Miami Adventures Comics #1

Episode 1: Goodbye, Señor Puffington

The Miami sun beat down on the beach, turning the sand into a shimmering furnace. Luan Night, a tanned whirlwind in cut-off shorts and a band T-shirt, surveyed the scene. Beside her, Johnny Bradshaw, a lanky Adonis with a camera perpetually glued to his hand, sighed.

"Shorty's late, again," Johnny grumbled, squinting at the hazy horizon. "Probably lost in the Bermuda Triangle between his bong and the nearest taco stand."

A giggle, high-pitched and bubbly, drifted from Sally Katase, perched precariously on a rock like a glittery seabird. "Relax, Johnny," she drawled, batting her blonde eyelashes. "He's just...expanding his consciousness, man. Exploring the astral plane on puffs of pineapple express."

Jo Murayama, silent as ever, sat cross-legged on the sand, eyes closed, meditating on the rhythm of the waves. A gentle breeze carried the scent of sunscreen and salt, and the distant honk of a yacht horn.

Suddenly, a figure materialized from the shimmering heat, clad in tie-dye and sporting a grin as wide as the Atlantic. Shorty, a walking kaleidoscope of mismatched socks and hemp necklaces, stumbled onto the beach, clutching a bong like a prized possession.

"Yo, dude and dudettes!" he proclaimed, his voice a touch wobbly. "I come bearing gifts! Wisdom from the clouds, and..." He rummaged in his bag, producing a crumpled paper bag. "Pizza! Double pepperoni, extra garlic."

Luan snatched the pizza with a groan. "Shorty, it's like you're in a different time zone. We've been here for an hour!"

"Time is an illusion, Luan," Shorty declared, taking a dramatic puff from his bong. "My spirit was on a journey, navigating the cosmic highway. I saw things, man, things you wouldn't believe. Talking dolphins, singing palm trees, and...a disco ball shaped like the moon."

Johnny snorted. "Talking dolphins? Shorty, you've been watching too much Animal Planet on reruns."

"It was real, man! They were discussing the meaning of life, and guess what? It's all about...cheesecake."

Sally hooted with laughter. "Cheesecake? That's your profound cosmic revelation?"

Shorty shrugged, unfazed. "Hey, don't knock it till you try it with a side of existential angst."

Luan rolled her eyes, but a smile played on her lips. Despite his bong-fueled meanderings, Shorty brought a chaotic joy to their group. He was the sunshine after the storm, the kazoo in the orchestra.

Jo opened one eye, fixing Shorty with a gaze that could pierce steel. "Shorty," she said, her voice low but firm, "the pizza is delicious, but your bong smoke is getting thicker than Miami traffic. Maybe...just maybe...you could consider taking a break?"

Shorty stared at her, his grin faltering for a moment. Then, with a sigh that rattled the palm trees, he put the bong down. "You know what, Jo? You're right. Maybe my astral journeys can wait. This pizza isn't going to meditate itself, right?"

As they dug into the greasy goodness, the sun dipped towards the horizon, painting the sky in fiery hues. Laughter mingled with the sound of waves, and for a moment, all was right in the world. Even in Miami, amidst the chaos and the glitter, a group of friends found their own beachy paradise, fueled by pizza, sunshine, and a little bit of nonsense.

And who knows, maybe Shorty would even consider a cosmic journey without a bong next time. Maybe. But for now, they were content with the simple pleasures of Miami sunshine, salty air, and the kind of friendship that could handle even the most outrageous bong-fueled pronouncements.

As they're busy talking and eating the pizza Shorty brought, the bonk which was lying on the sand, all steady, in the swift motion gets swapped away by a dog who had, judging by the amount of speed it used, ran away like a cheetah.