Write what you know, they say…
I hope you all are “weathering” the terrible storm that passed thru much of the US last weekend. Disaster struck just to our south and east, but we were remarkably lucky!
As I was finishing up this strip, I realized I might have been a little hasty with “THE END”. Who knows, maybe that snow dog will turn out to be Watusi’s Wilson if this winter doesn’t ease up…
So, okay, this feels a little late, but hear me out…
Since the twelve days of Christmas start on Christmas day, this is actually the only one of those 12 days that falls on my traditional posting day of Wednesday. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Here’s hoping your new year is the best it can possibly be!
Here’s hoping your Thanksgiving feast is more palatable than Watusi’s is!
I also wanted to pass along my thanks to you for reading this strip. I know I haven’t been scratching your Watusi itch as much lately as I have in the past, but I really appreciate those of you who stick with me or just check in from time to time. Thank you so much for that!
… and, no, Watusi doesn’t have canine pica. We both appreciate your concern, tho…
I guess I’m Halloween’d out this year. A potentially terrifying setup leads to … science…
Oh well, I hope your Halloween is just spooky enough for you!
Once again, I tried to cram too much story into the final panel. Maybe someday I’ll learn better…
Fun fact: I finally tackled this starter to get me in the mood for my next giant-sized Doghouse Funhouse issue. It’s a circus-themed collection with comics & games by me and a select group of other cartoonists; fingers crossed, it will see print by the end of the year!
… and the LAZING is easy…
I’ve spent more time travelling than working in my studio over the past month. It’s been relaxing, but now I’m left with a meadow where my yard used to be! Draw what you know, they say…
My longtime friend and fellow cartoonist Larned Justin passed away unexpectedly last week. While I only had the opportunity to meet him in person a few times over the two and a half decades we knew each other, we traveled a pretty parallel path thru much of the self-published comics scene. He was an early contributor to my Watusi jam comics, and an enthusiastic supporter of self-published and small press comics of all kinds. You can read my full appreciation of Larned here.
It was hard to select just one of Larned’s Watusi comics to share here, but this one showcases his love of parody, silly gags and bigfoot cartooning as well as any of them. And he even gets the final panel! It originally appeared in Watusi the Talking Dog #40, along with Watusi “origins” by a slew of other cartoonists.
While I try to stay true to the four panel/one page rule I established for these jam comic starters, sometimes I can’t help but go long … and to include both the airport and the concert in the setup, that’s what I felt was needed …
I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk a bit about Boney Orlando: while I introduced the concept of Watusi’s favorite singer back in Watusi #10 (March 2004) with this very starter strip, it wasn’t until Watusi #25 (March 2008) that the inimitable Tom Cherry put a face to the performer, a face that I’ve used in his appearances ever since that time. Thanks, Tom!
For those of you in the Memphis area, the third annual Memphis Libraries Comic Con is happening this Saturday from 10-3! It’s a FREE event, and I’ll be there with lotsa my comics, including the newest Watusi issues! Hope to see you there!
Guess April showers are still on my mind! Looking forward to those May flowers…
Fortunately, we couldn’t have asked for better weather at last weekend’s East Buntyn ArtWalk; thanks for all of you who stopped by to see what I’ve been up to!
Watusi the Talking Dog 