Notice anything different in today’s comic? That’s right — backgrounds. Real backgrounds. Like, for the flat. Hooray for how much I rock! I can only apologise for having taken so long implementing this feature but in fact I’ve spent the past four years drawing them. Actually, it just feels that way. Sweet Jesus’ beard my drawing hand is numb. Scraping through the archives like a transient sifting through rotting trash, you will be able to see I have in the past flirted with levels of background-itude but never quite took the plunge into floors, ceilings, perspectives and detailed decorations drawn out in advance. Now that has changed. It was always my intention for there to be backgrounds, just as it was always my intention for the comic to be well-drawn and funny. In my opinion, none of those elements were present from day one. That’s the face of the medium. You get to watch something grow and evolve, not just sit there whole and the same. That has its draw-backs. (Like, what if I just quit? You’re only half-way through the story. I won’t.) In other ways, it’s better than any other form of story-telling.
I didn’t make this sudden effort to improve the quality of the comic as a conscious response to last week’s delightful surge in page-views, rather I am a fairly self-aware person and I know that unencouraged I lose interest in projects quickly — whilst it only takes the slightest provocation to induce feverish productivity. What I’m trying to say is to a certain extent this is our comic not just mine and you made today’s comic — ripe with backgrounds — happen as much as I did. I say to a certain extent. It’s not like I’m going to start letting you guys draw it or anything. Sorry.
I’ve been listening the hell out of ‘Kiss the Girl’ from The Little Mermaid soundtrack all this week. I don’t care if you’re a Disney fan or not, that song is just plain awesome. It’s number 152 on my list of 200 Easy Ways to Get White People to Dance. Alcohol is number one, by the way. In fact alcohol can make white people do anything — sing, dance, start a fight or impregnate each other. It’s the magic drink.
P.S. Have a nice autumn. It’s my favourite season. Let’s see what it holds in store for the strip.
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