Got back from the Long Beach Comic Con yesterday and was overall very impressed with the con, given that it was its very first outing. Saw lots of people who really shouldn’t have been in costume and a few who looked pretty good. Heard Berke Breathed talk, whch was awesome, as the man was a […]
Welcome to the first Wednesday strip! I’ve taken my first step into a larger world… This strip contains my wife’s least favorite joke, which I didn’t really understand until I realized that the reader might think that Dhur is… doing something off screen. He’s not. He could be, but he’s not. See you next Monday! […]
Someone was asking me this past weekend what I do for a living and I answered with “I’m a cartoonist.” It felt good to say that. It felt even better when I didn’t get the usual follow-up question to that which is, “and you make a living doing that?” Instead, I was asked, “So, who […]
Here’s a little glimpse into how my brain works. When I was planning the start of this webcomic, I approached the creation of my buffer of strips in a very assembly line kind of way. First came the writing of 40 or so strips, then back to strip #1 for the rough sketches, then back […]
In a continuing public service, we now present a brief entry from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia: Half-Elves The Elves and Humans have been on good terms (for the most part) for the past 200 years or so. Given that, half-elves come about “when a human and an elf mommy or daddy love each other very much.” […]
Good Monday to you! This is the last week of only posting the cartoon on Mondays and Wednesdays. After this week, we go to 3 days a week, Monday-Wednesday-Friday, just like a grown-up webcomic! Thanks for reading everyone! See you on Wednesday! ~Rob
Dhur’s many things, but a coiner of catchphrases ain’t one of them. My metamorphosis into a webcartoonist is drawing closer to completion, as I’ve been staying up later and later each night, working on the strip. Right now, I’m caught up until early December and I’ve been getting to bed each night at roughly 1:00 […]
Whoops! Sorry, folks, I forgot to get Friday’s strip posted at midnight, like I usually do – still not used to posting on Fridays yet 🙂 Nothing else of note for now, so hope you enjoy having Leo talk at you and I’ll see you on Monday! Rob P.S. Yes, his eyes are on fire. […]
…or, in layman’s terms, Dhur can’t takes it no more.:) As you can see on the left, I finally figured out how to put my Twitter feed on this page. I am slowly but surely staggering my way into this whole Interwebs thing that’s so popular with all the younger people today. 😉 Now all […]
Like a lot of you, I’ve been burned before. You put up with all of their B.S. until you finally say to yourself, “I don’t have to take this!” and you leave. For a while. Then they come back, swearing that they’re not like they were, they’ve seen the error of their ways and and […]
The shoulder shell is back! Truth is, I missed drawing it and even though I designed them, I ended up REALLY not liking the new spaulders. This entire strip seems like it’s tailor-made to have Yakkity Sax played in the background. Now all we need is Benny Hill coming over the next sand dune… Also, […]
… which isn’t surprising. I imagine Jaine’s roaming charges will keep her in debt until her eleventy-third birthday, assuming she lives that long. Not much to say this time around. See you on Tuesday! ~Rob
And now you know where the crew keeps all their gear… and the drawbacks of said. Jaine’s belt pouches are modified Bags of Holding with arcane reinforcement so that sharp objects (like Dhur’s axe or Jaine’s little-used rapier) won’t tear the bag and dump everything into the Astral Plane. Yes, I thought this through. Yes, […]
I got the D&D Starter Set in the mail last Thursday. Here are my brief impressions: When they say “starter set,” do they mean it. Essentially, the rules are a booklet with the standard explanations of what a roleplaying game is, a rundown on the 6 statistics that make up a character, a combat section, […]
Warning: the following contains a teensy bit of soul-baring. If that’s not your cup of tea, no problem and I’ll see you next week. For the rest of you, here we go… 1… 2… 3… Okay, full-on honesty time here, folks. As I’m sure some of you have noticed, I have been fighting creative burn-out […]
For some reason, I am reminded of this scene in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure: Bill: Ted, you forgot to wind your watch! Even after you specifically told yourself to do it! Ted: I guess I’ll just have to tell myself again. Hey, Ted! Don’t forget to wind your watch! To see what Dhur’s forgotten, […]
