Mar02
From time to time I, as many cartoonists do, reflect on the influences that shaped the way I write and draw. Many of my generation grew up on Peanuts and although we may not have wanted to draw like Charles Schulz, we wanted to be like Charles Schulz. Or at least as we imagined him and his lifestyle to be.
But recently it occurred to me that the Schulz influence may have crept into my drawing, as today’s strip illustrates. Of course, Ajax has no idea that he already has one foot in the dreaded career as a comic strip character. Let him be whoever he wants to be, I say, and we’ll just watch.
And if the disguised Ajax lies down on his belly, his “dog house” would be lying on him instead of him lying on top of the house.
Due to his rather bulky body shape, Ajax and crew are limited in the poses they can achieve. it’s awkward to have him lying on his back– it’s akin to a flipped tortoise! So I have to write around such physical limitations. But so did Schulz. None of the Peanuts kids could reach over their heads to where their hands could meet.
One of the fun things about cartooning is making the impossible possible.
No stooping for THIS Snoopy! BTW, does the lack of a speech balloon in the last frame mean that Ajax is just thinking instead of saying the comment? After all, his mouth is not moving.
The line from dialogue to speaker is something I use when a word balloon might be cumbersome or if I just want a change-up.
I’ll almost always use a puffy cloud balloon for thoughts. A dashed line works for whispers if the text inside is reduced in size.
I kept the mouth shut to to have Ajax look more “Snoopy-like.”
But your point is well taken, BaldEagle. It would have worked better as a private thought.
you know………………….. it might work as a way for Ajax being able to go to the human world with Eddie, he can be disguised as Eddie’s main dog, the only problem is “will Ajax stay quiet?”
BTW, you could also make him look like Odie(of Garfield)
we can have Eddie & Odie
Funny you would mention Odie. I know of a tavern that either knowingly or unknowingly is doing copyright infringement on the Garfield empire. The blatant use of the character in the electric sign is hard for me to ignore.
I have often thought to stop in and ask how they got Universal or Paws Inc. to “let” them use the character. But then I figure it’s just a small town operation. But then I think, if it was MY character I’d make a stink.
I’m serious, this has bothered me for years…