Time once again to look back at a dozen of the better ones from the last ten years of Looks Good On Paper, available on AM Universal’s Gocomics. Yes, my comic strip has been running for almost a decade—hard to believe—but who knows how long it may continue. It’s been the most enjoyable project I’ve ever done, despite simultaneously being one of the least profitable gigs. As my career now approaches the quinquagenarian mark (50 years) I find myself where so many others have been before, questioning myself in no doubt similar ways: shall I keep going like this forever? is there no end to deadlines for a cartoonist? and if I do quit, will I then fade forever into that twilight zone of has beens and used to be’s? What ever happened to that guy? He used to be so funny! A fate worse than death if death didn’t hurt so much.
I could finally do what I want; I could concentrate on painting, book publishing, Substack! (Although so far, Gocomics has my Stack money beat all to heck.) Perhaps if I had time to develop these newsletters further and supply some worthwhile content that warrants it, you folks might let loose of those tightly knotted purse strings and click the link below! I don’t know.
I definitely would go fishing more, that’s a given. The one year when my wife told me to go fishing as much as I could manage, I won two muskie tournaments and the club tournament championship, bringing home two rod and reel combos, three trophy plaques that are hanging on my studio walls and the club tourney champ green jacket. Think Masters with a huge embroidered muskie on the back.
I could do all manner of things I’ve always wanted to do! but the pull of drawing comics feels like a treble hook tied to eighty pound super braid in my cheek. I know how the muskie feels.
One of the hardest things to do for a person who has worked for so long is letting go of the wheel and just ride the wind of life. It’s uncomfortable, it’s scary and if it doesn’t work will I be able to get back on that horse if I want to once I leave the saddle? Normal people have regular jobs and when they retire, they get a watch, a party and they shove you out the door with no hope of return. You go home and put on soft clothes and mow the lawn and what have you. If you’re lucky you get a pension or you live on social security and your investments; maybe your wife will get a part time job as a food sample lady at Costco handing out panko shrimp to ham-handed shoppers.
Cartoonists, as we all know, are not normal human beings. They don’t lead normal lives or have normal jobs; they fly below the radar of life. They work in their homes wearing their pajamas, drinking coffee and get paid actual paychecks doing what most of you would call playing an artist. It’s a grand life and it’s not easy letting it all go, but sooner or later we all retire for good—there’s no avoiding the inevitable.
Fifty years is a good run in anything, so no one would blame me if I took the leap. George Trosley is my elder by about a decade and even more of a cartoon workaholic than I am and he has recently retired. His wife was always the computer savvy one and did his scanning, email and business managing and decided she has had it thereby deciding for him that he is definitely retired.
Who knows what I will do, but in the meanwhile you’d best enjoy me while you have the chance and if you enjoy me enough I hope you do decide to throw a coin in my hat. I definitely don’t want to end up as a Costco lady.
The first few are free, the rest requires a coin.
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