"I DIG DUG" COMICS

I DIG DUG vs. The Creative Slump...

2009-08-11T06:49:00.003-04:00

Well...what can I say? I've completed my masters degree this summer which has kept me from sitting down and doing a lot of new strips. And now that I'm ready to do new strips, I just don't know what to write about. I've been doing I DIG DUG now for over ten years and...well...it just doesn't seem relevant anymorew. The 'joke' that these three characters never leave college has soured on me. I'm at a loss, and I've hit a creative slump.

I am in the process of supplying the Hometown Connection with enough old strips to finish out the year. I am also writing a 'finale' story to I DIG DUG where Dug, Matt, and Carrie do graduate, which will see print in January and February. Then...I don't know. And because I can't figure out where to take the characters next, I've decided to break away from those characters for awhile.

So it's time to start exploring the "comics" title in "I Dig Dug Comics", because to me, I've always wanted to branch out a little. So in February of next year I'll be debuting "Trapped on Earth" featuring some little alien dudes that I created. Hopefully it'll be fun and enjoyable. I'm starting to get some ideas together for what these characters will be doing on Earth and how they'll interact with people and animals and bugs. Plus....there is a story here. It's full of adventure and exploration and action...and there's a little twinge of a love story as well. Should be fun.

So in the weeks to come you'll see some of my favorite 'repeats' to finish out the year, in addition to some other artwork that I've been working on this year through my class at OSU and my submission portfolio for DC Comics. It's time to get the 'ol blog moving again. And...if you're interested...you may just be able to follow me on Twitter as well. Once I get that all worked out.

PURE VERTICAL!!!

2009-02-21T08:58:00.000-05:00

2007-02-07T17:37:00.000-05:00

The ALL NEW "I DIG DUG" BLOG!!!

http://idigdugcomics.blogspot.com

Just like this blog...only newer!!!
Check it out now, yo!
-dug.

2007-01-27T07:52:00.000-05:00

2007 is here and so is the ALL NEW BRAND SPANKING NEW I DIG DUG COMICS BLOG SITE!!! Take a chance to look at and discover I DIG DUG here, and then come on over to my new home at http://idigdugcomics.blogspot.com You'll love it! It's just like the old blog...ONLY NEWER!!! YAY!!! So what'cha waitin for?!? Get on over there and check it out. Later...
-dug.

2007-01-20T10:49:00.000-05:00

Well...I can't post comics into my Blog site using Hello with Bloggerbot anymore. I don't know why...but for some reason it must have been TOO easy, so now I have to figure out the new way to get my pictures onto my blog site. SO...until then...no I DIG DUG comics. Boo-hoo... I'll wrap my head around it sometime this weekend and get it all figured out. At least...that's the plan.
-dug.

2007-01-10T22:32:00.000-05:00

Well...it wasn't quite the outcome that I expected. Oh well...win or lose, the Buckeyes will always be #1 to me!!! GO BUCKS!!! Oh...and I hope you understand the 'time travelerish' theme to this week's comic. -dug.

2007-01-05T07:39:00.000-05:00

I can deal without moon cities and teleportation...but c'mon!!! Let's start making some hovercars!!! -dug.

2006-12-29T15:47:00.000-05:00

Maybe a color version will help you out!!! Good luck!!! -dug!

2006-12-28T16:28:00.000-05:00

If you're a fan of the comic, you might have realized that I have a long running theme with my New Year's comic. I try to cram as many people/characters as I can into a single panel frame. Last year, Mr. T, Spongebob, Yoda, Batman, and Tarzan were just a few of the guests. This year...well...there's a new batch. See if you can guess them all! Later this week, I'll post a similar comic that was inspired by this yearly coimc theme. ENJOY!!! (Maybe I should give out signed copies of this comic to anyone who guesses them all correct. Any takers...?) -dug.

2006-12-26T10:46:00.000-05:00

Wow...I've become very lazy (well...maybe just really busy) over Winter Break! Anyhoo...here's last week's comic in wonderful color!!!

2006-12-19T19:30:00.000-05:00

Seriously...if I chose my own name in a gift exchange...I'd pick a new name. This is done for pure entertainment. kinda....

2006-12-15T07:29:00.000-05:00

Since it's Friday (already), I'll just go ahead and post the color version too. Have a great weekend!!! -dug.

2006-12-15T07:27:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah....I know. You've seen this one before, right? Well...if you haven't I guess it's new to you. This is a repeat from last holiday season, but since I DIG DUG wasn't being run in The Hometown Connection, technically it's new to this current 'run' of the comic. SO....that's my own personal justification for using this strip again. Besides...it's still funny! -dug.

2006-12-14T23:07:00.000-05:00

Sorry...I know it's been awhile, and I promised you a story. Here goes... So, I drew this strip about a month ago, mid-November, in preparation for December's comic strips. I thought it was funny. It was a good sight gag to see Dug jumping on Carrie's back afraid of a tiny little mouse. Yep...HAHA!!! And then, about a week later, a few mice decided to really show up in our house. And when I saw the little bugger scurry under the basement door, I screamed. I'll admit it. I screamed like a little girl. How do I know what a little girl screaming sounds like you might ask? Well...my 10 and 6 year old daughters screamed right along with me, and we all pretty much screamed in tune with each other. That's how I know. So...I just think it's funny how I drew this...and then it kind of came true. Hmmm....maybe I should draw myself winning the lottery. -dug.

2006-12-08T18:37:00.000-05:00

How'd it get to be Friday already?!? Man, this week just flew by! So, here's this week's I DIG DUG. There's a funny story to go along with this, but I'm a bit under the weather and I'm just not into typing. SO...enjoy!!! I'll get a color version...(and give you the story) sometime this weekend! -dug.

