Inspiration for the strip

    "River and the Weird Kid" has received many comments from readers, almost exclusively positive. One curiosity of its supporters, as well as its critics, seems to be about the sources of inspiration for the strip. 

    The characters and stories are in fact based on autobiographical recollections, and the strip's portrayal of characters is not rooted in any other source. The genuine intention of the strip is to preserve my own childhood experiences in ways which capture both the humor and poignancy of growing up. Since childhood growth is a universal passage, and since it is a common topic for humor (both in and outside of comic strips), the strip carries certain inherent and unavoidable (and unintended) echoes of the viewpoints of many other artists and creators. This is not only acceptable, but is an affirmation of the universality of certain childhood realities.

   Roger is autobiographical. The stories used in the strip are drawn from the artist's own memory, as well as from collected family tales.

    River is based on the personality of my son, which is described in the article, "River's purpose."

The Dad

The Mom

The Sister

The Yard and Pool

The unfinished tree house is in the background. Compare it with the tree house in the comic strips.