Ollie & Quentin Comic

O&Q eBook on the Nook

2012-01-24T14:47:00.000Z

I don't actually know what a Nook is but the Ollie and Quentin eBook is available for it. If it's anything like the Nookie I am familiar with I think I'll like it. I've heard of Barnes and Noble though. Anyway, you Nook owners can now get hundreds of comics for the price of a cup of coffee here!

O&Q on the Apple iBookstore!

2012-01-17T15:56:00.000Z

At last! It's taken weeks of fiddly hard work but I've finally got the Ollie and Quentin eBook approved and up on the Apple iBookstore. Phew! At a ludicrously cheap £2.99 (or about $4.50) that's about 350 full colour comics for the price of a cup of coffee. Bargain!

Wish I had an iPad!

5 Seasons Festival in Belgium

2012-01-13T21:36:00.000Z

I love this! It's part of the 5 Seasons Festival in Belgium. Created by Turkish artist Mehmet Ali Uysal.

Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T12:11:00.000Z

Revised 'ending' to my comic... so it's NOT the end...

2012-01-11T16:21:00.000Z

You may remember I decided to 'end' my comic by saying Ollie and Quentin were moving to the UK (where they'd be more appreciated!). Well, obviously readers in the UK think this is 'bizarre' as they've always assumed they lived in the UK anyway, as have I in fact. Actually, so did my editor at Kings. Anyway, I've revised three of the 'last' week's 5 comics (2 I'll simply remove) to make it look as if the guys were just deciding to go on holiday to the USA.

(By the way, 999 is the British version of 911 and we say 'holiday' not 'vacation').

25% off Ollie and Quentin Book till 31st January!

2012-01-10T11:40:00.002Z

Lulu are offering 25% off the Ollie and Quentin book till 31st January (£50 max savings). This means I won't lose the tiny revenue I make as Lulu cover the discount not me.

Type in this code at the checkout to get your discount: LULUBOOKUK305

So if you're thinking about buying my book NOW is the time! Just click here.

Here's a taster of what you'll get...

Jess, Evil Mrs Cadaver's Cat, the real version...

2012-01-09T16:37:00.000Z

I knew a really cool ginger tom cat called Jess. He was big, strong and ruthless. Even had his own Facebook page. Local vermin weren't safe while he was around. Sadly his battle with a speeding 4x4 last week didn't go his way and he's now gone. This series last November was based on him.

The first ever O&Q Sunday comic...

2012-01-08T11:25:00.000Z

...and still one of my favourites!

Reaction to the end of O&Q...

2012-01-04T17:33:00.011Z

The reaction I've had from fans to the 'ending' of Ollie and Quentin has been overwhelming. I had no idea my comic was this popular. The sales figures certainly didn't suggest this and few people contacted me during my run. People have said some really lovely things and I hope they won't mind if I post a selection of them here. They make me feel a bit better about the comic:

"Wait a minute! This isn't part of some kind of joke? I've come to really like this comic - it isn't over is it?"

"I literally don't know anyone who has read O&Q who hasn't enjoyed it immensely. The fact that newspapers don't pick it up is hardly telling of the strip's quality!... This is a terrible loss to the comics world. Absolutely terrible."

"Sad, sad, sad. Keep your name out there, please, so we in the U.S. can follow whatever's next. Thanks for all of the stellar work!"

"I was so sad to read that your comic strip will be coming to an end soon. This has been my favorite comic since Calvin and Hobbes."

"That IS sad! :( O&Q is one of my absolute favorites of all-time."

"I'm going to miss this strip and some of the most awesome art work I've seen."

"Thank you for having brought Ollie and Quentin to our lives. As a former F-15 pilot and now flying the lumbering B777 across the pond, I have a great fondness for your comic."

"Ollie and Quentin quickly became my favorite comic, pretty much from the first time I read it. I am sorry more Americans did not share my love of your strip. I do hope you know that your work was (and is still) appreciated by some of us. I wanted to say thank you for all the enjoyment you have given me."

"I personally think Ollie and Quentin was one of the best strips out there and think your artwork is far superior to a lot of syndicated cartoonists that have been doing it for hundreds of years."

"Hi, I am a Brazilian fan of yours. I discovered Ollie and Quentin through an app in my mobile and I have to tell you that your comics is one of the most interesting I read everyday… And it is with an immense sadness that I hear that I will not be able to “meet” Ollie and Quentin everyday and I regret that it happens because people couldn’t see how wonderful your comics is… I know that it might seem insignificant, an opinion from one guy from a place so far, but I really wanted you to know that it was amazing the time I shared with Ollie and Quentin and I am thankful for all the laughters you and your creations provoked on me."

