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Comics: Meet the Artist
With Lincoln Peirce
Cartoonist, "Big Nate"
Hosted by Suzanne Tobin
Washington Post Comics Editor
Friday, Oct. 26, 2001; 1 p.m. EDT
Welcome to the Washington Post Style section comics discussion, hosted by Comics page editor Suzanne Tobin.
"Big Nate" features the adventures and fledgling comic strips of sixth grader Nate Wright. Nate's cartoons allow readers to see the world through Nate's eyes, while cartoonist Lincoln Peirce adeptly captures Nate's reactions to the world around him.
Peirce was online Friday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. EDT to answer questions and take comments about his cartoon.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Suzanne Tobin:
Hi, everyone, and welcome to "Comics: Meet the Artist." Today our guest is Lincoln Peirce, the creator of "Big Nate," who is joining us live online from his studio in Portland, Maine. It seems down here in Washington that Indian summer has ended. How are the temperatures up there?
Lincoln Peirce: Hi, everyone, and so glad to with you here. Up here, summer ends in mid-August, so it's in the upper 40s here and cloudy. A good day to stay inside and work!
Nwe York, N.Y.:
Is Nate modeled on your own childhood?
Lincoln Peirce: Yes, he is to a large extent. I made him a sixth-grader when I first started the strip, because that was probably the most eventful year of my childhood. It just seemed that a bunch of stuff was happening around that time. So alot of it is my memories and alot of it also comes from when I was a high school teacher from 1987-'90 in an all boys Catholic military academy in New York City, as a matter of fact. I got alot of good ideas during that very interesting time. I was the art teacher and baseball coach.
Brookeville, Md.:
Thank you, Mr. Peirce, for all the cartoons about Mr. Rosa. As an elementary art teacher (male, dark hair, four letter name that begins with R-O-) I can certainly relate to the joys and frustrations of teaching the Nates of the world (I love it, actually). I hang them all up in my classroom.
Have you ever taught art yourself?
Mr.Roth
Lincoln Peirce: As I mentioned in my last reply, I did indeed teach art. Nate was originally a character in a failed comic strip I submitted to the syndicates called "Neighborhood Comics." The woman who reviewed that strip--who eventually became my editor--picked out Nate and said "Here's an interesting character, why don't you pull him out and make him more of the focus?"
As for teaching, hang in there, it's very challenging to teach the Nates of the world, but I always loved teaching art because, for the kids, it's one of the more entertaining times of the day. And I always felt that I was seeing the kids at their best in art class. I just think that even if the kids are a little rowdy in class, they're rowdy because they're enjoying themselves.
Bloomfield, N.J.:
Lincoln,
Any chance of a follow up to "Add More Babes?"
Hope all is well....
Rob MacNett
Lincoln Peirce: Hi, Rob! For those of you who don't know, "Add More Babes" was a Big Nate book that came out nine years ago. And I am happy to say that we're currently producing some Big Nate e-books with a company called ipicturebooks.com. We're going to make some compilations of strips from the last several years and initially we're planning three e-books. And I'm still not certain if they are all going to be released at once, or one at a time, but it should be happening in the next few months. You can check on comics.com/comics/bignate. That's the Big Nate site and there will be announcements on that site with updates on the release dates.
Englewood, N.J.:
Hi,
I really enjoy your strip.
I would like to know if Nate will ever grow up. Will he always be an 8-year-old? Some cartoon characters age and it's interesting to see their growth. Is this something you'd consider?
Lincoln Peirce: Thanks so much for the compliment. To clarify Nate's age, he's actually 11. I wouldn,t consider aging any of the characters, not because I think that wouldn't work, but for myself, he's really a function of his age and his environment. He's a sixth grader, and there's so much material there in that time frame, I just don't want to move him from that spot.
Annandale, Va.:
Mr. Peirce,
Questions about Mrs. Godfrey: Is she really the cruel ogre that Nate sees her as or is she more accurately a tough but fair teacher who is trying to get her students to do more and than just memorize facts and repeat them back? Does she hate Nate or does she merely have a short tolerance for his antics?
Lincoln Peirce: Excellent question. With no easy answer, I'm afraid. I do think the truth is that she's kind of in-between those two extremes. When I started the strip, I really wanted Nate to have an adversary. And I think we've all had teachers that we REALLY don't like. So I invented Mrs. Godfrey, and just to keep things lively, I do sometimes imply that she's kind of unfair to Nate. It's not just that she's a dedicated teacher, she sometimes does get really annoyed by him. It's a fine line because I want the reader to see her through Nate's eyes, but I don't want her to seem downright cruel, like in an abusive sense. Basically, she's the teacher you love to hate. She has also been capable of showing kindness to Nate over the years at certain times, so she's not all bad.
New York, N.Y.:
How did Francis wind up being best friends with Nate, who is his polar opposite? And, what's the story with Mrs. Godfrey? Is she also based on a real life character? In fact, I think I had her in fifth grade, but she was using a pseudonym at the time.
