Comic #923: Et tu, Brutosaur? (Patreon)

Sometimes there's a news story during the week that instantly gives me a comic idea, and this was one of those times. The only thing I really needed to work on is the specific dialogue Keydar would have throughout the comic, and what physical actions he would be performing in each one.

I could have gone a more traditional route, and had him ranting in the first four panels, with absolutely no sign that he would be paying for the mount, and then have him riding it in the final panel as a punchline. I just didn't like that version, it felt more like a soapbox, like I was taking a hard stance on the issue, or calling everyone a hypocrite or something.

I think it being clear that he was going to buy it from the start regardless of his personal opinion of the practice makes it feel more tongue-in-cheek. Also, I think it reflects how I feel sometimes, when I'm so annoyed at the cost of something but I have so little self-control that it's almost like I never had a choice in the matter.

Sometimes it can be a very hard line to walk when a comic is touching on a very contentious issue. My goal is never really to critique how anyone plays a game or how people spend their money, so I try to reflect that in the tone of the humor, but it can be hard in a visual medium. I chose to use Keydar in the comic specifically to make it a little clearer that I was making fun of myself as well. Nobody wants to open a comic and feel like someone is calling them an idiot, so I try to leave the comic more open to interpretation, to allow more people to find the humor in it.

Hopefully I succeeded.

Also, I love drawing a derpy mount.