A couple of classics from week 1...

2012-01-04T11:59:00.000Z

I've written and drawn nearly 1500 Ollie and Quentin comics yet few are better than these from week 1... IMHO.
I love the rollercoaster one because I believe airline check in desks should have height charts so that short people can't take the emergency exit seats with the extra leg room while tall guys like me sit with our knees up around our ears for 7 hours.

And so it starts... again!

2012-01-02T15:22:00.001Z

Here it is... the very first Ollie and Quentin syndicated comic. Actually I'd been drawing the strip for about 10 years before this but it was in another guise. Ollie was called Eric. Nobby was 'Stormy Stan the Lifeboatman' (who had a beard) and Quentin didn't exist until about 7 years ago.

In fact here's the first ever comic I can find with both my guys in. This goes way back to about 2000. I just wanted to add Quentin (or Christopher as I first thought of calling him then) as a non-speaking character but within a few months he developed his own voice.

No Sunday Comic today so here's an old favourite...

2012-01-01T17:12:00.000Z

Just missed Bronze!

2011-12-31T14:15:00.000Z

Ollie and Quentin just miss out on bronze medal in Buzz Dixon's top 10 comic strips of 2011. Click here to see his choices.
Thanks Buzz.

The end?

2011-12-31T11:31:00.000Z

Today's comic is the last for a while. The strip is too good to stop completely so I'm going to spend the next year finding new markets for it. My hope is to convince a national UK newspaper to run it and take things from there. I'm hoping to fund an animation short in the 'Wallace and Gromit' stop frame style but that may take some time. In the meantime don't disappear as I'll be posting about how I'm getting on here in the UK.

Ollie and Quentin in the Arctic Circle

2011-12-30T22:18:00.001Z

WooHoo! Look at this! Ollie and Quentin make an appearance in the brilliant Arctic Circle by fellow Brit and all round good egg Alex Hallatt! Click here to have a look at Alex's website. Cheers Alex.

Christmas Week...

2011-12-28T13:21:00.000Z

Boy I'm stuffed! Hope everyone had a great Christmas. I'll bet most of us are a good few pounds heavier. Think I am so went for a 10k run this morning.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-12-25T10:00:00.000Z

Happy Christmas Everyone!

O&Q @ The Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco

2011-12-24T12:12:00.000Z

This may be your last chance to see some original Ollie and Quentin comic art so pop over to The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco to have a look. We're in great company with the likes of Arctic Circle, Cul De Sac, Lio, Pearls Before Swine, Tina's Groove etc. Plenty of great artwork to see. Wish I could go. Thankfully Jonathan Lemon of Rabbits Against Magic fame did and took these photos. Thanks Lemon.

Don't forget your O&Q Book!

2011-12-22T12:36:00.000Z

Don't forget the beautiful 124 page, full colour book of my favourite Ollie and Quentin strips from the last four years. That’s about 350 colour comics! It's too gorgeous to miss! Please click here to buy one if you're in the US or click here if you're in the UK.

Touching message from King Features Editor, Brendan Burford

2011-12-20T19:13:00.002Z

Piers Baker’s OLLIE & QUENTIN Fly Away

Posted on DailyINK December 19, 2011 by Brendan Burford

Piers Baker’s OLLIE & QUENTIN has been one of my personal faves the past few years, and I’m sad to report that as of January 1^st, 2012, King Features will no longer syndicate new installments of the wonderful strip. The time had simply come for Piers to seek new opportunities for himself and for his creations.

This isn’t necessarily all somber news – Piers tells me that he wants to look for new ways to bring OLLIE & QUENTIN to the world. He’s just not going to do the intense work of creating it every single day. And lucky you, reader friend, we will continue to run the past four years of the strip right here on DailyINK! Beginning Monday, January 2^nd, we will post the very first OLLIE & QUENTIN strip (which originally ran on January 7^th, 2008), and roll out the entire run from that point on. It will be fun to revisit those first strips.

A personal note: I’d like to mention again that I really do enjoy OLLIE & QUENTIN, and I am extremely fond of Piers Baker – I have greatly enjoyed working with him these past few years. OLLIE & QUENTIN is my kind of comic strip. It’s beautiful and funny and subtle and quirky. The world is so charmingly realized, and so elegantly presented. The refinement of it all makes the zaniness that much more rewarding – there’s a wonderful dichotomy to the gentle look and feel combined with the unapologetic humor that I just love. Piers is a special cartoonist – more people should know that, and dive into his world and enjoy some stellar comics. Please join me in congratulating Piers on four fine years of syndication with King Features!