Normally, I’d write here about the 5th Edition of D&D and how it looks promising (it does – the long national 4th edition nightmare is over) along with the trailer for Tyranny of Dragons, which is amazing. I might also write about how the new expansion for World of Warcraft, Warlords of Draenor, also looks […]
And now, in a continuing service, an entry from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia. SKULLBALL On the Lower Planes, life is a grueling existence and usually very short. Unrelentingly harsh weather conditions, demonic adversaries and a distinct lack of decent take-out food are among the many things that can make a soul give in to despair. However, […]
Yes, my go-to sound effect for trans-dimensional travel is VORP. ____ My copy of the new Player’s Handbook arrived the other day and I have to say, overall, it looks SOOOOOOO much easier to play than 4th Edition. The system itself seems solid and easy to play out of the box, which could not be […]
Not much going now folks… but next week? Hoo Boy! Strip #500 and the 5th Anniversary of MeatShield! See you then! ~Rob
And now, a special guest blog post from Kathy, Rob’s wife. As you may have noticed, this is Rob’s 500th strip. As it happens, it’s also the 5-year anniversary of Meatshield. Both are pretty significant accomplishments! Rob has worked hard to make Meatshield what it is today. He has developed likeable characters, engaging storylines, and […]
Some folks see prune juice as a “warrior’s drink,” but I put it to you that coffee beats some dried-up plum juice any day hands down. And yes, that’s how I occasionally take my coffee. So now the secret has been revealed! 🙂 I tried an experiment last week. DMs that I’ve gamed with in […]
Earlier in the week, I posted a geek rant on Facebook, where a few things that had been bouncing around in my head for a while finally broke loose. I shall now reprint and expound on that post thusly: DOCTOR WHO: Peter Capaldi seems like a great actor, but I just can’t cotton to him […]
For that last panel, I had this scene from an otherwise forgettable Disney movie bouncing in my head. In The Emperor’s New Groove, a bunch of the villain’s thugs get alchemically transformed into animals. One turns into a cow and says, “Umm, excuse me, I’m a cow, can I go home?” Don’t know why that […]
For those of you in the U.S. who aren’t familiar with it, the cyclops prosecutor is wearing a barrister’s wig, common in the UK. Why did I put him in a barrister’s wig? I felt like it. 🙂 Anyway, a brief little bit about true names: in many cultures, there is the name that your […]
UPDATE – 12/22/14: I’m sorry I didn’t post this earlier, but MeatShield will be on hiatus until 01/12/15, which is when my kids go back to school. I need to time to mentally regroup and do the traditional holiday stuff with my family. Happy Holidays to you and yours! One of these days, that DA’s […]
And we’re back from Christmas Vacation! I hope you all had a good holiday season, whatever holiday you chose (or chose not) to observe. This year was a good one and no one got sick at all… until 3 days after New Year’s Day. My wife and I are just coming down off of a […]
I am almost done with my current 3.5 D&D campaign and I’m chomping at the bit to try D&D 5th Edition. One of my regular players will be taking on the task of DM, so I will get to play after a long dry spell. During the long national trial that was 4th Edition, there […]
It’s almost as though time didn’t stand still for Rey-Rey like Gerta figured it would… Okay, it’s contest time! This time around, the prize is the ability to determine which plane our heroes go to next! I have three options for you: Back to Ardris, just in a vastly different area – maybe even off […]
Just in case you don’t remember, Gerta lives in a halfdome kind of yurt… thing. So, the Great MeatShield Planehopping contest…. *sigh* I think I made it too hard to participate. I probably should have just asked folks to retweet with the hashtag #planehopping. Too late for that now, though. Since no one has yet […]
I have finally recovered from the Cold from Baator. Now I have this annoying non-productive cough that just won’t die. Ugh. Anyhows, back to comic-making! Take care, ~Rob
Rock, meet Hard Place. Where ever could our heroes have ended up? I’m working on making ebook versions of both Books One and Two, as there have been some requests for such. Stay tuned! Take care, ~Rob
A few notes: I’m still working on the color conversions for the books for both Book One and Two. It’s a tedious, mind-numbing process. I’ll keep you posted on my progress there. I’m thinking of relaunching my Patreon campaign. I will most likely be limiting the number of contribution tiers, as I think folks might […]
