F.A.Q.
Here are some of the more common questions I usually get asked about "Autumn Lake" and its characters. If you have a question, feel free to send it to me.You can send your questions to the e-mail address located at the bottom of the page.
Question 1: "Do these people have jobs, or do they just stand around all day?"
Well, the answer is yes, and no. The only cast members who have regular jobs are Lindy (who runs the town's flower shop), Danny (a receptionist), The Coffee Girl (who owns/operates the Coffee Cafe), and Cowboy Bill (the deejay at a local radio station). It's probably a good assumption that Sherm works somewhere, at least part-time. Sherm is ex-Navy, and is likely working towards his 20 year retirement in a civil service post. Mark created and draws a science-fiction comic book, "Roothie Battlers", and it presumably earns him enough money so that he doesn't have to work a regular job. Christine may work. Probably at a shopping mall kiosk, if anything. Chris has upscale tastes that come from still being supported by her comfortably well-off father. Dennis lives at home with his mom, and works on his lab experiments and inventions in the basement of their house. Odds are that Dennis subsists off of odd jobs, an allowance from his mom, and grant money. Leonard also lives at home with his mom, and doesn't work.
Question 2: "Are any of the characters related to one another?"
No.
Question 3: "How old are the characters? Are they kids, or what?"
The cast is all over the age of eighteen, with the exception of the Punk Teen, who is still in high school. Sherm is the oldest, probably in his early thirties. Being a grouch makes him more cantakerous, thus he seems even older. Cowboy Bill is about thirty. Leonard is probably eighteen to twenty. The balance of the cast is in their early to mid-twenties.
Question 4: "Where is Autumn Lake located?"
New England, USA. Beyond that, I've purposely kept the location of the town vague.
Question 5: "Are any of the cast members based on real people?"
Yes. Primarily, all of the male cast members are based in part on real people or combinations of real people I've known. Mark and Dennis are based on myself and a real live Dennis. Leonard is partly based on a person I knew and worked with, and a mixture of silent film stars such as Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin. Sherm (or at least his appearance), is also partly based on a co-worker I had years ago, though he wasn't a grouch. Cowboy Bill resembles someone I knew at a country radio station. Punk Teens are everywhere these days.
The girls are all made up (hey, I'm a cartoonist with no life!). Lindy takes her name from two sources, one a Scots friend of mine who's last name is Trefethen. Amelinda/Lindy was the name of an interplanetary magician in a sci-fi book I read. I liked both the name and the character's occupation, which is why Lindy shares them.
None of the characters, not even Mark, are a one-to-one copy of their real-life counterparts.
Question 6: "How long does it take to draw the comic?"
The dailies take about 1-2 hours on average, and the Full-Color Sunday Funnies take about four hours to do. It depends on the complexity of the comic that day, too; the more panels and text, the more there is to do. That can add significantly to the time it takes to complete the strip.
Question 7: "Is Lindy supposed to be a grown-up Lucy Van Pelt from Peanuts?"
No. In fact, you can see a comparison of the two here.
Question 8: "Can I be in your comic?"
No. Well, if you're a hot chick jonesin' for a cartoonist... maybe.
Well, the answer is yes, and no. The only cast members who have regular jobs are Lindy (who runs the town's flower shop), Danny (a receptionist), The Coffee Girl (who owns/operates the Coffee Cafe), and Cowboy Bill (the deejay at a local radio station). It's probably a good assumption that Sherm works somewhere, at least part-time. Sherm is ex-Navy, and is likely working towards his 20 year retirement in a civil service post. Mark created and draws a science-fiction comic book, "Roothie Battlers", and it presumably earns him enough money so that he doesn't have to work a regular job. Christine may work. Probably at a shopping mall kiosk, if anything. Chris has upscale tastes that come from still being supported by her comfortably well-off father. Dennis lives at home with his mom, and works on his lab experiments and inventions in the basement of their house. Odds are that Dennis subsists off of odd jobs, an allowance from his mom, and grant money. Leonard also lives at home with his mom, and doesn't work.
Question 2: "Are any of the characters related to one another?"
No.
Question 3: "How old are the characters? Are they kids, or what?"
The cast is all over the age of eighteen, with the exception of the Punk Teen, who is still in high school. Sherm is the oldest, probably in his early thirties. Being a grouch makes him more cantakerous, thus he seems even older. Cowboy Bill is about thirty. Leonard is probably eighteen to twenty. The balance of the cast is in their early to mid-twenties.
Question 4: "Where is Autumn Lake located?"
New England, USA. Beyond that, I've purposely kept the location of the town vague.
Question 5: "Are any of the cast members based on real people?"
Yes. Primarily, all of the male cast members are based in part on real people or combinations of real people I've known. Mark and Dennis are based on myself and a real live Dennis. Leonard is partly based on a person I knew and worked with, and a mixture of silent film stars such as Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin. Sherm (or at least his appearance), is also partly based on a co-worker I had years ago, though he wasn't a grouch. Cowboy Bill resembles someone I knew at a country radio station. Punk Teens are everywhere these days.
The girls are all made up (hey, I'm a cartoonist with no life!). Lindy takes her name from two sources, one a Scots friend of mine who's last name is Trefethen. Amelinda/Lindy was the name of an interplanetary magician in a sci-fi book I read. I liked both the name and the character's occupation, which is why Lindy shares them.
None of the characters, not even Mark, are a one-to-one copy of their real-life counterparts.
Question 6: "How long does it take to draw the comic?"
The dailies take about 1-2 hours on average, and the Full-Color Sunday Funnies take about four hours to do. It depends on the complexity of the comic that day, too; the more panels and text, the more there is to do. That can add significantly to the time it takes to complete the strip.
Question 7: "Is Lindy supposed to be a grown-up Lucy Van Pelt from Peanuts?"
No. In fact, you can see a comparison of the two here.
Question 8: "Can I be in your comic?"
No. Well, if you're a hot chick jonesin' for a cartoonist... maybe.