Ollie and Quentin to end in newspapers...

2011-12-19T10:29:00.001Z

Ollie and Quentin simply isn’t attracting newspaper readers so King Features and I have reluctantly decided to end that part of our relationship at the end of the year. This is painfully sad but not unexpected. Ollie and Quentin is a gem of a comic but that just hasn't translated into newspaper sales which is so vital. I am however, delighted and flattered that Kings have chosen to rerun my comic online. A digital presence with Kings means my comic remains in an area of the business that I consider to have the brightest future. In January we'll be reposting strips from day one, four years ago. This is great because there are some real beauties from those early days that I'm sure few readers got to see. Do read it, the drawings are crap but the jokes are pretty good.

So, what has my experience been like? Well, I have never worked harder or longer, never sacrificed more and have never earned less in my whole cartoon career. That said I wouldn’t have missed the last four years for anything. My ambition in life was to be a newspaper syndicated cartoonist and for four wonderful years I lived that dream. Not many people can say they did exactly what they were meant to do in life. I’m glad I can. (I just wish I'd done this 50 years ago!). I was never happier than when sat in a coffee shop writing my comic as ‘Ollie and Quentin World’ became my favorite place to visit. It has got me through some very difficult times as readers of this blog will know. Writing a comic is great therapy!

I have no doubt I am very good at this. I couldn't be more proud of the work I have produced. I gave it my very best shot and know I did everything I could. It’s a great shame only a small newspaper audience saw what I had to offer. I appreciate that a Seagull and a Worm must have been difficult characters to sell and for that my gratitude to the King Features Sales Team who had to work really hard to get my comic noticed. I believe my drawing style and colouring are more suited to online viewing rather than in black and white newsprint. Ollie and Quentin’s future lies on screens, as do most comics.

I will take some time off to consider the next step for Ollie and Quentin. The response I have from British and European readers tells me that there is a bright future for my comic this side of the Atlantic and I will self syndicate over here. I will also market my gorgeous Book and eBook which I am really looking forward to. (See my commercial at the end of this post).

My editor, Brendan Burford at King Features, has been a delight to work with. Barely out of shorts he is quite the most talented guy I’ve ever met and someone I know I can consider a friend. His "Editor's Despatch" blog post on Daily Ink this week is very humbling. A fantastic cartoonist himself he’s proved himself a worthy successor to Jay Kennedy. I’m only sorry the faith he had, and the gamble he took, in syndicating my comic didn’t bring him the return he so deserved.

The cartoon community is a very special one and, although I'm not vanishing from the scene completely I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the stars of the comic world who have offered their support and encouragement over the years, no matter how large or small. This can be a lonely pursuit and every little vote of confidence made the long days and late nights worthwhile. So thanks to Alex Hallatt, Jonathan Lemon, John and Anne Hambrock, Norm Feuti, Mark Tatulli, Stephan Pastis, Rina Piccolo, Richard Thompson, Mike Lynch, Tom Racine, Sandra Bell Lundy, David Hurley, Dan Piraro, and Kieran Meehan to name drop a few. With encouragement from ‘Comic Royalty’ like this I know I did something right.

I won’t miss the weekly deadlines and, as a Brit, I won’t miss having to think and write ‘American’ (note the correct English spelling in this post). I won’t miss working under the 'Sword of Damocles' as I call it, or the threat of comic cancellation as it's more commonly known. I won’t miss hearing that my comic has been dropped from a newspaper or reading my depressing monthly sales reports. I won’t miss comic polls, I won’t miss despairing at the decisions of newspapers (a fight that can never be won) and I won’t miss staying up too late, never reading books, rarely traveling and being poor. I look forward to rediscovering weekends, long walks, tall beers, watching movies, seeing friends and spending more time with my two wonderful children rather than talking to them over my shoulder from my computer in the corner.

Thanks to the very loyal readers Ollie and Quentin does have. I hope you enjoyed something a little different and will continue to support the strip. Remember you'll still be able to see it online (Daily Ink, Comics Kingdom, Facebook, my Website, blogs etc) and I may even post new ones from time to time just to keep my eye in. I have a gorgeous 125 page, full colour 'Best of Ollie and Quentin' printed book out now. It really is lovely. Click Here to buy one if you're in the US or Click Here if you're in the UK. Oh, and for Mugs, Prints, T-shirts etc Click Here. OK, boring commercial break over.

