The above is a comic sketch I did some time ago and I haven’t found a good spot in a story to work it in. Part of the joke is that there is an abandoned and rusting Mobil Oil truck in the Frog Pond that gets used during the boy’s adventures.

I share it now because I wanted to ‘reward’ those of you who check in to see what the kids are up to in the Frog Pond. It’s been months since the last storyline ended and I wanted to reassure you that this comic is not dead, just delayed.

I’m still running into a progress snag. The characters need to be refined slightly and it’s not easy to distill them down to their proper essences. You see, the characters are based on family and I don’t want to make Gus the ‘always angry’ one, for instance.  I don’t want to make him someone who is constantly flying off the handle. That would also get boring to read and draw. It also isn’t true to my concept of Gus and the other characters.

It’s a bit of a battle to discover all my underlying assumptions about who these characters are. An old friend of mine (a psych major) once told me that someone’s greatest strength is also their weakness. Therefore, Gus’s temper should help him at some times and hinder him at other times. At the same time, Gus has other facets in his character. What do these sides of Gus have in common?

Even though I would prefer to be posting new comics, I will not reduce Gus down to “Angry Smurf” just to get things rolling again. And I know you wouldn’t want me to. I am trying to find the roots of each character and it just can’t be rushed. And no one can do it for me, really. So you’re stuck waiting on me.

Once I properly understand them I can make sure their visuals, mannerisms and voice complement their foundation. The Frog Pond will be a far more entertaining comic to read and create.

As always, thanks for tuning in to see what the kids are doing. I’m working with them.

-Delos