Holiday Letter 2005

During the Christmas season, I received many Christmas cards. Unfortunately, because I was so busy, I didn’t have time to send out any myself. So, if I could, I’d like to use _this_ as my Christmas card to everyone who was kind enough to send one to me.

[ puts Santa hat on his head and begins ]

“Dear Friend, or Relative, or Business Associate. Merry Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or Solstice, or Voodoo Day.

Boy, what a year it’s been – me, with my programming, and, you doing whatever it is that you do. Thanks for the Christmas card, it was very beautiful, or humorous. I enjoyed the photo of your kid, or kids. Boy, he, or she, or they are really getting big. Have you seen our mutual friend, if we have one? Can you believe what he or she is up to? Boy, some people! Has your son, or daughter, or sister, or brother, or husband, or wife still have that drug problem? All you can do is trust in God, or, if you prefer, voodoo.

How is Granny, or Nana, or Mimi, or Yaya? So so? Hey, how about the professional sports team that we both root for? They should fire, or rehire that manager of theirs. He’s a character!

Well, gotta go. By the way, sorry about throwing up on your carpet that time, or times. I hope you receive many presents from Santa, or Hanukkah Guy, or the Voodoo Man.. and that the coming year is as good as, or better than, or nothing like the last year.

Love, Ed.

(With apologies to Alec Baldwin and the SNL writers.)

Jeph Jaques’ Rules for Doing a Webcomic

Jeph Jacques is the author/artist of one of my favorite webcomics, Questionable Content.

He recently posted a list of 10 rules for doing a webcomic.

That’s pretty awesome. I have one rule for doing anything creative, and it’s common sense, but it’s often ignored, by me as well as by others.

  • If what you care most about is doing something rather than not doing it, then ignore any rule for doing it that would prevent you from doing it right now.

At this point I don’t know how to draw comics with a consistent, polished look. (Or, the haters would say, comics with funny jokes.) If I waited till I knew how, I wouldn’t be doing it. So I’m not waiting.