That’s it. Cheers everyone!

Piers

Sunday 3D Strip in Full

2011-12-18T11:38:00.001Z

I have wanted to do a 3D comic for a long time and finally got round to it. This took me about 3 days to do but I think it was time well spent. I used Bryce to create the pod and background. It's a great little programme, and it's FREE!

O&Q at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco...

2011-12-17T08:42:00.000Z

BLACK AND WHITE AND READ ALL OVER: COMICS OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM

December 17, 2011 – May 6, 2012

“I never thought my art would be displayed anywhere other than my mother’s refrigerator. And even she tried to hide it under large magnets and grocery lists.”

-Stephan Pastis, Pearls Before Swine

The newspaper comics page is known for its sense of tradition. The Katzenjammer Kidsis still in syndication more than 110 years since its debut, and popular favorites Peanuts, The Family Circus, Blondie, Beetle Bailey and Dennis The Menace are among the comics still going strong as they’ve passed the half-century mark. New strips are introduced every year, however, and millions of readers worldwide enjoy classic comics—and new ones—on a daily basis.

The Cartoon Art Museum is proud to announce its latest exhibition, Black and White and Read All Over: Comics of the New Millennium, a showcase featuring nine comic strips introduced between the years 2000 and 2010. From talking animals to beleaguered cartoonists, childhood fears to childhood nightmares, the perils of adulthood to the trials of arrested development, the nonsensical to the political (which often goes right back around to nonsensical), the modern comic strip page really does include something for everyone.

Featured artists in this exhibition include Harvey Award and Glyph Award Winner Keith Knight; three National Cartoonists Society winners for Best Comic Strip of the Year, Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine), Mark Tatulli(Lío) and Jeff Parker and Steven Kelley (Dustin); and the 2011 Winner of The National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Award for Best Cartoonist of the Year, Richard Thompson.
Comic strips featured in Black and White and Read All Over: Comics of the New Millennium include:

La Cucaracha by Lalo Alcaraz
Ollie and Quentin by Piers Baker
Arctic Circle by Alex Hallatt
The Knight Life by Keith Knight
Dustin by Jeff Parker & Steve Kelley
Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis
Tina’s Groove by Rina Piccolo
Lío by Mark Tatulli
Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson

“Wow. If a newspaper ran this lineup of comics, it would be flying off the news stands and I’d be a subscriber.” -Alex Hallatt, Arctic Circle

O&Q Printed Book on Lulu for UK Buyers

2011-12-15T19:31:00.000Z

UK buyers of my book might prefer to get it off Lulu as the delivery is much faster than the US Create Space website. Click Here to go to Lulu. It's a little more expensive than Create Space but cheaper if you factor in the faster delivery. Sorry to those of you who have already ordered the book and are waiting patiently for it to slowly crawl it's way over from the US, I've only just thought of doing this.

You have got to watch this!

2011-12-13T13:41:00.000Z

Jeb Corliss is completely fearless and hence able to do the most incredible stuff. At 1.30 in this clip my head nearly blew off!

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-12-11T16:57:00.002Z

Fear of Flying

2011-12-10T10:33:00.000Z

This comic was written for my good 'running buddy' James' lovely new wife Kelly who has a fear of flying. Not sure this is going to help her much but as someone who has been in a 737 plane crash myself (Luxor, Egypt 1981) I do know you can conquer the fear. My sister highly recommends those 'Fear of Flying' courses you can go on.

This comic also gives me the opportunity to wish both James and Kelly all the best in their new lives together. A happier couple I have rarely seen.

Great wedding reception too. Hic. Burp.

Last of the Lost Series

2011-12-09T10:20:00.001Z

Only in comics can I get away with a 3-in-a-bed romp to finish!

Ollie & Quentin Book OUT NOW!

2011-12-05T22:40:00.002Z

At last! I've finally put together a beautiful 125 page, full colour book of my favourite Ollie and Quentin strips from the last four years. That's about 350 colour comics! Please click here to buy one.

Ollie and Quentin Online Store Opens!

2011-12-05T21:20:00.001Z

I've finally opened an Ollie and Quentin Online Store! Click Here to have a look at some of the fun stuff you can buy. I've chosen some of my own favourite comics and graphics to put on the various merchandise but if you have a particular favourite you'd like to see on a particular item just email me piers@ollieandquentin.com with a brief description or comic date and I'll add it to the store.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-12-05T08:34:00.000Z

Lost in the Woods Series...

