a harvest of FACTS

[John]

also posted on livejournal whoaaaa but here, this, yeah:

I plan to include a new "about" page with the impending site make-over. I've grown tired of the current nonsense one and would like to have a page that actually tells the reader something substantial. Is there anything that anyone has a burning desire to know about? Or: what would you fine people find interesting? Or: Hurff de durfff I am important enough for you to ask questions at me durrrrrrr

[Steve]

Frederick Jackson Turner's frontier thesis.

If not that, maybe just the goin' ons and thoughts on your end of things John.

[John]

Goings on: Currently trying to turn something from the strip idea pile into an actual script.

Thoughts: "I wish sometimes that we did not deal in punchline-based humor."

Thoughts part 2: "Want to go to bed, not sleepy though. Nuts!"

[Steve]

In response to Goings on: I believe in you John

In response to thoughts: I'm sure you could work around that from time to time, once again, I believe in you John.

In response to thoughts 2: That's why baby jesus graced our world with the wonder that is alcohol. (NOTE: excuse the sacrilige, but read the bible, baby jesus did it somewhere in there. Maybe Acts, or the one with Moses or something). Also, for reasons of continuity, I believe in you John.

[Ferrence]

I just want to say stick with punchline based humor, it's working wonders. I mean I know nothing about the world of webcomics, but yours is creative and humorous, so why change the formula, right? Anyway, keep up the good work.

I have a very vague question, basically how did you guys get started? There's really no handbook for realizing you and your friends like to make witty, over the top comic strips.

[John]

Don't worry, I don't think the format is going to change. I cannot write Achewood-quality material.

How we got started: In spring of 2006 we were all about writing little comedy scenes. TV shows are not easy for college students to acquire, so we made comics out of a few of them. The following semester, I submitted a much-more-refined version of the strip to the school's paper and it got picked up. I made a website, whored it out a bit on forums. Plugs from Robin Bougie and then Jeph Jacques put us on a one-way train to the 4th tier of webcomic super-stardom*.


* modest following, no money whatsoever

[david]

Huh, that's odd. I remember it more like this: one day our parents were on a coach bus to some sort of "swing" retreat (whatever that means) when suddenly the bus driver had a seizure and the bus went into a roll down a large grassy knoll (such is the geography of connecticut). The bus was demolished and our parents were in critical condition at the local hospital. We met for the first time in the hospital waiting room--me hutch, john and timmy--and as frightened as we were, we started making observational humor about our surroundings in order to keep our minds off of our parents' struggles for survival.

The great Rodney Dangerfield once famously declared "The womb of comedy is the wake of tragedy" (circa 1945). Of course he said this in response to his roll in the infamous VolksWagen vs holocaust commercial in which the newest VW car model is put up against the holocaust for the title of finest piece of German engineering. Although Dangerfield eventually declared the VW the winner, the mere fact that the holocaust was even considered created an understandable uproar. That said, the point of the quote still remains. We all faced imminent tragedies on the day of lucid-tv's birth, and we all clung to the comic's creative process as a sanity-sustaining Earth-crutch.

Eventually one of us (hutch i think) overheard some doctors mention that Timmy's parents were actually dying so we kicked him out of the group before it got awkward.

That's how i remember it at least.

[Baghutch]

I think his name was Jerry (total fag if you as me) and I think we kicked him out of the group because after his dad actually died he looked really upset for a few minutes. No of us knew what to say to a kid who's dad had just died ya know. but then he put on a white button up shirt, took a coffee mug and start this look I'm Mr. Hanhowzer and him going to spank the shit out of Jerry routing. After that we told him he had to leave. He than said why is it to soon. Then I said no its not that its to soon in fact its not to soon enough!! (this was the inspiration for a strip). Then David said No where kicking you out because there is only one guy who can successfully pull of prop comedy and the fact that you think your even close to his level is appalling. He then noded his head turned his back to us and started to walk away. Under his breath I could hear him say "Carrot Top."

[Stephanie O'Donnell]

What would you say are your main influences? Any minor influences also?

[John]

(whoops sorry--I DID see you ask about this on LJ and did not mean to ignore it.)

Writin'
A lot of the strips are based on what we absorb at school (Hutch especially). Beyond that, it gets kind of nebulous. Mostly just television and bouncing ideas off of each other.

Drawin'
Main: Milton Caniff, Paul Pope, Leonard Starr, Matt Baker, Alex Raymond, Matthew Woodson
Minor: Jim Holdaway, Wally Wood, Frank Cho, Becky Cloonan, Mike Mignola, Bill Watterson, Sam Kieth, Kentaro Miura

[Stephanie O'Donnell]

No problem! It happens.

I sensed a twinge of Watterson in your work somehow...some of the doctors do give off that "it builds character!!" vibe.

[John]

I went through a phase of Calvin & Hobbes obsession when I was about 9, right around the time he stopped doing it (i was as heartbroken as a little boy could be). His normal style doesn't have much bearing on what I do, but those two Sunday strips where he had Calvin & Susie playing house and doctor, drawn as soap opera comics, are directly responsible for my interest in that style.

One of these days I have to sit down with all of the books and study/take notes until I hit enlightenment.

[Stephanie O'Donnell]

That's one of the things I really loved about that strip, how he switched up the style every now and then. And he made it his own thing. It fit perfectly into the context of the joke, so the reader wasn't lost.

If you ever have $150 burning a hole in your pocket, I'd say the complete series is a sound investment.