"I DIG DUG COMICS" by Douglas Weller

Hidden Treasure

2011-07-19T15:20:00.003-05:00

I sketch on EVERYTHING!!! Paper, envelopes, bills...if there's something to sketch on, and something that writes in the vicinity of where I'm sitting, chances are I'll sketch on it. And because of this, it's fun to find hidden treasures that I've drawn thru the years. Like this...for example.

Years ago, when I was getting bored writing I DIG DUG stories, and the characters for LOST ON EARTH were still floating around my head, I drew this little gem...ON THE BACK OF TWO I DIG DUG COMICS!!! I just happened to be scanning the last of the IDD comics for the ultimate digital archive, and when I took a few IDD comics out of their sleeve, I came across this. How fun!!!

I'm guessing this was an early character sketch of Allen, Dr. Skwidd, and Fishtarr around 2007 or 2008. The IDD comics that this was sketched on weren't dated...but it was towards the end of my run with IDD. Sooo...I'm guessing 07-08ish...in that vicinity. Anyway...as you can see, the 'final versions' of the characters are close to this, but I really wish I had come across this sooner. I really dig the way I drew Allen's torso and boots. And Fishtarr's mask looks a little more 'slick' here. At this point, I'm too far into the process of generating LOE material to change it, but I suppose subtle changes as the strip progresses might be in order. :)

dug!

Pacing

2011-07-11T10:53:00.003-05:00

One of the things that I struggle with in my writing is pacing. Specifically how fast the story should go, etc., etc. In my head, I guess I have this equation where I figure a comic strip 'chapter' should take place over the course of 6 days. This would allow daily comic strip readers to read an entire 'chapter' starting with Monday and ending with Saturday. It's the formula I kind of went with for I DIG DUG, however, with LOST ON EARTH, this formula is a little trickier.

For one, you have to write so that anyone who just happens to stumble upon the comic understands what is going on. This strip for example explains that Allen and Fishtarr are trying to get into an Earth market. It doesn't spell out their main objective of stealing Twinkies...but at least you get the gist. You also get a few sight gags in that the costumes really aren't that concealing. Allen simply has a "Matt from I DIG DUG" shirt on, and Fishtarr has some Groucho Marx glasses along with a blue cap.

A daily strip also has be somewhat funny. Or at the least deliver some sort of message that moves the plot forward. Here, for example, costumes are on and the characters are ready to rock. So...tomorrow...what comes next??? It's a hook...or a cliffhanger style of writing.

Where this type of 6-day 'chapter' writing becomes challenging...for LOE...is that LOE is a very long story with no real clear ending. So the old IDD formula has very little effect here. Well...in essence. And that's where my struggle with pacing comes into effect. Originally I just had this very large story I wanted to tell. And so I slowly just began moving my characters from point A to point B to point C, etc. Only recently have I looked at my very large story and tried to break it down into chapters so that I can use that 6-day chapter writing style. And I think (if you were to read all 27 of the current LOE strips) you can see my writing slowly going back to that original IDD pacing. Which...may be a good thing. We shall see how the story goes... :)

Thanks for checking in. More blogging to come...

-dug!

"Maybe I Should Rephrase That"

2011-07-05T06:26:00.002-05:00

Fishtarr is slowly becoming one of my favorite characters to write. Which is odd because originally he was just a side character. Someone I created to help with the overall story, but not one I thought would take such a front seat in my writing. At first, he was just there for comic effect. Especially given that he talks in some weird language that we aren't privy to understanding. However, as I continue to write him, it's becoming quite obvious to me that he is a very important character.

I wish I could somehow document my writing form because it's interesting. I literally sit down with a pen and paper and just write comics. And as I write, new character traits slowly appear for all of the characters. After I write about five stories, I reread them, keep a few, and trash the rest, and then write 5-8 more branching off from the two that I kept. I do this for roughly an hour, or off and on during the course of an evening. And through this process, Fishtarr has really become a central, leading character. He is no longer just the background character I had intended for him.

So here he is, ready to take the Earth's Twinkies by whatever means necessary. Allen, realizing that Fishtarr's interpretation of those few words might be a little different than what he meant. You have to remember...despite his silly language and comical appearance, Fishtarr is a bounty hunter by trade and he gets the job done...by whatever means necessary. It's up to Allen and Dr. Skwidd to keep Fishtarr in check so he doesn't destroy the whole human race in the process.

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Back to the Blog!!!

2011-07-04T09:33:00.003-05:00

Wow...so after a nearly one year hiatus from blogging...it felt like the time was right to begin again. There are so many prospective cool things happening with I DIG DUG Comics that it just feels like it's time to start being active on the 'ol blog once again. That said...where to begin???

Well...let's just start with the current state of IDD Comics. I DIG DUG is no more. Well, let me rephrase that. I DIG DUG is no longer my main focus. I still draw good 'ol Dug, Matt and Carrie, but it's more for pure enjoyment on my own part. The I DIG DUG comic itself is no longer part of the large 'business plan' model of IDD Comics. I still enjoy the characters, and I still think there's ton of post-graduate stories to tell for these three, but it's just no longer my focus. My focus is now on creating and promoting (and...distributing...somehow) LOST ON EARTH!

I created the three main characters for LOE years ago during a cartooning art camp that I was teaching over the summer. I tucked the image away with the idea that eventually I would do something with them. Well...as I tired of creating new stories for I DIG DUG, I found myself reinvigorated by creating the story, and back stories, for the characters that would become Allen Android, Dr. Skwidd, and Fishtarr. I have produced 27 comic strips of the LOE gang, which I hope to submit to syndication companies in August. The goal being to see if I can (FINALLY!) get a strip nationally syndicated. In addition, I've just completed 7 pages of a LOE story in graphic novel/comic book form. There's also hope that LOE may take off in another medium other than the form of a daily comic strip. Truthfully...I really hope the comic book form takes off because I'm finding it very rewarding to draw and ink in the style of art that I was drawn to YEARS ago when I was in second grade. To be creating my own comic book is something of a dream come true, really...and to hopefully have it mass produced for national consumption would be equally rewarding.

So...that's the state of things. If you were a fan of I DIG DUG, I'm sorry...but aside from an occasional strip, there's not much coming from that department. But I do hope you'll check out LOST ON EARTH and maybe get hooked on that! You can 'like' or become a 'fan' of I DIG DUG COMICS on Facebook. Just search I DIG DUG COMICS, or better yet...click the link on the right side of the blog. Welcome back to the IDD COMICS BLOG. Daily updates starting today. :) Well...that's the plan... :)

-dug!

I DIG DUG COMICS CONS

2010-07-31T05:36:00.002-05:00

PRESENTING THE I DIG DUG CONVERSE ALL STARS!!!
A few years ago I ran into a former student of mine who had decorated a pair of white Converse All Stars with Sharpie markers. She had all kinds of things going on...and they looked awesome. That inspired me to do something similar, but to use my comics as a focal point for the shoes. Well...I finally did it...and this is the result.

The right shoe features my current comic, "LOST ON EARTH". The outside of the shoe shows Allen, Dr. Skwidd, Fishtarr and Blink, while the inside of the shoe features new characters that will be appearing in the strip soon; Charyssa and Jolt (the evil villains), 'Bot, and Ricochet.

The left shoe features characters from "I DIG DUG". The outside section features the three main characters, Dug, Carrie and Matt, inside their respective shirt symbols. The inside section features the secondary characters that made a ton of appearances in the comic from time to time, Brodie Rock, Smitty and Dave, Not-So-Super-Man and Action Lass.

The backs of the shoes rock the title of each comic strip, while the tongues showcase the main character from each strip.

I really love these shoes, and can't wait to wear them. After adding a little Scotch Guard of course. Gotta take extra precautions to keep these puppies clean.
-dug!

LOE 013 in COLOR

2010-07-23T13:42:00.002-05:00

The almost finished color version of Lost on Earth 013 where Dr. Skwidd shows off his mad art making skills...and thinks that it's really Allen.

ELL OOH EE, ZERO ONE THREE! (LOE 013)

2010-07-19T09:48:00.003-05:00

Episode 13 of LOST ON EARTH finally brings to light the problems that the good 'ol Dr. Skwidd is having on Earth. The atmosphere of our planet has some kind of negative effect on his intellect. He can no longer think straight, formulate plans, or do any higher level thinking that is associated with his race. Which means if our heroes have any hope of raiding Twinkies off our planet...it's going to be up to Allen and Fishtarr.

Which leads into LOE 014. We're going to go through a long spell where we don't see Dr. Skwidd for a while...BUT...this is where LOE starts to get really exciting for me. Because as Allen and Fishtarr travel away from their ship and onto various locations around the Earth, we're going to see the dynamic of the comic strip change. The strip will slowly transition away from just being a strip with quirky, witty one-liners and more into the realm of a humorous action adventure tale. I've been heavily inspired by Jeff Smith's "Bone" these past few years and I think that entire epic story is starting to play havoc with my writing. IN A GOOD WAY!!!

So...color version tomorrow maybe. All will depend on time!
-dug!

A few new faces for LOST ON EARTH

2010-07-13T16:37:00.002-05:00

There are some new faces soon to be appearing in the 'pages' of LOST ON EARTH. Well...I suppose soon is a relative term as the 'ol blog here is on LOE #13, and I'm currently writing LOE #24-30. So...maybe it will be some time, but regardless I'd like to introduce you anyway.

Meet Charyssa and Jolt; a few 'evil' faces that will debut in LOE around strip 30(ish). Charyssa is based off of a seahorse, and Jolt a jellyfish, keeping the LOE strip in line with using aquatic life in humanoid form. Charyssa is a mystic or witch or magician or whatever you'd like to call her...but she is evil. She's stranded on Earth, also trying to steal Earth's Twinkies. However her reasons and her goals at this time are uncertain. And I don't mean it's the new mystery of LOE...I mean I really haven't figured it out yet. :) All I've working out is she's mean, she's stranded and she sees our heroes on Earth as her ticket off the planet.

Like I said...you'll be meeting her around the 30th issue of LOE as I begin to swerve the comic away from just being a 'funny little comic', and more into a serialized comic strip with a long story and purpose. I'm combining my two loves of cartooning and superhero comics into my own little comic strip fantasy world. Hope it works as well as I predict.

LOE 013 comes at you tomorrow and I'll probably throw some special images your way as well later this week and into next. Thanks for visiting!
-dug!

LOE 012

2010-07-07T07:26:00.003-05:00

Writing comics is tough. Let me rephrase that. Writing a long and winding road story for short little comic strips is tough. The whole process is mind numbing. When I write for LOE, I don't really pause to think. I just write. And as I write, some things work, and others don't come close. Typically I'll write 15-20 strips, and then rewrite 10-12 of those for actual strips. Then as I'm sketching out the new strips, those 10-12 get rewritten and/or condensed down to 5-8. So I end up using 8 strips out of 20 that I wrote. And sometimes through this process long stories get condensed into short stories. For example, the introduction of Sudoku and Dr. Skwidd's passion for it.

There were originally about 10 strips that dealt with Dr. Skwidd and Sudkoku. But after I started sketching them, I just wasn't 'feeling' them. So some I scrapped all together, some I merged with others, and in the end I think I have a total of 4 strips of those 10 that I ended up using. And in that process...I think the comic that I titled LOE 012 should actually be LOE 011, and 011 should be 012. It's hard to know for sure since I reshuffled things (you should see the notes I take on my writing...it's amazing I manage to do ANYTHING!), but I'm pretty sure these last two strips are out of order. Read 'em again...what do you think???

-dug!

LOE 011

2010-06-23T05:01:00.004-05:00

LOST ON EARTH 011 is in fact a 'filler' comic as I mentioned in the last blog entry. No major revelations...no major progress of the story or plot...just simple comic relief. And it provided yet another contradiction. How in the world did Dr. Skwidd get that Sudoku puzzle book??? I mean...they haven't even left the ship yet, right??? Well, as you'll be seeing soon (either in 012 or 013), there's a reason why the good Dr. has a fascination with Sudoku, and I will elaborate more on that in the coming weeks. For now, let's just talk about that Sudoku book.

