"Tribute" ("Hancock")




While the general population of the United States celebrates the Fourth of July with fireworks, outdoor picnics, and roaring orchestrated music (most of the time conducted under John Williams), my friend Tony usually had other plans. Oh, he would still enjoy the destruction of many lit Black Cats and listen to Ray Charles croon about sweet America. But if there was one thing he looked forward to more than anything else, it was "Big Willie Weekend."
No, that's not a phallic joke. It's what fans of Will Smith once called the Fourth of July weekend because a new movie starring the actor would always debut in the theaters. It began back in 1996 with "Independence Day" and continued for over a decade. Basically, a studio executive at Warner Brothers thought Smith had the perfect bankable face for America's birthday and just ran with it.
Speaking of faces, I originally drew Will Smith's in each panel. But when everything was said and done, I figured there's only one way Will Smith could look and that's using a photo of the man himself. It's cornball and a cheap way out, but I feel it heightens the joke he says "Oh, hell no!" in every one of his movies. And of course, once I did that, I had to add Joe Pantoliano for "Bad Boys 2." - Jake