It's a Family Affair

Bowling Anyone?

This one is for the ladies.

As you may have noticed, Morgan rarely has anything funny to say, if anything at all. Morgan is pretty much the straight man to both Solomon and her kid sister Kerri. That's just the way it worked out. Although every now and again she gets off a good one. This bowling ball joke is as good as it gets for Morgan, all other times she is stuck with being the grown up. On a whole 'other issue altogether, how bad is it for a pregnant woman to be caring a bowling bowl? And where did she get the damn thing in the first place? Nobody in their household bowls.

And Puppy Dog Tails

Kerri is just full of surprises. So much so that sometimes she even throws her older sister for a loop. When she comes over to the house with a card board box full of puppies all Morgan can do is give her a look of total disdain. Solomon however is just dumb founded. There is a bit of foreshadowing in this comic as well. Notice that there are three puppies in the box and Morgan is pregnant with Triplets. Believe it or not I just realized that myself as I was adding this post. That's the funny thing about doing a cartoon. Some things truly just happen by accident, at least for me.

Now, a look at the art and characters. First of all you can see that I did not clean this comic before posting it, therefore you can see every line and mistake in the comics development. Also, I think the black over blue lines is kind of cool in general. The other thing I want you to notice with these post natal tells is the quality of the characters. You might notice that everything is more defined. The thing is that even though these are picture of the family prior to the birth of the triplets, I actually drew them after I drew the comic with the triplets already born. In my attempt to get my comic syndicated I was really struggling to be unique and offer the syndicates something different....A twist that would set my comic apart from all of the ones already out there. Of course you would think a strip featuring multi-births would be different enough. I haven't ever seen any, have you?

The Other Side

Why is it that women believe that they are the only ones who go through their pregnancy. Sure they're the ones who gain the weight and get morning sickness, whose feet swell up, have tender, swollen breast, suffer the mood swings...Okay, so maybe I just answered my own question but still.

I say good for Solomon for being man enough to stand up and say what I'm willing to guess most men feel sometimes. Who cares if it gets him kicked to the couch? You women may have to experience all the above mentioned problems, but damn it...we men have to deal with you. Whose to say which is worth.

******

I am very, very excited to present to you the comics prior to the birth of young Job, Sarah and Ruth. If you look at the past comics you will see that I typed up the captions, cut them out and taped them to the bottom of the panels. These are all hand written, which sucks. I also found some even older comics, when the drawing were truly rudimentary (before I worked out a lot of the kinks in the characters). I'm still trying to decide if I should post those as is or if I should redraw them.

Marionette

I love me some Solomon Jacobs, he is so very unique. If

necessity is the mother of invention than Solomon is the father of stupidity. Okay, Stupidity is a strong word, the man is hardly stupid, he is just inventive. What other parent would think to tie strings to strategic areas of his children's clothes in an attempt to teach them to walk? Not many is my guess. I suppose it is one of those ideas that seemed good at the time, but we'll never get a chance to see if it works. Morgan, natural mother that she is, shows up just in time to spoil Solomon's experiment; as well as his fun.

Hell, I thought it would work.

On an entirely different note, this is the last comic featuring the actual Trips. I started this blog off with the group of comics I sent off to the syndicates (ones which got rejected). Now I am going to go back to the actual pregnancy. In these comics you will get the chance to really get to know the characters. Kerri shows up more in these comics and I think you will truly fall in love with my flat chested beauty. You will also get a chance to meet the parents of Morgan and Kerri.

Intermission

Your first creations are always the ones you love the most. I was so young when I created Quincy. I am going to go through my things and see if I can find some of his original incarnations, from way back in the eighties. This kid has evolved a many of time in my attempt to make him perfect. I finally got him to where I didn't believe that any further changes needed to be made but he was still never picked up for syndication. I still don't see why, look at him. The kid is as cute as hell. In this particular strip not much is said but you get a good since of the working relationship between Nita and Quincy. She thinks he's slow and she annoys the heck out of him. Now that's what I call "Friendship".

