Velveeduh in The One That Got Away is a short story starring Velveeduh of the Green-Grey Sponge-Suit Sushi Turtles! It was printed in Turtle Soup volume 2, #2.
Appearing in Velveeduh in The One That Got Away[]
Major characters[]
- Giant mutant fish (debut)
- Match-Stik
- Velveeduh
Minor characters[]
- Triple-jointed red-crested hopping shrimp (debut)
Species[]
Synopsis[]
Velveeduh has taken his pocket fisherman out in the bay near the Radon Styroplastics, Inc. factory. Signs are posted everywhere warning of danger, no fishing and no swimming allowed. Velveeduh wants to do some fishing and is thankful for the hazardous waste because a couple of years earlier it was nearly impossible to find a nice secluded beach. Now, thanks to the factory, he can come out and practice his casting anytime, all by himself.
Something takes his hook and as he pulls back on the rod, a giant, multi-eyed mutant fish leaps out of the water and swallows him whole before beaching itself. Nearby, Match-Stik is trying to catch a triple-jointed red-crested hopping shrimp. He grabs at it but misses, cursing his luck at losing the chance to learn things from the creature. Match-Stik turns back to the polluted waters to see what other things he can discover and sees the giant mutant fish. As he is joyously reacting to the new, beautiful mutation, Velveeduh calls out to him from the belly of the giant fish.
Not realizing that it’s actually Velveeduh inside the creature, Match-Stik is astonished that the fish can talk and thinks it’s telepathic because it knows his name. Velveeduh finally makes him understand that it’s not the fish who is talking. Velveeduh explains the situation to him and shouts for help to get out of the fish’s belly. However, Match-Stik urges him to be careful not to damage the specimen. Velveeduh doesn’t see it as a specimen and yells that it stinks inside the fish’s belly.
Match-Stik sits on the beach and leans against the fish, telling Velveeduh that the smell is not too high a price to pay for science. He wants to know what would have happened if George Washington Carver had gotten tired of shelling peanuts just because his fingers were sore. He goes on to compare Guglielmo Marconi or Marie Curie’s inconveniences to their accomplishments.
The giant fish abruptly starts gurgling and choking just before spitting Velveeduh out. Match-Stik shouts that it is a miracle, but the fish turns on him and says that his sappy analogies are enough to make anyone puke. The fish then dives back into the water, though Match-Stik is calling for it to come back.
Heartbroken, Match-Stik sheds a tear at the loss of knowledge. Velveeduh tells his Master not to let the stuck-up fish get him down. Velveeduh is reminded him of a poem and begins to quote from Dr. Seuss’s “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”. He makes Match-Stik laugh by ending the paraphrased poem with “Aw, Screw Fish!”
See also[]
- Comic gallery
- Comic transcript