As with all stories, there are things that happen that you just have to assume take place 'off camera'. So...let's review what we know about our LOST ON EARTH characters. We know that Allen is an Android, Dr. Skwidd is highly intelligent and Fishtarr is a bounty hunter. We know that they are traveling to Earth to raid our supply of Twinkies, as that is the main ingredient for interspace travel. So given just this little bit of info, we can assume that SOMEONE has had to have already visited Earth to get Twinkies or at least learn about them. And this SOMEONE probably managed to take some of our Earth culture back with them to wherever they came from. Thus, Dr. Skwidd has a Sudoku puzzle book.

Now...before you cry foul and tell me that's too far fetched. That whole last paragraph will become a MAJOR plot point for Allen and Fishtarr once they leave the ship. Who is this SOMEONE that we are assuming has already visited Earth? What is their possible relationship with Dr. Skwidd? And...how will this ultimately affect the LOE characters? See...it's all a mystery when you get the inside scoop from the guy that's writing this stuff. :)

Later!
-dug!

LOE 010 LIQUIFIED!!!

2010-06-12T04:23:00.003-05:00

The color version of this strip is pretty straight forward, with the exception of the last panel. In the last panel I used Photoshop's "liquify" feature to give the effect of water outside the window. Plus I would imagine Allen is looking thru some pretty thick glass, so I seemed like that was the thing to do. I'm fairly happy with the effect. It looks pretty cool.

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LOST ON EARTH 010

2010-06-11T08:17:00.003-05:00

This was the first comic I did during the first 'funk' I hit in the writing of LOST ON EARTH. Nine comics in, I was very satisfied with the direction (and ideas) that I had put into the strips, and written onto paper. However...for every idea that I had, I really didn't have a clear direction on how to get there. I think I mentioned this in a previous blog post. I knew where I was starting, and I knew my destination, I just didn't have a clear path on how to connect those two points.

So...this ultimately became the first 'filler' comic. It doesn't progress the story at all, and relies solely on comic relief and a visual punchline. I've taken the exit off of 'story highway' and have opted to explore a back road. I think this comic and the next five or so are really 'filler' stories as I slowly get the characters back into getting off of this ship and hoarding the Earth's supply of Twinkies.

And...if you're a fan of LOE, you may notice that this strip offers a HUGE contradiction. In an earlier comic there was mention that they couldn't open the doors to the ship without flooding the ship, thus drowning. So...how in the world did Fishtarr get out into the water to eat the little fishies if he couldn't open the door. Well...it's never clearly addressed as a story point in the upcoming few comics, but eventually...comic 17 or 18...you'll have your answer. I'll try to remember to bring that back up when we get that far!

I'll have the color version of this one up on the blog by the end of the weekend. Happy Friday!!!
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LOST ON EARTH LOGO/POSTER

2010-06-07T21:16:00.002-05:00

The all new, super-cool, totally rad (what...people don't say totally rad anymore? Huh??? Who knew?) mega-spectacular LOST ON EARTH LOGO. I'd like for it to be a poster as well, but it's not really in poster-format. Wouldn't be too hard to lengthen it a bit though. Hmmm....

Have a great beginning of summer!
-dug!

Hilarity in Color!

2010-05-26T05:54:00.003-05:00

There's been quite the debate on the IDD Facebook page (link to the right) of what exactly Fishtarr is saying. I even had a few fans decipher it by using the clues in the comic and other comics that Fishtarr has spoken in. And...to their surprise...he doesn't really say anything funny. And that's the humor in Fishtarr's character! The joke is that you CAN'T understand him.

Again...I may just be humoring myself in this comic. I certainly think it's funny. As I begin to draw and write Allen and Fishtarr's adventures 'top side' it's getting more and more challenging for them to have a conversation and at the same time retain a level of understanding for you...the reader. But, it's a welcome challenge.

-dug!

LOE 009

2010-05-17T05:12:00.002-05:00

I'm going to start by saying I think this is one of the most hilarious comics I've ever written. I love...LOVE...the fact that Fishtarr says nearly all the dialog and that you can't understand a bit of it. Allen's "Oooh" at the end is perfect! And...I've included a little hint to Fishtarr's language in the Galaxapedia.dot entry at the beginning of the strip.

I think that deep down this comic comes from my love of Star Wars. Han's Wookiee sidekick, Chewbacca speaks in all manners of grunts and groans, yet Han knows each and every word that he's saying, and ultimately becomes our translator. In Lost on Earth, Dr. Swkidd and Allen have also become translators for Fishtarr, but we've only seen Fishtarr speak in one word, or few word sentences. For the first time, Fishtarr's been cut loose!

Now...IF you've been paying attention, there's a really good chance that you could decipher this comic. MOST of the alphabet is there in the Galaxapedia.dot entry. There have been plenty of clues in past comics. So...give it a shot. Take a look at the past comics, take a good luck at the first panel, and try to figure out what Fishtarr is saying.

Color version...and translation coming later this week!
-dug!

008 in COLOR!

2010-05-04T06:06:00.001-05:00

WHOO-HOO!!! Color!!!
-dug!

LOE 008

2010-05-03T05:56:00.003-05:00

This might be the last LOE that contains the "Galaxapedia.dot" information file at the beginning of the strip. As I continue to write, I am finding that the "Galaxapedia" stuff, while creative and relevant to the strip, is becoming more and more forced. I think it has served its purpose in explaining certain elements to the characters, but it's a section of the comic that you'll begin seeing less and less of as time goes by. I'll certainly use it on occasion when I feel that I can use it properly. But for now...it's going to slowly disappear.

"008" continues Dr.Skwidd's story of no longer being able to problem solve. That's really the reason the "Galaxapedia.dot" fact file is there. So that you...the reader...know that Dr. Skwidd comes from on the most highly intelligent species in the galaxy. But that's not exactly what you're seeing in the strip, is it? Something is amiss inside that superior intellect of Doc Skwidd. And he mightjusve have enough brain power to probably figure it out, but what's he going to do then? ...snicker... You'll just have to wait to find out!

-dug!

007 in COLOR!

2010-04-25T17:58:00.002-05:00

The LOST ON EARTH strips certainly add a challenge when adding color. As I continue to draw more and more little details into the strip, it becomes more and more tedious to actually color them in Photoshop. Not that I mind...I'm just saying.

This particular strip took roughly an hour, and 35-40 minutes of it was the first two panels. And there are a few sections where I think I probably could have added even MORE detail, but opted not to. Those extra little details would have been miniscule as you look at the entire strip, and would have to be magnified multiple times to really see. So...I opted to keep it simple.

Sorry for the length of time between updates. It's been a crazy few weeks, and they don't seem to be getting any less hectic. With the end of the school year rapidly approaching and all the stuff we got going around the house, all the cartooning stuff quickly gets relegated to the back burner. I'll get to "008" around mid-week after giving this strip a few days to settle in.

-dug!

LOE 007

2010-04-13T04:54:00.003-05:00

LOST ON EARTH 007 is the first strip in which we see that something may not be entirely right with Dr. Skwidd. Thus far I've written him as the level headed leader of the group. And...I know there's only been six comics up until now, but I think that even in that short amount of time, it's been established that Doc Skwidd has been the brains of the group.

Here we see that he has an idea, a great idea in terms of hiding themselves from Earth society, but the idea ultimately has a flaw. They've hidden themselves on the bottom of the lake, but now can't open the doors without flooding the ship. The brains of the group, who is highly intelligent, has suddenly made a mistake. It's something that I'll be playing with, and you'll see Dr. Skwidd's antics get goofier and goofier, and you'll get the explanation as to why this is happening. It wasn't something I originally planned...but as I began to write and write and rewrite, it's something that just started to take shape, and I love it!

Finally...I will admit that sometimes I write without thinking about little details. I know the grand scheme of my story. I know where "Point A" and "Point C" are...but sometimes I get to "Point B" and I've written myself into a corner that I have to get out of. This comic was "Point B". I knew I wanted the characters to land on Earth. I knew that I wanted them to go after Earth's Twinkies. Without giving too much away, I know the overall story of what happens when they leave their ship. But, how are they supposed to leave their ship if they'll flood the ship by opening the doors. See the problem? I wrote myself into this corner. Don't worry...I figured out how to get out of it, it's just something I wanted to share in regards to the writing process and in particular this comic.

ENJOY!!! I'll post LOE 008 this weekend, and then maybe a few more pages of "Graduation Day" next week as well. Hmmmm....maybe I'll even get around to doing some coloring in Photoshop. Probably not this week...but you never know. :)

-dug!

"IDD: Graduation Day" PAGE 01...FINALLY!

2010-04-01T06:45:00.003-05:00

Okay...so I've been promising you a sneak peek at the second I DIG DUG graphic novel that I'm tentatively titling "Graduation Day" for weeks now, right. Well...here it is. FINALLY! This first page is based off of an OLD IDD comic where Dug is working on his paper and the cat unplugs the computer. I kind of expanded the three panel comic into a full first page, and changed the cat (good 'ol Brucie) to a dog (good 'ol Kramer). And you may be saying to yourself..."Self, Waitaminute! If the dog unplugs the laptop, the screen wouldn't go 'blink'. The battery would keep the computer on, so this is just ludicrous!" Well...if you did find yourself saying that, then I'd like to introduce you to a MAC book we have in the house that DOES go 'blink' if it gets unplugged.

So there it is. Page one in all of it's eternal glory. Page two is actually done now as well, and page three is half inked. Between this, keeping up with new LOST ON EARTH strips AND the new cartooning adventure I just 'signed on' for (more info coming) I should be pretty busy for the remainder of the year. I have to tell myself...don't start anything new!

Happy April Fool's Day!!! Probably should have posted an April Fool's comic, huh? Oh well...that can by my April Fool's joke...no April Fool's comic. HAHAHAHA!!!

-dug!

LOE 006 COLOR COPY

2010-03-24T05:20:00.004-05:00

As I started getting this comic ready for the I DIG DUG COMICS FACEBOOK PAGE, I decided to continue playing around with the color of the strip. You've by now read all about the issues I've had in figuring out the best color sequences for the characters (You haven't??? Well...scroll down the page and start reading! Sheesh...), but with this strip I started playing with the overall look of the strip. I upped the contrast a bit to make the black lines crisper, and in turn brought up the brightness just a bit. The colors are now a bit bolder, without losing the original intent of color. I'm pretty happy with it thus far. I'll have to do some comparing between 006 and 005 side by side to see if there's that much of a visual difference.

I know I keep promising a look at the I DIG DUG Graphic Novel: "Graduation Day", but my scanner has been a little preoccupied. I've begun scanning the ENTIRE IDD comics archive, and I guess I just don't want to lose track by starting new scans 'our of order'. I know...it's ridiculous, but it's me. I suppose I'll have to do it sometime this week, however, because I've run out of scanned LOST ON EARTH images. We'll see. It all depends on how I feel at the moment I guess.

And (insert random thought here) I've never TRULY posted the entire IDD series on the blog from start to finish. Might be fun to see the whole series IN ORDER starting with the submissions, into the first year of comics (and the sometimes horrible writing and art!), into the little posters I made which led to graphic novels and eventually LOE. Hmmmm...I dunno. Things to think about...

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LOE 006

2010-03-14T14:03:00.003-05:00

I sometimes sit and ponder what we will actually do as a society when (not "if") an actual spaceship comes to Earth. And I don't mean the 'little blinky lights in the sky' where people swear they've seen a UFO and others just seek out to disprove this claim. No...I'm talking about honest to goodness, "Independence Day" realization that we are not alone. I think our society has been given so many 'visual references' for what this day will look like, that our initial reaction will be..."George Lucas is at it again!" I mean...c'mon...do you really think he's NOT going to make Episodes 7, 8, and 9??? Well...maybe he won't. But someone will.
Anyway...I'm off track here. This little comic, LOST ON EARTH #006, is the first that will show the future interactions between our little cosmic buddies as they try to embrace Earth culture...and in turn try to capture our worldly supply of Twinkies. There will be some who embrace them, some who fear them, and some who try to capture them. But all those stories are down the road. WAY down the road. As I've said before...you have to pace yourself during the marathon or you'll run out of energy quick.
Hope you enjoyed today's comic and commentary. A color version of this comic is coming next week. Don't forget to search Facebook for "I DIG DUG Comics" and become a fan of the slowest growing comic phase on the nets of inter!!!
-dug!