Sharing

Kerri is so cute. She is like one big five year old. What kind of person ask if she can have her own Trip when she comes over to visit? The "Kerri" type, that's who. And she says it like its the most normal thing in the world to ask parents if she can have the custody of one of their kids when she comes to visit. One can only image what it must have been like for Morgan to have her as a baby sister. Of course, Morgan loves her baby sister unconditionally. Solomon....not so much.

You Can't Handle the Truth

I hear it all the time; how horrible it is that the parents today let their kids be raised by the boob box (television). I don't think it's such a bad thing. I think television played a part in raising me and I came out pretty damn good.
Solomon doesn't believe it to be such a bad thing either, especially when he has three infants screaming in his ear. Now it is obvious that Morgan doesn't share the sentiment of her husband...or maybe she does and just doesn't appreciate it being verbalized.
Either way, sometimes I think it's inevitable that children be raised by the television. Look at it this was....The television is cheaper than a baby-sister. That's right, I said it!

All things being equal

Solomon is all about equality, especially when it comes to changing messy diapers. He could careless that Morgan changes them all day long, nor could he care that she is trying to enjoy a nice long bubble bath. If the diaper is messy he will seek you out and let you know that it is not his turn to change it. He even made a chore wheel in order to keep track of whose turn it is to change messy diapers when he's home from work. Call it a phobia if you will, but Solomon avoids dirty diapers like the plague.

You can tell from the look on Morgan's face that she is

not amused by his phobia.

As for this comic itself, I am not pleased with it. I am not pleased with the lay out. I am not pleased with how I depicted her upper body, above the bubbles. Nor am I pleased with the way I drew her profile. She looks kind of manly, and I think I took several shoots at getting it right and still got it wrong. I think the concept is good, but the composition sucks.

It's all about being honest with yourself, right?

Bank Robbery

The cost of raising kids is getting more and more expensive everyday. Solomon's no fool. If it takes breaking into his kid's piggy bank he's willing to do it. I'm right there with him. Sometimes a man's got to do what a man's got to do. Of course you never want to get caught doing it. That's never good. Morgan's none too happy with her husband's actions, but Solomon remains unscathed. Hell, have you ever bought diapers? Those bad boys are expensive enough for one kid, let alone three. I ain't mad at him. Solomon cracks me up.

Whose your daddy?

Kerri is so cute. She thinks she can say anything she wants, without consequence. Her and Solomon have a type of love hate relationship and you can see why, judging from this comic. Unable to get the cranky trips to settle down Kerri posses the question that they might just be upset about having Solomon as a father. It's a joke, of course, but she says it with such a straight face that neither Solomon or Morgan can tell if she is joking or not. Those are the best jokes, in my opinion, the ones that leave the party involved wondering if the prankster is being serious or not.

Look for the Union Label

Even the most loving and dedicated mother gets feed up sometimes. I'd be a very rich man if I could figure out the formula that would let you know when a women has reached her breaking point and is either about to shut down or blow up. In this case it is shut down. Poor Solomon, he barely knew how to cope with the triplets in the first place. The prospect of Morgan going on strike might very well send him over the brink. But come on ladies, especially you mothers, don't you sometime wish you could go on strike?

Planned Parenthood

I'm not sure if it is still a big deal anymore but once upon a time there was a big push towards planned parenthood. This comic illustrates that might be able to plan the pregnancy, but parenthood is a crap shoot that can't be planned. Solomon had his whole life planned out, including the number of children he and Morgan would have. Sure, he planned on having three at some point, but not all at once. Three caught him completely off guard.

One on One Time

Solomon really knows how to mess up a romantic moment. He has the same problem as me; sometimes he allows the thoughts in his head to spill out his mouth.

I love this picture. I love the angle of Morgan's body as she sits in Solomon's lap. Notice how her right foot is tucked under her and hooks out beneath her and between Solomon's legs. Moving on from that I hate how elementary the furniture is drawn. The end table is too boxy, with no true dimensions. and that baby monitor sitting on top of it...what the hell is up with that thing? Still, all and all it is a pretty cute comic.

