"So, why'd you quit?"

That’s hard to say. My wife and I got a puppy that fall, and suddenly I felt like I had no more free time. On top of that, work was becoming more and more “unfun.” I just didn’t feel the humor in the every day that I had before.

Although life is much better now, I have two girls and less time than ever. I want to concentrate on my family and other hobbies, so I will probably never return to cartooning.

But never say “never,” right?

October 14, 2003 - BONUS!

October 14, 2003 - Click to embiggen

The last official wingedpotato strip, though never posted on the original website. I’d rediscovered an old strip way back from the newsletter that I never redrew, and thought it would be fun to update. “In Living Color” did a sketch called “Krishna Cop” about a reincarnating police officer. Anyhoo, it’s kinda appropriate that the very last strip would be a rehash of one of the very first strips (and shows Jake cartooning). 

And there you go.

October 7, 2003 - Monomyth

October 7, 2003 - Click to embiggen

The last strip to appear on my old website, and one of my favorites. There’s a great quote by J.R.R. Tolkien that was the inspiration for this strip: 

“All tales may come true; and yet, at the last, redeemed, they may be as like and as unlike the forms we give them as Man, finally redeemed, will be like and unlike the fallen that we know.”

September 30, 2003 - Veritas

September 30, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Besides being a little treatise on what really goes on inside our heads (or my head at least), this strip was a chance to remind readers of who these characters were.

September 23, 2003 - Runnin' from the Man

September 23, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Just another excuse to draw Gentle in various poses, but I thought it was cute. Now that we have a dog, I see how accurate this one can be.

September 16, 2003 - Good for the Gander

September 16, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Point-of-view rears its ugly head again. Yay! This was my attempt to put a good spin on my selfish customer rants.

September 9, 2003 - More Characters

September 9, 2003 - Click to embiggen

And of course once I got rolling, I couldn’t stop until I purged myself of them all. I can still remember a specific person to match all eight.

September 2, 2003 - Characters

September 2, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Well, once I had the ball rolling, I couldn’t stop. Cathartic? Can’t remember.

August 26, 2003 - Heh?

August 26, 2003 - Click to embiggen

I must have been in a mood, because I used the above strip as a springboard to vent about all the people who had annoyed me over the years. I’m not proud of it now, and I think I must have been watching a lot of Will & Grace, because this is the kind of gag they'd do.

August 19, 2003 - Nerd Snaphot

August 19, 2003 - Click to embiggen

When a guy came into the store and did this to me, I knew I had to make a strip out of it. Everyone was high on Peter Jackson’s movies then, and a few esoteric nerds felt they now had license to impress everyone with their knowledge.

August 12, 2003 - Fun and Games

August 12, 2003 - Click to embiggen

This one’s cute. I envisioned the last panel as Joe thinking the pies were just for dessert, and he plowed through them before the game. Then I realized it also worked as him easily winning the contest because he’s voracious. Either way, still cute.

August 5, 2003 - FORE!

August 5, 2003 - Click to embiggen

I tried to get more mileage out of the previous strip. At least this one’s a little better. I also just found a new meaning in “extra hit” I didn’t originally intend.

July 29, 2003 - Socially Monogamous

July 29, 2003 - Click to embiggen

I enjoyed drawing a single panel, but as a joke (even based on real-life observation), I didn't think it flew too well. It happens.

July 22, 2003 - 'Cause I'm Free...Freeloading

July 22, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Now that the store I worked at has changed hands and time has passed, I can freely say that this really happened every year. There were plenty of people we’d only see when there was free food and drink--once or twice a year. It really bugged me, but my boss never seemed to care.

July 15, 2003 - To Everything...

July 15, 2003 - Click to embiggen

The picnic was one of the last story arcs I was to create. I enjoyed the chance to draw with more detail in a couple of these.

July 8, 2003 - Fishing Expedition

July 8, 2003 - Click to embiggen

I loved the idea--but did it work? I was really relying on the reader having knowledge of the earlier strips.

July 1, 2003 - Rock the Casbah

July 1, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Skipped another month back then. I love this one, only ‘cause I got to draw myself circa 1984 (I ROCKED the feathered mullet!). Jake’s age was undetermined, but I figured he grew up in “comic time,” so it didn’t matter.

May 27, 2003 - Poke the Bear

May 27, 2003 - Click to embiggen

I’d planned to return to the interplay between the goth and Maybel (maybe even some unrequited goth-love?), but alas, never got around to it.

May 20, 2003 - Double Standards

May 20, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly), I received more positive comments from this strip than any others, preachy as it is. It was the first time I got a good sense of how many people were actually reading these things (still wasn't many).