That's a LOT of comics...

2010-03-08T14:46:00.003-05:00

Cartooning never came easy for me. I had to really work at it. I was more of a comic book 'super hero' guy, but was always a fan of daily comic strips. And as I sat at home today (my youngest daughter was home with a cough), I decided to go through some of my old sketchbooks. These sketchbooks were filled with old drawings of super heroes and villains that I had created over the years. But here and there...scattered among each sketchbook, I found little traces of cartooning. I actually found some pretty good gems that I had all but forgotten about. That led to me reading the entire collection of I DIG DUG comics. And what I found during this hour of recollection and reflection was quite astonishing. So here are some little factoids that I learned today going through the 'ol Weller sketchbooks!

*My first sketches of I DIG DUG characters were dated 1994 (!) a full five years before I DIG DUG 'officially' became a comic. They were titled "The Gang's All Here", and they looked NOTHING like what would eventually become I DIG DUG.
*My first sketch of Allen Android (from my new strip, "Lost on Earth") was dated 2001! A full 10 years before I would officially mold the character and his friends into an actual working comic strip.
*To date I have drawn 465 I DIG DUG comic strips, and 1 I DIG DUG 'graphic novel'. Strips in this collection include I DIG DUG, A Day in the Life of Brodie Rock, Smitty and Dave's Movie Review, and The Mis-Adventures of Not-So-Super-Man.
*To date I have drawn 12 LOST ON EARTH comic strips.

This little stroll down memory lane has really put my work in perspective for me. I've decided that it's time to fully digitalize my entire collection of comic work, and to officially 'number' them so that I have a working time line of comics. It will be quite a task, but even if I just do a few here and there...it will help me get all caught up on my summer project: I DIG DUG COMICS DOT COM!

New comics later in the week! And...the first look at page 1 of the 2nd I DIG DUG Graphic Novel: Graduation Day!

-dug!

LOE 005 IN SUPER COLOR SURROUND SOUND

2010-03-03T16:29:00.002-05:00

Now that I'm getting the knack for the color palette of the LOE comics, I'm finding that as I sketch out new strips, I'm thinking about the coloring process...which is kind of new to me. Before, with IDD, coloring didn't matter much. I mean, sure I tried to do some cool effects in Photoshop, but color was always an after-thought. For the first time, I'm finding myself draw the strips thinking about the degree of difficulty in adding the color. Additionally I'm beginning to find ways to 'detail' the strip to better enhance the coloring process. Again...much different than the 'ol IDD days. But a welcome challenge none the less.

So now you've seen LOE 001-005, in black and white AND color. This weekend you'll get to see your first new black and white LOE strip (006) in some time, which will be followed up by color and we'll just continue in that pattern. Well...as long as I can keep up with adding color. That remains to be seen.

Oh...and I seem to remember something about the IDD grahpic novels, didn't I? Hmmmm... :)
-dug!

The Inside Story to "The Adventures of Not-So-Super-Man"

2010-02-28T10:08:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, on the "Official I DIG DUG COMICS Facebook Page", a friend of mine asked if my character, Not-So-Super-Man, was based off of anyone in general. This is a very valid question, considering that nearly everyone in the I Dig Dug universe is a parody of real life people. Dug, Matt, Carrie, Smitty, Dave, Brodie Rock...they all have a 'real life person' that provided inspiration for their characters. Not-So-Super-Man..while I'm sure one could argue has a little bit of "Doug" in his character development...isn't really based on anyone. He's simply a parody of super hero comics, and originally was going to be the 'evolution' of I DIG DUG. Let me explain...

The Adventures of Not-So-Super-Man (NSSM) were randomly inserted strips while I was doing I DIG DUG for OSU's free daily paper, The Lantern. Occasionally, I wold do a NSSM strip, just for my own personal amusement. Eventually, I moved NSSM to Fridays. I would do a four-strip IDD story for The Lantern thru the week, and then finish off the week with NSSM on Friday. I did this for an entire quarter, but the idea wasn't really 'developed'. I was still just amusing myself.

Eventually I came up with the idea that NSSM was the comic creation of Dug. It was my way of having my art imitate real life. While I (Doug) was trying to get I DIG DUG featured everywhere and anywhere I could, Dug similarly was trying to get NSSM published within the IDD universe. Furthering that idea...I also had this grand scheme for NSSM in my senior year at OSU. I had written a story where Dug, Matt, and Carrie graduate, and on graduation day, Dug receives a letter in the mail that announces his comic, NSSM, has been picked up as a syndicated daily strip that would be published in newspapers all across the United States. Thus...I DIG DUG would transition into "The Adventures of NSSM". The new NSSM strip would feature the adventures of NSSM,and introduce a wide variety of sidekicks goofy villains and we'd occasionally see Dug and Carrie and Matt as 'background' characters.

In the summer of 2000, I ran a collection of "I DIG DUG Greatest Hits" in The Lantern, with hopes of debuting NSSM in the fall. However, those plans changed. Why they changed, and how they changed is a different story...as this is the story of Not-So-Super-Man. I still enjoy doodling the character quite a bit. I just don't do much with him. But...like all of my creations...he's there just in case I ever want to dust him off and revisit him. I actually have a story written where he will cameo in LOST ON EARTH. But...that's quite a bit down the road.

Thank, Sarah, for asking about NSSM. It's fun taking trips down memory lane with my characters. As odd as it sounds, they're little pieces of my 'family', and I enjoy sharing them with you.

More LOST ON EARTH later in the week. And...maybe...if you're lucky...PAGE ONE OF THE I DIG DUG GRADUATION GRAPHIC NOVEL!!! ...only if you're lucky...(and I get off my lazy bum!)

-dug!

FULL COLOR LOE 004

2010-02-27T13:30:00.002-05:00

After 'doodling' with color for the first three LOE strips, this is the one that feels like it's starting to all come together. The 'shadowing' effects for Dr. Skwidd and Fishtarr are more 'smooth', and in the next strip, Allen's color scheme and shadowing effects are also finalized. As I've mentioned...when I create my strips, I think in black and white...so taking on the challenge of adding color just doesn't come natural. There's a 'learning curve', and I think I'm finally on the straightaway.

I'm going to do a 'double post' this weekend, taking a small break from LOE, and touching on a question that was recently asked on my IDDComics Facebook page, regarding Not-So-Super-Man. Stop in tomorrow if you get a chance.

-dug!

LOE 003 in PHOTOSHOPTICAL COLOR!!!

2010-02-23T23:09:00.003-05:00

Ugh...I couldn't stand another day of looking at that horrible display of color in LOE 002. Seriously...they do get better as I get more 'in tune' with my own creation. Case in point...003.

There are two main things that the color version of LOE 003 that I'd like to bring to your attention. Number 1: This is ALMOST Allen's final color scheme. There's a slight change in 005 to his 'shoulder pads', and 'gauntlets', but after that...he's done. I really enjoyed the challenge of figuring him out. As an artist...I love to create little doodles and comic characters; but the creating is just step one. After you have the character, you have to begin to figure out mannerisms and moods, and facial tics...it's a process. Originally Allen was going to be the 'simpleton' of the group. That has slightly changed, and I'll touch base on that as we inch closer to getting into strips 7-9, where Allen and Dr. Skwidd...well...they begin to switch roles. Anyway...I enjoyed the challenge that Allen provided in terms of adding color. It was fun.

The other thing I'd like to point out is that I colored panel 1 last, and in doing so, came up with a final solution in how to add the 'shadow effects' to Dr. Skwidd. I was a little dissatisfied with the first three, but by adding a translucent darker 'skin tone' over some of the Doctor's face, I was able to create this idea of shadowing. Well, as you can tell, I took a different approach to shadowing the Changeling, and it's one that I have come to adopt when coloring the Dr. in future strips. And while I love this new strategy...as I mentioned a few posts ago, it adds about 15 minutes of 'coloring time' in the 'ol Photoshop.

I'll post more color strips this weekend. And hey...since you're here, make sure you become a fan of I DIG DUG COMICS on Facebook. You can find by clicking...right...HERE!

l8r!
-dug!

LOE 002 HYPERCOLOR

2010-02-22T07:02:00.003-05:00

Going into Photoshop to add color to a LOST ON EARTH strip isn't nearly as easy as it was doing the I DIG DUG strips. I could usually get an IDD strip colored in 10-15 minutes, depending on the level of detail I wanted to accomplish. Thus far...I'd say the LOE strips are taking me anywhere from 25-30 minutes to color, with a few of them coming closer to 45 minutes. It's crazy.

I think the main reason for this, is the level of detail in the characters' costumes. That is to say, they aren't highly detailed like you'd see in a comic book...but the fact that I wanted to give them the impression of being 'metal' or 'shiny', with small variations in gradation that makes the coloring process more time consuming. And you'll notice that as I progress, the coloring gets more and more crisp and clear. The first three strips are really 'work in progress' mode, as I'm just trying to find my stride with how Photoshop will work with these characters. I just finished adding color to strip six this morning, and I'm finally hitting my stride. So, as I begin to color from here on out (strip seven on) I think you'll begin to see a more consistent color palette and scheme for the characters and their environments.

I'm going to keep posting the color versions from the next few weeks, as I continue to get ahead in the black and white strips. I just pencilled numbers 11, 12, and 13, and have the story written up to number twenty. At twenty we're getting close to the characters leaving the comfort of their ship (which I've tentatively named the Blue Crustacean). That's where I think the story will really pick up. And...we're going to see that goal of 'stealing the Earth's supply of Twinkies' get put on the back burner as the characters end up in other interesting predicaments. Should be fun...but I'm getting WAY ahead of myself.

-dug!

LOST ON EARTH 005

2010-02-16T06:37:00.003-05:00

The most enjoyable thing (for me) when creating LOST ON EARTH comics is molding and shaping this new 'universe' for these characters. I DIG DUG became very 'stale' because the characters were stuck. The boundaries of their settings and relationships were very limited, and thus the comic became flat. As I expand I DIG DUG into graphic novel form, the space becomes larger, because the characters are finally graduating, and moving beyond the boundaries of college life (after TEN years!!!). With LOST ON EARTH...there are no boundaries. I can take my characters to anywhere in the universe that I want to take them. But of course...it wouldn't be LOST ON EARTH if they were on Saturn, right???

I will have to admit that the "Glaxapedia.Dot" starter panels are getting more challenging to write for as I progress. I find that I'm trying to force some funny little tidbit of information into a strip that may not necessarily need it. This may be a feature that becomes less and less visible after comic 010. I still REALLY like the feature...and think it's quite humorous, but at the same time once you start 'forcing' content, you lose the ebb and flow of the story. We'll just have to see how it goes.

Well...we have another SNOW DAY here in Ohio today, so today might be a great day to work out those color schemes for the characters and get the first five comics digitally enhanced in Photoshop!!! So...next week (I'm going to hold myself to it) we'll start back with 001 in color and slowly work our way thru the first five comics in color...or hypercolor...of spectracolor...or some other type of color that I'll invent just for the sake of inventing something!

Enjoy the snow!!!
-dug!

LOST ON EARTH 004

2010-02-07T22:22:00.003-05:00

Heeeeeerrrreee's Fishtarr!!!

The third 'main' character of LOST ON EARTH is the bounty hunter named Fishtarr. He's kind of got this 'star fish' motif going, and I really just switched the words around. I swear his name is NOT inspired by the 80's movie, Ishtar, which was really, really horrible!!!

Fishtarr speaks in a language that I've decided to not 'translate' in the strips. I felt that this would add an ongoing joke into the overall storyline. Now...I will admit that as I write more and more LOE comics, I'm noticing that it becomes a little easier to figure out what Fishtarr is saying. And I suppose that's okay. It's just a gag that I wanted to play with, and I find rather enjoyable. Besides it gives the reader an opportunity to figure out what the character is saying on their own. Sometimes you gotta stop 'spoon-feeding' readers and let them make their own decisions about what they are reading. I'm just finishing up a strip now (009) that has Fishtarr saying 75-80% of the dialogue in the strip. How fun!!!

