has been so far.” A valid point and I guess it was the reaction I was expecting/fearing, but why not color the blood?
This is the first real blood in a strip that promises to bring more blood. The first blood in a strip where a cat has been launched through a helicopter window and a turtle has had a cannonball dropped on his head. There was plenty of room for blood there but the fact that it’s colored for the first time here means that I wanted you to notice it. I wanted it to be clear that the first blood between the two main characters marks a point that the strip is jumping to a new level. It’s about to get dangerous. Also I got to draw RAMBO BUNNY!
This doesn’t mean the blood will return though. Like I said I’m still not sure it’s a good idea. I just hope it makes people notice a particular strip I like that could easily get lost in the shuffle.
A quick shout out to Anti Bunny who were good enough to add TvB to their links page. Thanks for the love!