I love onomatopoeia. Hey, Glenn over at ComicMix.com has started up the Mix March Madness Webcomics Tournament and MeatShield is in it! There are over 300 webcomics particpating in this; if MeatShield manages to get into the Top 128, we could win this thing. Sure, it’d be like my alma mater, Cal-State Northridge defeating Michigan […]
Orcs ain’t much fer manners an’ stuff. It’s a miracle Dhur turned out the way he did. 🙂 That’s all for this week, folks! Take care! ~Rob
UPDATE: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the new MeatShield strip will be delayed until Monday (4/13/15) morning. 🙁 I think Dh’oh’s Three F’s beat Conan’s “what is best in life?” quote. It’s easier to remember, anyway. Hasta, ~Rob
“But Rob,” I hear you think, “I’ve run paladins before that have gone to the Outer Planes and they didn’t attract any more attention than the attention they brought upon themselves. What gives?” Patience, Grasshopper. There is a reason 🙂 In other news, this is the first strip to be drawn, inked and colored 100% […]
I remember when I was a kid learning D&D and coming across the Fireball spell and the material component needed to cast it: bat guano. I then had to look up the word “guano.” I remember my teachers being impressed by my vocabulary in elementary school. Small wonder, since I read comic books and played […]
It’s been a while since we heard from the Sledge… all the way back here. Looks like the intelligent weapon that belonged to one of history’s greatest paladins might just have an agenda of its own… 🙂 Take care, ~Rob
Hope you like the new armor, Becky. I got tired of drawing coffee cans on your shoulders. 🙂 Christiane, a frequent commenter, had told the tale of her paladin in her comment for the strip previous to this one and how she chopped her own head off with three natural ones in a row. This […]
And now, in a continuing service, an entry from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia… Grundahr Ghall At the Dawn of Time, when the various gods gathered together at the Grand Conference to determine who was going to do what in the world, one of their number distinguished himself not by his power or wisdom, but by his […]
Yes, Dhoh just figured out that he’s dead. They’re half-orcs – Rhodes Scholars they ain’t. I just realized something: Dhur’s not really a half-orc. His dad is, and Dhur certainly self-identifies as one, but the other orcs we’ve seen (so far) have had skin tones ranging from green to taupe. Dhoh’s skin is just as […]
… just in case you hadn’t figured that out about our good friend Dhur, son of Dho’h. It seems that someone turned the exterior thermostat here in Southern California from “June Gloom” setting (where it was set at the beginning of the month) to “Blast Furnace on the Surface of the Sun”. My car dashboard […]
UPDATE – 6/22/15: My father’s interment is scheduled for 7/3/15. I hope to be back at the drawing table by about 7/15/15 or so, after handling the rest of Dad’s affairs. Thank you all for the kind and supportive comments. Thank you also to those of you who contributed to the GoFundMe campaign to raise […]
I’m back. This past month has been the hardest I’ve ever gone through and I couldn’t have made it through without the support of my family, friends and my readers. From prayers and/or positive thoughts to the actual monetary donations to help pay for my father’s service, I am truly humbled by the love and […]
I’ve often seen Dhur as the kind of character made by someone who’s new to gaming and doesn’t understand how to allocate skills. DM: Are you absolutely sure you want to devote your last three skill points to Craft (needlepoint)? Player: I love needlepoint, yes! DM: Even though you’re going to be playing a Ranger […]
This week’s blog post is a bit rambling; you have been warned. • I was re-reading “Of Dice and Men” by David Ewalt, which, if you haven’t read it, go and do so – it is a very accessible & enjoyable history of D&D. In the first chapter, he refers to the fact that D&D, […]
Where’s Vorpal, you ask? She’s where any dog worth her salt would be: asleep in the kitchen. 🙂 It had to happen: someone’s character in my gaming group got killed. Let me be clear, though: I didn’t kill him – I wasn’t the DM this time around. The character of my brother-in-law’s brother Vern (not […]
This goes to show you that everyone can have an emotional blindspot at one time or another. Fun fact: I didn’t find out until long after I was happily married with children that a girl in high school that I thought was just a real good friend in fact had a crush on me. How […]
You know how they say that a writer’s (or cartoonist’s) characters are all just aspects of his or her personality? I figure that Dhur is the part of my brain that comes up with gems like the one in this strip. I then go and do the exact opposite. 🙂 Take care, ~Rob
