Category: hooray!

what could possibly go wrong?

Posted on by Nathan

right now that guy can't really see past the fact that his leg is in a bear trap but later on he'll recognize the comedic potential of the situation

I was wondering what I’d written in the first panel so I went back to my workfile and enlarged it. Here we go:

  • “Peace On Earth / Purity Of Essence”, a reference to the film Dr. Strangelove
  • Dark City references care of the big spiral (which says “this is the way the world works now” around it) and “YOU CAN’T GO ROUND FOREVER” underneath it
  • “Hot Jon?”, yet another Look Around You reference.
  • Some sort of drawings based on vaguely occult-y symbols and what looks like it might be a representation of a heart rate monitor.
  • 2+2+2+2…on until 20.
  • The entire right-hand wall is comprised of an equation I’m sure I laboriously copied from a Google Search on “big equation” or something similar. Only it ends with “=COMEDY?” afterward.

The reason I was interested is that usually I just write nonsense, and do it small and messily enough that when the comic is resized it looks like meaningful text but isn’t. I’ll scribble phrases like “don’t read this please” and what have you. Here I probably spent more time on the first panel than the entire rest of the comic put together, and I guess I’ll always wonder what motivated me to do that. [September 4, 2012]

Interesting Times 3rd Birthday Surpriseabration!

Posted on by Nathan

Today marks the 3rd birthday of my comic, and I suppose now’s as good a time as any to tell you all about the failure of Interesting Times – The Series. Never heard of it? That’s because it was never aired, cancelled outright before we could even finish filming the first episode.

About half a year ago I was approached by a major television network to begin work on an outline for the first season of a sitcom based on my life and comic. We embellished a bit, to be sure, but in the end I had something that I was pretty proud of.

The backstory to the show was that I was engaged to a beautiful lady and writing my comic for a big-city newspaper. My fiancee and I have a huge argument, however, and we break it off. Despondent, I move back to my hometown, partly to get away and also because I can easily write my comic and send it in over the internet. While there, I meet up with old friends, make some new ones, and continue to have hilarious adventures and circumstances. The end of every episode would feature me summing things up in comic form, like “Doogie Howser MD” and of course there would be recurring tension as my old flame tries to get back into my life. Wacky neighbours, Very Special episodes, we had it all. It was going to be a hit.

We were going to get a nice spot on a weeknight on the FOX network, and things were really rolling along. However, tragedy struck because of another show that wasn’t cancelled: “Dollhouse“. When that show was announced to have a second season, FOX executives became enraged by the fact that they had apparently forgotten to cancel a Joss Whedon show before its time. Looking to vent their fury, they turned and canceled our production when all we had to show was a title sequence.*

I did manage to save that title sequence, though! Presented here for the first time anywhere, please enjoy the fruits of our labour and join me in reflecting on what might have been. And, from the bottom of my heart, thanks to all readers and well-wishers for supporting me and getting a chuckle out of my work for the last three years and six-hundred-thirty-five comics. Fourth season begins Monday, and you’re all invited!

YouTube Link!

*please note that I bear no ill will whatsoever toward Joss Whedon and his work, and in fact found Dollhouse rather enjoyable.