Capes-n-Babes

After you have built up a fairly good size webcomic archive and have gone to multiple conventions, it’s fairly routine that you can expect at least one person during a convention show to ask you where your ideas come from. I believe Matt Stout and I talked about this subject quite extensively on one or two of our Lightbox: Illuminating Webcomics podcast (which I hope we can get re-started soon).

The answer I usually like to give is that the ideas for strips are all around us – we just have to be in tune to where and what they are.

Case in point… today’s strip comes from a visit I had early last week at a Wal-mart near where I work. I had gotten off work and needed to due some shopping at that particular Wal-mart. They are in the middle of construction so much of the store was in the middle of being re-organized and re-arranged. So I started wondering around and eventually ended up in the MEN’S clothing section. I emphasize “men” because what I saw there seemed more akin to the kid’s section. But apparently, DC and Marvel have decided to start marketing underwear towards men of a certain age. Mostly, the underwear were boxers… Captain America boxers. Green Lantern Boxers. Batman and Superman boxers and so forth.

And that’s where I started letting my comic strip intuition take over.

Now, I wasn’t sure if I saw a Flash pair of Fruit of the Looms (I was in a bit of a hurry so I didn’t go through the racks of boxers that were on display), but that didn’t stop my creative mind from whirling. By the time I had paid for my stuff, gotten in my car and driven home, I had the idea for today’s strip firmly planted in my head.

That’s just one example of where one of my ideas came from. For the other comic strip creators out there, do you have a favorite story where one of your ideas came from? If so, share it in the comments section. I’d love to hear about it.

-Chris