Breaking the Ice: The Comic Strip #1

It's been something I've been wanting to do for a long time and I finally got off my butt and did it.

I'm starting my own web comic.

Ever since I was little, I was fascinated with comics. While most of my friends were immersed in comic books, I always gravitated towards comic strips. I would buy collected editions of The Far Side, Bloom County, B.C., Beetle Bailey and of course, my well known love of all things Popeye. There was just something about the simple, 3-4 panel "gag a day" style storytelling in comic strips that really captured my imagination.

After attending the San Diego Comic-Con in '04 and sitting in on a panel discussion on creating web comics, I got inspired. I used to draw all the time as a child and in recent years haven't picked up a pen or pencil other than to sign a check to pay my bills. I batted a few ideas around and then came upon a combination of two. A "workplace" style strip set in a Customer Service call/computer center and a screenplay I wrote a few years ago entitled Breaking the Ice.

Ice is about a stand-up comic who feels he has to sell out and become edgy in order to make an impact in show business. I really love the characters in that script and if nothing ever comes of it, they will at least find new life her in the strip.

The above is merely a test to see how this would look and come out. I'm going to try to get a backlog of about 5 or 6 before I really start posting them in earnest. HUGE thanks to my close friend Jeff Schuetze as he was instrumental in showing me Photoshop techniques to give the flat inks some life. Jeff is the artist on 60 Minute Broadway and will be launching a new website with his own webcomic in the coming month. So please visit him and check his out...you won't be disappointed.

For me, this is just going to be a fun hobby. If I can pick up some readers along the way and people start to dig the strip then all the better. You can click on the image above to see the full sized "beta strip". I'm really happy with how it came out and I'm looking forward to really getting going on it.

See ya in the funny papers!