At Daniel's appartment, a visitor was waiting for his return ...
or how I made a career without ever metting the enemy
by Mäkka
translation: the Doc
(who would like to point out that it's impossible to translate *anything* El Magnifico writes in a way and manner which gets close to the original text. Mea culpa.)
I've always been a hero. Even when I was a grasshopper my neighbour and me were successfully fighting Indians, till our play guns were red hot blazing. As a masked knight I put a stop to the evil deeds of many a villain, without ever having to reveal my real identity.
Oh well, as times go by ... the day came where my heroic services weren't needed anymore. I was forced to find something else to do. But nobody took any notice of my years of backyard experience; life is cruel, and the only enslaved ones who thanked me with tears in their eyes for their liberation, seemed to have been befallen by the illness of amnesia.
But should I lose my dignity like this and declass myself? If I'd only had at least the rank of a sergeant!
But anyway, it can't do much harm to do something for one's education. I made some small compromises and went to school. But you know what it's like: you give them your finger, and they want the hand. But only a real hero knows, when the time has come to breach with society's thingamajigs - this time hadn't come yet. So I went through an apprenticeship as an interior decorator.
But now the melon was ripe to be plucked - ripe, juicy and oh so sweet in taste! I got my own head-quarter. In the beginning, there was nothing but a desk in my bedroom - ever so often the most simple camouflage is the best. My actions had consequences - so I moved the head-quarters to a tiny, dark attic room. And soon I had to move to my very own first independent atelier.
By now, a couple of years had gone by. Even a rebellious grey hair showed up on my head. But I already have some exhibitions to my credit, got an award at the International Comic Festival Sierre (Switzerland) and just lately illustrated a book which told the story of two roman children and accompanied an archaeological exhibition at a local dig.
AGENT MÄKKA - OR HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE BEING A SPY AND LOVE THE PK-CHARACTERS
I haven't only been a hero all my life, but also a very gifted spy. But only who starts out humble can swing himself up to greatness one fine day. Those who start with megalomaniac ideas will end up ... well.
Anyway: I got this commission to "deliver visual documents of the PK-14 team". And those who think I now headed off to the casino wearing a top hat and a tuxedo might better go back to reading pulp fiction.
I prepared my attaché-case with a sketch pad, a pencil, sharp eyes, strength of will, endless dedication and something nice to read. For this kind of exhausting and demanding missions I besieged my parent's TV room, because
- There are never ending stocks of cookies and coffee
- I don't own a TV set
The untiring, iron effort soon paid out. Because after counted 3228 minutes of "Stargate" - my eyes were already flickering after this kind of excessive caffeine consumption - I finally caught my victim! I was just in the process of directing a cookie to my mouth - made by supermarket multi COOP, with an occasional chocolate chip, some wheat, some yeast, natriumhydrogencarbonate, slightly sweet-flourish, chewy, dang, some crumbs are falling on my sketch pad - when THERE! DR. DENZYL SULKSON - A SMILE! A fraction of a smile, actually. I used the advanced features of the video-recorder and checked every single picture. Yes, there it is: a slight move of the lips, some white of the teeth shows. No doubt: this is a smile. I sketch it. My booty: once eyebrows up, eyebrows down, lower lip over upper lip, upper lip over lower lip and the rare but nevertheless precious smile. I headed home to my head-quarters with my valuable information and worked out my phantom pictures.
I wouldn't be a pro if I hadn't noticed that, all of a sudden some - peculiarities - had sneaked up in my work, caused by my different choices of music, constantly floating around in the background. So, despite my attempt to stay objective, there were some suggestions to my subconcience, influencing my work.
Despite untiring efforts to fight these heretical suggestions, I'm aware that I wasn't always mastering the situation. So I herewith duly ask for your forgiveness if ever one of my illustrations should slightly differ from reality.
Sincerely, Her Majesty's Secret Service
So all's fine so far - what can I say? My hands just draw along as fast as they can, and so I created the contemplative characters for the PK-14 team. Which got me the rank of a colonel (because you have to know - only those who have the far-reaching experiences of a colonel can actually draw one! - oh yeah, and I'm already working on the general!)
The different stages of drawing a colonel
The pre-history of Dr. Denzyl Sulkson
Mäkka was listening to "Swanlake" ...
... and to Hawaiian folk songs ...
(The ministry of health warns: ballet can be hazardous for your health)
The Doc sez:
There's no doubt that Mäkka is one of the most promising young artists in Europe. He's got the wit, the talent - but most of all, the heart it takes to be truly great.
But even more important: beside being a gifted artist he's also a wonderful, loveable and charming person whom we all dearly love, a true, honest and reliable friend with an unique sense of humour. We're very grateful he joined in the "Pink Khaki" project with so much dedication and enthusiasm.
Thanks, Mac. You're the greatest. Also if you made Denzyl look like a pear in the beginning ... ;)
"The legs are too short!"
"Are not!"
"Are!"
"Not!"
"Dang!"