2006-12-02T06:32:00.000-05:00

COLOR!!! Have a great weekend everyone! Bundle up!!! -dug.

2006-11-30T16:21:00.000-05:00

You know...I actually do love white elephant exchanges. Trading 'junk' with other people is just great!!! I like to give away 'junk with style'. As a matter of fact we have a white elephant gift exchange this weekend and I'm going to give out...whoops...I guess I really can't tell right now, as I don't want my friends to see what glorious gifts I'm bringing. You'll have to wait to hear the rest of the story. Enjoy!!! -dug.

2006-11-26T21:27:00.000-05:00

This is also based on a true story. WAAAAAAAAAAAY back in '92 when Carrie and I were celebrating our first Thanksgiving together her mashed potatoes were runny. Now...I don't mean just runny...I mean you could drink them through a straw runny!!! Hence, the joke seen here. And...I did make the mashed potatoes the next year...and they weren't that bad. I've been told (by Carrie herself) that I make some mean mashed taters!!! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!! Now...time to catch up on some December/Winter I DIG DUG comics!!! -dug.

2006-11-23T21:23:00.000-05:00

I don't know what happened the first time I tried to post this. Oh well....let's try again. Hope everyone had a good Turkey Day and they're bellies are full. Mine is gonna burst!!! -dug. (Oh...and thanks, Kelsey. Happy T-Giving to you as well.)

2006-11-23T14:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!! It's been a busy week. I'm not sure if I'll get to a 'color version' this week!!! In any case, Happy Turkey Day!!! -dug.

2006-11-16T16:49:00.000-05:00

GO BUCKS!!!!! Okay...I know...I know! Dug isn't supposed to have a red shirt on. But you know...having him wear his signature blue shirt in an OSU vs. Michigan comic strip just didn't seem right. So...for one teeny tiny itsy bitsy small week...you'll have to deal with Dug wearing red. I'm sure you'll survive. GO BUCKS!!! -dug.

2006-11-13T19:18:00.000-05:00

Here's yet another "true tale". Ya see...Carrie and I won the Ohio State Alumni OSU vs. Michigan ticket raffle. Yep...we won!!! We had tickets to Minnesota, we lost those so that we could take the tickets to the Michigan game, they tried to take them away and give us Bowling Green tickets, so we fought with them and they let us keep our Michigan tickets. And now that it's #1OSU vs. #2Michigan...well...let's just say there's been lots of talk about how much money we could get for those tickets. NOT by me, or course. I've said all along that my behind is sitting in that stadium for the game. There's no way in the world I'd miss this one!!! GO BUCKS!!! More later.... -dug.

2006-11-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

Okay...so I was student teaching at Delaware Hayes High School, and the power went out. I had taken leftover spaghetti for lunch that day, and figured I'd just eat it cold since there was no electricity to power a microwave. So...I ate it. It wasn't bad...for cold spaghetti. So anyway...I get home, mention my day to Carrie who insists that the spaghetti was at least a few weeks old. Okay...so the "month" in the comic is a slight exaggeration. But it's still two-week old cold spaghetti. And like I mentioned earlier...it wasn't that bad. -dug.

2006-11-07T08:03:00.000-05:00

Yet, another tale based on a true story. Amazingly, month old spaghetti doesn't taste that bad. -dug.

2006-11-03T05:52:00.000-05:00

Voila! Color! I should point out, that this isn't the real reaction I got from Carrie when I had put away all of our dirty clothes thinking they were clean. She looked at me...breathed a heavy sigh...and chuckled. But it wasn't a "Haha that's funny" chuckle. It was more like a "typical man...trying to help" chuckle. She actually accused me of doing it on purpose so that I could get out of helping!!! Like that time I accidentally put bleach in the washer with her jeans...AFTER she told me to use bleach! How was I supposed to know there was a difference between "bleach", and "bleach for colors". (I wasn't allowed to do laundry for a LONG time ater that...) Sheesh... Well, I suppose I deserved it. Again...sometimes I just get so caught up in getting things organized around the house, I miss the little details. And...I've been told I don't have the best sniffer either. Carrie assures me that had I smelled my socks, I would've known. Whoops....just trying to help.

2006-11-02T17:22:00.000-05:00

WOW!!! Is it Thursday, already?!? Well...I'm a little behind on my posts, but here's the comic that will be featured in this week's Hometown Connection. Not alot to say about it except that this IS a TRUE story. Sometimes, I just get so caught up in helping around the house, that I tend to look past certain 'things'. Like...when I put my socks away, they didn't feel clean. They actually felt yucky. But...I looked past this fact and continued to put them away as if they were clean. Only after Carrie explained that they hadn't been washed yet, did my yucky socks actually make sense. Whoops. My bad. -dug.

2006-10-31T21:13:00.000-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! Hope everyone finds lilttle tricks and lots of treats!!! -dug.

2006-10-26T06:24:00.000-04:00

Here's the conclusion to this year's I DIG DUG Halloween story which will be featured in this week's Hometown Connection. As much as I love this strip, there are a bunch of changes I would make to it if I could do it again. First...I'd put Captain Crunch in there. Totally forgot about that old pirate. Secondly, I'd have EVERYONE wearing the SAME pirate costumes as Dug, Matt, and Carrie. I think everyone will understand the joke here. You go to a Halloween costume party and you don't want anyone to have a similar (or same) costume as you. It's like girls with prom. Girls don't want to have the same dress as anyone else (which is why I say wear khakis and a t-shirt...but I digress). So...imagine the gang's surprise as they go to the annual Halloween party, dressed in what they feel are the greatest costumes, only to find that everyone is dressed as a pirate when they get there. I think that's pretty funny! And if you're wondering where the black and white version of this strip is...well...I was adding color to it in Photoshop and I "saved" instead of "save as" and my black and white version was gone! I know...I could've just scanned the black and white version back into the computer. But...call me lazy. Everyone have a great weekend. I'll have a few surprises on Monday and Tuesday for Halloween here on the blog, so come back and check that out! Later. GO BUCKS! -dug.

