The First Comic

Hastily written and even more hastily drawn, I did this to prove I could.

Now, I wouldn’t say that this is a work of art (I will leave that for the dozens of art critics who will be barging into my office any minute now), but I was actually quite pleased I was able to show exactly what I would usually want to tell.

Ok, ok, ok, who am I kidding: I don’t actually have an office.

The funny thing is, aside from the comic, of course, I have been wanting to write a comic strip since about 2005. It was the summer between my junior and senior years in college, and I was staying with family friends during the summer.

My then-girlfriend (soon to be fiancee, later that summer) bought be several ‘Pearls Before Books’ anthologies, the ones with commentary. As I read Stephen Pastis’ comments on the creative process, his own struggles with drawing, and other observations, I thought: I could do this.

So I started to write some basic plotlines and jokes for a comic idea (one I still wanted to do.) I actually still have that sketchbook and believe it or not (those of you who have commented on the quality of my drawings probably won’t) I actually use that same book to draft No Maple Bar in pencil. You think the end product is bad…you should see my doodles! (Not mine, but amazing if you have seen ‘their’ doodles.)

So…not any of us actually has any clue how much inspritation we do want a daily basis. We may never see the direct result of the inspiration—but somewhere, out there, it lives. However, humbling it maybe.

Oh, and you are probably late on child-support.