Friday, March 25, 2011

Inside SIMMER DOWN COFFEE SHACK

Dude!...Dude and Dude have had to give in to the "Man" and seek jobbage to help fund their new, independent lifestyle. Bummer! Recycling bottles and cans, and walking dogs, were providing all the "Fish Taco Fundage" needed before; but with their new pad, and a need to meet and impress chicks, more income is now required.

Fortunately, they stumbled into a start up business on a corner of their beach, SIMMER DOWN COFFEE SHACK. A cool new coffee hangout owned by laidback Mr. Perkins, an attorney who sold his practice for the stress-free life of having a cool hangout away from the courtroom and near the sand. For Dude and Dude fans: Here is a breakdown of their new employment "digs" where they now wear the title of baristas; a name they dispise. As they put it, "Baristas? We don't want to wear frilly dresses and dance on tables? We just want to serve coffee!" If they don't know the correct term for today's coffee maker, I imagine the coffee is below average for sure...dude.



SIMMER DOWN COFFEE SHACK
1. LOGO: Not only a great look, but a well thought out tool for marketing T-shirts, coffee mugs, mouse pads and anything else I think you'll buy! :)
2. MR. PERKINS: Don't let the name fool you. He knows as much about coffee as the Dudes do. He's looking for others to do all the heavy lifting for him from now on. Hiring Dude and Dude may not provide the laidback lifestyle he's looking for, but he enjoys a good laugh! The Dudes are all that and a good law suit waiting to happen. This ex-attorney just might be called back into service!
3. DUDE & DUDE: Two baristas in over their heads, but backed into a financial corner, where, unfortunately, employment seems their only escape.
"Working for the man...Drag City!"
They aren't, however, looking for advancement, management, bennies or a company car. Just enough fundage to support their fish taco fetish, pay for their new digs, and impress the ladies - if they don't accidently poison someone first.
4. CUSTOMERS: This will continue to be a barrage of over-worked, stressed out, "Got to have my morning cup or I'll kill someone!" people. Anybody, from local business people to tourists passing through all have an equal chance of being the butt of high comedy.
Side Note: If you're a good friend of mine, and you see a character that resembles you getting used and abused...it was a mere coincidence!
5. COFFEE STUFF: All just a great mystery to the Dudes who are learning on the fly. Put some stuff in, pull a lever, turn a handle and hope the drinker doesn't drop dead, at least until they are outside the establishment. It's all really just smoke and mirrors to them. They don't understand how these machines can make a beverage that soothes the savage beast, but they're glad they do, and if they don't, they'll slip in a little something extra.
6. TEAS: The mellowing agent of the Coffee House world. They push this stuff like crack to a junkie. Their goal is a mellow atmosphere, and a strong tea concoction can stop a rhino in his tracks! My favorite (small print) is Emp-Tea, which runs $0.00 a cup.
7. NEVILLE: Mr. Perkins son. A wise cracking, sarcastic thorn in the side of the two Dudes. Being the owner's son gives you certain priviledges. Being hired by dad to deliver coffee orders locally puts him in direct contact, and harm's way, with the Dudes. A rich kid with attitude and a quick wit. I'm afraid the Dudes have no chance, and Neville knows it!
8: OFFICE: The main place of escape where Mr. Perkins spends most of his time, only peaking out occasionally to make sure the Dudes haven't burnt the place to the ground or left the door unlocked and the cash register unattended. A quiet haven...for now.
9: HANG: The kickback lounge at the front of the shack where people relax, mingle and blow off the stress of the day. It's also a great place for the Dudes to make their moves on the ladies. If only they had some moves.
10: THE COUNTER: This acts as a buffer between disgruntled customers. It also doubles as a hide away to catch up on some much needed sleepage!
11: TIP JAR: Never a huge return at the end of the day. Tips are based on level of service and the quality of the product. Nuff said.
12: NO SHOES, NO PROBLEM: Remember this is a beach community where footwear is optional. Simmer Down is a "Come as you are as long as you leave when you're asked" establishment. No Shoes, No Shirts, No Hangups, No Bothering Mr. Perkins, No Promises on Food Poisoning.
13: LEGAL STUFF: Be sure to Register at http://www.comics.com/ and sign up to have Dude and Dude emailed to you everyday. Become part of the D&D Community on the Dude and Dude FB site. Keep up on what's going down in their lives.
14: VANITY
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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Awesome Dude Series: No. 4 - X-GAMES