2006-10-20T11:45:00.000-04:00

This orange background looks so much better. It's more of a red-orange which I think helps. Everyone have a great weekend!!! Halloween is almost upon us! I might post some classic I DIG DUG Halloween comics next week just because I love this time of year. GO BUCKS!!! -dug.

2006-10-17T20:54:00.000-04:00

Well...here it is! The build up is over. This week's I DIG DUG featured in Marysville, Ohio's "Hometown Connection" features Matt's final decision for Halloween costumes. The gang tried the Fruit of the Loom underwear characters, classic spooky monsters, and it comes down to pirates! This was inspired by my "Pirates of the Caribbean" comic that I did in early September (check it out if you haven't seen it). I just LOVED drawing the characters as pirates. So...when it came time to decide on final constumes for the gang, I decided what better way to go than pirates. This will kind of build up into a weird and interesting (and...funny, I guess) climax to the story next week. Enjoy the black and white strip, and look forward to the color one this Friday. Oh...and Captain Anonymous...who in the world are you!??!

2006-10-12T22:07:00.000-04:00

Again, I'm not so thrilled with the orange background, but what'cha gonna do? It also kind of looks like Matt's mummy costume looks like a straight jacket. But it's a mummy. Visually, Carrie's costume looks the best. I just love the neon green in her hair. I wonder if I can work this into a future strip. Hmmmmm.... Have a great weekend, everyone. GO BUCKS!!!

2006-10-10T18:18:00.000-04:00

Part two of Matt's search for Superb Halloween Costumes. This one doesn't quite have the 'funny factor' like last week's strip, but it felt right as I started planning for this story. Anymore you see so many Power Rangers and Spongebobs, and Spider Mans (Men?) that sometimes the 'old classics' get left behind. I long to see kids dressed as vampires and mummies and brides of Frankenstein. Especially when they're put together REALLY WELL!!! But, no one does it anymore!!! So as that thought rolled through my brain, I started sketching the gang as the old classics. However, according to Dug and Carrie here, the old classics just aren't 'hip' anymore. So...anyway...that's where the inspiration for this strip comes from. Not that you asked...but you didn't not ask either, so there! -dug.

2006-10-06T16:32:00.000-04:00

COLOR!!! As I was working on this in Photoshop, it occurred to me that absolutely NO color really works for a background. I tried blue, yellow, magenta, and a light green. YUCK!!! So...I stuck with the gradiated orange since it's Halloween. Enjoy the weekend everyone, and GO BUCKS!!! -dug.

2006-10-01T22:21:00.000-04:00

I know I'm posting this comic two days earlier than I normally would, but I'm having problems with my blog site here at home. It seems to work fine on other computers, so I'm hoping that by posting something, I'll get the 'kinks' out from my own pc. We'll see if it works. So...anyway...every year I sit down and start drawing sketches of Dug, Carrie, and Matt dressed in different Halloween apparel. Then...I decide which one looks the best and that's what I base my October story on. Well...I decided that this year, I'd work the selection process into my actual story. So...Matt's on this quest to find the best Halloween costumes in the world. And he begins with something funny and quirky by dressing up the gang as the Fruit of the Loom Underwear characters. If you don't know that Fruit of the Look makes underwear, then I guess this comic won't be that funny to you. Back in my day (man...that makes me sound old) there were a TON of commercials featuring the F.O.T.L. characters trying to sell their underwear and undershirts and what nots. It was funny. So...that's kind of where this comes from. I think (visually) it looks hilarious. And Carrie refusing to dress like the banana is the kicker. For me anyway. I really had a fun time drawing this strip. It's not the funniest thing I've ever written, but visually speaking, I love it!!! Now...this is not the end to Matt's search. Each week, Matt's quest leads him to different costumes. It's an interesting ride, and my good friend "Captiain Anonymous" has already guessed where this is going. Now...if I could just figure out who "Captain Anonymous" is. Smitty...is that you? -dug.

2006-09-29T06:39:00.000-04:00

Lots of orange in preparation for October and Halloween! It's always hard to pick out costumes for the characters every year. I go through a lot of ideas and sketches before I'm happy with something. This year, I used those sketches as an idea for this story. So...tune in next week for part one of Matt's search for great Halloween costumes! -dug! GO BUCKS!

2006-09-26T17:36:00.000-04:00

This weekend's I DIG DUG in Marysville's Hometown Connection is a set up for all of October's comics. I absolutely LOVE October...and Halloween! You'll know this if you've been following the site for awhile, or have checked last year's October archives. Anyway...when I was an OSU student, I always took pride in my week long Halloween strips. One year I had the characters visit numerous Haunted Houses. The next year I had them dress up as Star Wars characters (it was Dug's turn to choose costumes). Last year, when I DIG DUG was featured in the Union County Messenger, the characters dressed up as Wizard of Oz characters (it was Carrie's turn to pick....check last year's archives). So, in keeping with tradition, it turns out that it's Matt's turn to pick this year, and boy is he excited! So, over the course of the next month, I DIG DUG will feature Matt's quest to find the greatest Halloween costumes in the world. Now...that's a daunting task when you are telling a story in 4 comic strips. If I DIG DUG was printed daily, I'd have ALL MONTH to tell this story. So...it may seem a bit rushed, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. So...look forward to that and come back Friday for a color version of this week's strip! -dug.