So, now you've met our little aliens who are circling the atmosphere, approaching the runway, and almost ready to get lost...on Earth!!! Still messing around with the color palette. Once I get it figured out, I'll be posting some color comics for you. Until then, though, you'll have to enjoy the beauty of black and white comics. Enjoy...and I'll see you next week!

-dug!

Allen Android Color Swatch

2010-02-01T22:37:00.003-05:00

You'd think that as an art teacher, I wouldn't have any major issues with choosing a color scheme for the characters that I create. However...nothing could be further from the truth. I create all of my characters and comics in black and white, and color isn't necessarily something that I think about during the drawing and creation process. So...now I'm stuck with a black and white comic, that I'd like to begin digitally coloring in Photoshop, with no idea of what colors to use. So...here's some possibilities. I still can't say that I'm totally convinced that any of these are the final version of Allen...but I'm willing to hear some opinions if you're willing to share them.

-dug!

LOE 001 IN SPECTRACOLOR!!!

2010-01-31T21:50:00.002-05:00

Hmmmm... That's my first and only thought as I look at the first 'color copy' of Lost on Earth. I'm not entirely happy with the color palette, and digital coloring LOE is a heck of a bigger chore than I DIG DUG ever was. In any case, I wanted to give you the initial glimpse of what a color version of LOE might look like. I think in a few weeks, after I've seen this one enough, I'll go back in and try some new color arrangements. Especially with Allen. Dr. Skwidd doesn't look too bad. But Allen looks a little too 'green'. Needs something to offset it...blue perhaps? Hmmmm....

-dug!

LOST ON EARTH 003

2010-01-24T11:05:00.004-05:00

Okay, so there's almost too much I want to talk about today regarding LOST ON EARTH, and this strip in particular. I'm in a typing mood for some reason today, so bear with me. Here we go...

Fist off, I'd like to quickly address the "Galaxapedia.dot" entries as the first panel in all of the strips thus far. I can't take full credit for the idea, as it's something I first saw in a DC comic book. The comic, which dealt with the workings of some outer space heroes and villains from various galaxies, would oftentimes give a little 'blurb' about something that was important to a specific species or planet and it was referenced from something called the "Encyclopedia Galactica". I always thought that was a pretty cool way of giving the reader some background info on something going on in the comic, but not inherently important to the story. Thus, "Galaxapedia.dot" was born. Similarly I try to do the same thing. Here I reference the art of disguise being adapted from a race of creatures I call "Changelings" from "Camoflagica" (cam-o-flah-ji-kuh). None of it is really important to the story, but it deals with the art of disguise which is what this story is about.

I also bring back an old idea in having Allen's costume be that of Dug, from the I DIG DUG comic. You see...a few years ago, when I was writing the LOE characters introduction into the world of IDD, the first comic had Dug interacting with "Matt", but this particular Matt was much smaller and had a zipper going up the back of his head and onto his forehead. It was my initial idea to have the characters 'disguised' as I DIG DUG characters and I imagined the dialogue would be pretty hilarious. Again...these comics never were inked and sit in my basement...somewhere. So, here, I bring back that idea with Allen's disguise being a much younger looking "Dug" (notice there isn't any 'gray' in the hair). And the punchline...I love the punchline. In all the alien movies ever made, we never get the the alien's point of view of how 'different' we must look to them. Allen's reaction to looking hideous, disguised as a human is gold to me. I love it.

I think that about does it for today. I'd eventually like to get a color strip posted and give you an update on the IDD graphic novel(s), AND possible an update on a new comic idea I have called "Pop Comicx". So, who knows what you'll get next week. Enjoy the last day of the weekend, and I'll see everyone here next Sunday!

-dug!

LOST ON EARTH 002

2010-01-17T09:37:00.002-05:00

The hardest part about starting anything new, is that you have to figure out the routine before you can really get into the 'meat and potatoes' of whatever it is you are doing. Take running, for example. You can't just go out and run for a solid hour, at a 10-minute mile pace. You have to build up to it. And sometimes that build is tedious...sometimes boring...and often times aggravating. Same thing goes for LOST ON EARTH.

I don't want to make it sound as if I'm bored or aggravated with the new comic strip already, because I'm not. But I'm already looking at that "10-minute mile pace", and realizing that I better get through the warm up first. So, the strip is moving somewhat slow, and the punchlines aren't as 'slap-happy', but there's got to be an understanding that you're moving the settings, characters, stories in a forward direction. That's how I lost interest in my I DIG DUG comic. While I enjoyed the "Simpsonesque" feel of the characters stuck in their senior year of college, the stories themselves got stale and stagnant. Already LOST ON EARTH feels like there's a direction pulling the characters towards some as of now unknown finality.

This strip, "002", helps the reader(s) grab the specific traits of these two characters. Dr. Skwidd is our 'thinker', the guy who has a plan and another plan just in case the first plan goes astray. Allen is our comic relief. A fairly level-headed guy, but a few fries short of a happy meal (I use that expression way too much, I know...). There are other characters that are coming, and are going to be vital to the story, but for now these are the 'warm up' characters. We're not quite ready for that '10-minute mile' just yet.

-dug!

LOST ON EARTH 001

2010-01-10T11:16:00.002-05:00

Last week, I kind of gave you the scoop on what 2010 will bring to the world of I DIG DUG Comics. And today I'd like to give you the first official glimpse of "Lost On Earth", titled "001".

Lost on Earth (LOE) began as a new comic I had originally called "Allen And Roid" which was about two androids (..."and roid"..."android"...get it?) traveling around the universe. I say "about" lightly, as I never wrote any stories for Allen and Roid mostly because I was never really happy about the sketches I did for the Roid character. Plus, he sounded like a steroid, or hemorrhoid, so I really wasn't digging his name either. I kept Allen around, though, and started calling him Allen Android, thinking that at some point I'd use him in an I DIG DUG comic.

And I did use him in an I DIG DUG comic, although it was never published. Technically, it was never inked either. It's just a series of sketched comics sitting in my basement. And by the time I got around to using him, I had also created the characters of Doktor Skwidd and Fishtarr during one of my Creative Cartooning Summer Art Camps...a story I'll share another time. And in the attempt to use them in an IDD story, I began to enjoy the thought of creating a whole new strip for them, moving away from IDD and into Lost on Earth. That was two and half years ago. And today...we finally see that process.

I'm hoping to add some color to this in Photoshop later this week, but I'm not quite sure of color themes for the characters yet...so don't get your hopes up. Hopefully I'll have some IDD art by mid-week showing you some sketches of the upcoming graphic novel "Graduation", and next weekend we'll move to "002" of LOE, with a story on how the characters came to be. Have a great week, friends!!!

-dug!

"It's the end of IDD as we know it...and I feel fine."

2010-01-02T10:03:00.004-05:00

Well, it's now been months since I've updated this site, months since I've done a new I DIG DUG comic strip, and months since I've actually planned on what my cartooning world will look like in 2010. And with that...I'm ready to share the news.

I DIG DUG as a weekly, daily, monthly comic strip is no more. I'm tired of writing characters who are in college. I can't do it anymore. I feel very out of touch with the college community (I mean...I am in my mid-thirties!) and it just doesn't feel like a viable story any longer. In truth...I've been 'faking it' for the past few years, holding on to something that I love, hoping that inspiration will just wave over me like a cool fall breeze. But, it didn't. And in being uninspired to create new IDD comic strips, I became inspired to create a formula for what my future cartooning endeavors will look like in 2010, which will hopefully propel my art into exciting and new endeavors.

New Endeavor #1: I DIG DUG Graphic Novels. While I am tired of writing college stories of Dug, Matt, Carrie and the whole ginormous cast that I've created over the past eleven years...I am not tired of the characters themselves. So, I am hoping to move I DIG DUG away from daily comic strips to quarterly graphic novels. I have one under my belt, and another one started, but they are currently trapped in 'blank books'. One story sees Dug, Matt, and Carrie discovering Aliens and another sees the finality of the characters graduating college, which will hopefully open up new avenues of story writing. It will take some time to get the stories redrawn and inked onto full page comic boards, but if I can do one page a week, I may just have two issues penciled and inked and ready to submit by fall of 2010. Submit where??? Well...that's an interesting question, that will have to be left alone for now. You can only plan so far ahead, ya know???

New Endeavor #2: Many summers ago I created Allen Android, Dr. Skwidd, and Fishtarr...three space travelers trapped on Earth, looking for alternate replacement parts for their spaceship and falling in love with Twinkies. I've sketched and fiddled around with the characters for years...but have only just now begun to write and draw them into daily comic strips. So as IDD moves into graphic novel form, Lost on Earth becomes my new daily strip. I like the idea, am in love with the story possibilities, and really hope that the Hometown Connection will pick it up to run weekly. We shall see...

New Endeavor #3: THE I DIG DUG COMICS WEBSITE. I love blogging...and I'm going to continue blogging...but the new website will be great. That's a summer endeavor, though, so I'll get to that maybe later in 2010.

So...there you have it. The I DIG DUG COMICS gameplan for 2010. I like the idea of having a variety of characters and stories all under the "IDD COMICS" umbrella. And don't think I've given up on "Not-S0-Super, Man". I still have plans for him as well. I just don't know if he's in my '10 forecast.

So...the first blog of 2010 is done!!! Welcome to a whole new world of I DIG DUG COMICS!!! Next week...some actual art.
-d!

Anyone know where I can get 100 Vader helmets?

2009-09-28T15:29:00.002-05:00

So a few years ago, or maybe more than a few...time tends to just all run together as you get older...Lucasfilm sent out a hundred (or so) replica Darth Vader helmets to underground artists with the request that they treat the helmet as their blank canvas and go crazy. The helmets were then put on display at a Star Wars Celebration convention in California, and I think since then has made the rounds to other notable locales around the world. This is just one such example.
Over the years I've collected images of the Vader helmets, simply because I love the idea of taking an iconic image from pop culture and transforming that into a visual artwork. The idea that an artist can take something so iconic and distort it to the point that it evokes new meaning is very interesting to me as an artist, and as an art teacher. Many times over the past few years I've asked kids to look at the Vader helmets and we talk about the ramifications of the work. Is it art? How is it art, if the artist did not create the Vader image? What new meaning is expressed in the new visual representation, so on and so on. And now...I'm just done talking about it. I want to do it!
So...let it be known that this year, I am writing a request to Skywalker Ranch in hopes that I will be given a hundred or so of the Vader replica helmets to that I can turn this into an art project with my sixth graders. How amazing would it be to have 100 kids working on the manipulation of this well known screen villain? Words can't express how giddy I am at the possiblity. However...despite being an optimist, I am a realist, and I understand that this may never come to be. But one can dream...

"It's not all about comics..."

2009-08-20T04:43:00.003-05:00

While drawing super heroes and cartoons takes up a large (VERY large!) part of my art making, it's not always about the comics. This past spring quarter I took an art making class at OSU as I was finishing up my masters program. This class reignited some art making fires that I think had burnt out long ago.

This piece, titled "This is Not a Shoe" is a digital collage I produced using a variety of Converse All Star images I found through Google Image Search. I'm a big Chuck Taylor fan, and absolutely love wearing them. Even my ratty old black pair with a chunk missing out of the side and a hole in the canvas are still so comfy to wear. I just love 'em.

But there is more there than just a digital collage of shoes. These are NOT shoes. These are definitions of a generation...actually MANY generations. My mom talks about everyone wearing them before I was born. I remember my high top reds when I was in middle school, and I wasn't the only one wearing them. Now, I'm addicted to the shoe, and for me it has a lot to do with nostalgia (and I suppose maybe a little to do with my 'arsty' side). For my oldest daughter, almost thirteen, it's a status symbol because "Everyone's wearing Chucks, Dad!" she's often said. And for some, like myself, the shoe becomes more than something they wear on their feet, but a representation of their identity. An extension of who they are, based on what they wear.

When an object, or a symbol, or a clothing style last as long as the Chuck Taylor All Star's have, the object itself goes beyond being just the object. There's meaning and representation there. This work boldly states, "THIS IS NOT A SHOE", which prompts you...the viewer...to ask yourself what exactly it is. As I mentioned...the shoe is something different to each person. So...what is it for you?

"Cartoon Versions of Cartoons...How Surreal..."