Rubba-Dub-Dub

Solomon can still remember those romantic days that he and his wife use to take baths together. Imagine how his world comes crumbling down when he finds out that those golden days are over. It's cute that he still wants to take baths with his wife, but now when Morgan ask if he wants company in the tub he knows what to expect.

Upon my Breast

Poor Solomon, he's in shock. Luckily Morgan is there to hold him up and provide support for her man. It's a very loving scene to behold; a wife cradling her husband's head as it rest gently at her bosom.

Look at the dazed look on Solomon's face as his arms dangle limply. Then take a gander at Morgan; legs straddled just far enough apart to offer the support needed to hold him up as she speaks, over his head, to Kerri. Kerri is just puzzled. Diarrhea is no joke, but I took a stab at it.

Reading IsFundamental

Anybody out there remember the RIF program? Reading Is Fundamental. Okay, I'm about to date myself but I can remember waiting for the Book Mobile to come around so we could check out books to read. I love to read and apparently so does Solomon Jacob. Of course that means nothing to Morgan. For some reason Solomon got it into his head that he could enjoy a good book since his Trip was fast asleep. Jokes on him. A father's work is never done, especially when he has triplets. You better use a baby wipe as a book mark mister, because it's gonna be a while before you get a chance to finish that bad boy.

What Doesn't Kill Me...

We've all, at some point or another, heard it said; "What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger." Morgan tried that little gem on Solomon when he was only willing to change the "pissy" diapers. Well, it looks like he finally had to suck it up and start pulling his end of dirty diaper duty. Poor thing. Oh well, nobody said that fatherhood was going to be easy.

Now, let examine this comic. I think Kerri looks okay, but look at Morgan. Not exactly the most lady-like way to sit, but that's okay...she is in the privacy of her own home. It is the way that I drew whatever triplet she is holding that bothers me. What kind of mutant child is that? Then there is Solomon, standing there with a Trip in one hand and a dirty diaper in the other. I put him in shorts. You might have noticed that there is no distinguishing line in the shorts to separate the pants legs. That is because I meant to make the shorts all black, thus eliminating the need to put the line there in the first place. Obviously I forgot to color them in. And what is up with his shoes? Clog dancing anyone? There should also probably me more clutter around the room. Sure, Morgan could be one hell of a house cleaner, but clutter is still funny in comics.

Dumb Question

As you can image, it must be exhausting to take care of three new born babies. Heck, I took care of my little nephew for a couple of days when he was a baby and it wore me out. So, although most times Morgan handles it like a trooper, sometimes she is just plain tuckered out. Is it any wonder that when Solomon gets home from work he finds his beloved wife passed out over the back of the easy chair.

I like the idea of this comic but I don't believe that I did a very good job of capturing the fall of Morgan's body, over the back of the chair. It doesn't ring true. I think that if this had been something that was being syndicated and published in newspapers I might have redrawn it. However, although I am not happy with the picture itself, I think the idea is still cute as hell.

Looking on the Bright Side

Say what you want about Morgan's little sister, Kerri, she can truly be a breath of fresh air. Although a tad bit self-centered and self- involved she hasn't lost that child-like innocence that allows her to see the brighter side to things. Take for instance this comic were she sits with the Jacobs Clan, as the triplets holler away, for whatever reason. If you look at the expressions on the faces of both Morgan and Solomon, as they turn their gaze unto her, you can tell that they are weary and haggard from the experience. Kerri, however, un-phased by the cries manages to see that one of the Trips might be destined to try out for American Idol one day. I thought this was both cute and funny.

Note: I realize that you have not been giving the opportunity to truly see what I mean when I speak about Kerri, but that is because the comics that really make up her character were done when I was showing Morgan's pregnancy. I will eventually show those comic on this blog as well, but I thought I'd start with the ones that I most recently sent off for syndication and were consequently rejected.