2006-09-22T06:21:00.000-04:00

Okay...seriously....who doesn't still enjoy jumping in a huge heaping pile of leaves? It's one of those joys of childhood that never gets old. It's just one of those things, I guess. Something to keep you young. Enjoy and everyone have a great weekend! GO BUCKS!!! -dug.

2006-09-20T23:32:00.000-04:00

Here's the I DIG DUG comic featured in this week's Hometown Connection. I'd write more but I'm up WAY too late!!! Writing power fading....must....go....to....sleee......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2006-09-15T05:45:00.000-04:00

This week's I DIG DUG features a comic strip from a former student of mine. She's a student that I taught from 3rd through 6th grade, and has also taken a few of my summer art classes, including cartooning. If you'll recall, I invited a few of my former students to submit a comic strip to me, with the promise of putting it in the paper. Well...unfortunately I didn't get many back, but I did get Leeora's...eventually. So, here's "Fransis the Hippo" by Leeora Mohler. I DIG DUG gets back to it's normal comic-cast next weekend! Have a great weekend, and GO BUCKS!!! GO BROWNS!!! GO YANKEES!!! -dug

2006-09-09T14:07:00.000-04:00

Color! This strip was inspired by my daily breakfast of Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts and Pepsi back in my college days. I was facing a deadline and I was in the middle of a Not-So-Super-Man story and I needed some new material. So I had N-S-S-M look for a sidekick. This was his first choice. Which ended up being breakfast. This is NOT that original strip. To see the oringinal strip, you can visit September 14th, 2005 in the archives. This is an updated version to show that N-S-S-M is a comic strip that Dug creates from time to time. I like this one better! Enjoy and GO BUCKS!!! BEAT TEXAS!!!! -dug.

2006-09-07T17:51:00.000-04:00

This week's installment of I DIG DUG in Marysville, Ohio's "Hometown Connection" features the return of Not-So-Super-Man, Dug's comic book creation. In this episode we see our not-so-powerful hero introducing his new sidekick....and then eating him, or her....well, it, I guess really. I always thought this was a clever idea. I mean, who'd in their right mind select a pop-tart for their super hero sidekick? It certainly is funny to me. What...you're not laughing?

2006-08-31T17:55:00.000-04:00

COLOR!!! Wouldn't it be fun to be a real pirate? Seriously. At what point in our lives do we decide that being a pirate just isn't a good occupation? Why do we give up on those dreams. When I was small, I always wanted to be Batman. Ya know...he's a regular guy with a bunch of gadgets. I could do that. I could swing around town in a bat suit beating up bad guys. But at some point, being Batman becomes socially unacceptable. As does, I'm assuming, being a pirate. So...I think when I grow up I'd like to be a pirate. What? I am grown up? HA!!! Then you don't know me very well, do you? -dug

2006-08-30T07:53:00.000-04:00

Captain Jack Sparrow....eat your heart out! Earier this summer, while we were in Disney I had this idea. We were riding the new and improved Pirates of the Caribbean ride and I decided that I wanted to do an I DIG DUG spoof of the movie. So...this is what I came up with. Here's Pirate Matt manning the cannons, Captain Dug manning the helm, and Carrie all tied up...and a little mad. The life guard isn't based on anyone in particular, but I can't help but think of Brodie and Smitty, former Richwood lake lifeguard extraordinaires. The two kids sitting by the pool are the I DIG DUG premiers of my two daughters Sydney and Brooklyn. They were VERY excited to finally get drawin into "Daddy's comic". So...here's Pirates of the Caribbean, I DIG DUG style!!! Oh...and the sign in the background is SUPPOSED to say "Welcome to the Marysville Pool"....but like an idiot, I forgot to add that in Photoshop before sending it off to the paper. Oh well...I'll fix it for the color version for the website! Later!

2006-08-25T17:19:00.000-04:00

COLOR!!! Have a great weekend!

2006-08-22T19:48:00.000-04:00

If only my senior thesis could have been my sketches, drawings, and doodles. Okay....I didn't really have to do a senior thesis. But as I prepare to go back for my masters degree....I really REALLY wish it could just be a collection of my sketches, drawings, and doodles. That'd be cool... *sigh* Oh well...I'll survive. This will be the comic featured in this week's Hometown Connection in beautiful Marysville, Ohio. -dug.

2006-08-21T06:33:00.000-04:00

"You don't know the power of the....HEY! Who put me in this glass case? What are these people doing? NO THEY'RE NOT!!??!! Are they getting a picture taken with me...the dark lord of the Sith? I'll just grab my...HEY!!!...where's my flippin' lightsaber!?! How am I supposed to get out of here. HELP!!! Someone please come help me! ...please... (Never thought you'd hear a grown jedi cry, didja?) Everyone have a great week!

2006-08-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

This is a rewrite of an older comic. Actually...it's a rewrite of a rewrite. Hold on...let me look up the dates that this comic has previously seen 'print' on the blog. I'll be right back. Okay, I'm back (didn't even know I was gone, did ya? I'm good!) The original comic from fall quarter 2000 in Ohio State's Lantern, and the first rewrite of this comic can be seen in the I DIG DUG archive from Saturday, February 26th, 2005. That's 2005...not 2006. Be careful. Basically, I got back from vacation, I didn't have anything ready for August, and I took an easy way out by scanning an old comic into Photoshop, erasing the original words, and adding new ones. Hey...it works in a pinch. But...I don't think I can use this one anymore. As a side note, I won't be posting a color version of the next few week's strips just because school's starting up again, and boy am I swamped. I've got my rooms all set up, but now I'm in the process of lesson planning, and making sure projects are going to work out, so I'm going the easy route for a few weeks here on the blog. I'm no fortune teller, but I think you'll be okay! -dug.