2009-08-13T20:44:00.003-05:00

Holy cow...it's a new post. Featuring an old comic.

Well, as I stated a few days ago, August and September will be filled with good 'ol I DIG DUG Classics (well...I really like 'em), and the first one I chose was this little gem. Back when we bought our Wii, we got such a kick out of making "Miis", which were little cartoon versions of us that would interact in some of the Wii games. Pretty cool. And as I planned a series of strips revolving around the Wii, the creation of the Mii was an immediate must.

The cool thing about this IDD comic it that it breaks what is known as the "4th Wall". To put it simply, the 4th wall is the boundary between any fictional setting and its audience (Thanks, Wikipedia!!!). When this boundary is broken, it's called "breaking the fourth wall". Ferris Buehler did it, Austin Powers did it, Animal Man did it, and now Carrie does it. It's not the first time that my comic has broken this imaginary plane. It's a trick I've used from time to time. Here, Carrie acknowledges that they are in fact cartoon versions of real people already, and that the Miis are cartoon versions of cartoons. Additionally, Matt's line "How surreal" seems to be directed right toward you...the viewer.

So there ya go. A little comic/fiction lesson for you on top of a 'classic' I DIG DUG comic. Hope you have a great weekend. I'll be back next week with another IDD comic.

-dug!

"The Light at the End of the Slump"

2009-08-11T18:01:00.002-05:00

Today as I was picking some old favorite I DIG DUG strips to send to the Hometown Connection to finish the year, I had a small epiphany. I picked out strips to finish August and September, and as I began to choose October, I just couldn't do it. My "Halloween Stories" have been some of my greatest I DIG DUG strips ever. From Star Wars to Wizard of Oz, DC Super Heroes to Pirates...the I DIG DUG gang has had some great Halloween costumes and stories over the last ten years. And that got me thinking. Maybe...just maybe...I should go for one last set of I DIG DUG Halloween strips to see if that reignites the 'fire'. And...oddly...it has. So...what does this mean???

Well...I'm still planning on taking I DIG DUG on hiatus for awhile in favor of "Lost on Earth"..,but now that may take a little longer than originally planned. As I stated, August and September will see classic (well...classic in my opinion!) I DIG DUG comics. I'm going to do a 5-part Halloween story for October, and then finish out '09 with NEW strips rather than repeats. I'll then start '10 with the five part "Graduation Day" story. After that, I've decided to adapt my 22-page I DIG DUG comic BOOK into strip form, which might just take me all the way through 2010. And then...it'll be time to unveil "Lost on Earth"...probably not until 2011 now. Adapting the book into strip form will give me plenty of time to write, sketch and ink "L.O.E." strips. YAY...A PLAN!!!

So...I guess I'm starting to see a small glimmer of light down this dark tunnel of creative slumpness. It's good to have a path and direction, at least. Having a game plan has added some focus. And focus brings strips. I've now penciled parts one and two of the Halloween strips and parts one and two of the Graduation strips and they're both really good. I'm generally excited to be drawing strips again!!! And now...I'm out of comic boards. Time to make a run to Blick!!!

I DIG DUG vs. The Creative Slump

2009-08-11T06:04:00.000-05:00

Well...what can I say? I've completed my masters degree this summer which has kept me from sitting down and doing a lot of new strips. And now that I'm ready to do new strips, I just don't know what to write about. I've been doing I DIG DUG now for over ten years and...well...it just doesn't seem relevant anymorew. The 'joke' that these three characters never leave college has soured on me. I'm at a loss, and I've hit a creative slump.

I am in the process of supplying the Hometown Connection with enough old strips to finish out the year. I am also writing a 'finale' story to I DIG DUG where Dug, Matt, and Carrie do graduate, which will see print in January and February. Then...I don't know. And because I can't figure out where to take the characters next, I've decided to break away from those characters for awhile.

So it's time to start exploring the "comics" title in "I Dig Dug Comics", because to me, I've always wanted to branch out a little. So in February of next year I'll be debuting "Trapped on Earth" featuring some little alien dudes that I created. Hopefully it'll be fun and enjoyable. I'm starting to get some ideas together for what these characters will be doing on Earth and how they'll interact with people and animals and bugs. Plus....there is a story here. It's full of adventure and exploration and action...and there's a little twinge of a love story as well. Should be fun.

So in the weeks to come you'll see some of my favorite 'repeats' to finish out the year, in addition to some other artwork that I've been working on this year through my class at OSU and my submission portfolio for DC Comics. It's time to get the 'ol blog moving again. And...if you're interested...you may just be able to follow me on Twitter as well. Once I get that all worked out.

"LOST in LOST"

2009-04-15T06:19:00.002-05:00

Wow, has it been some time since I've posted new comics. The reason??? Honestly, it's because most of the strips that I've been sending to the paper have been repeats. It's not that I'm getting lazy...but I'm currently enthralled with finishing my masters degree at OSU and it's taking way more time that I had anticipated. So, new comics are rare, but every now and then I find some time to sneak for creating comics.
The latest 'new' strip is based on the television show LOST. If you're not watching it at this point, there's no way to start unless you go rent or buy seasons 1-4 to do some serious catching up. The mysteries started in season 1, episode 1 and have never stopped since. It is by far one of the greatest television shows ever...in my opinion...and is the first show that has convinced me to buy the dvds.
So, this strip is kind of based on the idea that as you watch the show, you are put through the ringer of emotions. Each time it goes to commercial, my jaw is on the floor because they just dropped some bombshell, or someone just died, or something huge just happened. Then the show ends and you're left wondering and already waiting for next week's episode. Don't bother me on Wednesdays from 9-10 because that's when I'm glued to LOST!!!

"Reading the Watchmen"

2009-03-08T06:34:00.002-05:00

Okay...so Watchmen opened this weekend, and I highly recommend that if you haven't read the graphic novel that you do so BEFORE you see the movie. But, in the event that you don't read the book before, you should still read it after. It's a fantastic tale that deals with all kinds of social and political issues. I won't lie...if you're a "comic virgin" it will be a tough read, but I still suggest you work your way thru it the best you can.
"Comic Book" genre movies sometimes get a bad rap, and there's a fear that with the mega-success that this genre had in '08, there will eventually be this 'over-exposure'. I hope not...because there are SO many great comic book characters and stories that would be great to see on the big screen. I mean sure, when we think 'comic book movies' we think Dark Knight, Iron Man, and upcoming movies like Wolverine and Green Lantern (in 2010!!!). But there are also characters like Jonah Hex whose movie will hit in '10. Warlord, Adam Strange, The Weird, The Question, and The Griffin are also GREAT comics that are a little different than just "man dresses up in underwear to fight crime" comic stories.
Anyway...I'm stoked about The Watchmen. I'm seeing it next week with some friends, which means I have five days left to reread this massive story. And I really may end up finishing it in line to get in.
-dug!

"I DIG SUPER MARIO in ULTRACOLOR SURROUND SOUND"

2009-02-17T18:30:00.004-05:00

BEST...COLORED...I DIG DUG...COMIC...EVER!!!
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...smaller version...

"Happy Valenteaster Day"

2009-02-17T07:19:00.004-05:00

This comic, obviously, is inspired by the fact that our 'shopping centers' like Wal-mart, Target, etc., push their merchandise to the 'next event' before we're done with the current event. Wally World already has their Easter aisle on display, and has been for about a week now. So...Dug, here, looking for a Valentine's gift for Carrie...could only find Easter stuff. A social commentary I DIG DUG comic...
-dug!

"SUPER MARIO MADNESS"

2009-02-08T20:35:00.004-05:00

So, Brooklyn finally got her long sought out Nintendo DS Lite for Xmas. Not only that, it was a bundle that came with the new Super Mario Bros. game. Now, I remember playing the daggone ORIGINAL Super Mario on the ORIGINAL Nintendo way back in the day. Needless to say...I'm now addicted to the new one and Brooklyn has 'grounded me' from playing her DS without asking first. It's actually pretty comical, and I would most certainly make it into a comic if my 'real life' were part of my 'comic life'. But alas...at this point in time, 'tis not.
So, last weekend I sat down and decided to use the good 'ol Marioverse as inspiration for a strip. The problem I always have with comics like this, is trying to figure out how to make it relevant. I mean...surely a place such as this doesn't REALLY exist, so how is it possible to show this humorous event without breaking into 'fantasy comics'? Well...for me the answer is simple, and usually revolves around 'dream sequences'. In this case, Carrie is dreaming of the gang getting trapped in Mario land and thus makes a point of the boys being a little too addicted to playing the game that captured the imagination of their youth, and has now captured the imagination of my 'middle-agedness'. I know that's not a word...but go with it.
So, I give you "Super Mario Madnes"...and one of my new all time favorite I DIG DUG comic strips!!! I enjoy it so much, that I'm planning on dusting off Photoshop and actually coloring a comic strip. YAY!!! Look for that one soon!
-dug!

"SKI WITH ME REVISITED"

2009-02-08T20:31:00.001-05:00

January ended with a repeat from 07. Oh well...it's a good comic, and there's no harm in enjoying it again...right? RIGHT?
-dug!

"Ewoks, Wookiees and Mon Calamaris"

2009-02-07T05:59:00.005-05:00

So, technically my mom got me this book for Xmas. It's a Star Wars Quiz Book that has a little electronic counter in the lower right hand side. It chooses a random question for you (our of 2500) and you have to punch in the answer. They're all multiple choice, and honestly when she bought it, I didn't think it'd be too hard.
HA!!! My mistake!!!
Now, let it be known that I am a Star Wars junkie. I grew up with Star Wars, and just love it. Even the stuff that all Star Wars geeks hate (like Phantom Menace), I love!!! I think it's the most epic batch of sci-fi movies of all time.
That being said...this book drove me CRAZY!!! I feel that I have a vast amount of Star Wars knowledge from years of reading the books, watching the movies, collecting the comics, etc, etc. BUT...this book literally had me in stitches.
Sample Question: Over what was Tarkin given almost unlimited jurisdiction when Emperor Palpatine made him Grand Moff? A. Oversector Outer, B. The Corporate Sector, C. THe Perlemian Trade Route, or D. The Core Worlds
Yeah...and that's juse ONE question. Out of the 2500 questions in the book, I'll be half of them deal with stuff you just don't find or see or hear in the movies. They're stuff you only get from the novels, comics, etc. So, needless to say, the book is driving me crazy so it became the inspiration for this comic, the first NEW strip of '09.

"OHIO WEATHER"

2009-02-03T06:37:00.002-05:00

The new year has me EXTREMELY BUSY!!! I'm taking a class at OSU in hopes of finishing my masters of art ed degree by summer's end, and added to the normal routine of teaching and parenting, the comic blog has (again!) taken a back seat. I'm hoping to catch it back up within the week or so.
Being as busy as I am, I started '09 reprinting some comics from '07/'08. This one sums up our last few weeks here in Ohio. Rain, snow, ice, LOTS of snow, warm(er) weather, and I'm sure we'll end up with more snow at some point. There's just no consistency to Ohio weather anymore. So even though this strip is a few years old, it still holds true today.

"HAPPY 2009"

2009-01-03T18:08:00.003-05:00

Here's the annual 'over-crowded' New Year's Party IDD comic!!! Hope everyone had a safe and happy new year!!! Can you guess all the characters in this year's strip??? I bet you can't. Well...there's probably only one person who can. You up for it???
-dug!

"Santa CLAWS"

2008-12-28T10:18:00.004-05:00

It's the return of Not-So-Super-Man, and his trusty sidekick Action Lass!!! For you IDD 'newbies', "The Adventures of Not-So-Super-Man" is the comic strip that Dug creates in hopes of publishing. It's kind of like the comic strip that the comic strip 'me' creates. Got it??? I manage to crank out a few NSSM strips each year, and this one is based off this really REALLY old drawing I did that I came across while digging Xmas decorations out of our crawl space. In one of my old ancient sketchbooks, I had drawn "Santa CLAWS". Seemed silly at the time, and I took that silliness to include it in this strip as he battles NSSM. It's supposed to be silly, with the creative play on words.
More holiday goodness tomorrow, and the annual Over-Crowded New Year's comic on Wednesday. CHEERS!!!
-dug!

