Operation Desert Wait

On Friday I posted the first part of my interview with Dan Long, the artist behind Edmund Finney’s Quest to find the Meaning of Life. In it, Dan, a former Marine, discussed what he learned when he was sent to a foreign world with the goal of convincing the natives to leave their homes so the land could be mined for its minerals. In the second part of the interview Dan talks about how that experience helped toughen him up for his current gig as a cartoonist:

WAH: What is the main goal you’d like to achieve for yourself with your webcomic?

DL: I have a very random thought process, and I’ve always loved the comic strip medium.  So, in my creation of a comic, those two forces collide.  Most of the time, when I see something normal going on in life; a conversation with a cashier, a person walking a dog, etc., I think “wouldn’t it be funny if ____” and fill in the blank.  I suppose drawing these imaginary situations out on paper is sort of therapeutic.  I suppose I also just get the enjoyment of throwing my hat into the ring for an art medium that brought me so much joy growing up (and still does).

WAH: What is the main goal you’d like to achieve for your fans with your webcomic?

DL: I’m shooting for a goal of making  a webcomic that people enjoy, as basic as that sounds.  I hope Edmund is a person that people like, and can relate to in some ways while being entertained by his experiences.  I’ve gotten some very nice e-mails from readers who just wanted to tell me they enjoy what I’m doing, and things like that completely make all the effort worth it.

– Ben