Sam and Fuzzy Q & A: Cooper Edition
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"Since you're local, are you going to be at the new Vancouver Fan Expo?" -April

Yes! I actually just recieved word from the Fan Expo folks that our booth is a go, so I've added it to my con schedule up at the top of the site. (It's only a couple of weeks away!) I'll be sharing a booth with my frequent Canadian con-buddy Alina from Weregeek. Any Vancouverites who will be at the show can come swing by booth #513.

And for those of you who dig more indie-styled shows over the mainstream cons (or who like both), I will also be appearing at the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival in May! This free-to-attend show is actually being put together by my wife, Shannon, and features a pretty epic slew of independent print and web comic creators.

It's great to have two new shows here in my home base! I'm really looking forward to both of them.

"So, say one of your readers was thinking about getting one of your t-shirt designs as a tattoo (Insatiable Reader/Würdwürm). Is this something you would happily encourage or would you forever shame the aforementioned reader?" -Angela

Man, it is your body! You can put whatever you want on it. I have seen some good tattoos based on my work, and also some horrible ones... it really depends on the appropriateness of your choice of art and the skill of your tattoo artist.

But consider this: a t-shirt is actually a lot like a tattoo! It just doesn't cost thousands of dollars to remove. (Although if you'd like one that does, I'm sure we can figure something out!)

"So upon archive-diving to get a refresher course on Erin Cooper, I discovered an interesting little gem in Lies and Ties, Pt. 5 where Morris says 'I will not become one of those detectives whose career becomes bogged down in a never-ending celebrity case.' Rereading that line with the hindsight of her work on Hazel's case, it takes on an interesting light. While Hazel's case might not be 'celebrity' on the same level as Sid's was, it is certainly a long-running one that seems to have taken up the majority of Morris' professional life. Did you have any of that in mind, or was it just a fun coincidence?" -GR

At the time I drew that strip, I had no idea where Morris' plot and backstory would eventually lead. But whenever I decide to send a character down a new arc -- especially a supporting cast member who hasn't appeared much before -- I will absolutely go back and re-read their older appearances to see if there is any interesting details I can build on, connect, reflect or integrate into the newer material.

So no, Morris' current story wasn't planned back during those early strips... but it was certainly crafted to fit with them! I like it when new stories cast a new light on older ones, which is hopefully what the reveal of Morris' long-running "obsession" with Hazel (she's not really on the case in an official capacity) does on her previous insistance that she will never get bogged down.

"I think I speak for many a curious reader when I ask: just why is a large, buttered butterfly net the best way to catch ghost mummies?" -Joshua

It's actually a popular misconception that you use the net to capture ghost mummies directly. The net is actually for capturing wild dairy moths. It's the dairy moths that you use to catch the mummies.

We return on Monday with the start of a brand new chapter! The climax of Sam and Fuzzy Under the Influence is nigh, friends.

-Sam Logan

Ted

Remember a bit over a year ago, when they announced "Teddy Bear" -- a movie from Family Guy's Seth Macfarlane that sounded suspiciously like Sam and Fuzzy? (Prompting the creation of this strip.) Well, it has a trailer now.

If anyone had any worries that the now-named Ted was actually goint to rip off Sam and Fuzzy, well... the trailer will probably put most of them to rest. It's pretty standard Macfarlane foul-mouthed-guy-and-his-talking-animal-sidekick schtick through and through, way more like his other work than anything you've ever read here.

Still, there is a guy in a tie, and a talking bear. I'm not going to lie... it's hard for me not to look at a screencap like the one below and feel, just for a second, like I am peering into some alternate universe where someone was actually crazy enough to make a live-action/CG Sam and Fuzzy film.



It's a good thing a live-action Sam and Fuzzy film would probably be a terrible idea, though... because as unlikely as such a project would have been before, in a post-Ted world I'm sure it will be pretty much impossible! After all, unless Ted ushers in a whole era of bear-based films, no one is going to want to make something that looks like a rip-off.

-Sam Logan

Won't get fooled again

No April Fools gag this year -- partly because the holiday fell on a non-update day, partly because I was off at ECCC at the time, and partly because I just totally forgot!

And speaking of ECCC... thanks for an awesome time at the show, everyone! Emerald City has a rep for being one of the best mainstream comic conventions in North America, and once again, it proved that reputation was well-earned.

-Sam Logan