"SANTA!!!"

2008-12-19T01:19:00.002-05:00

Do I really need to explain the idea behind this strip??? Really??? I do??? Okay. Well...this one popped into my head while watching Elf and simultaneously talking to my wife about buying Santa frames to put all the kids pictures of them with Santa into. Plus I hadn't done a big one panel story in quite some time and was looking to do something along those lines. There, happy?
I really want to add color to this one, so don't be surprised if a color version of this comic 'magically appears' on Christmas day. Oh...and there he is again. The mysterious little creature that just happens to be wandering around in many of my comics.
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"BREAK!"

2008-12-17T08:08:00.002-05:00

In all seriousness...sometimes shopping is like a football huddle. Carrie and I shop the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) every year...usually with Matt and his wife. We spend weeks in advance going over ads and who's selling what at what price, and which store will price match and where to go at 5am, and how early to get there, and what early birds are the best...you get the point, right? As Carrie and I begin formualting our 'plan' for this year's Black Friday, I must have been watching a Browns game. Well...it was on...the Browns haven't given me much to watch this year, but that's another story. And so, I began to liken the shopping plans to the football huddle which gave me this great idea for a comic.
Additionally, I added the idea of splitting up the mall because when Carrie and I frist got married, this is how we shopped for each other. We'd each make our list, travel to one of the local malls, split the mall in half, and each spend a few hours in each half shopping for the other. Two ideas combined into one comic. GENIUS!
-dug!
...be careful driving out there...

"Thermostat"

2008-12-14T20:21:00.002-05:00

So, I had finally decided to sit down and do the remaining 2008 comics all in one sitting. And...well...I didn't do too bad. I sketched out four comics, and felt pretty good about it. I inked this guy for the November 21st paper, and felt so 'caught up' that I didn't ink the other three. Something that I just finished tonight!!! Yeah...that's me...captain procrastinator!!!
Anyhoo...this is inspired by the old Fox Trot comics where the Fox kids compain and complain about the mother keeping the thermostat at a frigid temperature. I love Fox Trot, and so I used that theme for this comic. However...it's not without it's own degree of reality. Carrie tries to keep the thermostat low as to not over heat the house...and boy does it get FRIGID in here at times. Of course, it doesn't help that our bedroom is right about the freezing garage, but I digress. So, that's the story of where this comes from. I'm constantly complaining about being cold, and Carrie just keeps telling me to wear more layers. Hmmmm....that could be another comic ready to unfold from the 'ol fingers. Hmmm....
Slowly catching up, eh??? About three more to go, and we'll be current!
-dug!

"Return of the Christmas List"

2008-12-13T12:22:00.003-05:00

I dusted off this comic...probably two or three years old...for the next week's strip in the HC. It was actually a 'part one' of a five strip story, but I only needed it for filler while I collected myself to make some new strips. So, it became filler, as I finally sat down to devote some time to new comics!!!
-dug!

"Punk'd the Repeat!"

2008-12-12T06:21:00.002-05:00

So, after Halloween, my schedule was in full 'holy crap' mode. I was co-directing the school musical twice a week, which my oldest daughter was also a part of, my youngest had gymnastics twice a week along with musical theatre and dance. My oldest also had dance on Mondays, softball pitching once a week, and basketball. So needless to say, my wife and I had become the typical 'kid taxis' and the comic became something I just didn't have much time for.
SO...I dusted off this little gem I created last year and used it to kick off November. I heard a report that stores were starting Christmas displays early this year to try to stimulate the economy, knowing that people were pinching their wallets a little tighter this year. Okay...I understand the need to generate the economy. But THE WEEK OF HALLOWEEEN both Target AND Wal-Mart had clearanced their Halloween stuff and had Christmas displays up. AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
So, immediately seeing this, I felt it necessary to not turn in a new strip, but to use this one again. I could actually use this strip every year. Hmmmm....that's a thought. So, here you go, Punk'd revisited, or repeated, or used again...whichever you prefer.
-dug!

...Long Time, No See...

2008-12-11T06:41:00.003-05:00

WOW!!! Has it really been over a month since my last post??? Crazy! Well...with my co-directing our school musical, the multitude of art projects I had to grade, along with my normal day-to-day 'dad' duties, posting here on the 'ol IDD blog just took a back seat. So...I'm going to slowly get caught up. And I'll start with...

This is the 2008 I DIG DUG Halloween comic drawn by my 8 year old daughter, Brooklyn. She's been wanting to do an I DIG DUG comic for quite some time, and as I began to get further behind schedule, I decided I'd let her put one together. This was the end result. Also...for added effect...I titled the comic "I DIG DAD". HAHA, right??? That's funny!!! Anyway...I really liked her excitement in creating this, and I enjoyed watching her think of a story, and drawing it on paper. It was great, and I may end up doing this from time to time in '09.

Okay...that's good for now. Sometime soon....probably this weekend...I'll start posting the comics that saw print in November, and eventually we'll be all caught up to the present. YAY!!! Until then...see ya in the funnies!
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"Wookit da Wittle Puppy!"

2008-10-30T21:03:00.003-05:00

This is our Kramer Dog all dressed up for Halloween. Of course, we really can't take him out because he'd bark at EVERY single person he'd see, which tends to be a nuisance. Anyway...I just think he's so doggone cute (heehee!) that I had to show him off!!!
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"Full Color Fords"

2008-10-27T16:38:00.002-05:00

A little late...but I'm sure you survived.
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"Harrison Ford Would Be Proud"

2008-10-17T09:11:00.003-05:00

Upon first glance, you might think that Dug has chosen to dress up as Han Solo due to his obsession with all things Star Wars. You might also conclude that Matt has dressed up as Indiana Jones due to his enjoyment of Dr. Jones' archaeological adventures. BUT...you'd be wrong.
Dug and Matt are dressed in the same costume. They're both dressed up as Harrison Ford. Dug is Harrison Ford as seen in Star Wars playing Han Solo, and Matt is Harrison Ford as seen in Raiders of the Lost Ark playing Indiana Jones. See???? Just when you thought you had it figured out, you found out you were wrong.
SO...what Harrison Ford like character might we see Carrie dressed as. Well...chances are you won't. Not because she doesn't enjoy a good Harrison Ford flick, but simply because I know how the story ends.
Enjoy! I'll post the color comic tomorrow.
-dug!

"Halloween Continues"

2008-10-11T19:50:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that at one point in time I was producing enough I DIG DUG comic strips to run Monday thru Saturday in OSU's The Lantern newspaper. Over the course of a ten week quarter, that's sixty strips. That's more in one quarter at OSU than I have to do now for a WEEKLY newspaper, and I'm having trouble getting that accomplished. *sheesh*...where does the time go???
I know that has absolutely nothing to do with this strip, but that's what you get when you visit. The inner rumblings from the brain of a mad cartoonist. You get what you paid for and since you came here for free you shouldn't expect much. :)
I've got next week's strip all done and ready to post, but I think I'll let this strip soak in for a few days before going all 'post crazy'. I'd also like to welcome Besty...an old bud from my pre-I DIG DUG high school years, who has added the IDD Blog into her favorites....without being asked or threatened. Yeah...go figure that one out! Betsy...not sure if you know what you're getting into, but welcome to my world!!!
Okee doke, folks, time to go wind down for a bit. I'd like to congratulate my two daughters, Sydney and Brooklyn who competed in the YMCA triathlon earlier today. It was WAY harder than they expected, but they did AMAZING!!! Brooklyn actually took the bronze medal for her age group!!! Way to go, Cookie!!! Both finished all events, and I'm just so proud of them!
Okay...NOW I'm really signing off. New comic coming...let's say Tuesday. That sounds good to me!
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"Halloween '08 Part 2"

2008-09-29T15:22:00.003-05:00

Here's the second installment of this year's I DIG DUG Halloween story. I was a little weary of this. It seems a little...I don't know how to put it. I don't want to say violent, but I think it's implied violence. While we ALL KNOW that Dug and Matt would never hurt Carrie in any way, it does give the impression that they're none too happy about just staying home and passing out candy. Plus...it does have that 'Halloween' vibe...like Dug and Matt are so close to acutally going all "Freddy Krueger and Jason" on Carrie. Eerily spooky.
Color comic coming mid-week.
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"Halloween '08 in Color Part 1"

2008-09-27T10:56:00.002-05:00

An I DIG DUG Halloween history:
1999: Tales from Shocktoberfest
2000: Wizard of Oz (Carrie as Dorothy, Dug as the Tin Man, and Matt as the Cowardly Lion)
2006:Wizard of Oz Revisited (same as above, revisioned and updated)
2007: Pirates (But...almost Fruit of the Loom underwear characters)
2008: Super Heroes (Matt as the Flash, Carrie as Batgirl, and Dug as Wonder Wo-Man!)
2009: Ahhh...let the fun begin!!!
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"HALLOWEEN '08"

2008-09-23T06:09:00.003-05:00

Ahhhh...my favorite time of the year. Halloween. Okay...it's not my favorite, but it's one of my favorite to write about. I just love putting my characters into goofy costumes. Pirates, superheroes, Fruit of the Loom fruits, Wizard of Oz...they've all been great sight gags.
So, what's in store for this year? I'm still not real sure. I have a few ideas written down, and I don't think I'll decide until I actually sit down and start drawing which direction I'll go. Technically it's Carrie's turn to pick costumes. We'll see if that pans out this year....or not...
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"MIA"

2008-09-19T21:32:00.002-05:00

Wow...like...where have I been???
Well...if you've been reading the Hometown Connection, the comic has been there, but it's nothing 'new'. I've opted to use a few I DIG DUG comics from '06 to tide me over for a few weeks. And because of that, I just haven't posted anything here on the blog.
Now, you may be asking why? Or you may not really care. But I'm going to tell you anyway. Between school starting back up, the kids after school activities starting back up, and the every day daily hubbub of other tasks and chores...doing a new comic each week has become a challenge. BUT...if all goes well, I should be back on track for October. Because what's I DIG DUG without new Halloween comics, right?
So...sit back and relax. New 'toons are coming soon. In the meantime, check out some old stuff in the archives, or even REAL old stuff in the OLD IDD blog. Have a great weekend and GO BUCKS!
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"Contest in Color"

2008-09-03T19:37:00.001-05:00

I really hope this contest goes over well. I'd be happy if I got ten submissions. I'll keep you posted as this comic sees print this week.
On a side note...it's Wednesday ALREADY!!! Wow this week is going fast!
-dug!

The 1st All New I DIG DUG Contest!!!

2008-09-02T06:05:00.003-05:00

Back in the 'ol college days, I used to do this stuff all the time. I asked for e-mails and then used the e-mails in my comic. There was the contest I ran asking for the best Halloween costumes ppl had ever worn, and the winner became an IDD character. There was the 'census' where I asked ppl to e-mail in if they read a certain comic to let me know my average IDD readership (5 ppl responded! HAHA!). So I used to do contests all the time. This is the first I've done anything of this magnitude, though and I'm sure...no, I'm positive...I'll get NOTHING!!!
I'd like to be proven wrong, but I do have to look at everything that's against me. My comic runs once a week in a 'freebie' newspaper. There's no guarantee that ppl actually read that paper. AND...c'mon...who's seriously going to sit down and draw their own IDD comic??? Well...we'll see. I guess ya never know.
-dug!
Color version tomorrow!

"FOOTBALL SEASON"

2008-09-01T09:34:00.002-05:00

BUCKEYES WIN!!!
Hope everyone is settling in to football season as well as I am. Well...I actually spille a whole cup of salsa on my shirt while sitting down to watch the Buckeyes on Saturday. Which...coincidentally will become a comic story within the next few weeks or so.
Have a great Labor Day...
...and Happy Birthday, MOM!!!
-dug!

"FOOTBALL SEASON!"

