Cartoonist

After all this time, I finally had a newspaper article done about QlownTown and me, in the Nashua, NH, Telegraph. The question of whether to reveal myself in my true form on the web is now moot. While the website only shows a cartoon version of me, the article shows a bunch of photos.

The photographer asked me to draw a bunch of cartoon characters to surround me, then do a bunch of poses myself. I figured he'd use the best one; he used five! I don't remember what I was doing with my hands; despite appearances, I don't have arthritis. Maybe I was trying to pump up my pecs; I don't know.

The response has been great, from friends and fans alike. There was a big spike in visits to the site: I should be in the paper every day! Oh, wait--if I start getting the strip in newspapers, I will be. Or at least the strip will.

I was wearing a QlownTown shirt in the picture. It'll be interesting to see if anyone orders any as a result. Same with the calendar. Of course, the whole goal of being in the newspaper is to increase sales of merchandise, or even donations to the site. (The internet has an odd rule: give stuff away for free in order to make money. The hope is that people who like the free cartoons will want to buy them on T shirts, mugs, etc., or make a small donation to offset costs and allow the site to continue.) But I have to admit: just being in the paper is pretty cool.  

Having appeared in newspapers because I was a finalist in several cooking contests, in a magazine after I built a superinsulated saltbox up in Maine, and on TV being interviewed about the same house (a public TV special on energy efficient housing which appeared opposite the Super Bowl years ago, before Tivo or even VCRs, and was therefore seen by probably five people), I have to admit I enjoy the exposure. When I was a candidate to succeed Steve Thomas as host of This Old House, I was ready to hang up my tool belt for the glamor (is TOH actually glamorous?) of TV. So a day of local fame is fun. And it's interesting to go from a situation in which I'm totally in charge of the final product, from writing to drawing to coloring to uploading, to one where I answer some questions and trust someone else to tell the whole story for me. Luckily, Joe done good. Thanks, Joe!