2011-12-03T12:34:00.001Z

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-11-27T12:28:00.002Z

Quentin's Bizarre Vacation

2011-11-25T09:16:00.000Z

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-11-20T11:15:00.000Z

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Supergull!

62... The year I was born.

Evil Mrs Cadaver's Cat, Jess

2011-11-18T09:12:00.000Z

Evil Mrs Cadaver’s Cat is based on a real ginger cat called Jess who regularly catches and kills rats, mice, pigeons and even ate a squirrel recently, just leaving the tail.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-11-13T11:24:00.000Z

Marriage of Figaro

2011-11-12T14:09:00.001Z

My lovely daughter was 20 last week and a keen singer and opera fan so we went to the English National Opera's performance of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro at the Coliseum in London. Not a great Opera buff myself I was worried I might fall asleep before the interval but not a chance. I was riveted from start to finish. A completely wonderful production oozing with talent, style and humour which has sadly ended its run. If the ENO's other productions are as good as this one I'll certainly see some more.

For those of you put off by opera and maybe not understanding what is going on half the time book to see performances sung in English and with 'Surtitles', like subtitles but over the top of the stage. Not distracting at all but useful to glance at from time to time.

Advance Sunday Drop Panel...

2011-11-04T16:40:00.001Z

Sunday December 18th...

Halloween

2011-10-31T08:49:00.007Z

No Halloween comics from me this year (poor planning) so here are some from previous years.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-10-31T08:39:00.002Z

Brugges, Belgium

2011-10-27T18:27:00.000+01:00

I'm off to beautiful Brugges in Belgium for a couple of days. It's my good friend James' Stag weekend so I expect to come back without a properly functioning liver. Cheers!

Chess

2011-10-24T12:17:00.002+01:00

Today's comic (second strip down) is the 4th chess strip I've done. I never play the game so I don't really know where this fascination comes from. Perhaps, subconsciously, I envy those that have the ability to play the game well. I'll bet it helps in many aspects of life.

And look how different the drawings are! That third comic down is from 2008. Ollie has certainly filled out a bit since.

For you Italians out there...

2011-10-23T11:30:00.000+01:00

Ollie and Quentin are special guests in the Italian 'Comixx' magazine. A 48 page collection of Italian and International comics to be shown at the 'Comics and Games Show' in Lucca, Tuscany next week. I'm getting copies mailed to me so I can show you more when I receive them.

Grazie to Cius for translating my strips and promoting O&Q like this.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-10-23T11:19:00.000+01:00

No idea why O&Q are swimming in the sea in today's drop panel. Bizarre. Especially as it's the end of October. Brrrr.

Lessons in Life Series

2011-10-21T16:35:00.001+01:00

I could have continued this series for weeks but 5 days is about the acceptable limit for a series of comics I think. I learned a couple of these the hard way, sadly. I hope they may be of use to anyone looking for a shortcut in life although it's probably best you discover them for yourself. Anyone looking for a few more excellent tips have a listen to Baz Luhrmann's "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" He has some excellent advice and it's a cool song too. You won't forget what he says.

BTW, "Trust no-one" is garbage and I don't recommend you "Eat Fast". That's plain stupid.

Harry Enfield at his best...

2011-10-20T12:01:00.001+01:00

The 'beautiful game' played as it should be. Classic stuff and still as hilarious today as ever.

Where do you get your ideas? #984

2011-10-17T08:21:00.000+01:00

I'd had a totally unsuccessful writing session in the town and was cycling home when I saw a woman striding along whilst reading a book. I glanced at her as I rode by to see she had a black eye and a very bruised cheek and I wondered if... well, the above joke tells you what I wondered.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-10-16T11:30:00.002+01:00

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-10-09T15:12:00.002+01:00

Donuts

2011-10-05T12:29:00.002+01:00

My dad told us he'd eaten two jam donuts the day we visited him. (Jam filled donuts are the most popular kind here in the UK). We all said how much we fancied one so agreed that the next day we'd all have a donut at 1pm and prove it by photographing ourselves eating them. These are the results. Sadly one of my sister's was away and I've promised my mum not to publish her shot!

From Top to bottom: My sister Gemma, my brother Giles, Me, my other brother Quentin (the real one) in an elevator of all places!