2008-08-23T15:04:00.002-05:00

Wow...it's been awhile. But, Hometown Connection accidentally ran one of my comics twice in a row, and that put me a week ahead, and I had an old comic run last week since I was on vacation so here's a very early look at next week's I DIG DUG comic, "Football Season".
Now this comic may seem out of proportion, and...well...it is. Ya see, the last panel to this comic was going to be the introduction of a contest that I'm going to try to run through this fall. But I quickly learned that there just wasn't enough space for all the info. SO...this comic is short one panel, which is why it looks out of proportion.
The contest, in case you're wondering, is the focus of the first comic of September, so be sure to check back after Labor Day to see all the details. Hey...you might just want to enter.
Take care and have a great weekend. Last one before school starts!!!
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"Badminton Continued in Color"

2008-07-31T06:19:00.004-05:00

Hey, I'm on a roll with the color comics, eh? Sweet!!!
This comic started out as one of those "Priceles" commercials. I think it went something like this:
Badminton Rackets: $25
Tube Socks: $3
Headband and Wristbands: $4
Getting back at Carrie for scheduling our classes: Priceless!
BUT...I opted to go this route instead. I think it does more for the pacing of the story. Besides that, I've already done a 'priceless' story...quite some time ago. You can check it out in the archives. I mean the OLD archives. Like March 11th, 2005 Old I DIG DUG Blob archives. So...it's been awhile.
Well...hope everyone's having a great week. I can't believe how FAST it's going. I started my late summer Art Camp sessions on Monday and I can't believe how fast the week has gone. I'm in awe!!!
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"Badminton Continued"

2008-07-28T06:44:00.003-05:00

So the badminton saga continues. And it looks like Dug and Matt have turned the tables on Carrie. Carrie registered them for classes that she knew...well, thought...that Dug and Matt would hate. But it appears as if the guys have taken a keen interest in their badminton class. I'm not sure how they reacted to Theoretical Math,though.
Next week's comic will be the last in this storyline, and you'll get to see that not all is what it seems. But you should expect that by now. Especially if you're a long time I DIG DUG reader. Which means all of four of you expect it. :)
Have a great week.
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"The Beginning of the Cornhole Boards"

2008-07-27T04:26:00.003-05:00

Here's the start of what I'm calling the "Peek-a-Boo" boards. It has the three main characters peeking over a comic panel frame. It's pretty cool. There's a lot more I'm going to do to the words and the symbols. This is just the start of things...
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"I DIG DUG the Cornhole Boards"

2008-07-23T18:22:00.003-05:00

So...you can't just sit down with a pencil and start drawing on the boards. It just doesn't work. So after a few coats of white, I sat down with my handy dandy sketchbook and started brainstorming some ideas.
The top four sketches were my 'final four' and as I looked them over I opted to do each board differently. No sense in just settling for one design when you can do two, right? So as I looked over these four designs, and talked about them with Carrie, I opted to do one board using the design on the upper left, and the other using the design on the lower right. I don't know about you...but word balloons just didn't look right. SO...I opted with two 'poster-like' splash pages and went with it.
There's not much done with them at this time. With my OSU class, my daughter's birthday party, art camps next week, and softball tourneys on the weekend it's just too tough to commit time to painting. Which stinks...because I'd really like to get them done. But...since I don't have the bags yet for the game, I guess there's no real rush to get the boards painted, right?
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"Badminton"

2008-07-23T18:05:00.003-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BROOKLYN!!! Okay...I know that has nothing to do with this comic, but my youngest daughter's 8th birthday is today so I figured I should probably send out some mad props to my dizaughter. That sounded absurd, didn't it?
Well...as she, and a small gaggle of girls get their hair, makeup and nails done for a fashion show they're putting on (I say small gaggle...but really it's only a few) I figured I'd take a break from taking pictures to update the 'ol blog. Sadly, none of the girls wanted me to do their hair or makeup for them. *Hmph*...
Okay...so color version of Badminton. Here it is! Hmmmm...not much more to say about it than what I've already said on Monday. Except, it's in color this time!!! And, now that this is only blog, my next order of business should probably be doing a few more comics. Sometimes, when I have the story in my head, I forget that I actually haven't drawn them yet. I have the final two comics for this story all wrapped up in the 'ol noggin...just need to commit it to some paper I guess.
Okay...enough jabber jawin'. Time to draw!!!
Later.
-dug!
Oh...and I almost forgot about the I DIG DUG cornhole boards. If I get a chance, I'll post a few pictures of them. They're like...5% done...really not much to look at right now, but it'll be fun to watch the progress of them here on the blog.

"Badminton?"

2008-07-21T18:03:00.002-05:00

First off, let me just say that I'm not really sure if any of these classes are offered through OSU. I really just made them up when I wrote the comic. I suppose I should have checked the REAL master schedule to see how ficticious these were. I dunno...maybe they're close to real classes. I do remember wanting to take tennis one quarter. Of course...that's a little different than badminton, eh?
Okay...now the comic. Well, there's not much to say really. I just thought I'd build on last week's comic where Carrie comes to the conclusion that she'll have to schedule the guys' classes for them because they're too enthralled with seeing The Dark Knight. So...she does, and this is what happens. Of course this may...or may not...backfire on her in the long run. You'll just have to read and see.
On a side note, Carrie and I went to see Dark Knight last weekend and I must say it was AMAZING!!! Smitty (one half of I DIG DUG's movie review team) wasn't overly thrilled with it, and Dave (the other half) felt it was the best movie he's seen all summer. Carrie really liked it as well. As did gads of othere I suppose since it broke all kinds of movie records. Well...two of them anyway.
Have a great week, I DIG DUGAMANIACS. I'll see you in a few days with the color version of this strip.
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"Let there be...COLOR!"

2008-07-15T08:50:00.003-05:00

See? I told you I did a color version. Here are some quick bits'o'info on this strip.
This will be the 4th year that Dug, Matt and Carrie are shown entering their senior year of college. It continues to set up Carrie as the 'level-headed' character while Dug and Matt play the humorous goofballs. Dug and Matt are not shown in 'full costume' as I didn't want the costumes to take away from the fact that they're still Dug and Matt. It's not a Halloween strip, after all. Carrie's line "I'm NOT doing it this year" makes reference to an I DIG DUG comic that originally ran in 2000 at OSU where Carrie schedules the guys' classes. Finally...and you should have guessed it would have come to this...DARK KNIGHT OPENS THIS WEEKEND!!!!! DARK KNIGHT OPENS THIS WEEKEND!!!!!
See ya at the movies!
-dug!

"Back to Basics" or "Return of the Dug Knight"

2008-07-13T10:51:00.003-05:00

And as the Brodie Rock saga draws to a close, we come back to 'normalcy' with the further adventures of Dug, Matt, and Carrie. And in typical I DIG DUG fashion, the story interacts with some form of popular culture...this time it's The Dark Knight which opens next weekend. And can I just say that I CANNOT WAIT to go see this movie. It surely will be the best comic book movie of all time. The suspense is horrific! I can't wait!!!
I've also started painting my cornhole boards this week and I've settled on a pretty cool I DIG DUG design for them. I'll try to post updates from time to time as the boards progress. I think they'll look pretty cool.
I'll post the color version of this comic later in the week. I can promise that (this time) as I've already done the color version in Photoshop yesterday. I'll give ya a few days to enjoy the black and white though.
Have a great weekend. I think we're off to the Delaware beach today. Weather looks nice...
-dug!

"Brodie Rock Finale"

2008-07-08T20:42:00.002-05:00

Well...here it is. The Brodie Rock Finale for the summer of '08. There was a lot of stuff I could have done with the final of this story. I could have had the fish poop on Brodie. I could have had Brodie collecting a covering of algae and fish water stuff. But...alas...I didn't want to drag it out. So I killed the fish, and left it with a cliffhanger. What happens now? Where does the character go from here? Is he stuck in the tank only to live with a new batch of fish? Is the tank thrown out along with the rock? It's a mystery that one day...maybe...I'll visit.
So ends the 2008 adventure of Brodie Rock. I hope you enjoyed the small vacation away from the usual antics of I DIG DUG and into the life on one of the smaller characters within the I DIG DUG Universe. Next week...back to basics with Dug, Matt, and Carrie. See ya next week!!!
-dug!

"GLUB GLUB"

2008-06-30T16:17:00.003-05:00

I know what you're asking. "Where are all the full color I DIG DUG comics I promised?" I know...I know... I'm just always amazed by how I get sidetracked, and unfortunately the 'ol blog here takes back seat to lots of other projects I have going on.
Anyway...this is the next to last Brodie Rock comic for this year. Next week will be the series finale, and then after that...who knows. My mother-in-law loves these strips and thinks I should submit them with my next batch of syndication submissions. I must admit, I find them funny...but I'm not sure that they're my 'best work'. It was really just a fun 'side project' I wanted to experiment with over the summer. It's also reassuring to know that the real Brodie Rock is enjoying his summer adventure as well.
Enjoy this week's comic. I won't make any more promises in regards to color comics, but I will try to get on the 'ol laptop here sometime this week and try sprucing the blog up with a little color.
Have a great fourth of July week!!! Back to my other summer projects...
-dug!

"Brodie ELIZABETH Rock II"

2008-06-27T14:51:00.003-05:00

Yep...that little hand has big plans for our Brodie Rock. The little girl is my youngest daughter Brooklyn. The name Elizabeth is my oldest daughter's middle name. And this particular story was actually inspired by Brooklyn drawing faces on rocks at one of Sydney's softball games a few weeks ago. Two more stories to go, and we welcome back Dug, Carrie, and Matt!!!
Hope you're enjoying the Brodie Rock saga as much as I am!!! Have a great weekend. See ya in Uptown Marysville tonight...if you're going that is!
-dug!

"Brodie ELIZABETH Rock"

2008-06-27T14:46:00.002-05:00

This is the beginning of the end of the Brodie Rock story line. THIS Brodie Rock story. There's more to tell, but I'm nearing the completion of this particular story. Here we see Brodie, wishing for a little excitement, and he's gonna get it!
Little does he know the little hand that's picked him up has some big plans for him.
dug!

More COLOR!

2008-06-15T18:21:00.002-05:00

More color thanks to GIMP!
I just finished the next two Brodie Rock comics, and I have to say that I think the story is nearing its end. I'm having a great time exploring the life of an inanimate object, but it's time to get back to the 'normalcy' of the I DIG DUG Universe. If you can call I DIG DUG normal, that is.
I'll try to get some color on here on a semi-consistent basis now that I've got GIMP. I need to play around with it a bit more to have full mastery of the program, but it's not that tough.
Hope everyone had a great Father's Day Weekend!!! See ya in the funnies!
-dug!

"Color by GIMP!"

2008-06-14T12:39:00.005-05:00

A long time ago, my buddy Smitty told me about GIMP. It's basically a freeware, shareware program that's comparable to Photoshop. Well...my love for Photoshop wouldn't allow me to try it out. So I didn't. Until now.
For some reason my laptop...along with Windows Vista...won't install my old (and a little outdated) version of Photoshop. And because of this, I just haven't had the desire to color any of my comics. Suddenly, I remembered GIMP, decided to install it, try it out and see what happens.
GIMP...it's not bad. It's a nice alternative to Photoshop in the sense that you bascially have all the basic PS functions available to use. It's not quite as 'slick', but overall it lets me do what I want to do with my comics. Just add some basic color and texture. Therefore...it's a hit.
So, here's May's Brodie Rock comics all decked out in color thanks to GIMP! I'll get to June's later this weekend. Have a good one!
-dug!

"Brodie Rock Collage"

2008-06-11T05:43:00.003-05:00

I'm calling this a collage because it was created digitally. Each panel is from an already existing Brodie Rock comic. I've made some digital modifications, whether it be to the actual image or to the dialogue, but for the most part this is a digital collage.
Haven't actually heard from my 'real' buddy Brodie Rock to see how he's enjoying his current stint at celebrity. Hope you're enjoying them, Rock!!!
-dug!

"Love at First Sight"

2008-06-02T05:16:00.003-05:00

Okay...I can't help it. I was going to wait until Wednesday to post the new comic, but I figured since I was already logged in to Blogger, I might as well do it now.
Here we meet "Lady Leaf". She's actually an unnamed character. I had begun to write a whole 'introduction' scene between her and B.Rock but it just felt congested for a five panel comic strip. Then I thought about prolonging the story over two weeks. One week to introduce the leaf to the rock and the next for the leaf to blow away in the wind. But I didn't like that idea either. So, I ended up scrapping any intros and just going with the main story. I like it.
I'm having fun taking a small sabbatical from Dug, Carrie, and Matt. There's not as much coloring, and I think it's quirky to be telling the story of an inanimate object. There's just something comical about that. To me, anyway. I hope you're enjoying reading them as much as I am creating them.
Have a great week!!!
-dug!

