The Carmageddon: TDR 2000 comic (also known as the Tozzer online comic) is an online comic, released as a tie-in to Carmageddon: TDR 2000. Despite ending on a cliffhanger, no further stories were produced.
Creation
The comics were written by Rob Dunlop and drawn by Peter Lumby, when SCi approached them with the idea. It is unknown if they had branded themselves as Tozzer at this time.
The comic started on Carmageddon.com in May 2000[confirmation needed], and ran for 12 issues:
- Issue #1 - Springtime in Happydale, Part I - Unknown
- Issue #2 - Springtime in Happydale, Part II - May 17, 2000
- Issue #3 - Three Little Pigs - May 25, 2000
- Issue #4 - The Fan Belt Menace - June 12, 2000
- Issue #5 - The Fat Arm of the Law - June 28, 2000
- Issue #6 - The Unholy Grail, Part I - July 11, 2000
- Issue #7 - The Unholy Grail, Part II - August 29, 2000
- Issue #8 - The Unholy Grail, Part III - September 11, 2000
- Issue #9 - Tina, Part I - November 6, 2000
- Issue #10 - Tina, Part II - November 6, 2000
- Issue #11 - Tina, Part III - November 20, 2000
- Issue #12 - Tina, Part IV - January 15, 2001
Each issue consisted of 3 or 4 webpages. Years after the closure of the official Carmageddon website, it resurfaced on Dunlop & Lumby's website for their current comic series, "Tozzer". Internet bandwidth had increased exponentially since the webcomic was first uploaded, so each issue now fit onto one page each.
Plot
The city of Happydale is in chaos, with the mob ruling and crime rampant. The tipping point comes when the leaders of the Comfortable Shoe Alliance are captured and tied to the front of an 18-wheeler. The government sends in their best agent, Jack "The Ninja" Clawhammer (driving the Suppressor), to resolve the situation. They inform the President of this, who decides to nuke the city. Jack is told by radio that he has 3 minutes to get out of Happydale, but his vehicle is suddenly broadsided by a man called Max Damage, knocking him unconscious.
Max hears the message and escapes, but is seriously burnt in the blast. His car is also wrecked, but a passer-by appears in a red car that he takes a shine to. Jack is not so lucky; His skeleton is found in ground zero, and retrieved when the rescue team discover he is still alive.
Max enters the next Carmageddon contest (commentated by race girl Lilly Rochelle) in the Eagle MK4, it's previous owner nowhere to be seen. He stalls on the line while his opponents race ahead, crashing into a military blockade. His fan belt is missing. A mysterious figure appears, offering him a new fan belt in exchange for a rematch - The man reveals himself as Jack, reconstructed with cybernetic parts. Max accepts the belt, installs it in record time, and runs Jack over as he's walking to his car.
The story cuts to some of the local Police force being chased by the local American Indians. At the same time, the police are having a meeting at headquarters on how to deal with these "maniac drivers". Their professor is killed when he mistakes a landmine for a donut, while the remaining police officers are killed outside when the cop/indian chase reaches their building.
The setting changes again, to the castle of the vampire count. The Count sends Fang Stroker and his assistant Gunk out to claim the Holy Grail, believed to be in Max Damage's possession when it was confused with a Carmageddon trophy. After Gunk is killed by the Indians, Stroker visits the Pawn Shop that Max uses. Max had tried to sell the pawn broker the "grail", but the man has taken many of the TDR trophies, and no-one will buy them. He accepts the other item Max has to offer - Jack's disembodied head (calling it a "cool toy").
Jack radios for help, but the police storm the sex shop next door, mistaking Tin Tina (a sexbot) for Jack and taking her with them instead. The cops meet Fang Stroker outside, reclaiming Jack's head, while Fang raises a zombie hoard to steal the grail from Max. His mission complete, the Count drinks from the Grail... which has no effect.
Max's Eagle has been ruined by the zombies, so he takes the mechanic's car as compensation, and enters himself in the next Carmageddon event. Some Grey Aliens are beamed down to Earth in the middle of the race, and their Ambassador's vehicle is promptly trashed. An entrant called "Tina" is revealed to be Tin Tina as the car's AI, while the driver is Jack.
Max easily wrecks Tina using his ACME Damage Magnifier, claiming his next trophy and flirting with Lilly the race girl. She flirts with him on camera, but once it's off she openly tells him she finds him repulsive - this doesn't put Max off. Suddenly, Tina repairs herself and destroys the stand. Max is confronted by Jack, stepping out the car... his head transplanted onto Tin Tina's body.
Max and Lilly escape from Jack and Tina, but are caught up in the UFOs tractor beam as the aliens try to retrieve their Ambassador. High above Earth in the alien spacecraft, Max activates his Pedestrian Repulsificator, killing the Greys. Unfortunately, he also causes the craft to lose pressure and begin to fall. Tina states to Max "get us out of this alive and I'm all yours...".
Characters
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Cars featured
- The Fortress
- Eagle MK4
- The Suppressor
- The Boss
- Bumble Bee
- Drag-Ghoul (named Dragula)
- Tina (a '58 Plymouth Fury almost alike the Caddy Fat Cat)
- Alien Limousine (appears in TDR 2000 as a drone car)
- Gorvette (mentioned)
- Lightning Blue
- Pink Pulveriser
- 18 wheeler (possibly Rig O'Mortis)
- Blue car
- White Jeep (similar to Fraud Broko)
- Indian's Beetle (similar to Tomahawk)
- Gunk's Buggy (resembles Street Eater)
Trivia
- Fang Stroker's name refers to Bram Stoker, who wrote the famous vampire novel Dracula.
- Tina (the car) is likely based on Christine from Stephen King's book of the same name.
- 'Does It With Dogs' is certainly some parody of Dances with Wolves, and Native American names in general.
- Not to mention 'Bites The Pillow' - 'Pillow Biter' is insulting slang for a gay man.
External links
- Tozzer comic on Road Reaction's Carmageddon gallery