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

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!