Happy Mister Bigpants
The initial idea was to create a comic based on logic.
Simply put : Character + Happy = Pants.
After reading the title and seeing the first panel, it's obvious the stick man with big pants is Happy Mister Bigpants.
There was no question why people called him that.
Yet Happy Mister Bigpants explained it anyways.
There was no need for a second comic. It just reversed the equation into: Big Pants + Character = Happy.
Thank goodness addition is associative (math joke).
The third comic was supposed to be the final comic.
It was going to feature the final equation variation: Happy + Pants = Character.
i.e. People ask me why I'm happy that I wear bigpants. I tell them... because I'm Happy Mister Bigpants.However, for the first time in my life, people actually read and REMEMBERED one of my comics (not necessarily liked). I had to keep going, but I was all out of ideas. Then it hit me... What happens if a man whose entire life revolves around a pair of pants LOSES THOSE PANTS. I could keep going for another week.
It's not really a mean taunt to say he has no pants. It just states the obvious.
Alas, Happy Mister Bigpants is the sensitive sort. The original ending was supposed to be:
"The beautiful children have taunted me, and now I am sad." Alas, it was too similar to the previous comic.
In retrospect, I have no idea why I thought that was a problem.
The next 4 comics were originally 1 giant comic. Then I realized I couldn't keep up the pace.
With a pair of scissors, the giant comic was cut and reglued together into the following 4 comics.
Where I once had a week, I now had a month.
Yet another variation of the bigpants equation.
Two people were required to write this comic (the first of many collaborations).
Grizzled veteran cop + pants = instant comedy.
This is NOT the fourth part of the aforementioned giant comic.
A special colour edition of the student newspaper was going to be published
and there was physically no room to fit comic #4 (below).
Since I wanted to create a colour bigpants comic,
I created a new comic that would both fit in the physical newspaper space AND fit into the storyline.
Unfortunately, this compromise resulted in the sewage you see above.
The first of many bad bigpants comics.
The true conclusion of the giant comic. I love everything except the ending.
I should have added an additional panel where the cop said "Get out."
Another obvious joke! The only reason Mr. Bigpants would be shown pants that couldn't possibly fit
is because the store didn't carry the proper size. It was obvious from the start. Why bother reading further?
Someone actually physically mailed me a penny to give to Happy Mister Bigpants. I didn't give it to him.
I think Iain had the idea of Bigpants not having enough cash. For that reason alone, Iain will always be considered a genius.
I struggled to explain how Happy Mister Bigpants lost the 10 dollars.
Then it dawned on me that no explanation was required. That really simplified things.
This ending was planned right from the beginning.
It also shows that Bigpants has a very short term memory (a touch of Alzheimer perhaps).
Lenny's thoughtlessness, and the incalcuable suffering it caused, are completely forgotten by the last panel.
In one fell swoop, the entire journey has been rendered meaningless.
I don't like this ending. It would be improved by removing the "Lenny" caption - simply leave Bigpants standing in disbelief.
On top of that, I don't like the art. I drew Bigpants to large. He fills every panel he appears in - it looks terrible.