The last time we were gearing up to decide on a President, Kim & Jason was a fresh addition to the World Wide Web. An episode about the origins of Super J kicked things off, followed by stories about a Shy Flower and lemonade stand hijinks. Since then, we’ve come a long way. The average lifespan of a web site is only 45 days, which, I might add, is the same as that of a housefly. Four years later, readership has increased by leaps and bounds, and if we were up for re-election, I’m pretty sure we’d been voted in for at least another four. The election season has certainly caught my interest, and it appears it has done the same with many in our country. I’m depressed with the 24-hour-a-day news cycle making mountains out of every little molehill, and fascinated by pundits on both sides spinning the issues in ways that would make a merry-go-round envious. One of the little things that has intrigued me the most is how two people can see one particular issue in two vastly different lights. Like many, I am disappointed with the negativity and name-calling. I sure could use a little optimism. So, since I was so preoccupied last election season with figuring out how to keep a website alive for more than 45 days, I thought it might be fun to spin a little political yarn myself. But the Kim and Jason version would be without the partisanship, negativity and flip-flops (unless they’re the kind you wear on your feet.) I’m in the process of writing the episode right now, which is slated to debut in mid-August. I already have a few weeks completed, and I’m happy to leak the first tasty bit of gossip right here: Kim is contemplating a run for the White House. Nothing has been confirmed, but sources close to her indicate that she is taking aim at becoming the first female (and the youngest) President of the United States of America. If she does run, one of her biggest issues will be to support a Constitutional amendment to ban all forms of broccoli. So far I’ve had a blast looking at the election and politics from a child’s (and a skunk’s) perspective. It’s been refreshing, and somewhat cathartic for me. It should be a fun one. I hope you have an enjoyable time reading it. At least enough to support this comic strip for another four years.

| Comments (2)

So I’m writing a book. It’s about (surprise, surprise) childhood. Specifically, it’s about eight qualities I see in children that us grown-ups seem to have forgotten in the process of growing up. I’ve always wanted to write a book, but I envisioned it would happen much later in life, when I have a few more grey hairs on my head. But my wife and a few of my friends have encouraged me to get going on it now. I suppose it’s partly about putting my money where my mouth is. My Dad has had visions of writing his own book for years, about wisdom he wants passed down to his boys and grandchildren. I’ve been on him for a long time, harassing him and prodding him to just do it. Perhaps I figured it was just time for me to take my own advice. I’ve been working on it for about six months now, devising an outline and wrestling with the meat of the book. Currently, I’m able to steal a few hours a week to work on it at an Atlanta Bread Company in town. There’s something about the smell of fresh bread and hot soup that gets the ol’ creative juices flowing. Plus they have free Internet access, which helps with research. Ever since I started this thing, I’ve referred to it (in my to-do list and out loud) as my "best-selling book." As in, "Time to go work on my best-selling book." It has given me a grand vision for the thing, but I must admit, it has added a little pressure, too. When staring at a blank computer screen, it can be hard to determine what makes a best-selling book. I want it to be funny, but touching. Thought-provoking and inspiring. Serious, but not in a preachy way. I want it to be practical and yet exceedingly entertaining. Yikes. At least I don’t have to try and fit in any hobbits or elves. We’ll see how it goes. So far it has been a lot of fun. Starting was the hardest part, but wrestling with the guts of the book has been a challenge, too. I’m just trying to write as fast as I can, get eight-plus years of thoughts on childhood out of my head. I can’t wait to get into the more creative aspects and refinements, although the thoughts of what the cover should look like are already haunting my thoughts. What does the cover of a best-selling book look like? Alas, I don’t know. But I shall press onward, knowing that every best-selling book is different, but the thing most of them have in common is that they were written from the heart. Now that, I can do.

| Add a Comment!

Upon returning from a family vacation in Door County (where I consumed more than my fair share of cherries and ice cream), I decided to check my e-mail, which I hadn’t done in about five days. Among the avalanche of over 1,500 messages, (about 80% of it being spam) I uncovered an e-mail from my licensing agent in New York. It happily reported the news of our first sale. For those of you with puzzled looks on your face, we signed an agreement with a licensing agent whom we met in New York City at the National Stationery Show a few years ago. Licensing is the process by which companies who MAKE stuff buy the rights to use characters and images that they can put ON their stuff in the hopes of selling MORE stuff. Think of the glut of Spiderman merchandise you’re seeing right about now on everything from sandals to cereal boxes. (Did you know that Garfield products rake in between $750 million and $1 BILLION each year?) Anyway, our first licensing deal has been struck. No, you won’t be seeing Kim & Jason action figures in your Escape Adulthood Adult Happy Meal any time soon. The first deal was made in – are you ready for this – Japan. Yes, the mugs of Kim & Jason will be featured on Japanese photo albums and school yearbooks. Go figure. What’s even more interesting is that the agency I’m working with has expanded their territory in Asia and my rep expects to see even more action from my line over there. A few years ago, I got some interest from a different Japanese company who was disappointed to hear that I had already signed with a licensing agent because they were interested in representing me in Asia. Apparently there is something about Kim & Jason that is striking a chord in the East. Perhaps we have a reverse Pokemon on our hands? In any case, I’m pretty excited about it, and hope to get some more offers stateside. Unless I figure out a way to get past my disdain for sculpting, I’m relying on some sort of a licensing arrangement to make my dream of producing a line of collectible figurines come true. My rep DID mention a few hot leads here in the states, but those are still pending. Most of the success with any of this (especially in the United States) revolves around awareness, which is the hardest thing about what I’m doing. I can almost ink the comic strip in my sleep, but getting the word out about it feels harder than climbing Mt. Everest blind and barefoot. When I lay awake at night with my mind all abuzz, the one prevailing train of thought that seems to roar the loudest is how to better promote Kim & Jason. The people who know about it seem to love it, but I often feel like an auctioneer in a mall at Christmastime with nothing to use as a megaphone but an old toilet paper roll tube. Frustrating, to say the least, but the challenge also energizes me. As we continue to work hard, and do smart, creative things, I know we’ll get there. I’m not sure if we’ll get to the point of seeing suction-cup stuffed Stinkys clinging to the windows of every van and Volkswagon, but I suppose Japan is as good a place to start as any.

| Add a Comment!