For Dhur, being drunk while fighting might actually be an asset? I’ve been trying to veer away from really revealing blog posts lately, as I think they might put some people off, especially newer readers. However, something happened recently that I feel the need to talk about. This isn’t a set-up for a joke. You […]
I suppose this is the closest Vorpal’s going to get to eating Frosty Paws. 🙂 Halloween is coming up on Saturday and I have chosen my costume: I shall be Concerned Onlooker #2. My wife will be Concerned Onlooker #1 because I’ve been married long enough to know that she gets (and deserves) top billing. […]
Man, I hope her contract is up or her service provider is gonna be pissed. Wow! I wasn’t expecting the number of commission requests I got, but thank you! This will make this Christmas very nice indeed. 🙂 If you haven’t gotten your commission request in yet, drop me an email at rob(at)meatshield(dot)net and get […]
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! As most longtime readers know, this has been a very rough year for me. The good news is that I am coming out the other end of it and that is due in no small part to the love and support of all of you, especially in the wake of my father’s […]
UPDATE: I spoke too soon. I sat down at my trusty, barely 3 years old iMac to do some standard social media stuff and after being on for about an hour, it decided to shut itself off. Then it refused to start back up again, even after (alert: Mac computer geek speak ahead) resetting the […]
As I said in the last blog post, my trusty iMac (which turned out to be seven years old, not three – how time flies!) died on me. The logic board was the culprit. It would have cost nearly the same amount to fix it than to buy a new computer. Ergo… If I can […]
And now, in a continuing service, an entry from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia. WYRMS Long ago, the gods gathered together to create the world. Each god or goddess created one sentient race that embodied their hopes, dreams, and in some case, hobbies. Terron created the Giants, Grundhar Ghall created the Orcs, and Vasra, god of serpents […]
By the time you all read this, I will have just wrapped up a grueling 1400 mille-long drive from California to my in-law’s place in north Texas for Christmas. By the way, just in case anyone has too much money and wants to spoil their favorite cartoonist (me), I’d really like to get a Cintiq […]
Howdy from North Texas! Hope you all had a great Christmas, if that’s your thing. I had a great holiday and received, among other things, a World of Warcraft DING button (which sounds like a toilet flushing, to be honest), a collection of the art of Tony diTerlizzi called Realms, and (wait for it)… Heward’s […]
The holidays have come and gone and life is getting back to normal, or as normal as my life ever gets, at any rate. We’re in the grips of 2016 now and as longtime readers know, 2015 really put me through the wringer. I’m glad to see its backside. Like everyone else I know, I’ve […]
You know how sometimes you might make a character in a RPG with a few skill points in an obscure skill, like Craft (Weaving) or Conversational Russian, just to see if the GM will incorporate that into the game somehow? You’re about to see that play out in the next strip. 😊 Something I’m trying […]
Hey, it worked against Old King Cole! No one ever talks about what happened to Old King Cole AFTER he cut open that pie. It might explain why his reign over his vaguely-Western European nation ended so soon. I think about this stuff too much. For gamers of a certain age (mine), the following can […]
Halflings – they just don’t get no respect! Recently, Geek & Sundry posted a article about how the characters in Harry Potter would break down into D&D statistics. Trying to figure out what class and, in some cases, races our favorite characters from other media would be in Dungeons & Dragons is a long time […]
Not to be confused with The Doubleclicks, who are an awesome band and force of nature. 🙂 I imagine being a ghost bound to a plaque with two other guys, one a relative and the other a bore, might put a crimp in anyone’s love life. See you all on Tuesday! ~Rob
If you had told me an indeterminate number of years ago when I was in high school that one day my job would consist of drawing cartoons that included (among other things) a flirty ghost, I’m honestly not sure how I would have reacted. Life’s a funny thing, y’know? Take care, ~Rob
Can you ID all the items Dhur looted? All $5 and up Patreon patrons already know the answer (so please don’t spoil it :)! So, it looks like Warner Bros. wants to make the next D&D movie more light-hearted and closer in feel to Guardians of the Galaxy. When I first read that headline, my […]
