Blast from the Past

Thirty-odd years ago, most of my afternoons - or at least all the good ones that I actually remember - were spent drawing comics with my best friend Steve. Most of the time, there was no real narrative purpose; we just liked to draw characters. I shudder to imagine the sheer number of characters we created and discarded over the years.

A small number of them endured, not as projects, but as fondly-recalled dapples of sunshine from my childhood. On some otherwise grim day working retail, I might suddenly remember Mucous Man and have myself a private little chuckle. But I never really returned to those characters as an adult.

Except about fifteen years ago, in 2006, I decided to revisit Hobbeson & Chives. Who were they? They were butlers who fought crime, but beyond that, I don’t think we had ever made any firm decisions. And in 2006, I knew I didn’t have the artistic chops to undertake a big project. But I wanted to have a little fun, and recapture those afternoons full of freeform creativity.