When an entire competition has you watching people do the most amazing, death-defying fetes - because they dig living on the edge - and you find yourself staring at the Tv and saying "Dude!" over and over again...then that competition, to me, is a Dude!
 Yes, I'm giving the entire X-GAMES, Winter and Summer, Dude status! A tribute to an all-in-one group of people who have taken their sport to the ultimate extreme...and then come back each year with even more!
If I had to made all of you "Dudes" that make up the X-GAMES individually, I'd be sending out blogs forever.
From skateboarders attempting tricks on ramps the size of mountains, to motorcycle dudes flying fifty feet in air hanging off the back of their bikes attempting to look like (and probably think they are) Superman, to flips on snowmobiles, cars that don't much care how they get there, just as long as they get there fast, and having that scary feeling that someone's not leaving here alive....It's all one big, over the top, outraegeous, glad you want to do it and not me, DUDE!

I mean how high can a "Flying Tomato" go before he leaves the Earth's atmosphere?....Dude!
And then there are the WIPEOUTS! The attempts that just don't quite exceed, or miss badly! When someone has to be taken away by stretcher, don't you stop what you're doing and send everyone home? Not these dude. They whisper, "Bummer!" under their breath and then step up to the ramp for their turn to avoid killing themselves...again I say, Dude!

Here's to all of you thrill-seeker, dudes who only want to breathe "Big Air!" You humble us, entertain us, inspire us and makes us want to be like you! You are all total Dudes!

Share your favorite X-GAME moment! Tony's 1080? The first motorcycle back flip? Who was that guy?

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Friday, March 4, 2011

Awesome Dude Series: No. 3 - Joe Cool & Charles Schultz

Dude, is there anybody cooler than Snoopy when it comes to comic heroes? No!

And when Snoopy takes the personna of "Joe Cool", it fit like a baseball glove on Good ol' Charlie Brown's hand. Actually, that's not a great analogy, because Chuck's glove was repeatedly knocked off of him, along with most of his clothes, by a screaming line drive fired back at him on the pitcher's mound.

As a kid, I wanted to Snoopy to be real! I couldn't get enough of him. I read every comic in the newspaper, bought every new Peanuts paperback book (the day it came out), and planned my holiday schedule around which Charlie Brown special would be showing that season. Snoopy, owned many of the great scenes in those holiday classics.

Snoopy, alias The World War One Flying Ace, alias Joe Cool is, and always will be a "Dude!"

That makes this Awesome Dude Series choice kind of a two-for-one, because if you're going to make Snoopy a dude, you have to make his creator one also. Joe Cool could only have been drempt up and conceived from the mind of a total dude; so Charles Schultz was, is, and forever will be a dude also.

Of all the "Dudes" in history, Charles Schultz is one I would have liked to have met and spent time with. Just hanging out in his studio, watching him create his unforgettable characters, and, at the same time, creating a lifestyle that allowed him to express himself in his own way. He set his own daily schedule, he worked at his own pace and relax when he wanted to relax...dude. That's the total definition of the "Dude" lifestyle!He was also banking more money than most doctors were pulling in the 60's. Can you say, "Fish Tacos for Everyone!"

Charles Schultz and "Joe Cool" might just be the original "Dude and Dude!" They have totally been an influence on my approach to cartooning, my "Dude and Dude" comic, and the way I'd like to see my lifestyle to be. I don't need a doctor's income, just enough fundage to live at dude status. I do hope my "Dude and Dude" end up somewhat as cool as these two dudes!

Who are your favorite dudes from history? Let me know! Every new dude I meet, make my day better!

Check out my 2 dudes "Dude and Dude" at Comics.com - Dude and Dude

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