UPDATE – 3/2/16 – Apologies, folks: the new MeatShield strip will be delayed due to this cold/flu thing that has smacked me and my family upside the head. Welcome to all our new readers from Facebook! Hope you like what you see! Our heroes are currently finding their way back to the extraplanar city of […]
I thought about having Ch’p say “Word” to Dhur in that last panel, but I decided that a) I didn’t need it and b) It would show my age. Like I did just now, home skillet. 🙂 I ran a bit behind this week, so this week will be a one-strip week. Next week, we’ll […]
Because, let’s face it, Dhur is one of those guys that if he existed in the real world would be tooling around on the biggest, loudest, most obnoxious Harley he could lay his mitts on. It’s been brought to my attention that The Unnamed Royal Adventuring Company #47 (our heroes) have been woefully bereft of […]
You know what I love? I love it when I post the new social media posts for the latest comic strip, but then forget to actually post the new strip on the website. Yessir, that just makes my day. 🙁 Sorry about that, you guys. No April Foolery today, promise. Take care, ~Rob
Sorry about that subject heading, couldn’t resist. 🙂 I probably should have warned you all last week, but this week (the week of April 5th) is Spring Break for my girls, which means every time I’ve tried to be productive in some way, I’ve been interrupted by 11-year-olds wailing “Dad, we’re BORED!” Thus, this week […]
Hey, it’s Jerry! Remember him? Click here to refresh your memory! And now, in a continuing service, an entry from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia. Primordial Elements Terr. Aer. Fajr. Aquo. These are the names of the Inner Planes, each corresponding to a classical element (earth, air, fire and water, respectively). In isolated areas of each one […]
To be fair, expecting Ch’p to know about the W’Shaa in Scrybl is kind of like going up to someone from Texas and saying, “You’re from Texas? My cousin lives in Texas! Do you know him?” Take care, ~Rob
Forget Master Teo? How could you, when all ya gotta do is click here! 🙂 Running a bit behind this past week, hoping to get caught up soon. Thanks for your patience, folks.:) Take care, ~Rob
And now, in a continuing service, an excerpt from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia… SHONDELLA Long after the Grand Conference, when the gods and goddesses of Ardris collaborated on the creation of the world, a new goddess simply appeared one day. There are many theories as to how Shondella arrived in Ardris, including but not limited to: […]
Look at it this way: if all your people were known for was overeating, running around barefoot, and hanging around with dodgy wizards, you’d be a tad defensive too. I’m a day late with this, but May 5th was and is a very important holiday in the history of the United States. I’m of course […]
Not telling you what to do, Ch’p, but if I was on my way to meet my god, I’d at least shave and put on deodorant. Just saying. See you Friday, ~Rob
Let’s hope Ch’p’s arm doesn’t get chopped off when the portal closes… or when Lisette gets a hold of a butcher’s knife. 🙂 You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to clean Ch’p up, but the storyline never seemed to give me a chance to work it in until now. His Naruto look-a-like […]
Poor Vorpal. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go, Becky. Hasta, ~Rob
No, Ch’p is not a demigod. He is awesome, just not that level of awesome. See you next week! ~Rob
After all the crap that’s been thrown at our little band o’ heroes, I thought some rewards were in order. Oh, and yes, Dhur was functionally illiterate (once he has something read to him, he’ll remember it, but otherwise…) He will probably use this new gift to find out just how much he’s been overcharged […]
So, what do you think of Ch’p’s new duds? His previous robes were the traditional robes worn by W’Shaa monks during their Fielding, the red and gold color scheme of which is then reversed for monks that remain in primary service to the monastery (i.e. non-adventuring monks). For the monks that are also adventurers? They […]
William Faulkner once gave this piece of writing advice: “In writing, you must kill your darlings.” This refers to those parts of a story that the writer has fallen in love with but aren’t needed for the story anymore and can perhaps even be distracting to the reader. It can be a character, a phrase, an […]
What a difference 3 months makes! Thank you all for the extraordinarily kind words during my hiatus/sabbatical/vacation/whatever you call it. I feel much better, less burned out, and ready to draw! I really needed that. 🙂 So, who might that ghostly figure be? Take care, ~Rob