Just a Quick Intermission

Meet Quincy and Nita, they are both from my comic strip titled; The Family Tree, Like @Home, The Family Tree is one of my comics that had been constantly rejected by the big syndicates out there. For a man who spends the majority of his life trying to avoid rejection I certain got a lot of them when I was trying to get syndication . I made up the character Quincy Taylor when I was in the tenth grade. Can you believe that crap? You'd never know it to look at him but when I first developed him he was modeled completely after Dennis the Menace. Quince was developed to be the older cousin of a pair of twins name Jennifer and Jonathan (I will show them in another intermission). I made up Jennifer and Jonathan when I was in the eight grade. Anyway, the young lady with him is named Nita. Nita came about many years later. She was actually meant to be just a one time character that I made up just for filler where I needed a group of kids. I liked the way she looked so much that I decided to make her a permanent member of the roster. Nita makes the perfect Nemesis for Quincy.

Beggars Can't be Choosers

Kerri is the torn in Solomon's side. He loves his sister's baby sis, but she has a tendency to say just the right thing to get under his skin. She isn't exactly what you would call a freeloader, beggar if you will, because she gets a healthy allowance from her parents (while in college). However, she does spend a good amount of time over her sister's house. AND, since she is always over there she often finds herself sitting with them for whatever meal they might be partaking of at the time. This really isn't a problem for either Morgan or Solomon...the problem comes with the little comments that she makes while she there. Still, you gotta love yourself some Kerri, as long as she is not your sister in-law.

Hands full

How hard must it be to handle three newborns at once? I mean just one is a handful, right? So, when Solomon ask Morgan how she manages it when he's a work it is more than a legitimate question. How does any woman do it? As Morgan stands there looking at her husband I bet she is wondering the same thing. How does she manage it when he's at work? Like most thing she does it because it is something that has to be done. If she had to think about it she probably couldn't do it. Heck, if she had to think about it she'd probably go crazy.

A Grandmother's Love

I really enjoy this comic. Normally when children give their parents brand new grandchildren, you can count on them to want to spend every moment of everyday with their grandchild. So, of course, when Solomon and Morgan get all dolled up for a night out it seemed like a no-brainer that his mother would be willing to babysit the Trips, right? Wrong! Mrs. Jacobs is no fool and she was not having it. Solomon is an only child and thus she is only use to caring for one child and she sees no reason to to change things now.

A quick shout out

You have heard it said that there are gold ships and there are silver ships, but there is no ship like friendship. Now I personally have never seen a gold or a silver ship, but I have been blessed with some truly wonderful friendships. Blessed with friends so true that they become family. Before I continue on with my comics, let me kick a shout out to my good friend Clifford, the big Red Dog. He says his name is just Cliff, but I like Clifford better. As you saw, in my last entry, my lap top shut down on me (THE PIECE OF SH...). Anyway, Cliff, technical whiz that he is, came over and attempted to fix the problem and save the date from my broken down compaq. Not being able to do that he provided me with the means to continue the up keep of my blog. Isn't that the most outstanding thing you've ever heard? This is a picture I took of him working on the piece of junk. Cliff is just one of the truly wonderful friends that I love and cherish dearly. So, thank you Cliff. You ladies and gents, who actually are reading this blog, can thank Cliffy too.

It's the thought that counts

This is Kerri King. Kerri is a college freshman and the younger sister of Morgan. Both Kerri and Morgan come from money. There father is the famous Kerry King, inventor of the infamous "King for a day" Diet Plan (more on him later). Kerri goes to college in the same town where Morgan and Solomon live. Kerri is the sexy one of the two siblings. If ignorance is bliss then Kerri most always be in a constant state of euphoria. Being the baby of an overprotective mother and the "King" of fitness, Kerri lives the spoiled existence that Morgan has forgone in order to live a normal life with her husband Solomon. Morgan and Kerri are very close, although Kerri can sometimes test the patience of her big sister and is constantly grating on the nerves of Solomon. Beware women, because Kerri is one of those women who seems to be able to eat whatever she wants and never gain a pound, much to the chagrin of her older sister Morgan. Keep an eye out for Kerri, she and Solomon make up the meat of this comic.