2006-08-09T21:59:00.000-04:00

Since I won't be in town this weekend to post the color version of this strip, I'll go ahead and do it tonight!!! Enjoy and thanks for visiting!!! -dug! Oh...and next week be ready for more comics and some pictures from the Star Wars exhibit from COSI!!! It was AWESOME!!!!

2006-08-09T21:54:00.000-04:00

So, I did this doodle in college, which was pretty close to what you're seeing here...just not in a 'comic strip format'. I had to change a few things (due to size restrictions), but basically this is the introduction to the blog site within the comics. I'm kind of interested to see if this comic brings more visitors to the blog site, or if it's just me being silly. In any case, look for this comic in this weekend's Hometown Connection right here in sunny 'ol Marysville, ohiO. -dug.

2006-08-05T09:02:00.000-04:00

This has become one of my favorite full color I DIG DUG comics!!! Notice the inclusion of the Whatchamacalit, Twizzlers, bag of Fritos, and Snickers bar in the snack machine. Notice how Dug's all a blur as he shakes the machine in panel 4. Ahhhh....I simply love the magical tools of Photoshop. 'Tis a glorious wonder! ENJOY!!! Oh...and if you have some free time today, I'll be at the Marysville Public Library today from 1-3pm drawing caricatures. I won't draw them in the style of I DIG DUG, but it'll still be pretty cool. Have a good weekend!

2006-08-04T21:30:00.000-04:00

"Stuck Twizzlers" is this week's installment of I DIG DUG in Marysville, Ohio's "Hometown Connection" newpaper. Now...this has happened to ALL of us at some point, right? You've put some money in a candy machine, pushed the buttons, and no candy comes out! You smack the machine and nothing. You shake the machine and nothing. You shake a little harder and suddenly the machine falls on top of you. And, DAG YO!, those machines are heavy aren't they? So heavy you really can't do anything except wait for someone to come help you. Well...first a group of people gather around and laugh at you until you start crying 'cause for crying out loud all you wanted was some freakin' Twizzlers, right? Sheesh! Finally they help get the candy machine off your bruised and battered body, and when the machine is finally back in place....YOU GUESSED IT...those flippin' Twizzlers are STILL STUCK IN THE STUPID MACHINE!!!! Don't you just hate it when that happens? What?...just me? -dug.

2006-08-01T10:53:00.000-04:00

CHOMP!!! Syd's getting eaten by the shark from "Finding Nemo". Great pic!!!

2006-08-01T10:51:00.000-04:00

I can't resist!!! More Disney vacation pics!!! Here's Brooklyn posing with Peter Pan. This kid not only looks like Peter Pan, but you should've heard him talk. It's like he walked right out of the movie. It must be that Disney magic!!!

2006-07-27T20:50:00.000-04:00

Somehow this comic was already colored....which leads me to believe that at some point I've posted it on the blog somewhere, sometime. Oh well....wouldn't be the first time that a comic gets posted more than once on the site, right? Have a great weekend!!! -dug

2006-07-25T22:13:00.000-04:00

This weekend in The Hometown Connection, I DIG DUG presents "The Intro of Not-So-Super-Man". I'm sure I've said this before on the blog somewhere, but Dug's ambition in the comic is to become a cartoonist. And N-S-S-M is Dug's creation and comic strip. It's art imitating life. You'll be seeing lots more of N-S-S-M next spring as I plan on doing a 4 or 5 week span of comics featuring everyone's favorite not so super hero. And of course, Matt and Carrie play Dug's biggest critic in the comic, often times questioning the 'funniness' of Dug's stories. It's very similar in real life as well. I seem to think everything I write is funny....and, well...Carrie doesn't always see it that way. -dug.

2006-07-22T11:27:00.000-04:00

You might recognize this comic from a few earlier posts here at I DIG DUG Comics. If you don't...well...go check 'em out. You can see the original black and white version posted on March 26th, 2005, or the color version of July 2nd, 2005...both in the archives. I LOVE this strip. It's one of my all time favorites. The problem? Well...it's too large. I went on a frenzy at one time producing strips that were much larger...like the ones you find in the Sunday funnies. So...I decided that I would take my much larger strip, and redo it to fit the format for the Hometown Connection. So...with that...here's this week's strip for Marysville, Ohio's own Hometown Connection. Enjoy!!! -dug.

2006-07-22T11:14:00.000-04:00

Color for the final round of Dug vs. BuzzerBee.

2006-07-21T07:02:00.000-04:00

Okay....so here's last week's strip that ran in The Hometown Connection, right? I didn't actually get the paper since I was on vacation, but this is the one labeled July 15th. This is the official end of the bee storyline. I really like the bee, and I may use him again...well, a new one since technically he's dead...but I just had to finish it! Fans will notice that Brodie Rock has a cameo in panel 4. WHAT?!? You don't know who Brodie Rock is?!? Check out the March 2005 archives to meet him. You'll love 'em, I'm sure!!! -dug.

2006-07-20T15:07:00.000-04:00

Sorry...couldn't resist. Last one for the day, I promise. The funniest part of this picture isn't me trying to unearth the sword from the stone. It's Brooklyn, my 5-year old daughter, looking at me like I'm crazy!!! Am I right? -dug

2006-07-20T15:03:00.000-04:00

T-I-double Guh-Errrr.... (I think that's how Tigger spells his own name).