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-10-02T11:14:00.000+01:00

Popularity

2011-09-30T16:55:00.000+01:00

There's no escaping the fact that having a Lugworm and a Seagull as my main characters was not the wisest cartoon decision. Worms and Gulls aren't popular creatures. So, I thought I'd address that in this week's comics by having Quentin pretend to be characters we all know do well in comics. Perhaps I'll see a peak in my comic's popularity this week as readers are fooled into thinking it's a strip about a cat and a dog and a rabbit.

Gil by Norm Feuti

2011-09-29T19:43:00.000+01:00

Great news! The prolific Norm Feuti is going to have his fantastic comic 'Gil' launched by King Features in the new year. For anyone interested in the whole syndication process and the discussions a cartoonist might have with his editor you must check out the lovely Gil Development Blog here. It's going to make for interesting reading in the build up to the launch. It's also a beautifully put together blog.

'Gil' is well worth a read and I hope a decent number of papers run it, especially as Norm will be working 23.5 hours a day on his two comics! Leaving half an hour to eat, sleep and... ahem... the rest.

Tragedy

2011-09-27T16:51:00.001+01:00

My favourite Costa where I do most of my comic writing burnt down yesterday.

Says it all really.

Astronomy Picture of the Day

2011-09-27T12:48:00.001+01:00

Have you ever dreamed of flying high above the Earth? Astronauts visiting the International Space Station do this every day, circling our restless planet twice every three hours. A dramatic example of their view was compiled in the above time-lapse video from images taken earlier this month. As the ISS speeds into the nighttime half of the globe, familiar constellations of stars remain visible above. An aerosol haze of Earth's thin atmosphere is visible on the horizon as an thin multi-colored ring. Many wonders whiz by below, including vast banks of white clouds, large stretches of deep blue sea, land lit up by the lights of big cities and small towns, and storm clouds flashing with lightning. The video starts over the northern Pacific Ocean and then passes from western North America to western South America, ending near Antarctica as daylight finally approaches.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-09-25T11:17:00.002+01:00

@...

2011-09-21T08:21:00.000+01:00

When I first sketched this joke out it was much ruder:
Q: "F@"
O: (Holding baseball bat) "B@"
Q: (Now squashed) "Fl@"
O: Tw@!

I knew I'd never get away with that but it was a fun starting point.

O&Q Musical Trailer

2011-09-19T22:16:00.002+01:00

It's been a while since I did one of these so...

The music is 'Frost And Snow/Snow On The Hills' by Magpie Lane.

A few extra pounds

2011-09-19T13:20:00.002+01:00

About 15 years ago I was standing in front of a delicious buffet about to help myself to a third huge portion when a thought suddenly popped into my head. I could either have that next portion and therefore choose to get old, fat and unfit or I could now decide to get slim and fit in my middle age (not much I could do about getting old). I decided on the latter. Since that day I have trained at least 3 times a week, run countless 10k 'races' and made some of the most fantastic friends at my various training and running clubs. I'm 48 and now either run, swim or do circuit training almost every day. My body is a bit of a wreck with numerous injuries, aches and pains and I don't run nearly as well as I once did but I do feel great.

So, anyone out there at that 'buffet' stage who wonders if getting old, fat and unhealthy is all that's ahead of them, let me say there is a really great alternative.

The Way

2011-09-18T16:35:00.002+01:00

I saw 'The Way' starring Martin Sheen and directed by his son Emilio Estevez last week because I am very keen to walk The Camino de Santiago one day. Maybe soon. The Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) is a large network of ancient pilgrim routes stretching across Europe and coming together at the tomb of St. James (Santiago in Spanish) in Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. The most popular route is the Camino Francés which stretches 780 km (nearly 500 miles) from St. Jean-Pied-du-Port near Biarritz in France to Santiago.

The movie is a sweet, tear jerking load of predictable, sentimental twaddle but I loved it all the same.

I'm 50 at the end of next year so maybe that would be the time to walk it. Better start preparing my feet.

Buen Camino!

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-09-18T10:54:00.000+01:00

Marooned on a Desert Island Series

2011-09-16T08:36:00.000+01:00

Castaway starring Tom Hanks is one of my favourite movies so this is a tiny homage to that, especially the second strip about making a fire. If you've seen the movie you'll know what I mean.

Chose the wrong green for that tree, it looks far too dull. Sigh.

