The Snail Factory Evolution

It was a long and troubled journey to get Snail Factory going. Conceived in 1897 as an operetta and parody of the industrial revolution by Gilbert and Sullivan, the first notes on Snail Factory read as follows: "Act the First, being an introduction to the factory floor wherein Jessica Worthington-Carvermore and Barbara Lanarkshire discuss the Gastropodal manner of consumption upon the realization that one of their product has spontaneously mutated to include dental structures. The situation immediately causes Jessica to reflect upon the comparative merits of her career versus the innate right of all beings to evolve, resulting in a crucial decision. Mark my words, D'Oyly Carte, this one is sure to put that Jane Austen bitch in her place".



Originally slated to follow "The Grand Duke", Sullivan's death put an early end to the Snail Factory until 1903 when Thomas Edison purchased the manuscript and intended to adapt the first Act as a "Cinematroic Extravaganza". This dream too was put to an end with the demolition of the Black Maria. This was to be the first of many failed attempts to adapt the cursed material into film, including Orson Welles' disastrous production, edited down to only 4 seconds by the studio and then abandoned; Francis Ford Coppola's expensive production which drove him insane; and finally Julie Taymor's attempt to make a Snail Factory musical as both film and play, but achieving neither after the gruesome death of the 73rd stunt actor, whose cerebellum was never found.



It was only in 2011 that the Twisted Jenius archeological team discovered a secret compartment in Al Capone's vault containing on daguerreotype papyrus the embryo of illustrations which would become the Snail Factory webcomic. Believed to have been photographed by Man Ray and staged by mental patients of the Mahkra Asylum For the Criminally and Tastelessly Deranged, the TJ team set out to restore and repair these strange and intriguing works of art. After seeing the 43 Million dollar bill however, the project was abandoned and I drew these while bored at work.