"The Summer of Brodie Rock Continues"

2008-06-02T05:11:00.003-05:00

...heehee...potty humor...
This was one of the original Brodie Rock strips from 'back in the day'. I updated it for my Brodie Rock Summer Spectacular which I'm hoping I can drag out for most of the summer. I want to be a little goofy with this story I'm putting together but I don't want to get too over the top.
So...anyway...here's part three. I'll give you a few days to digest this one before posting this upcoming weekend's Brodie Rock story.
Enjoy and have a great week!!!
-dug!

"The Summer of Brodie Rock"

2008-05-22T20:53:00.003-05:00

What can I say? When I get an idea, I run with it. Does it amuse me? Yep! Are you amused? Well...I hope so, but I make no guarantee. Seriously, what can a rock do? Who sees any real value in a rock? That's what makes the comic so funny. There's a talking, inanimate object 'running' around my comic. Seriously...that's funny!
I'll get some color coming soon. School's almost out which will leave me some time to color the Brodie Rock comics.
Later!
-d.

"A Day in the Life of Brodie Rock...part 1"

2008-05-18T11:56:00.003-05:00

There are lots of characters in the I DIG DUG universe. And almost all of them are based on friends of mine. Over the years you've met Dug, Matt, Carrie, Smitty, Dave, and a google of other characters. But this one is based off my friend Brodie Rockenbaugh.
I don't know what originally inspired me to draw Brodie as an actual rock. It could have been his last name, or even his affinity for working with all things of nature. But one way or another it's an idea I've kept on the back burner for many years, hoping to one day exploit the character to his full potential. That exploitation starts this weekend.
This comic originally saw print MANY years ago. It was a little 'rougher' and the dialogue was just a bit different, but nonetheless it saw print. As I thought about what I'd like to do with IDD over the summer, I thought this might be a nice added touch to my comic universe. The final FULL inclusion of Brodie Rock starring in a weekly comic instead of an 'every now and then' used character. So this summer, I DIG DUG comics will see Brodie become the star.
And the funniest thing (for me) is that I'm sure there will be a lot of people who read the comic and just don't 'get it'. But ultimately...it amuses me. And that's what matters most, right?
Have a great weekend. More Brodie Rock next week!
-dug!

"You Say It's Your Birthday"

2008-05-07T05:30:00.002-05:00

Ahhh...the classic "Hey it's Dug's birthday again, but we're still seniors in college and not really getting any older" comic. Yeah, yeah...it's my birthday tomorrow. Thirty four big candles blazing a fire signal to space on the currently non-existent birthday cake.
It's hard to write about a comic that revolves around...well...my birthday. There's not much too it. I added Dug's thought balloons as a semi-kinda-sorta tribute to some of the emotions you see in some more child centered manga 'toons. I thought that was a new and interesting touch to the comic. And the 'cross-hatched' panels is different. But it's forced. I couldn't find my straight edge, so I opted with a more 'creative' approach. It works okay, but I don't like it on the top of the third panel. I may actually go in and Photoshop that out. We'll see...
Anyway...happy birthday to me, and to all of you who share May 8th birthdays. I'll be celebrating by spending the evening at school, celebrating our school's art show and listening to the choir and band concerts perform that evening. And maybe...just maybe...playing a little MarioKart on the Wii. I'm hoping that's what Carrie and the girls got me. We shall see.....

"I AM IRON MAN!"

2008-05-02T05:05:00.003-05:00

As a long time reader of comic books, I find the recent saturation of 'comic book inspired movies' at the theatres to be an interesting endeavor. First off, I get a chuckle every time I hear someone say that they didn't know it was based off a comic book. Especially the younger generation. One of my students...I kid you not...thought that that the Spiderman movies were based off of the cartoon that he watched when he was younger and he had NO idea is was a comic book. Funny, huh?
Now I can see if you didn't know Sin City, or 300, or Hellboy were comics simply because they're printed with a smaller, independent comic company. But, Spiderman? WOW...
I suppose the real reason for this is that you just don't see comic books around anymore. I remember as a kid buying 5 or 6 comics every time I went to the grocery story. They were located right as you walked in the door on that little rotating metal rack. I also remember buying them from a little shop in Richwood when we'd walk 'downtown' before basketball practice. Nowadays, comics are found in only one location...comic book stores. And, how many of those do you see anymore? Not many. Sad...
Okay...so anyway, here's the color version to Iron Man. Now...if you'll excuse me I have to go read my new batch of comic books that I order from an online retailer 'cause Kroger just doesn't sell 'em anymore...
Have a great weekend. See you at the movies!!!
-dug!

"IRON MAN"

2008-04-30T05:53:00.004-05:00

I have this weird longstanding 'joke' within I DIG DUG of putting the characters, namely Dug, in goofy costumes. Over the years I've had the characters dressed as pirates, Wizard of Oz characters, super heroes, Fruit of the Loom characers, Transformers, more super heroes, and let's not forget the time Dug was stuck in that Easter Bunny costume for a few months!!! So, it only seemed fitting that as the movie Iron Man approached to put Dug in an Iron Man costume.
And, in true typical fashion, Dug's "vision" of himself is greatly altered from reality. Another gag I've played with many times over the years. As well as Carrie's well timed sarcastic 'you gotta be kidding me' punchlines. Nothing brings Dug back to reality faster than Carrie's ability to poke a little fun at him. I think it's funny.
On a side note, one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE comic strips, Foxtrot also did an Iron Man comic this past weekend. Check it out, and I'll put some more color on the board in a few days. Until then...
-dug!

"Colorful Euchre Cheat Codes"

2008-04-27T19:05:00.003-05:00

Wow...it's just been way too long since I've colored a comic for the blog. Way too long!!! And since I missed my deadline last week, there was no new comic in this weekend's paper, so I opted to do some coloring.
And, while I was at it, I added color to this weekend's strip so that it's all ready for the blog later in the week. And, I'm finally (FINALLY!) about four weeks ahead of myself in stories. It's been a long time since I've been so far ahead of myself.
So, what's ahead? Well...this week I've got an Iron Man strip followed by next week's "Dug's Birthday" comic. After that it's a summer break/senior thesis story followed by a whole lot of Brodie Rock comics!!! That's right...he' back! Don't know who Brodie Rock is? Well, don't worry. You'll get to meet him very soon, and you'll probably be sick of him by August!
Have a great week. New black and white coming Tuesday, and new color coming Friday. C-YA!
-dug!

"Euchre Cheat Codes"

2008-04-23T05:54:00.002-05:00

Carrie, Matt, Andrea and I love playing some Euchre. Love it! And might I say that Matt and I are undefeated. UNBEATABLE! Why? Well...if this comic is any indication we have an impeccable 'cheating code' that no one can ever pick up on. Seamless, normal, day to day dialogue to everyone else is in fact code hidden secretive table talk by Matt and myself. I tell you...the code is unbreakable. Even when Carrie and Andrea THINK they've caught us cheating...they haven't! We let them think we're cheating, that's when it's easiest to cheat. Get it???
Side note...this is Andrea's first printed appearance in I DIG DUG. Despite the fact that we didn't even know her during our 'college years'. But sometimes it's easy to forget that the three characters are in college seeing as how I rarely do any college stories. Hmmmm.... Maybe I should think about that...
-dug!

"Inspirational"

2008-04-09T20:50:00.002-05:00

It's not often I shy away from a quick punch line or a funny joke. But spending a week in Gatlinburg and seeing the beauty and awe inspiring view of the Smoky Mountains was just too much! I sat at my drawing desk with my pencils, pens and a blank rectangle. And as much as I wanted to crack some joke about our resort being on the top of a mountain and the end of a series of curvy, one lane roads...or that it seemed like everyone in Gatlinburg lived on greasy foods...or how Gatlinburg itself is like this 'touristy' little carnival town in the middle of the awe inspiring beauty of the Smokies...I just couldn't do it. I couldn't get those images of the mountains out of my head.
SO...no joke this week...I'd been touched by inspiration of another kind. I look forward to returning to G-burg someday...preferably in the fall when I can see the leaves changing color.
Enjoy your week. I've got a great idea for a color comic this week, so hopefully by Friday I'll have it ready to go on the 'ol blog!
-dug!

"LIVE FROM TENNESSEE..."

2008-03-31T19:19:00.002-05:00

As I sat at home last Friday, suddenly realizing that I needed an I DIG DUG comic for the next weekend seeing as how I was leaving for Gatlinburg on Saturday morning, I must admit...I did panic...a bit. BUT, I'm getting pretty good at pulling comics right out of my head at a moment's notice and leaving for Tennessee gave me some good inspiration.
Now...naturally...I would never, EVER, be so daft as to accidentally leave my wife behind. I would do it on purpose. HAHAHAHAHA!!! (...just kidding, honey!...) But that certainly makes for a good comic. Originally Matt was in this as well, but as I started laying out the dialogue and sketching in the thumbnails, having Matt there just didn't make sense and really crowded the comic. Plus that last panel is great with Dug all alone.
Also, I opted to add some grayscale tones in Photoshop for this one. I do that from time to time. Not often...but from time to time.
SO...hope the weather's good in good 'ol Ohio. Not too bad down here...looks like rain for tomorrow though. Probably a good day to do some indoor 'chillin'. Later, I DIG DUGGERS!!!
-dug!

"Colorful Party of Peeps in my Belly"

2008-03-26T05:44:00.002-05:00

I've really been playing around with the single panel comic as of late. Something about creating a story and punchline all in one large rectangular block is challenging to me and I love the challenge. It's not that I've gotten lazy...it's just that I want to try something new. If you take a look at the strips I've done for '08 thus far, you'll see more single panel strips and fewer 2-4 panel strips, and I guess it's just my 'evolution' of I DIG DUG. That's not to say I'm only doing single panels anymore...it's just my thought process at the moment.
This one came to me after actually eating a few Peeps. I got this crazy idea that these little marshmallow delights actually reform their shape and color sitting in your stomach. I know that sounds extremely bizarre, but I went with it. And now, unfortunately, all my Peeps are gone. Back to Gummi Bears, I guess...
-dug!

"Peep Party in my Belly!"

2008-03-24T05:42:00.003-05:00

I love Peeps. They're especially good if you poke a few holes in the plastic wrap and let them dry out for a day or two. MMMMMMMM...Yummy, sugary, marshmallowy goodness! For a little fun...here are some Peeps fun facts taken from http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com
*In the early 1950's it took nearly 27 hours to make ONE Peeps chick. Today the process takes a little less than six minutes.
*It would take over 172 million Peeps bunnies end to end to circle the moon.
*The amount of Peeps chicks and bunnies eater during Easter would more then circle the circumference of the Earth. And most of 'em are in my stomach!!!
Want to know more...check out the website. I need to go have breakfast. Where are those Peeps?
-dug!

"Color Repeat"

2008-03-24T05:38:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the delay. I meant to post this last Friday. WHOOPS!
Hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend.

"Repeat of Ohio Weather"

2008-03-21T06:57:00.003-05:00

I don't normally 'repeat' comics, but after seeing the weather report last weekend for this week...this strip seemed appropriate. Sure...I could've done a new Easter comic, but every time I tried to write one all I could think of was last year's Easter Bunny suit comics. You remember those, don't you? If not...go check 'em out. So...anyway...I opted to repeat this one. And, oddly enough, this was almost dead on with what we saw this week.
Everyone have a safe and enjoyable Easter!!!

COLOR!!!

2008-03-14T06:31:00.002-05:00

It's been a LONG time since I've added some Photoshop color to my comics, but after weeks and weeks of procrastination (of which I'm the champion, by the way...) we finally have...COLOR!
Have a great weekend. Anyone with some extra time this Saturday, feel free to swing by the Marysville District Art Show at the Houston House (264 W. 5th) from 10-2. It's our second annual art show for grades 1-6 and the art is just amazing! I really do want to start up a museum for children's art. I think it's great!!! Okay...see ya....
-dug!