May 13, 2003 - The Truth Comes Out

May 13, 2003 - Click to embiggen

This is actually me. I must’ve been maturing a bit, because I was mocking myself through all my characters, not just Jake...

May 6, 2003 - JINTERU!

May 6, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Ooh, I dug this one. It wasn’t until reinserting the dialogue last time that I realized Q’s “monster” comment is part of the punchline. Huh.

April 29, 2003 - Blocked

April 29, 2003 - Click to embiggen

I broke my rules again with this one, but I didn’t care as much as time went on. I was finally happy with my level of simplicity vs. expression with the characters. If only I could draw hands.

April 22, 2003 - Complaint Department

April 22, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Point of view--my big soapbox then and now.

April 15, 2003 - Red Letter Day

April 15, 2003 - Click to embiggen

This is how excited I was about those DVD releases (which did come out that day). I commemorated my joy with this strip. Now I'm just glad so many Studio Ghibli movies are available for anyone to watch.

April 8, 2003 - Comin' through!

April 8, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Ah, the promise of impending violence. I love this little gag. It reminds me of one of my favorite Calvins & Hobbes strips that ends with “Hey. Can I see that bat a minute?” 

April 1, 2003 - Look Who's Talking, Too

April 1, 2003 - Click to embiggen

One of a couple times I broke my own continuity rules, but it was April 1. I was never otherwise tempted to go in this direction (and I deliberately avoided the "spit-take" I set up in panel 1).

March 25, 2003 - Arch

March 25, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Maybe my all-time favorite strip--at least the one I’m most proud of. I love the reference to my own strip (see May 8, 2001), the “camera pan” art, and the setup. I also love how this is funny regardless of one’s political views.

I think at this point I was just making up designs on Barry's shirts.

March 18, 2003 - In Development

March 18, 2003 - Click to embiggen

Most people are familiar with the movie, but the League of Extraordinary Gentleman was a comic first. I did love the chance to use the comic term “rogues gallery.”

March 11, 2003 - Tidy Whities

March 11, 2003 - Click to Embiggen

Okay, after I created the previous strip, I could not get out of my brain the idea of actually drawing the potato with underwear on its head. So I came up with this.

Also, I should note since having children, I have come to understand that the word "underpants" is equally hilarious to "underwear," so I edited the dialogue.

March 4, 2003 - "I could hide out under there."

March 4, 2003 - Click to Embiggen

Getting the winged potato arc rolling again. I enjoyed this one, even though it’s a little dumb. Jake’s last line was influenced by “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

February 25, 2003 - Problem Avoidance

February 25, 2003 - Click to Embiggen

I had a hankering to draw Gentle in different poses, and hit on the idea of him avoiding the floor. Jake’s declaration is ripped from a very early Bloom County strip. Right Guard, anyone? 

February 18, 2003 - Misguided Enthusiasm

February 18, 2003 - Click to Embiggen

I love Scott Morse’s work to death, and I was thrilled to give him some props with this strip. And it’s kind of funny, assuming you know Jake’s history with his comic.

February 11, 2003 - Once More Into the Breach

February 11, 2003 - Click to Embiggen

Magic Pickle by Scott Morse is fantastic. It had been out for a while, but then I hit on the idea of using it as a springboard to start a new winged potato arc.

February 4, 2003 - Boat Floating

February 4, 2003 - Click to Embiggen

I took a month off for the new year back then. Where did this come from? I guess I wanted to show Jake’s passions. Of course, these are my passions, too...

I loved revisiting the anime girl gag.

December 31, 2002 - Resolute

December 31, 2002 - click to embiggen

A strip that landed on New Year’s Eve. How could I not do something like this? I did change the girl's line here from the original's horribly generic and sexist "find true love."

December 24, 2002 - Get 'Im!

December 24, 2002 - click to embiggen

Santa Mouse always left a silver dollar in the tree for my brother and me.

December 17, 2002 - Mind the Gap

December 17, 2002 - click to embiggen

No one would truly appreciate this but fellow anime geeks, but it is one of my all-time favorites. I think it’s the most original strip I ever created. I’m sure even the girl’s references have now become quite dated.

December 10, 2002 - J-Pop Arrives

December 10, 2002 - click to embiggen

I’d been wanting to introduce an “anime girl” for a while. It feels way behind the times now, and I only got one fabulous strip out of her (the next one).

December 2, 2002 - Decision Time

December 2, 2002 - click to embiggen

This was based on a real conversation my wife and I had. I don’t remember the details, but it was very funny to us at the time. This was the first (and only) time I cheated in the drawing, using the same art in the last two panels. The cyclical dialog makes it appropriate, right?