Been reading Jeff Smith’s “Bone” lately, which is charming and engaging and amusing and I’m enjoying it immensely, even though I usually prefer somewhat…um…grimmer fare. Also, it’s in black and white.

This is going to sound incredibly stupid of me, but it never seriously occurred to me to do a comic in black and white before. I read very few comics, and they’re all in color–Preacher, Sandman, Books of Magic…color, color, color. My brief toe-dip into Lone Wolf and Cub didn’t really make an impression, largely because it was more like a Japanese ink painting than anything else. But here’s this entertaining, charming thing done in black and white and done well, and somewhere in the deep and desolate fogs of my artistic hindbrain, an idea perched on an anthill, raised a tiny paw to heaven, and said “Hey, bet that digital scribble stuff that goes really fast would work, and it’d be quicker than the tedious draw-scan-arrange-ink-color stuff. You might actually be able to get through a piece before inspiration died.” “Hey,” I said, “that’s an interesting thought.”

Then the idea got cocky and started suggesting something about tax reform and generally making a nuisance of itself, until one of the big, predatory ideas ate it. But anyway, it got me doodling.

Now, I need another project like I need a hole in the head. People want to know what the Mammals do with that pesky brain, and I get mail requesting more Gothbat every other day, and of course there’s still a zillion Irrational Fears to go. The last thing I need is another character and another story line to intrude on my already fractional spare time and highly limited inspiration.

But what the hell, I went ahead and doodled Digger the wombat anyway. (Her name’s really “Digger of Needlessly Complicated Tunnels” but you can call her Digger.) That’s the sum of my knowledge about her, except that obviously I have a thing for chunky little heroines without pants.
Wombat Sketches

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