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.