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CAPTION: HIPPO SIDEBAR Hippo: This is not a political comic. It's a meta-comic. I've been sharing my comics on and off for over a decade and I have some thoughts. Hippo: First, there's something about the hippo. I don't know what it is. Out of all my posts, the top three star Hippo, and #4 has almost half as many upvotes as #3. Second, Hippo isn't me. I'm Tanuki. Hippo: Next, I need to say something to all the people who say "this isn't a comic" or "this is a lazy comic" or "you just repeat the same image three times and slap bad politics on it". They need to expand their ideas of what comics can be and are. When I started WTFA in 2016, I wanted a blast of righteous anger, like the one I got from David Rees' "Get Your War On" in the early 2000s. GYWO is a clip-art comic. The beauty of a clip-art political comic is you can get timely comics out the door really quickly. I didn't want to simply copy Rees, though, so I created my own clip art. Hippo: The idea was, what if Richard Scarry-style cute anthropomorphic characters said curse words while discussing politics? It's kind of puerile and shallow, but it's flexible and fast. Am I capable of making an entirely new set of three or more different watercolors? Of course I am. (I've done it a few times.) It's not really that difficult. But I'm doing this two to three times a week and I have other things to do. Despite my pleas for people to join my Patreon or tip me via ko-fi, right now I'm grossing US$16 a month. Technically I guess that makes me a professional, but that's not a lot of money if I'm going to be using that many art supplies. Hippo: Also consider comics like GYWO, Qwantz Dinosaur Comics, xkcd, Red Meat, and Wondermark. They're all great comics (much better than mine, for sure) but none of them are pouring a ton of effort into the art. (Well, I think David Malki has been increasing his original art input as the strip's gone on.) They're still great because comics isn't about draftsmanship and art isn't about how much time you spend on it. (In fact for me the commentary following each comic takes more real effort than the artwork. I have to cite sources!) Hippo: Another important point: I don't think I'm correct all the time. Or even necessarily most of the time. I read widely and I try to do "research" for each comic, and while I think I'm pretty intelligent, I'm a computer programmer who draws. I'm not an expert in politics. I'm not even a trained illustrator! These are off the cuff thoughts I have in the moment -- I rarely spend a huge amount of time planning -- and as such aren't intended to substitute for expertise or actual research. They point out things I've noticed or am thinking about, which I think are worth discussing. I've definitely been wildly off base! And that's okay. At least I think it is. I'm learning, too. Orange Meanie: Finally: What is it with the damned hippo?

NEW COMIC TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK, OR WHEN THE MOOD STRIKES

HIPPO SIDEBAR

This is not a political comic. It's a meta-comic. I've been sharing my comics on and off for over a decade and I have some thoughts.

First, there's something about the hippo. I don't know what it is. Out of all my posts, the top three star Hippo, and #4 has almost half as many upvotes as #3.

Second, Hippo isn't me. I'm Tanuki.

Next, I need to say something to all the people who say "this isn't a comic" or "this is a lazy comic" or "you just repeat the same image three times and slap bad politics on it". They need to expand their ideas of what comics can be and are. When I started WTFA in 2016, I wanted a blast of righteous anger, like the one I got from David Rees' "Get Your War On" in the early 2000s. GYWO is a clip-art comic. The beauty of a clip-art political comic is you can get timely comics out the door really quickly. I didn't want to simply copy Rees, though, so I created my own clip art. The idea was, what if Richard Scarry-style cute anthropomorphic characters said curse words while discussing politics? It's kind of puerile and shallow, but it's flexible and fast. Am I capable of making an entirely new set of three or more different watercolors? Of course I am. (I've done it a few times.) It's not really that difficult. But I'm doing this two to three times a week and I have other things to do. Despite my pleas for people to join my Patreon or tip me via ko-fi, right now I'm grossing US$16 a month. Technically I guess that makes me a professional, but that's not a lot of money if I'm going to be using that many art supplies.

Also consider comics like GYWO, Qwantz Dinosaur Comics, xkcd, Red Meat, and Wondermark. They're all great comics (much better than mine, for sure) but none of them are pouring a ton of effort into the art. (Well, I think David Malki has been increasing his original art input as the strip's gone on.) They're still great because comics isn't about draftsmanship and art isn't about how much time you spend on it. (In fact for me the commentary following each comic takes more real effort than the artwork. I have to cite sources!)

Another important point: I don't think I'm correct all the time. Or even necessarily most of the time. I read widely and I try to do "research" for each comic, and while I think I'm pretty intelligent, I'm a computer programmer who draws. I'm not an expert in politics. I'm not even a trained illustrator! These are off the cuff thoughts I have in the moment -- I rarely spend a huge amount of time planning -- and as such aren't intended to substitute for expertise or actual research. They point out things I've noticed or am thinking about, which I think are worth discussing. I've definitely been wildly off base! And that's okay. At least I think it is. I'm learning, too.

Finally: What is it with the damned hippo?

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Comic and commentary always available at wtfacomic.com