2006-07-20T15:00:00.000-04:00

Hey there, blog visitors!!! Well...we're finally back from our 2 week vacation. Actually, we got back last Saturday, but it's taking us some time to get into the swing of things. Like...posting comics for example. But before I get too involved in getting the blog caught up with I DIG DUG, I thought I'd share this picture with you. Anyone who knows me, knows how much of a Star Wars nut I am, so I just had to share. This is me on a speeder bike replica thats placed outside the Star Tours ride at Disney's MGM. Thankfully there wasn't a big line to wait to jump on it. That would've looked kind of silly....me waiting to ride the speeder bike among kids. Actually...that might be a good comic. Hmmmm....I'm thinking Disney themed I DIG DUGs this fall. What'd'ya think? Anyway, enjoy this pic. I'll post some new I DIG DUG comics this weekend. I may throw a few vacation pics from Disney on from time to time as well since I have so many GREAT pictures!!! Come back soon. -dug

2006-07-19T14:58:00.000-04:00

Here's last week's strip in full color!!! More to come soon!!! -dug.

2006-06-30T18:32:00.000-04:00

BONUS STRIP FRIDAY!!! Well, we're getting ready to leave for vacation, so I'm afraid there will be no color strips this weekend. Sorry...but I think you'll survive. I just have this odd suspicion that you're going to be okay without it. I'll be back in mid month to update with some color and more strips. Thanks for visiting the site, and Happy 4th of July, everyone!!!

2006-06-30T18:27:00.000-04:00

SERIOUSLY!!! I mean for crying out loud...it's the 21st Century. Can't someone invent a faster lighting sparkler!!! Sheesh... Have a great 4th of July everyone!!! -dug.

2006-06-21T07:37:00.000-04:00

I don't know what I did different when scanning these into my computer, but these two strips were HORRIBLE to work with in Photoshop. I couldn't even go over the original lines with plain 'ol black. It was tough. Took me twice as long, really. Anyway...here's the color strips for the Dug vs. The Bee storyline. Basically, Dug has now seen the flying talking evil BuzzerBee and is trying to convince Matt and Carrie that he's out to get him. Of course...comic hilarity ensues. Have a good week!!! -dug

2006-06-16T11:56:00.000-04:00

The evil bee storyline continues in this weekend's Hometown Connection here in Marysville, Ohio. The bee is one of the greatest villains EVER created. Right up there with The Joker, Darth Vader, and Magneto. Don'cha think? I'll have color versions of last week's and this week's I DIG DUG comics sometime this weekend. Enjoy!!! -dug.

2006-06-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

Last weekend's Hometown Connection featured the second part of the Dug vs. The Bee story. Sorry it's taken so long. You'd think that with summer here, it'd be simple to make sure that my comic blog was frequently updated, yet...it's not. Oh well....enjoy the comic. -dug (color version coming later today)

2006-06-07T20:39:00.000-04:00

COLOR!!! -dug.

2006-06-04T13:19:00.000-04:00

This week in The Hometown Connection, I DIG DUG presents, "SMACK!". This is the introduction of "BuzzerBee", the first nefarious villain ever created for the I DIG DUG comics. I had created him a long time ago, and use him from time to time, usually around early spring and summer. He'll be featured during the full month of June in the Hometown Connection. ENJOY!!! I'll get a color version of this strip up soon.

2006-05-27T14:29:00.000-04:00

Here's the color version of this weekends' I DIG DUG comic featured in Marysville, Ohio's The Hometown Connection paper. The idea for this strip actually came to me when...well...this really happened to me. Many of you may be wondering who is "Not-So-Super-Man" and why I'm drawing a comic of it. Well...Dug's cartoon character life, mimics and imitates my own...to a certain degree. Therefore, "The Misadventures of Not-So-Super-Man" is the comic strip created by Dug that he is constantly trying to have published. Well, maybe not constantly, but at least from time to time. It's a story you'd see more of if IDD was published daily, but it's hard to do with a weekly strip. HOWEVER, you will be seeing NSSM show up sometime this summer in a printed IDD comic in The Hometown Connection. So, keep your eyes peeled! -dug. (Not-So-Super-Man created by Dug from I DIG DUG, created by me. It's a story within a story....cool.)

2006-05-25T06:14:00.000-04:00

This weekend in The Hometown Connection, I DIG DUG presents "...d'oh...". Some of you might have been expecting a color version of last week's comic that I just posted this week, but ya gotta move forward. ENJOY!!!

2006-05-23T20:55:00.000-04:00

LAST WEEKEND IN THE HOMETOWN CONNECTION, I DIG DUG presents "Nothing New". Sorry about not getting this up on the site last week. I'm in serious overdrive for our 4th grade musical. So with that....I'll simply say, ENJOY!!!

2006-05-14T14:15:00.000-04:00

So...you may be asking yourself..."Who are Smitty and Dave?". Lucky for you, I'm happy to answer that. Smitty and Dave are my homage to Siskel and Ebert. WHAT? You don't know who Siskel and Ebert are? Sheesh... Okay, Siskel and Ebert were the 'thumbs up, thumbs down' movie review guys of Hollywood. They would watch like every single movie ever made and then give it a 'thumbs up', or 'thumbs down' based on how well they liked it. So Smitty and Dave are the I DIG DUG equivalent of Siskel and Ebert. With a few exceptions. They rarely really review movies. When the characters were firest introduced in the fall of 1999 in I DIG DUG, the pair were very good movie reviewers. However, eventually, I had the characters begin to review a movie, and then go on a tirade of how cold their popcorn was, and how rude the concession stand staff was, and that the seats in the theatre were too lumpy, and they couldn't focus on the movie because the guy sitting next to them had gas...so on and so forth. I know it's tough to see these guys 'return' and not know why they're returning, but stick with the comic, and you'll begin to see why I love these characters so much. -dug.