9/11 Sunday Strip in Full

2011-09-11T10:53:00.000+01:00

There are some touching, clever and beautiful comics out today to mark the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. Many of them can be seen at cartoonistsremember911.com including Ollie and Quentin. I wanted to have my guys enjoying something as simple and beautiful as a sunrise to remind us that despite some of the awful things going on in the world it is still a wonderful place.

Adrenaline Friday Series

2011-09-09T08:58:00.000+01:00

3D Sunday Strip in Full

2011-09-04T08:38:00.000+01:00

Just like a Pixar movie!

Inkling by Wacom

2011-08-31T16:00:00.001+01:00

I've been converting pencil sketches into vector graphics for a while now but this may well be the next step for me. I can probably write AND draw my comics in coffee shops now. It's cheaper than renting a studio.

Thanks to The Daily Cartoonist for this.

Comics from real life...

2011-08-30T12:14:00.000+01:00

Readers of this blog may remember the story of my dad being partially deaf and 5 months later discovering he had the foam piece of his headphones stuck in his ear. This gag came directly out of that story. In fact I'd say more than half of my comics are directly related to my day to day life. I'll try and give you more examples in the future.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-08-28T08:09:00.001+01:00

Why succeed when failure means so much more.

Love is...

2011-08-25T14:54:00.000+01:00

Here's a sneak peak at an upcoming Sunday comic drop panel that for some reason really choked me up while I was colouring it. These two guys have been a huge part of my life for so long now that I have really grown to care about them. (I know... soppy and a little bit mental). I really surprised myself here. This picture says so much about Ollie and Quentin.

Bird Strike

2011-08-23T09:06:00.000+01:00

By coincidence my flight from Corfu last Sunday was delayed because of a bird strike as the plane landed to pick us up.

Corfu

2011-08-22T21:19:00.001+01:00

Some photos from the beautiful Greek island of Corfu where I stayed recently with my good friends, the Askins family. You can see my O&Q notebook open in that cafe picture but don't be fooled, I was enjoying the sun and sea too much to get any work done. That's the view of Agni Beach from our lovely villa in the hills and that's the boat we hired to explore the many gorgeous bays along the coast. Home now with half the Mediterranean still in my ears.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-08-21T13:42:00.000+01:00

The things I learn in this business...

Off on holiday (vacation)...

2011-08-16T08:29:00.000+01:00

Another well timed comic as I'm off on a short trip to Corfu in Greece for a few days to see my best friend from school and his family. I'm kinda crashing in on their summer vacation so I'm taking my writing book and will get out of their space by thinking up more daft Ollie and Quentin adventures. Where's Corfu? Here...

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-08-15T07:59:00.000+01:00

Air Cop Week...

2011-08-14T20:10:00.000+01:00

Here's the whole of last week's air cop series timed beautifully to coincide with the riots in Britain...

London Riots and Ollie and Quentin

2011-08-09T16:44:00.000+01:00

Today's comic could not have been better timed as we see mindless, criminal, chav scum looters smashing up their own neighbourhoods in London and beyond.

How's this for an Opera set..

2011-08-07T18:03:00.001+01:00

This is the awesome set for Umberto Giordano’s opera Andre Chenier at Lake Constance in Austria with the incredible structure being based on Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Marat. Boy would I like to see this.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-08-07T11:30:00.000+01:00

Slow computers

2011-08-05T12:07:00.000+01:00

I quite like this idea but it did get me thinking about just how much of my life I must spend waiting for that stupid "time left" bar to fill. Scary. Was tempted to put "Aw Fu..." in that last panel but that would never have got past the newspaper decency border guards.

I like this drawing...

2011-08-01T19:40:00.000+01:00

Ok, not the greatest gag ever but I'm really pleased with that third panel. Such fun to draw and colour (or 'color', for my US readers).

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-07-31T18:33:00.003+01:00

Why I chose a Lugworm...

2011-07-29T20:18:00.000+01:00

Quentin was created as an homage to all the poor lugworms I used sea fishing in my youth. Poor Boring Uncle Keith, stuff like this keeps happening to him.

Baby trashes bar video...

2011-07-25T13:45:00.000+01:00

Ok, this is hugely politically incorrect but it's one of the funniest videos I've seen on YouTube. I may be one of the last people on the planet to see it but I had to share it with the handful of you who maybe haven't yet.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-07-24T11:33:00.002+01:00

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-07-17T11:21:00.000+01:00

What? Pardon?

