Mister & Me
Some of the early Mister & Me’s I look at as if I pulled out my junior high year book and flip through it’s pages and landing directly on my school photo. Cringe! the hair, the goofy smile, the unconfidence of a young man… and the style. Good gravy–the style I had–I just want to look away and erase the past.
For example: In the 9th grade, down at Chewning Jr. High, in Durham, NC, I wore a faux-velvet shirt for my school picture. I look back at that shirt and wonder “why”?? Obviously I was trying to be George Costanza without even knowing who George Costanza was. I was a clueless kid living carefree days. A lot of kids hated their junior high days. I, myself, didn’t mind them so much. Those days were my last hurrah of my childhood.
Sometimes I look back at these strips of mine and wish I had ironed out some of the rough edges as I was working them out (Vader looks a little bit like a rumpled tumble-weed to me here). But, at the time, I was still trying to find the voice of what, and who, Mister & Me was, and I was proud of what came out. Proud of where I was, and how far I’ve come. No one starts anything without a little trial and error.
Much like I have said before: The story, the joke, the soul of the strip is still there.
Everyone has their own faux-velvet shirt in their lives, even a comic strip.