2006-05-10T17:42:00.000-04:00

This week in The Hometown Connection, I DIG DUG presents "The Return"! Of coures, NO ONE in Marysville will understand that Smitty and Dave are returning to a comic strip that they've never been featured in during it being printed in Marysville papers. But...hey...you get what you get. I really love the Smitty and Dave characters. It's a great way to have some fun with pop culture in a way that I don't really get to with Dug, Matt, and Carrie. If IDD were back to being printed daily, these guys would surely show up every Friday, much like they did during the height of IDD during it's run in OSU's "The Lantern". Enjoy! Color coming Saturday! -dug.

2006-05-07T10:49:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday to me...well...almost...unless you're reading this on Monday, May 8th...then it is happy birthday to me...but if not, well....either happy almost birthday to me, or happy belated birthday to me. Depending on your reading this before or after my actual birthday. Which is May 8th, by the way. -dug

2006-05-05T04:24:00.000-04:00

So, yesterday I mentioned that "Birthday List" is the first ever digitally created I DIG DUG comic. Today, I'm going to show you WHERE the pictures came from. The image of Dug came from the introduction of the Halloween strips from last October. The list Dug is holding and the image of Matt and Carrie both came from Christmas comics from this past December. Finally, the last panel came from the 1st Anniversary Poster of the I DIG DUG BLOG, that was posted this past February. Put 'em all together, type in some new words, and "POOF", a digital comic is born. -dug.

2006-05-04T05:06:00.000-04:00

"Birthday List" is this week's comic featured in The Hometown Connection. And there's an interesting story about this particular I DIG DUG comic strip. Smitty and I were talking a while back how neat it would be to create I DIG DUG digitally. The idea was to draw each character in a variety of different poses and facial expressions and then scan them into the computer. Then each time I wanted to create a new comic, I simply used the scanned image of the character that matched the story that I had written. It's an interesting idea, but I decided that I love drawing the comic so much with pencil and ink, I don't think I could ever really go 100% digital all the time. HOWEVER, from time to time...it might be fun. That's where "Birthday List" comes in. This is the first ever digitally created I DIG DUG comic strip. So...for today enjoy the comic. Tomorrow I'll show you where each picture came from. -dug

2006-04-29T09:15:00.000-04:00

The idea for "Wingdings" originates from a Sociology class I took in my first quarter at The Ohio State University. We were discussing paradigms (he had a great 'purple cow' lecture one day) and we had to write a paper on paradigms...or something like that. So, I handed in my paper, typed in Wingdings, and I explained to my professor that while he may not be able to read it, he should grasp a wider paradigm of communication and accept it as my finished paper. It was a joke, really (he was an AWESOME teacher), and I did turn in my paper in legible Times New Roman on a disc, and I did get a big, fat "A"! A few years later, when I started doing I DIG DUG daily for The Lantern, I took that 'idea' and tweaked it a bit to create this comic. And the funniest part about this comic isn't the fact that Dug's word balloons are in Wingdings. It's Matt saying the word "again". That implies that this is something that Dug has done before. Why would anyone talk in Wingdings once, let along more than once? I can tell you don't see my point...oh well...I think it's funny!!! -dug

2006-04-26T05:13:00.000-04:00

"Wingdings" is this week's I DIG DUG comic featured in The Hometown Connection. The first time I did this strip was for I DIG DUG's run in The Lantern at OSU. This was one of my many little contests that I did during my time as an OSU Lantern cartoonist. Basically, the first person to e-mail me the translation of what Dug was saying, won an autographed copy of this comic. I ended up with 20-30 e-mails if memory serves me right. The guy never did show up to get his autographed comic, though. SOOO, (drumroll please) I'm happy to announce the FIRST EVER "I DIG DUG COMIC BLOG CONTEST"!!! The first person to leave me a comment with the correct translation of what Dug is saying in Wingdings gets an autographed copy of this comic. Heck...I'll even autograph the color version!!! So, get busy translatin' people. -dug

2006-04-22T13:52:00.000-04:00

Here's the color version of "Future Modernism". Check it out in this weekend's Hometown Connection in sunny 'ol Marysville, Ohio.

2006-04-20T20:26:00.000-04:00

This weekend in the Hometown Connection, I DIG DUG presents, "Future Modernism" featuring Dug and Carrie. While I am myself an artist, I find it humorous how some fine artists put very deep philosophical meaning into sometimes very simple works of art. When I was a student at The Columbus College of Art and Design, I had created this 2-D collage project in the shape of three pyramids that joined to a central sphere. Within the piece were multiple pictures of space, worlds, stars, comets...it was (as I remember) a very unique artwork and I was very proud of it. During class on 'critique day', my professor wanted me to explain the meaning of my 'universe' pieces and why I chose to put the galaxy clusters on top, the worlds to the right, the stars and comets to the left, and the very bright sun in the center. I explained that there was no meaning. It was simply the way that I wanted to juxtapose the pieces. To me...it looked right and that's just the way I wanted them. That explanation got me a "D". No kidding!!! So...this comic is a spoof of the art world. And despite Dug blabbering on and on about the true meaning of his "Future Modernism"...he probably just thinks it's a cool looking sculpture. d.

