Farewell Animation, Hello Comics!

At age 65, I start over.

Sometimes you don’t choose a career; it chooses you.

I studied, animated, designed, storyboarded, wrote books about, and taught animation for 44 years and never thought I’d do anything else.

In mid-December 2022 I got an idea for a comic strip, the only form of cartooning that I had never tried. On New Year’s Eve I put it aside assuming that it would go away, but the characters would not leave.

The main cast of FurBabies. One big happy family.

The first FurBabies comics  were drawn on January 4, 2023. Lynn Johnston (creator of For Better or For Worse) encouraged me and taught me how to plan and develop the strip. I also used lessons and notes by Peanuts creator Charles M. “Sparky” Schulz. I thank them both.

In May 2023 I signed a distribution agreement with the Andrews McMeel Universal Syndicate. The FurBabies first appeared on their GoComics website on June 5, 2023. Here is a preview:

Kate Buffet awakens to a new day in the very first FurBabies comic, helped by Floof the kitten. You can see the rest of it on GoComics’ FurBabies page, beginning on June 5.

The comic strip will be updated every day on the GoComics website.

https://www.gocomics.com/furbabies  

I’m honored to be starting a new career at age 65.  Age is unimportant in the comic strip field. The only thing that matters is the drawing and the writing. And everything is still drawn by hand.

I hope that Kate, Floof, Sirius, Stella, Shawm, and their friends bring you as much fun as I’m having drawing them. Behind the scenes stories will appear here and on the FurBabies Facebook and Instagram pages.

There is no charge to see FurBabies on GoComics, but a subscription is a bargain. It allows you to follow FurBabies and many other comics, and leave comments, and like or even purchase copies of individual strips/ This helps support my work. New strips will be uploaded every day.

Please feel free to download and print this flyer and share it with your friends.

Thank you in advance, and  I’ll see you in the funny papers!