I’m not too sure about this one – with hindsight I can see that the bush in the background is in the wrong place and impedes the easy comprehension of the drawing. I only put it in because in was in the background of the previous strip, but I should really have followed the rule of ‘if in doubt, leave it out’ this time round.
Humphrey Earthworm yesterday, Dave the Swan today; yes, I’m bringing back supporting characters one by one to see how they cope with the snow.
Incidentally, the cold snap didn’t last, at least, not in Hastings which has a microclimate all its own. One of the advantages of living in a coastal town is that you tend not to get the extremes of temperature that even those place only three miles away, on the other side of the ridge that separates Hastings from civilisation. One the minus side we get the wind instead.
This was originally planned as a story that was going to be told by the tracks alone, but I decided that it required Smudge on her wall to make it obvious what had happened. I tried drawing paw pad prints in each one of the impressions in the snow, but by happy accident they ended up looking like smiley faces.
My wife Linda has an extensive selection of wooly hats with ears on them. There’s a bear one, which is the one most people have, but she also has a badger hat and a fox hat. Suffice to say, a little bit of idea inversion produced today’s strip.
Another one of those strips where the colouring worked out just right. And look! Perspective! And an aerial view! You don’t get that from me very often. Enjoy it while it lasts.
David. As in the guy who slew Goliath in the Bible. Probably never known as ‘Slingshot Ears’.
Pukak is the Icelandic word for snow with an icy crust. You’re welcome.
A Comics Sherpa Editors Pick, probably because of the blank speech balloons in the first two panels.
There’s a saying they have in Eastern New Mexico, on the edge of the plains where my in-laws live. They say: ‘If you don’t like the weather, just wait a few minutes – it’ll be something else’. Strangely, in England we have exactly the same saying.
The cold snap has appeared on schedule. However, it’s only due to last for about a week or so, and then be replaced with more high temperatures, torrential rain and gale force winds. In this strip it’ll last until the beginning of March, as being stuck in Storm Goliath just after Christmas inspired a lot of snow and cold gags.