Oh, what the heck! This is what the strip would’ve looked like if I had really wanted it to make sense. If you prefer my usual flavor, see the one below.
Somewhere in this strip, originally, was the spot-on idea that daylight-savings time turns everyone into zombies because they’re all so darn tired. I think the joke here, as I had intended, was that the first three kids are kind of zombie-like because they’re all really tired and, low and behold, Fudgey on the end is so tired he’s actually become a zombie. The original title for the strip was going to be “Daylight Savings Apocalypse,” but then became Daylight Cravings, as you you can see. I had also considered “The Waking Dead,” but thought it was a little to subtle. For all I know, that was a better choice. Overall, I’d say the best part of this strip (for me) was drawing the little blue veins in Fudgey’s head. – It’s the love that keeps me going.
This strip follows just a few days after President Obama offended nerds across the universe by saying he couldn’t resolve the Fiscal Cliff crisis by putting Congress in a “…jedi mind meld.” While we all applaud his genuine desire to make with the “common speak,” we also cringe at the inter-stellar, nuclear gaff of his joining two, very different universes that have no business touching: Star Wars and Star Trek.
For those of you who have no idea why term “jedi mind meld” is like eating a bag of glass be thankful. Knowing the answer would only relegate you to a lonely, tortured life of eating Cheetos, drinking gallons of Mountain Dew, and nose-snorting with similar wretched goblins about everything that was left out of the blu-ray release of “Firefly,” Season 2. — I, myself, have never seen a single episode of “Firefly,” but I know a lot of the nerds who love my strip really like it. — Just kidding nerds! I love you all!
That said, while the intention of this strip was noble at best, I fear there might’ve been too much information packed in for it to be a true gem. Not only do you do you have to be familiar with the uber-quotable line from Star Wars used in the strip, you also need to know what President Obama said in his speech, why the fiscal cliff crisis is where it is and why, and – if you like doing mental gymnastics – why any of this is worth putting together for a mere 1-second chuckle. The answer is, of course, it’s not worth it all. — Life is too short to spend time worrying about such matters.
At this point, if you’re still reading, you’re probably better off turning on your Death Star screensaver, microwaving a burrito, and “un-pausing” your game of World of Warcraft. In the big scheme of things, I think we all know what’s really important.
The idea for this strip, I’m sorry to say, came about in a completely pedestrian way. I wish I could tell you I thought of it while actually BUILDING an octopus detector, but I didn’t. …It’s close but not quite there. — Mrs. Jim and I were driving in the car and she was trying to sell me on the idea of taking an exotic adventure on a very high-end cruise ship. To help sweeten the sale she began to rattle off a number of wonderful features about the ship, one of which included “radar.” Needless to say, while I do like gizmos I followed by saying “…Who cares if they have radar. It’s not like the have an octopus detector.” At which point I chuckled, made a quick mental note, and realized that was the most brilliant thing I’d said in about 9 days. The term “octopus detector,” in my opinion, is insanely hilarious and that’s how this strip was born.
For long-time fans of “Watson,” I can tell you that the same “energy” I experienced when I came up with the idea for this strip is exactly like the “strange energy” I felt when I came up with the Super-Chicken strip. At the time it seemed so awful that no one would like it, but I now realize that feeling may actually indicate I’ve hit the jackpot. – It’s a concept that feels totally free and floating, so bizarre that it doesn’t associate itself with anything common one might normally grasp. It’s, in plain terms, just “completely out there.” These are the kids of strips that separate true “Watsoneers” from all the rest. If I’ve still got you at “octopus detector,” then my strip is truly just for you.
This strip was inspired by the awful, frigid snow-storm socking the Mid-West right in the guts. As a matter of fact, we’re in the middle of it as I “speak.” If nothing else, I think this comic strip has reminded me that one of the key roles a cartoonist plays in its readers’ lives is to be a little pat on the back, perhaps a little smile, when things get tough. I know this morning lots of people will be getting up while it’s still dark, putting on layers and layers of clothes, and going out to snow-covered cars to begin the frigid, arduous process of scraping off snow so they can get to work. If nothing else, I hope this strip reminds them that I, too, am thinking about how this effects them (and everyone), and that I hope a little chuckle (if this strip is at all funny) makes that walk to the car just a little bit better. I’m not splitting atoms or sewing a brain back together; nothing that grand or lofty. I’m doing that little bit that I can do, my little contribution, and when I get it right I feel like I’ve done some good. It’s the little part I play in the big scheme of things. Not the fanciest, most “important” job, but the one I like best. — I could totally split atoms if I wanted to. I just don’t feel like it right now.