Don’t remember our old pal Gary? Go take look here to refresh your memory. Just to head off any continuity questions: if it was two years ago, why are the ruins still smoking? Good question, you have a fine eye for detail.:) To answer that, I’ll ask you this related question: if it was two […]
It was bound to happen – Dhur contributed something meaningful to the party beyond just “beatin’ up bad guys and takin’ their stuff.” Not much to talk about today, folks. Take care and I’ll see you on Friday! ~Rob
Winning streaks don’t last forever, Dhur. 🙂 I have decided that MeatShield needs to go back to a weekly schedule, effective today. There’s an old saying: “First you get good, then you get fast, then you get good and fast.” I’m working on the fast part. In other geeky news, I’m going to get to […]
He’s like an eager 5-year old who’s just been entrusted with setting the dinner table and wants to help EVEN MORE!! And now, in a continuing service, an entry from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia… Chronomancy The practice of Chronomancy deals with the magical manipulation of time. One of (if not THE) most dangerous fields of arcane […]
I’m really enjoying playing D&D again, after DMing for so long. Wanna hear about my character? SURE you do! 🙂 I’m running a Human Diviner named Elias Banrion (Elias from the Prophet Elias, Banrion from the Irish for Queen, as in Ellery Queen – here’s who that is). Elias (Eli to his friends) is a […]
Yes, in my world, magical clothing/armor have endure elements imbued in them. Why? Because comics, that’s why. 🙂 This strip is going live on Election Day here in the US. Today is probably the most stressful election in decades for everyone, no matter what side of the fence you sit on. Like a lot of […]
Just in case you all missed it: Dungeons and Dragons was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Play! Like many of you, I had no idea that the Toy Hall of Fame existed, but there you go. Take care, ~Rob
In D&D, there has always been four classes that, nine times out of ten, make up your standard adventuring party: Fighter (or “fighting-man” as it was originally called), Wizard (or “magic-user”), Rogue (“thief”) and Cleric, the guy who can heal with a touch and ward off undead. The fact that our little gang of misfits […]
Note to observant and/or longtime readers: Yes, I did retcon Kilanio’s descriptor just a tad, from “City of Towers,” to “City of Seven Towers.” Why? Two reasons: 1) It sounds cooler this way, and 2) seven towers are a lot easier to draw than an entire city of them. 🙂 Besides, there’s already a City […]
One of these days, I’m going draw a comic strip that doesn’t have a metric ton of detail in it. No cityscapes, no horses, etc. Yep, one day… 🙂 Next week, I’m going to be restarting the Patreon campaign for MeatShield. I’ve learned a few things since I ran my last one and I’m ready […]
And now, in a continuing service, an entry from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia… Kilanio Royal Palace Also known by the nickname “Warpwood Estate,” the palace of the ruling family of Westhame has it origins dating back to the founding of the kingdom by The Magnificent Nine, the heroes who explored the western half of the continent […]
Ah, Aniera, I’ve missed you. I guess she changed her mind about marriage. Sadly, however, this DOES mean that Jonus would be Jaine’s step-brother… if he hadn’t been disowned and thrown back into his prison cell. Take care, ~Rob
One of the rules of writing comedy (or whatever it is that I do) is that you shouldn’t explain the joke. Explaining a joke is the surest route to killing said joke. However, I realize that not everyone reading this has been playing D&D since the late 70’s, so… I’m about to explain the previous […]
Why do I hear Tracy Morgan’s voice when Dhur says “we’re gonna get drunk”? Next week, a new Encyclopedia Ardrisia entry: the Taviot Library! See you then! ~Rob
Dhur just put one whole point into his Bluff skill and is itching to use it! While I was drawing this strip, something occurred to me: how would a Dungeons & Dragons-style city handle emergencies like fires, giant sinkholes, hurricanes, and earthquakes? Would there be a department that handles such matters, like a fantasy-world version […]
I thought clerics were supposed to have high Wisdom scores? Breaking News: I expect to have the third MeatShield Book, The Tomb of Errors, available by July 1st, 2017! As in the last two books, this will have special additions to it, including Philo’s stats. However, I am entertaining suggestions for other bits of bonus […]
No question, Vorpal knows her name. 🙂 Take care, ~Rob
