He looked like a Midwesterner, but he was a rebel, ... He is to comics what Brando was to movies. He broke ground that allowed me to ultimately exist. |
Hi, Sparky, ... My name is Stephan Pastis and I'm a lawyer. |
I have to update that, ... Jo Jo died. He got hit by a car. |
I more or less stalked him. I guess that's the right word, ... I waited because I knew what time he came in for his English muffin and all that. Sure enough he showed up. I had some strips I had drawn, and I walked across the room. |
I want to shake things up like Bloom County did, ... When I was a kid I loved Calvin and I loved Far Side and I loved Bloom County. And I loved them because they took risks. You never knew what you were going to see that day. And there's not a lot of strips that do that now. |
I was a total stranger to him, and he let me sit down at his table and we talked for an hour, ... I took a picture with him. He looked at some of the strips that I had been doing and gave me some tips. Man, I was on cloud nine. |
I wish I didn't have to do it. But I'm standing on the deck of the Titanic and see the iceberg coming, |
If you look at other strips from the 1950s, he stuck out like a sore thumb. I'm sure he probably got some of the same complaint letters that I get now, |
If you put me in South Park, that audience is going to fall asleep in five minutes, ... It's a sad commentary that I'm edgy. |
If you see me on the comics page, you assume total smart-ass, with no regard to the older strips, ... When it comes to Peanuts, at least, it couldn't be further from the truth. I probably know more than anybody you'd ever meet. |
It was really just a product of hating being a lawyer so much, ... What can I do to get out of doing what I'm doing now? |
mostly as an outlet just to do something during class. |
My philosophy from looking at Dilbert was the art must not matter that much, because he was the biggest hit of the day, ... He didn't draw that well and neither did I. I figured if he could do it, maybe I had a chance. |
Those lectures were just terrible, ... I would draw this little rat who was on four legs. Whatever thoughts I had for the day I gave to him. It was therapeutic. |
When in doubt, kill cute things, |