2011-07-15T16:54:00.000+01:00

My lovely old dad can really make me laugh. For months he has been almost completely deaf in one ear and driving everyone mad by shouting "What?" to everything, even if you're not talking to him. We were starting to think he should get a hearing aid. My mum dragged him to an little old Chinese lady next door who had a look to see if she could work out what was wrong. After a couple of minutes examination she asked if my dad listened to headphones at all. He said he often listened to the radio with headphones on when trying to get to sleep. She poked about and (hold on to your lunch) pulled out the rubber end of a headphone piece which had been lodged in there for months.

He has asked that no-one mentions this so please keep it to yourself.

Nudity on the Funny Pages Shock!

2011-07-15T10:26:00.000+01:00

For those of you of a nervous disposition please look away now as there is nakedness, nudity and bare faced cheek in the following comic...

Amazing...

2011-07-14T14:38:00.000+01:00

Following a couple of comments I have adjusted last Monday's comic so that you maze fans out there aren't disappointed. Not sure why I made the first one unworkable. Probably thought it was funnier that way. It wasn't.

Today I have been...

2011-07-10T20:30:00.002+01:00

...running through London in the British 10k race. 25,000 of us pounding the streets of our beautiful capital city on a pretty warm Sunday morning. Fun, in a masochistic sort of way.

That's me in the red shirt.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-07-10T06:19:00.000+01:00

There's my old VW Camper Van again...

Interview on 'Don't Pick The Flowers' Blog

2011-07-07T11:11:00.000+01:00

The very charming David Hurley asked me a few questions about 'Ollie and Quentin' and has posted my answers on his great 'Don't Pick The Flowers' blog here. I've rambled on a bit and had a bit of a moan about the state of the comic business (and my small part in it) but I hope some of the other stuff might be of interest. I love the illustration he's done to accompany the interview (above). It's always flattering to see other people draw your characters.

If my interview is too boring to read I suggest you scroll down and read Aaron Johnson's interview below mine. He draws the fantastic 'What The Duck' comic which is one of my absolute favourites.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-07-03T08:39:00.000+01:00

Henley Royal Regatta

2011-07-02T15:09:00.002+01:00

Me, my cousin Tim, my other cousin Toby, my brother Giles and my other brother, the real Quentin all enjoying a nice, quiet, calm, alcohol-free day by the river at Henley Royal Regatta yesterday.

Missed Birthday

2011-06-30T13:50:00.000+01:00

My electronic calendar with everyone's birthdays on went PHUT! recently meaning I forgot some important birthdays. So, this is to say sorry to Ben Askins for forgetting his big day. Sorry Ben.

Spot the Difference

2011-06-29T14:36:00.000+01:00

I know you're supposed to say "an herb dispenser" but "a herb dispenser" sounds better to me. I didn't get away with it though as the eagle eyes at King Features corrected it. Sometimes I think the more colloquial version should run.

Apologies for the dreadful pun. Made me laugh though.

Sunday Strip in Full

2011-06-26T11:35:00.000+01:00

There's a story where someone did this to get a better tan. He shot up to a terrifying altitude where he almost got hit by passing planes. By the time he got back to earth his friends said they'd never seen him look so pale.

Drop Panels

2011-06-25T12:07:00.000+01:00

Here's a small collection of those Sunday Drop Panels. It's tempting to just do a handful of title panels that I can use in rotation but they're always fun to do so despite only a handful of people ever seeing them. I can't help myself. I usually do them last after I've finished drawing the main joke. My favourite is the Alien one. Love that movie.

Dawn and Dark

2011-06-22T08:45:00.000+01:00

When you're writing, drawing and coloring 365 comics a year it's nice to do something a little different with the color from time to time. This is why I like painting night time scenes (as the third frame above). It's just a change from the norm. Here I have tried to capture a fiery dawn sky. Think I've gone a bit over the top but you get the idea.

Poor Nobby. That's gotta hurt.

Retail by Norm Feuti

2011-06-21T21:34:00.000+01:00

This is looooong overdue. You may remember I whinged on recently about Ollie and Quentin's lack of newspaper exposure and how I feared for my comic's future. I received lots of messages of support and encouragement from all quarters but I especially want to thank the multi talented Norm Feuti of the wonderful Retail Comic who kindly offered me some practical help by putting an ad for Ollie and Quentin on his website. This was generous beyond anything I expected and I want to thank him here for such an amazing offer, it really is very much appreciated.

So, please go and look at Norm's site and enjoy his funny and beautifully drawn comics. You won't regret it. Check out his 'Gill' comic too! Well worth a read.