Poor Brother Leon, trying to bail out the sinking boat that is the Bitter-Ore clan. See you next week! ~Rob
Man, you leave him unattended for two seconds… I’m seeing lots of “Doctor Who’s gonna be a WOMAN??? Nuh-uh! He’s a dude!” (or words to that effect) posts popping up on my Facebook feed, many by people that I ordinarily find to be progressive, rational people. My response? About. Frikkin’. Time. They made the Master […]
Just read the blog post title with the voice of Ralph Wiggums from the Simpsons. It’ll make sense. 🙂 Okay, last time I had a little mini-rant about Doctor Who. It’s nice to know that most folks reading this are pretty much of the same mind as I am regarding Jodie Whittaker’s casting. You folks […]
Just a little after-dinner conversation about underground escape networks. Like you do. Don’t remember Dhur’s brother, Ghar? Click here for a refresher! Take care, ~Rob
Hey, no one said parenting half-orcs would be easy! I have a tiny favor to ask, folks. I’ve been learning more about SEO (search engine optimization). This is so that more people can discover MeatShield, and thus live better, slimmer, debt-free, happier lives with clear complexions and thicker, more lustrous hair ;). What […]
You ever look at pictures of yourself when you were a lot younger and shook your head at your fashion and/or hairstyle choices? That’s kind of what it’s like for me looking back at my older work, which I recently had to do to see how I drew both Mona (Dhur’s Mom) and Ghar. Man, […]
Wow, Becky sure is ticked off! In other news… MEATSHIELD – YEAR EIGHT! Eight years ago today I launched Meatshield.net! Since 2009, a lot has happened, good and bad. I’ve met (via the Interwebs) a lot of great people, learned a great deal about being a cartoonist and a business owner (still working on that […]
Parents know just how to embarrass you, especially in front of your friends. We’re back! I finished up my temporary assignment with FEMA on Dec. 14, then drove to North Texas for the holidays. Over my time at FEMA, I helped survivors of FIVE different disasters (four hurricanes and the Northern California wildfires). I learned […]
Dhur, what did we learn today? “Uhh, never give anyone a weapon they “think” they know how ta use.” What else? “That it’s a good thing I use as much product in my hair as I do.” I love traveling by map, don’t you? Take care, ~Rob
Bad attitudes don’t last forever. At least, in Ghar’s case they don’t. 🙂 I have a favor to ask: I’m trying to get better about marketing MeatShield. It’s one step on the road to being a full-time cartoonist, so I whipped up this little survey to get some very basic info. Help a dude out […]
Figuratively! They can figuratively smell fear! Yes, I about near killed my hand drawing all those bricks. The next comic strip I do is going to be nothing but talking colored shapes, like triangles and polyhedrons.;) Thank you all for participating in the survey I posted in the last blog post. So far, 89 people […]
I kind of view the Skulls like the Rover in the BBC TV show The Prisoner, except they’re skulls. And they talk. And can probably vaporize you with a look. Take care, ~Rob
As always, Dhur has the right idea: either beat the bad guys up until they can’t move no more or if it looks like they can totally kick your butt, hightail it outta there. 🙂 Take care, ~Rob
I gotta say, The Inconspicuous Inn is starting to grow on me as a tavern name, supplanting my previous favorite, The Inn of the Moaning Lungfish. Here we finally meet Rochar, a D&D character run by MeatShield Patreon patron Foradain! Described as a halfing archer and ranger, Rochar is slightly taller than most halflings and […]
Hmm, that coat looks familiar…. I’m thinking of restructuring the rewards tiers for the MeatShield Patreon membership. Here are the reward tiers as they stand now, with editorial comment afterwards: $1.00 per month (Barbarian Level) – Access to the MeatShield Patreon Feed. I don’t think this needs to be changed too much, but I do […]
Apparently Philo lost his 3-D goggles at some point. I don’t think he cares. 🙂 Take care, ~Rob
That Rochar, he’s a rebel, that one. Last week, I mentioned big news. The big news is… We’re moving back to Texas! This is something that my family and I have been mulling over for over 5 years. Southern California, while it never has been the most affordable place to live (unless you live waaaaaay […]
The thing about Chinchillas is that they can live to be up to 20 years old. My brother-in-law recently found this out with his little girl, who wanted a chinchilla and he figured it would be around 5, maybe 7 years, tops. Thanks for all the wishes of luck for my impending move back to […]
It’s been a while since we had any wanton violence – Dhur needs to keep in practice. Take care, ~Rob
