May 1, 2001 - Behold! The Salty Power!

May 1, 2001 - Click to embiggen

I like this one. My old comic store boss went nuts trying to figure out the “code” on the park bench, when it was merely a set up for the next gag...

April 24, 2001 - What's in a Name?

April 24, 2001 - Click to embiggen

Hey everyone. Hope ya'll are enjoying these. Once I’d titled the strip (an MST3K reference), I knew I couldn’t wait too long to justify the name. This was my first long series of “connected” strips. The symbol on the alien’s chest is from “The Greatest American Hero.”

April 17, 2001 - Where it Hurts

April 17, 2001 - Click to embiggen

The first truly new, non-redux “wingedpotato” strip! Yay! I knew moving forward I would have to broaden the world a bit, and so Barry was born. Unlike Jake, he actually does eat, sleep, and breath comics. Gentle is editorializing again.

April 10, 2001 - Do Not Meddle...

April 10, 2001 - Click to embiggen

This was originally a throwaway gag for the newsletter when the movie “Dragonheart” came out, but it was fun to draw, so I redid it for the new series.

April 3, 2001 - Worlds Apart

April 3, 2001 - Click to embiggen

Hey, everyone. Hope you are enjoying these so far. I think they get even better as we go, so hang in there with me.

The girl’s perspective. Yes, she is known only as “the girl” and she is more ambivalent toward Jake than this gag suggests. The frame and pacing experimentation here lapsed as I worked on getting the strip more “automated.” I should note that although now it is not that strange for girls to enjoy comic books, back in 2001 it still seemed pretty rare.

March 27, 2001 - System Shock

March 27, 2001 - Click to embiggen

The idea of comic geeks being scared of girls is nothing new, but as the strip developed it came about that only one particular girl made Jake sweat. It just happened to be the first one he saw...

March 20, 2001 - Ew?

March 20, 2001 - Click to embiggen

When I created the strip, I figured Jake would always be looking to create the next great comic book superhero.

March 13, 2001 - Will to Power

March 13, 2001 - Click to embiggen

People seem to get this one only if they have ever tried it.

March 6, 2001 - Justify!

March 6, 2001 - Click to embiggen

Anyone recognize the nod to Wally Pleasant? In the newsletter strip, I had an imaginary floating ball of fur to act as Jake’s foil and to be the editorial voice of the series. Oy. Here I created Gentle the ferret (named after my college roommate) and things started to gel.

February 27, 2001 - wingedpotato begins

February 27, 2001 - Click to embiggen

The strip that started it all. Kind of. The first strips were rehashes of a store newsletter strip called "that guy who reads comics." Oy. When embarking to get these into printable form, I realized I couldn't find my original strip. I decided to redraw it—it finally looks like I envisioned. This particular gag actually happened to me in college.