THE JOURNEY CONTINUES...

Doug. Jack and Sugar have been lost in the strange city as they try and find their way to Doug's old home (previously destroyed in a huge bushfire).

With a little bit of help (or not) from some more "borrowed" characters from other strips, our travellers finally seem to be getting back on track.

The visiting characters in this fun little "crossover" series-within-a-series are.......

SNOOPY from the PEANUTS comic strip by Charles Schulz.

LARSEN E. PETTIFOGGER the lawyer from the WIZARD OF ID strip by Brant Parker and Johnny Hart.

And, JOE and CRUNCHY, police partners from the JUMP START strip by Robb Armstrong.

Once delivered beyond the city limits, our trio of travellers will wend their way on to more adventures as they get closer to their destination. Stay tuned for the coming strips! 

For the record, it has been great fun for me drawing this series of strips so far....it has given me the opportunity of placing the characters into unfamiliar surroundings and meeting some interesting characters along the way. (And some of the other cartoonists whose characters I have "borrowed" have been very positive and affirming in their response!)

MEDICAL TIME-OUT

It might be a couple of weeks before the next BUSH WEEK blog comes out.....I will be going in to hospital for double knee replacement surgery.
The time in hospital and the subsequent recovery time from this surgery will mean a bit of a break in the publishing of the blog.

I'll be back with the next blog, or at least an update on things, as soon as I can comfortably do so.
Here's to successful surgery and swift recovery!

HELP US PROMOTE BUSHY TALES

Here are a couple of ideas on how you might be able to assist us….

•If your local, or favourite, newspaper does not run BUSHY TALES as one of its comic strips, why not drop the editor a friendly note (mail or email) requesting it?
Editors are interested in what their readership wants, so it might help to get their attention.

You could suggest the editor contacts me at ian@bushytales.com for further information.

•Share the BUSHY TALES strip with others on Facebook and ask your friends and family to “Like” the BT Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BushyTalesComicStrip). 

This will enhance the profile of the strip and spread the word about it.
We would love to have a growing online readership…and it will further increase the opportunities of print publication, too.

•Subscribe to BUSHY TALES at the GoComics website (it is entirely free) and receive BT daily online and in your inbox. Your support in this way will further advance the chances of broader syndication.
Go to www.gocomics.com/bushytales 

Of course, if your newspaper does take the strip on, don’t forget to drop the editor a line and thank him/her! Positive comments are few and far between…but very much appreciated!

And thank you for your continued readership and enjoyment of the BUSHY TALES comic strip. Long may you enjoy it!

The Sojourners' Journey Journal....

The Continuing Travels and Travails of Doug and His Friends.

A few weeks ago Doug, along with Sugar and Jack, set out on an expedition back to Doug's old home. He barely escaped some years earlier from a bushfire that destroyed his home and family. He remembers very little about his early life, so he has set off to fill in some of the missing pieces of his life's puzzle and to see what his old home is like now.

Unfortunately, what sounded relatively simple in theory is proving to be more challenging in actuality. Along the way (which Doug does not remember very well, anyhow) our three travellers entered a strange city, whereupon Jack and Sugar were abducted. But for the intervention of Wombatman, Doug may have been continuing on his journey alone.

Thankfully, the three friends are still together, but, together, they are still lost.

On the upside, they are meeting some very interesting characters as they try and find their way out of the city and on to their destination (wherever that might be).

Here are a few more of the daily episodes of their journey....

For those of our readers not aware of these other characters, they are (in order)....

• Lil (from the DIAMOND LIL comic strip by Brett Koth)
• Brutus Thornapple (from THE BORN LOSER by Art and Chip Sansom)
• Andy Cap (from the ANDY CAPP comic strip, originally drawn by Reg Smythe)

This coming week will see even more interesting characters, and surprise twists, featured in this series of "crossover" strips.

Stay tuned for more fun and games!

BUSHY TALES on GoComics

GoComics is the largest comic strip portal on the internet. It is the web-based arm of Universal-UClick (formerly Universal Features and United Media syndicates) and features a huge range of the world's most popular comics.

BUSHY TALES is (at the moment) featured in the "second string" section of the GoComics selection of strips....and we hope it will not be too long before we get an invitation to the "big table". We'll certainly let you know if and when this next step in the syndication process takes place.

In the meantime, you can register (free) to receive BUSHY TALES (and as many of the other great features as you like on the GoComics site) in your email...or just go online to read it whenever you like.

The website address is: www.gocomics.com

And if you want to find BUSHY TALES go directly to...
www.gocomics.com/bushy-tales

We'd be honoured to have you show your support for the strip in this way.

To be honest....we are thankful to everyone for any, and all, the support they can give! 

Cartooning has always been a tremendously competitive and cut-throat business, but I reckon it has got considerably worse with a shrinking newspaper market and everything being able to be accessed easily and freely online these days.
So, yes, your support means a lot to us. Thanks.

Till next time.....

Joyfully yours,

Ian 

www.bushytales.com

HAPPY EASTER Everyone!
In case you haven't already seen the BUSHY TALES Easter strip for this year (on GoComics or Facebook) here it is.....

DOUG'S JOURNEY Continued...
Doug, Sugar and Jack continue to encounter some hazardous times as they try to find their way through the big city. Thankfully, Wombatman is there to save the day. Sort of.

They have been lucky to escape this time....but what will happen now... where will they go....and how will they get there? Stay tuned!

Q&A
IF YOU COULD BE ANY OTHER CARTOONIST, WHO WOULD YOU CHOSE TO BE?

Wow, that is a tricky question. I'm not really sure how to answer it because I have a different answer for different considerations.

For example, if the question is just relating to artistic and creative genius and style, I think I (along with everyone else) would chose to be Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes). He rewrote the script of what you can do artistically in a comic strip and I am sure he has had a profound influence on every cartoonist for that reason.

However, if the question relates to longevity and consistent quality over a long period of time I think I would go with Charles Schulz (Peanuts). For over 50 years Schulz produced his strip all by himself. He took great pride in being the only person who ever drew it (many cartoonists these days have assistants).

But if the question relates to the cartoonist's character...well that's a bit more difficult because I don't know much about many of them and so it is hard to judge/choose. Although, I do have the highest regard for Johnny Hart (BC) who did not compromise his beliefs and faith even though he had many opportunities to do so.
But I am sure there are many others, too, whose character is equally laudable.

But, I guess my definitive answer to this question is....
Really, I'd just like to be the very best cartoonist I can be....and, hopefully, that will be good enough.

Thanks for reading!

Until next week.
Joyfully yours,

Ian 

WEBSITE: www.bushytales.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/BushyTalesComicStrip