Update from the Land of Packing Boxes Our move to the Lone Star State next month soldiers on, step by step. My house is slowly filling with cardboard boxes bought from a place called (imaginatively enough) Box City. Funny story: when my girls were little and they would ask me where we going, if I […]
This reminds me of that scene in the first Austin Powers movie where Dr. Evil is reprimanding his son, Scott Evil, for wanting to just waste Austin and be done with it instead of detailing his entire intricate evil plan to him before subjecting him to sharks with frikkin’ laser beams! Or words to that […]
I really like how this one came out.:) Well, folks, as much as I tried to work ahead (and I did – boy howdy, did I) and have comics ready to go while I was moving my family across the country, I didn’t quite hit the mark. So, after today, MeatShield will be on hiatus […]
Temporal Duplicates for the win! For the past week, I have felt the same way as Fuschia in the second panel as I’ve been fighting bronchitis in North Texas in the summer. Yech. I’ll come up with an interesting blog post for next week’s comic. In the meantime, I’m going to go cough and blow […]
Ahh, yes, the Great Onomatopoeia Battle of 2018, I remember it well… I love sound effects. 🙂 And now, in a continuing service, an entry from the Encyclopedia Ardrisia… ARTIFICERS Magic exists in many forms on Ardris. There is divine magic wielded by devout clerics or self-righteous druids; arcane magic controlled by studious wizards, unpredictable […]
Like any evil wizard worth his salt, Malvat Magh has a contingency spell in his back pocket. Will we see him again? Time will tell… Take care, ~Rob
Yes, for those of you new to the strip, that purple guy is indeed Philo. Philo’s a changeling, which we found out about wayyy back here. Take care, ~Rob
Yep, they have a ship now. In case you don’t remember, here’s where Dhur was given his assignment. Take care, ~Rob
We bring the epic of the Empire of the Mithril Skulls to a close, only to face a newer, greater threat: Thesis Presentation! It hasn’t been touched on in a VERY long time, but Jaine is actually a Bardic Graduate Student who has been working on her thesis project, a ballad about a great hero. […]
I should put out a MeatShield book titled Tales from the Moaning Lungfish, which would be a play off of the title Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn. Don’t know if I will or not, but that would be a cool title, IMHO. Hasta, ~Rob
I took a page out of Dave Kellet’s book and drew a slight departure from the main strip. I’ve always wanted to do a short strip featuring Vorpal and what she gets up to when she slips away from Becky. Yes, slips away – Vorpal purposefully finds a way out from under Becky’s gaze. She’s […]
Know someone who might like the strip but is intimidated by having to wade through 660+ strips just to get caught up? The MeatShield Primer is the perfect jumping-on point! Tell your family and friends! Post it on the social media outlet of your choice! Print it out and slap it up on game store […]
Hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day. 🙂 Hey, I got myself interviewed! Yay! Kurt Sasso of Two Geeks Talking interviewed me recently and the interview is now on YouTube.It’s a teensy bit long (about 40 minutes) and due to video streaming problems at the time of recording you can’t see me, […]
I thought about putting a sign on that booth that read “Sail the Friendly Seas,” but decided against it – too close to home (United Airlines, whose motto is “Fly the Friendly Skies”, employed my dad for 33 years). Also, welcome to the first cartoon of 2019! Take care, all! ~Rob
Gastropubs is defined by the Chambers Book O’ Info as “an excuse to charge customers $17 for an artisan grilled cheese sandwich.” Dhur’s in for a big surprise… Take care, ~Rob
Cop 1: “You do know you’re under arrest, right?” Dhur: “Yeah, whatever, dude. Just get me outta that froo-froo place!” ~Rob
Eli Oduglig, Attorney-at-Law, at your service. His mom gave him that briefcase when he graduated night law school (435th in his class!). Take care, ~Rob
For all the D&D grognards out there: yes, I know that the rules state that Speak with Dead can be cast again in 10 days time after being cast by someone else, but according to the house rules for MeatShield, it’s a one-time only deal. In my strip, as in my games, story trumps rules […]
Hi folks. It’s been a while since I’ve updated the strip. Since March 2020, in fact. I don’t think COVID-19 and the quarantine played into my malaise, but it certainly didn’t help. My enthusiasm for the strip has waned significantly over the past couple of years. Â After long discussions with people whose creative opinions I […]