Talk about your coincidences

This is my nephew. He is two years old. Ain't he handsome? I decided not to use his name, because you can never be too careful. Anyway, the reason that I decided to post him is because this young man was conceived years after I came up with my triplets and yet when he was born he looked just like the cartoon images that I had drawn of the Jacobs Trips. Funny, huh?

Anyway, this picture is of him after he took first place in a ball. He showed off his little peanut butter butt during the whole affair, but when it came time for him to get his trophy and savings bond, he was all about it. The little ham. I love him though.

The cool thing about him is that I now have a model on how to make my triplets develop (Thank you little sister). Before him I had only my imagination to go on. Which isn't too bad. After all, I a child at heart.

Bragging rights

Mrs. Jacobs, Solomon's mother. How lucky is she? Three grandchildren in one shot. Ever proud, Mrs. Jacobs is a lot like my mom. The sweetest, most kindhearted person in the world. She can't wait to get on the phone and tell her friends about her lovely grand babies. The funniest thing about Mrs. Jacobs is that, like most moms, she believes that every positive trait of the triplets come from her side of the family (including the fact that they are triplets to begin with). Of course it becomes Solomon's duty to politely correct his mom and make her aware that he is an only child. From the expression on his mother's face, she's not trying to hear it. Morgan and Mr. Jacobs, Solomon's dad, casually observe the scene, but both are too smart to get involved. Poor Mrs. Jacobs...she did such an excellent job of raising her son and yet she failed to instill in him the fact that grandmother's reserve the right to brag about anything, whether it is true or not......

Too Young for Drag

This is the joke that started the whole triplet's concept rolling. Years ago, I means seriously, way back when I was twenty five, I came up this little one panel joke about a man who's wife dressed their new born triplets alike. No problem, right? Except for the fact that one of the triplets was a boy and she had dressed them all up in ruffled dresses. I thought the idea was cute and began to wonder about what other concepts I could come up with using the same subject matter. "Triplets" was soon born, the original title of this comic. It's funny though. Although I have always wanted to be a cartoonist, I initially did not think I could do the one panel cartoon shtick. I was use to drawing the more traditional four panel strips because it allowed you the opportunity to build up to the punch line; where as with the panel strip you have to get your whole message across in one shot. I didn't think I had it in me, but once I started doing it I found that I not only enjoyed the challenge but was also able to step up and meet the challenge head on. Well, in my mind I thought I was, but the syndicates don't seem to feel the same, because I am still unsyndicated. It makes me sad, because this is all I have ever really wanted to do with my life.

Anything that requires food counts!

Solomon Jacobs is what one might call cheap, which is apparent in this scene where he confronts Morgan for bringing home a large house plant. I think it is hilarious that he considers a house plant as an extra mouth to feed. Well, you might call him cheap, but I call him frugal. He is a man after my own heart.

One is Enough

Morgan looks on disapprovingly, as Solomon brings out one of the newborns for friends to see. Solomon, being the man that he is, decides that since they are triplets, it is easier to bring out one instead of disturbing all three of the kids. This, of course, is truly how a man's mind works. It is obvious how the mind of the men work in the expressions shown on even the faces of the visiting guest. Notice how the man tries to make the baby smile, obvious of the comment, while the other woman cuts her eyes at Solomon, giving him the same disapproving gaze as Morgan. I thought it was a cute idea.

LOVE -N- HAPPINESS

This comic originated from my days at Southern Methodist University, when I did a comic called Triplets for the Daily Campus. I later left the paper, artistic differences don't you know. However, I thought the concept was so good it might merit syndication. I changed the name from Triplets to Love -n- Happiness when I submitted it for syndication. Sadly, it was rejected like a host of other comics that I have tried to have syndicated over the years. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong.

What you are looking at right now is the title and character page that I submitted with the comic itself when I sent it off for syndication. It shows the main characters. Solomon, Morgan and Kerri. Solomon and Morgan have triplets by the names of Ruth, Sarah and Job. Names straight from the Bible. I hope you enjoy my comic. The syndicates seem to think it sucks, but tell me what you think. I can take it. Oh, by the way. I have since changed the title from Love -n- Happiness, to @Home...hence the title of the Blog.