New Web Address, Email

I recently purchased the domain name www.mormoncartoonist.com. That means you'll no longer have to type in the additional ".blogspot" that used to go with this website. Hopefully, this won't be too much trouble for you.

And if it is, you can always email me your complaints to my new email address.

Two for the Price of One

Today's installment includes two gags that are variations on a theme. First, here's the gag the New Era published:

Next is the gag I included in my book Mormon Life:

I've got two questions for you:

• Which one is funnier?
• Is it plagiarism if you steal from yourself?
  

Memorial Day

I'm of the opinion that anyone could be an artist. Most little kids start out loving to draw, the problem is that somewhere along the line, they give it up. And the reason that most give it up is that someone, somewhere points out the obvious--that they are not a good artist. And then they put away their pencil and don't ever pick it up again. Nobody begins as a great artist, it takes hours and hours of work to become one, but every time a disparaging word is said to one of those young would-be artists, the world loses another talent.

I was lucky to have parents who offered the kind of encouragement that convinced me that I was a great artist until my talent approached their praise. They were my biggest supporters and I wish that they were alive to see what I've been able to do with my art. (Although I'd like to think that they've got a pretty good wireless connection where they are.)

In honor of my parents, here's a strip that my Dad came up with for me.

Genealogy, I Am Doing It

Looking over the comics that the New Era has purchased from me, roughly one in three is a variation on the theme that teenagers are lazy. Surprisingly, they didn't buy this one.

Laputania

For Elder Van Dyke's mission, I knew that I'd need to send him somewhere similar to my mission because as I crafted his stories I'd be drawing a great deal from mine.

Ultimately, I decided to create a country for him, sticking it in the same region of the world as Slovenija (the country where I served). And so Laputania was created. By creating my own nation, I was able to make the rules up as I went. Say, I had some Halloween themed jokes I was itching to draw, no problem, Laputania--unlike Slovenija--just happens to celebrate Halloween.

My world-building had a limit, though. Unlike J.R.R. Tolkien, I wasn't about to create a new language for my new country. It just so happens that Laputanian is the exact same language as Slovenian.

(And if you want to learn it: the "J" makes a "Y" sound at the end of a word and is otherwise silent, the accent over the "C", "S", or "Z" translates to "Ch", "Sh", or "Zh".)

Area Authority

This weekend is Stake Conference, so here's a joke I came up with while dozing taking copious notes six months ago during our last Stake Conference.

Get it? Because geometry deals with area. Just a question, shouldn't we call them Volume Authorities? Or do we just not care about anyone living on the second story or higher?

Elder Van Dyke

I created Elder Alex Van Dyke (he's the missionary on the left) in the Spring of 1993, shortly after receiving my mission call to the Vienna Austria Mission where I would serve in the country of Slovenija. He became sort of my missionary alter-ego. Every week when I would write home, I would include a missionary gag starring him.

Later when I came home off my mission, I decided to create a strip tracking Van Dyke throughout his mission. The project took nearly a decade to complete, but now I've got over 500 strips chronicling Elder Van Dyke from mission call to homecoming.

And since I've got all those strips laying around, I figured I mind as well post them on this blog.

(Remember, click on the image for a larger view.)

A Major Announcement

If you've stumbled upon this blog more than once, you've probably noticed that every Thursday (with an occasional exception) I post a comic of the week. And outside of that, I may post something here or there.

Well, this blog is about to get twice as good because starting Monday, I'll be introducing "Missionary Monday"! I'll be posting the adventures of Elder Alex Van Dyke and his various companions every week on (big surprise here) Mondays while still posting the comic of the week on Thursdays.

So plan your blog reading accordingly.

The Pride of the World

Here's another joke that would have worked better a couple of years ago.

Come to think of it the housing bubble was very much like the great and spacious building Lehi saw in his dream: no foundation and the fall thereof was exceedingly great.