I received many fabulous entries for the Bite Me! re-enactment photo contest.  Choosing winners was so hard that I decided I needed two sets of runners-up who will be receiving a signed book with a drawing inside.

All three of our top entries were so devoted and so successful in their efforts that it could’ve gone to anybody!  All three reenacted multiple panels and involved what appear to be friends, family, and in some cases, produce and/or livestock.

In the end, our grand prize winner, who will be receiving a Deluxe Package, demonstrated such an insanely high level of dedication and innovation that I had to tip my hat to her.  Madame: I don’t know how you normally spend a weekend, but if this is representative, I humbly request that you give me a ministerial post when you take over the world.

Here are the entries submitted by Kris Sayer, our winning entrant.  Please note that Kris’s only assistant was her (strangely) reluctant husband.

This entry is impressive not only for its impressive adherence to the original composition and costumery and the fact that Kris is standing in for both Claire AND Lucien (Kris did you actually curl your hair for the Claire bits oh my god), but for also accurately depicting the color scheme as it would be had I not drawn the original in gray, and furthermore, for some impressive facial expressions.

This next one contains pleasures not immediate to the naked eye.  Again we see a happy attention to costuming requirements, although this time we note a reversion to a pure grayscale interpretation.  What makes this one stand out is, dare I say it, some impressive Photoshoppery.  Observe the hands on our Claire stand-in.

Here is a handy (ha ha) close-up:

They are doing the motion-blur time-lapse thing I used in an attempt to demonstrate Claire’s frantic hand motions.  Ladies and gentlemen, Kris has captured the wind.

But wait, THERE IS MORE.

No, you are not seeing things.  These are actually incredibly faithful renditions of the chickens…on eggs.  Then incorporated into a digitally reconstituted panel.

Let’s take a closer look at those eggs:

As a person who has spent perhaps an inadvisable amount of time in her life applying various decorative elements to hardboiled eggs, I understand thoroughly the investment of time this represents.  But was this enough for Kris?  No, it was not, because she stayed in-theme and once the eggs had completed their photoshoot –

Yes.  She deviled them. Please also not the wooden spoon – made in France!  And the fondue fork!  completing this charming domestic arrangement.

Surely there cannot be any more of this, you say.  Surely Kris has exhausted her ingenuity. Wrong.

Oh.  my.  GOD.  She gave a potato arteries and cleavage.  Not to mention clothes.

I think we can all agree that this level of insanity should be help up as an example to young people everywhere.  And so, Kris Sayer, I award you the Grand Prize.  Send me your address and you will receive your more than well-deserved prize.  Your husband should now understand that this kind of behavior can, in fact, be lucrative.

Who could possibly stand as a challenge to Kris’s incredible awesomeness? Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to tell you that it was a close contest all the way, and the following entrants were so impressive in their own right that I had to award them both runner-up status, receiving a free book with a drawing and whatever extra goodies I feel are suitable.

First is a group effort sent in somebody identified only as “Inbar”.  I can only assume that they are actually a Swedish rock band and you will be hearing their fabulous debut album shortly.

The Inbar team chose to reinterpret the entirety ofwhat might well be the most popular page of Bite Me! – the Robespierre cameo.  I will provide you with the original for reference:

And now for the reinterpretation:

Do I even need to tell you how great this is?  No, I do not.  It is damn well self-evident.  The Robespierre interpreter’s final panel is particularly fabulous, and I enjoy that our Claire is compeletely deranged-looking throughout.  Brava.

I am also impressed that so many people were successfully herded together for the cause.  In recognition of this outstanding group effort, you’ll be getting some buttons to share amongst yourselves and wear as a secret reminder of your reenactment cabal.

Next up is another wonderful group who selected multiple panels for reenactment.  Not only do we have some felicitious casting and costuming/make-up/props work, but at one point we also involve a real chicken, which was a specific bonus challenge I issued to my entrants. (Strangely nobody thought to involve a packaged rotisserie chicken, which would’ve been a totally valid interpretation.)

Kealeigh Bradford sent in their submissions.  Prepare to be amazed.  First up, this simple classic:

Nicely done.  Please observe that our Lucien has enhanced his natural cheekbones with drawn lines in order to better match the part.  Any time a boy puts on makeup I am automatically interested.

Not satisfied with the fine craftsmanship of the above panel, they went on to reenact the panel in which I subtly concede to lewd humor.  Original and reenactment below:

There are many things to enjoy here; personally I like the fact the neck bow and the fact that the dog looks disappointed.

And last, my favorite entry from this group:

I cannot express in words how much I love this image.  Also, in case anybody doubted how deeply, deeply stupid chickens are, please take note of the fact that this chicken apparently has absolutely no problem with having a katana pressed to its neck.  It seems to be thinking about other things entirely.

Kealeigh and company:  I salute you.

I have many other entries more than worthy of public praise and display.  Below are the Honorable Mentions.  I hold all of these images close to my heart.  Just not TOO close, in case they come alive and start siphoning off my blood supply.

Holy crow it is Lucien as a hedgehog AAAAAAAH.

That shirt is awesome and I want it.

I know Stevie personally, and I have to admit that while she is a wacky lady and I have seen her do many wonderfully strange things, this delighted me as I would never have thought possible.  I imagine the chickens bobbing complacently up and down as Stevie charges through the yard screaming with rage.

Yes, that is a hand-drawn backdrop.  The hand gestures are also laudably on-point.  Rachel was also one of the very first people to submit and entry, so the fact that she apparently whipped this together in, like, ten minutes makes me worry for what she is capable of given several months and a large budget.

Impressive costuming accuracy, a full page reenactment, AND believably enthusiastic horse-kissing! Color me impressed.  I also love that the horse seems to be totally into it.  You guys have done this before, haven’t you.

Our only entry depicting panels from the Epilogue!  Claire’s double life as a nuclear physicist/punk band member.  I am blown away both by the scarlet labcoat and steampunk goggles as well as the “not a real tattoo” tattoo on the bicep.

I also received a number of well-executed (god the puns just write themselves) entries depicting either the potato panels or the Luther-and-a-chicken panels.  Here are my favorites from each category:

An impressively realized scenario.

I actually really like the photography on this one on an artistic level.  It seems like it could be a statement about something.

A stuffed dog and an egg timer.  Independent production values don’t get any better than this.

You can tell the bird is about to raise hell.

I have even more entries that I could display and brag about, but my battery is running low and this entry is running long!  Thank you so much to all of you who entered – you totally made my week.

If you entered the contest, you automatically will get a free sketch in any copy of Bite Me! you order from me (just mention that you entered and identify yourself), and those of you who got a real live horse or chicken into the picture with you will be receiving buttons in the mail once you send me your address!