2006-04-15T09:35:00.000-04:00

Color version of "Upside Down". Check out today's Hometown Connection to see this strip!!! -dug.

2006-04-12T17:00:00.000-04:00

I DIG DUG presents "Upside Down" featuring Dug and Matt appearing in the Hometown Connection this Saturday, April 15th. I had this idea for awhile, but never really put it down on paper...or in panels. My original thought however was for it to appear as if Matt was on the ceiling. That is, Matt would be the one where Dug is in this strip. Then, in panel three Matt would fall 'down' to the ground and would realize that he was in fact on the ceiling...not Dug. Then, in a twist, I thought it would look funnier if Matt fell 'up' to reveal that he's on the ceiling. And just like that, "POOF", a comic is born. It's a very Salvador Dali'ish' surreal comic strip...or at least I like to think so. Hope you enjoy!!! The color version will come at'cha this weekend!!! -dug.

2006-04-10T21:06:00.000-04:00

COLOR!!! Don'tcha just love the background in panel 2? C'mon...you know you do. -dug.

2006-04-09T12:02:00.000-04:00

This week in The Hometown Connection: "Sun Chips"!!! I know this has been posted here on the site before, but I'm going to try to update the blog with each week's comic that runs in THC. Just in case you missed it the first time, Matt is allergic to Sun Chips...yet he continues to eat them. Actually, if he eats them in moderation, he's okay, but he had some issues a few times (before he knew of the allergy) where he was sweating and felt his heart rate quicken. I think that's what happened. Anyway, anytime we go to his house, he always has a fresh supply of Sun Chips, and it always prompts a laugh. So, I DIG DUG presents this week in The Hometown Connection, "Sun Chips". -dug

2006-03-28T13:15:00.000-05:00

WOO-HOO!!! Color!!! -dug

2006-03-26T12:08:00.000-05:00

BACK TO BUSINESS!!! Okay...the blog is now officially going back to I DIG DUG comics. I'm going to post something that won't see print in the paper until May, but I'm really excited at bringing back Smitty and Dave into the current I DIG DUG comics. This strip kind of reintroduces the two characters back into the strip and is a remake of a strip that featured Smitty and Dave back in the original print run in The Lantern. I've updated Smitty and Dave's look a bit as well. Dave now wears a solid gray tee, and Smitty is taller. Dave doesn't wear glasses anymore either, but his character just looks better with them. SO...enjoy the return of Smitty and Dave!!! -dug. (color version coming tomorrow. click comic to enlarge...for your viewing pleasure)

2006-03-23T05:31:00.001-05:00

Villains and Clones

2006-03-23T05:31:00.000-05:00

Heroes and Jedi

2006-03-23T05:30:00.000-05:00

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace

2006-03-23T05:29:00.001-05:00

The Galactic Empire.

2006-03-23T05:29:00.000-05:00

Beep Beep Whirrr Whistle Chirp Beep.

2006-03-18T10:03:00.000-05:00

The Imperial AT-AT is a close second to the ultimate Star Wars vehicles. It's definitley one of my more cherished Star Wars possessions. Plus...I really like the Wampa/Luke Hoth figures. They're in the upper right side. The big white creature, with Luke hanging upside down. Really good sculpted figures. -dug

2006-03-16T19:45:00.000-05:00

If ANYONE EVER sees a bumper sticker that says "My other car is the Millenium Falcon", please buy it and send it to me!!! I saw it once about 5 years ago, and am still kicking myself for not buying it. The Falcon is so cool. It's the ultimate Star Wars vehicle!!! -dug.

2006-03-16T19:43:00.000-05:00

What you hear the Rancor saying in "Return of the Jedi": Rowwr...Growwl...Grrrrrrrr....Arrrrghhh!!! Translation: "Not another crappy Gammorean Guard. Jeesh...I'm getting sick of eating these fat pig creatures. They're green skin sticks to my teeth and I get the worst hearburn immediately after eating them. And don't even get me started on the time I have to spend on the toilet. My gosh...it's horrible."

2006-03-16T19:41:00.000-05:00

Jabba's palace is one of my favorite collections. I love the freaky lookin' aliens. My favories are Ephont Man (he's the big guy off to the right) and Ree-Yees (who is mysteriously missing from this picture...hmmmm....where's the dog?!?). Oh...and wouldn't you know it...Bib Fortuna fell (on the left) as I was taking the picture. Way to go, Bibs!!! Ruin the freakin' picture!!! -dug.

2006-03-16T05:46:00.000-05:00

Here's the showdown from Return of the Jedi at the Sarlacc Pit on Tatooine. I probably should've posted Jabba's palace first, but you'll survive.

2006-03-16T05:39:00.000-05:00

More Star Wars geekiness from I DIG DUG comics!!! This is my Tatooine setup, full of Jawas, Tusken Raiders, The Homestead, and of course the Cantina. -dug

2006-03-15T20:01:00.000-05:00

Here's a close up of the Original Trilogy Unleashed figures. The flash on my camera is pretty intense, so sorry for the brightness. -dug

2006-03-15T16:17:00.000-05:00

So at the bottom of the stariwell to the "Batcave" is a shelf dedicated to my Star Wars Unleashed mini-statues. These things are just awesome!!! The sculpt and poses of the them are incredible. They're easily some of my favorite additions to my collection. The top shelf features characters from Episodes 1-3, the next shelf down features characters from the Original Trilogy, next are Padme, Yoda and Mace, and the bottom shelf is graced by Bossk, Jango Fett, Assaj Ventress, and my personal favortie Tusken Raider. I'll try to take a close up picture of him and post it later.