Lincoln Peirce: I will just say this, without getting specific. Anyone who knows me knows who Mrs. Godfrey is. (And she taught seventh, not fifth, grade, so I don't think you had her.) And as for Francis, he's the only character in the strip that I named after a former student of mine. I had a student when I taught named Francis, who wasn't anything like the Francis in the strip. As for why he and Nate are best friends, I think it's just an "opposites attract" sort of thing. Because most of the jokes take place in school, Francis almost functions in a parental way. He's kind of the common sense part of things.
Washington, DC:
Love Big Nate-
So, are you a chess player yourself? The "ArTUR" storyline had me in stitches.
Lincoln Peirce: Glad to hear you like Nate as much as I do. People don't believe me when I say this, but I've only played chess about six times in my life. About five years ago, I thought it would be funny if Nate, who's kind of an underachiever in other parts of his life, found something that he was really almost a genius at. And I thought chess was the funniest possibility. And I discovered that I really didn't have to know much about the game to write good jokes about it. Did you know that in August of 2000 there was a Big Nate chess tournament in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Chess Center? I came down, watched kids play chess, which was fascinating for me, because I'd never been to a chess tournament before. I drew pictures for the kids and it was great day.
Until Artur came along, Nate had never had a real rival. I didn't want to make some obnoxious kid who would be easy for Nate to dislike. What drives Nate crazy is that everyone likes Artur, he's really a nice kid, but he's better than Nate at chess.
22201:
Mr. Peirce --
I really love your strip. I was an editor of my college newspapers, and we had students drawing strips for us. I did not want to be in their shoes! As artists, they wanted to be creative and fresh, but then there was the pressure of having to find something funny EVERY DAY Plus the format (Four frames: intro, build up, tension, joke) is very constraining. To top it all off, on those days that they just weren't funny at all (only about 1/3 of the time), readers were relentless and cruel in their sarcasm.
In the grown-up comics, there seems to be intense burnout.
Some seem to respond to the pressure by quitting outright (Larson and Watterson), and others by slowly atrophying into complete "cute" nausiating lameness (Family Circus, Garfield, and even Peanuts, I'm afraid). Still others try to stay fresh by tackling new "issues," often without even attempting to still be amusing anymore (For Better For Worse, B.C.).
Given all that pressure, do you ever feel like just taking a break? What about an 8-year limit for strips, like we have for the President?
Lincoln Peirce: I do think most comic strips inevitably, over time, start to get a little tired. But certainly after 8 years alot of comics are just hitting their stride. So no term limits, I think cartoonists should be able to go as long as they have the readership. I would not want to take a vacation, personally, because as a devoted comics reader myself, I feel let down when I come across reprints. As a cartoonist, I feel that I owe my readers a fresh strip every day.
And thanks for the kind words.
Germantown, Md.:
Mr. Pierce: A simple, common question, but I need to ask nonetheless: Where do you get your ideas? "Big Nate" is a good comic strip, sharply written, nostalgic, funny and sweet. It's devoid of the attitude or dumbing-down that invades some other newer strips. Also, have you been approached about television specials?
Lincoln Peirce: Alot of times I just get ideas by just thinking really hard. I know that sounds really weird, but most days, I just have to sit somewhere in a really quiet room and think of situations I could put Big Nate in that would be really funny. Some cartoonists walk around with a notepad, and when they're at the supermarket, they'll see something funny and they'll jot the idea down. That's never worked for me.
As for television specials, I think Nate would be great on TV and maybe that'll happen sometime in the future. I do actually write for TV. I write cartoons for Cartoon Network, and my latest one, which is called "Not So Fast," will premiere on Friday, Nov. 23 at 10 p.m. EST on Cartoon Network. "Not So Fast" is the first of two 11-minute cartoons they'll be airing back to back, and they'll feature a character called "Uncle Gus." I'm not an animator, but I designed the characters and the way they look, and the animators take over from there. Alot of it is actually done on computers.
Rockville, Md.:
No question, just positive feedback.
As the mother of an 8-year old-girl and 3-year-old boy, I really enjoy reading your strip -- and mentally preparing myself for the sounds of battle that I'll be enjoying in about eight years. Keep up the good work, hope to be reading you then, too!
Holds true for girls, too, I'm seven years older than my sister, and she was a pain in the tuckus too!
Lincoln Peirce: Thank you for the kind words. I have two kids myself, but they're not Big Nate's age yet either.
I originally intended Big Nate to be more of a family strip. I was planning to write alot of jokes about his older sister and his father, but these things just have a life of their own, and I found myself writing more and more school jokes. So nowadays the father and the sister are almost incidental characters.
I named the character after my older brother, but the reality was that our roles were reversed. I was the younger one bugging him all the time. I was alot more like Big Nate than he was, although Big Nate was his nickname growing up.