This four strips at once, all published on the same day, was something of a new experiment. Lately, I’ve had a lot of strange thoughts swirling around in my head about comics and internet, and just decided to mix-it-up a bit. Be on the lookout for more, strange “Watson” experiments in the immediate future. I fear many new things are abound.
I’ve had the idea for Mulk, the pro-biotic milk-alternative, for quite a while. I think a carton of Mulk may have even appeared in a previous strip. While I’m not a die-hard health-food nut, I’m very interested in alternative/advanced nutrition and do try to keep healthy. We shop at a lot of different stores, many of which carry a variety of milk alternatives. In addition to soy, rice, and almond milk, I’ve also seen flax milk and maybe sesame milk, but I think that was in a dream. I think the role that milk plays in kids’ lives is both fun and hilarious. I think it’s fair to say that a lot of kids don’t like milk, but it seems to follow them wherever they go. It’s at school. It’s at home. Wherever you go adults are always telling you to “drink milk” because it’s good for you and “makes you strong.” Milk! Milk! Milk! …I bet most kids think it could never get any worse, but we know it could. And, in case you didn’t catch it the first time, Mulk is…GRAY. Be thankful you have milk, kids. I fear Mulk may have no nutritional benefit at all.
This strip was inspired by a number of birthday parties I went to as a kid, and the whole new experience of attending parties, again, now that I’m a parent. By any measure, children’s parties are delightful: there’s cake, there’s running, and someone always ends up in the garbage. In that sense, they’re not unlike most office, fraternity, or White House functions one might attend. …A party’s a party.
The thing that I was reminded of while doing this strip (its original inspiration, I think) was just how important parties can be to the whole childhood social-standing, popularity structure. Under the age of 3 most kids don’t remember what happened at little Timmy’s birthday, but as soon as kids are old enough to realize what brand of sock they’re wearing, the whole thing comes crashing down. Kids become “cool” or “uncool” for not having the right plates. Skippy’s party was better because his clown performed at the Super Bowl. …It’s a whole big mess.
What was once sweet and innocent becomes a blood bath similar to the chatter one might here on the sidelines of a Victoria’s Secret runway show. These rosy cheeked cherubs turn on themselves and each other, and what was once cake becomes an under-priced delivery device for everything that’s horribly wrong with you, your family, and the world. There’s too much frosting and Lumpy’s dad took some awful middle-management job across the river. No wonder all of Lumpy’s clothes come from that awful store in Mid-Town. “…This party sucks.”
I think it’s time for presents.
The idea for this strip was inspired by something that happened to me when I was a Freshman in high school. To spare those involved I’ll keep details brief, but the story did end with my confessing (in an opaque way) my love for a girl who I had never spoken to once. As I recall, she was horrified and we never spoke (or continued to keep on not speaking) ever again. I guess the moral of the story is be careful to whom you confess you love.
I think loving (at least in concept) is great, but isn’t always the greatest thing when acted upon, as the bard has clearly shown us. I can’t say that I was the world’s most awkward teenage romantic, but I was still on the sliding scale.
While, in today’s terms, I might not have had my own highly-rated HBO TV show, I most certainly would’ve had a popular YouTube web-series with a modest cult-following.
I thought of the idea for this strip while standing in the crowd at a Magnetic Fields concert. In case you’re not familiar with them, the Magnetic Fields are a delightful, Byronic-esque band whose songs focus on relationships, break-ups, back-stabbing, betrayal, and appeal to people who wear black pajamas in an non-ironic way. They’re most famous for their 4-CD collection “69 Love Songs,” which I’ve had a wonderful relationship with since September 13, 2002.
All I can say about this strip is that it came from a creative place of fearlessness. I was standing in the crowd rubbing elbows with all these groovy people, and thought “What kind of ‘Watson’ strip would someone who likes The Magnetic Fields write?” The idea for this strip probably emanated from a much more clear-headed way of thinking than I’m used to; it was purely emotional. I’ll try to come back to this sort of thing in the future.
This strip was, of course, inspired by the annual madness of Thanksgiving and the multiple days of shopping (Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber-Monday, Tentacle Tuesday, Wobbly Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday, Fuzzy Friday) that follow it.
Nothing terribly obscure in this one, minus the obvious data that whenever Americans christen a new holiday (We haven’t had a good one since Divorced-Pet Day), they can never do so without negotiating in vast quantities of food and frivolous spending for everyone involved.
One might argue that advertisers are really the ones in control, but one could also argue that…Who smells chocolate?
Is that chocolate?
What time is it?
I need some Ranch dip. …Ranch dip smothered on ice cream.
