Life Imitates Art
Thursday, December 6th, 2007I hope no one is too offended by that horrible depiction of graphic violence in panel three. I suppose I should put up a warning label or something.
About six months back, my son finally graduated from sleeping in a crib to sleeping in a big boy bed. For some reason, he never figured out how to climb out of his crib so we were in no hurry whatsoever to get him sleeping in a bed. The problem with the bed is that he can climb out and walk around the house whenever he wants, and sadly, I’m about as effective as Willoughby when it comes to getting him to lay down and go to sleep.
Speaking of Willoughby, he was a very tough character for me to write. When I first envisioned him, it was as someone who was completely ineffective who masks that by trying to tell everyone what to do. He was really nothing more than a bossy jerk. That fit well for his role in this story, but as I started drawing sketches of him, I found that I actually liked him and wanted him to be something more than just a pain in the rear for Zip and Li’l Bit, so I kept trying to come up with ideas that would make him more sympathetic. This page was an important one for me because even though it’s completely silly, it shows things from Willoughby’s perspective and shows how he views himself as kind of a tough guy. He is a lion after all.
December 8th, 2007 at 12:09 am
I view him as the or one of the protectors of the house, he has to be bossy but its apparent that he cares for those that reside inside of his house. If he ate those children from before I don’t believe they were ever in danger just sent back to there rooms for a time out of some sort. In some way there was a secret passage like in the game of clue. Yet i’m being optimistic because i like lions, especially willoughby, you’ve drawn him so well
December 9th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Hey Bow! You’re being too optimistic about the fate of any little children possibly eaten by Willoughby. “If” he ever managed to get a child to climb into his mouth so he could eat them, I figure they’re probably still sitting around in his belly, wherever that is, cold and lonely.
But I don’t think he would ever eat anybody anyway. He’s just a lot of big talk.
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:04 am
Willoughby is a great character. Yes, he also seems like a friendly “protector” lion to me. And it seems that the kids like him, too. I really think that his role is to act as their conscience.
He’s just part of the magic of childhood, where all kinds of things seem alive.
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:05 am
Thanks. You’re right in that he does seem to play the role of the kids’ conscience. The more I write and draw him the better he gets. He seems to be the perfect foil for Zip and Li’l Bit, playing the part of the “protector” or adult to the kids.
Of course, any sort of serious psychological examination into why I portrayed the “adult” character as a impotent statue without a body would probably reveal serious emotional issues and character flaws on my part. So let’s not think about it anymore.