Count Vacula

This is a recreation of one of my earliest character concepts, and it most likely sucked in more ways than one. My horror monster parody VACULA, and yes, he's a vampire vacuum cleaner. He prowls the night, attacking dirty rugs, carpets, mats, and subsisting on their filth, leaving the "victim" a dry, withered, husk you couldn't even wipe your feet on. He flies by turning into a bat-winged version of a car mini-vacuum. He also has the ability to control any electrical appliance. The only way to stop him is to jam a rolled-up copy of CONSUMER REPORTS down his intake pipe. I did a few strips (and a t-shirt) with this character, but I ran out of ideas rather quickly. The strange thing is that a portfoilio of comic strips I drew -one including the character- actually won me a gold key I the Boston Globe Scholastic Art awards in 1980. I think the award was begrudgingly, though. Because at the exhibit of all the award winners, they hung MY stuff in a far-off corner, where it was hard to see!