TITLE The Bastich By Hart
PANEL 1 (Bastich sits on a couch and triumphantly raises his fist while watching Kermit the Frog on a CRT television) KERMIT: Hi-Ho! BASTICH: Give 'em Hell, Kermit!
PANEL 2 (Hacker-Lad, wearing a NINE INCH NAILS T-Shirt, enters and blocks the TV) HACKER-LAD: Hey, Stich, What up? BASTICH: Watch it, HL! Don't snub the FROG!
PANEL 3 (Reverse angle. Hacker-Lad looks confused as Bastich leans forward on the couch pointing at the television) HACKER-LAD: What frog? BASTICH: You know, as in "KERMIT THE". He's the ultimate amphib! Everybody loves him!
PANEL 4 (CU Bastich indignantly raises his right index finger into the air as Hacker-Lad looks on) BASTICH: ...Because he's friendly and loving. Because he's green! From this day forth I shall be as a frog! Frendliness is MINE! HACKER-LAD: ...Not good...
PANEL 5 (Bastich greets Faith and they wave to each other) CAPTION: Later... FAITH: Hello, Bastich BASTICH: Hi Ho!
PANEL 6 (Bastich is now in a wheel chair completely wrapped in bandages as Hacker-Lad wheels him out of a hospital) HACKER-LAD: I didn't think she'd take it so personally. BASTICH: When I take over this mudball, the Frog's head will be first an the chopping block!
CREDITS Bastich (c) 1995 Joshua Adam Hart
Commentary
The second strip published in The Orion was a panel-by-panel recreation of the second strip. The original art for the first version was rough and not formatted correctly for the newspaper, so I redrew the entire thing. I only made a few small changes to the script and blocking, but overall it's the same (bad) joke.