Arlington, Va.:
Nate is such a pain, but he's so enthusiastic and sincere as he goes about it. I always like reading the strips that Nate "draws." And the way he is so brashly enthusiastic about things. Like Nate arguing with his art teacher about the -art- of Rusty Sienna (great name).
Lincoln Peirce: Your comments could have been written by my publicist. That really sums up the way I want readers to see Big Nate. It's important to me that he always remain likeable, even when he's being annoying or inappropriate. One of the reasons the strip is called "Big Nate" is even though he's a small boy, he thinks of himself in a big way. And even though he fails constantly in the strip--in the classroom or on the soccer field--he retains this indestructible faith in himself. P.S. Rusty Sienna has not been in the strip in a long time, so you're clearly a devoted reader. Thanks!
Silver Spring, Md.:
What gave you the idea to make Spitsy?
Lincoln Peirce: Spitsy is my new favorite character. One of the ways in which the strip is most autobiographical, like me when I was a kid, is that Big Nate is always begging for a dog. And, like me when I was a kid, he has this neighborhood dog who's a complete spazz. In my case, it was my best friend's dog, who wore one of those cone collars, because she had some sort of affliction that made her gnaw at her own paws all the time. So I decided to translate that into the strip, and I just thought that it would be hilarious if, after begging for a dog all this time, he ends up with the worst dog he could imagine.
New York:
Lincoln,
A couple more questions: Have you ever considered giving Nate's dad a social life?
And, what's new with Ellen? Can't she meet a nice guy at Dillyburger?
A loyal reader,
Ed Levine
Lincoln Peirce: I've definitely toyed with the idea about writing some jokes about Dad's social life. I just haven't gotten around to it yet, I think I will someday.
Right now, Ellen is kind of in limbo. For a long time, she dated this guy Gordie, who Nate really liked because Gordie worked in the comics store. I doubt Ellen's going to meet anyone nice at Dillyburger, but I will hook her up again in the future.
Baltimore, Md.:
Now that Nate has found love, are there any love conections looming on the horizon for dad?
Lincoln Peirce: I think I just answered that in the previous questions. And, love has not necessarily found Nate for the long term, so keep reading.
Solomons Island, Md.:
Are you familiar with the comic strip "Red & Rover?" While the boy is more innocent than Nate, the strip certainly seems to be influenced by your sensibility. Do you take this as a compliment?
Lincoln Peirce: I do know that strip very well. I think any strips that feature a young boy are bound to be compared to one another. But that strip is much more nostalgic than my own, because it's supposed to take place in the late '60s.
I don't think you can go wrong with a strip featuring a boy and his dog. That's pretty much a good formula there. Rover is a more traditional dog than Spitsy--let's put it that way.
Adelphi, Md.:
LP, one of your biggest fan is here! Of all the other artists that have chatted on The Post's site, only you were worth the trip. Just wanted to know if your strip has been considered for a Saturday morning cartoon or the big screen even?
Lincoln Peirce: Would you please consider becoming my agent? Seriously, thank you very much. Years ago, it was considered for an animated series and we kind of went down that road but nothing came of it. It would be nice, but it's really not my primary focus. (I did mention earlier another cartoon that I wrote for the Cartoon Network that's premiering Nov. 23rd, 10 p.m. EST. Plug, plug!)
Washington, D.C.:
I like Nate's girlfriend. She looks like a normal 11-year-old girl -- not too georgous or out of his reach, but cute. She adds a nice storyline. It's probably also good that she doesn't go to his school, or she would find out how difficult Nate can really be!
Lincoln Peirce: I agree completely. I think part of the reason they got together is because they met outside of a school setting, at soccer camp. I think kind of the unspoken joke is that they're together because she doesn't know the real Nate yet.
Vienna, Va.:
What else have you written for the Cartoon Network?
Lincoln Peirce: As of right now, I've just written the two Uncle Gus shorts. But I'm working on another project right now. I don't want to say the name of it now, because sometimes in production the name gets changed. Just keep watching Cartoon Network!
Adelphi, Md.:
What is in store for Nate during the next few months? Any serious character/plot twists to look out for?
Lincoln Peirce: Every year I have Nate and his friends playing Monopoly on New Year's Eve, and this year they'll be joined by Artur. There will also be some Spitsy jokes, some basketball jokes and some jokes featuring Gina, the annoying teacher's pet who sits behind Nate in class.
Suzanne Tobin:
We're out of time, I'm afraid. But thanks so much, Lincoln, for joining us. I, in particular, love Nate when he's in goal, because my oldest son is a goalie, and I think they just don't get enough attention, except when they make a mistake! It's really been fun talking to you, and I hope our readers whose questions didn't get online will take the time to send you an e-mail directly at drawnate@aol.com. See you again in two weeks, folks.
Lincoln Peirce: Anytime you want to have me on, Suzanne, I'd love to come back. This was great fun. I'd also like to thank The Washington Post for carrying Big Nate, because they have run it since February of 1991, which was a month after it debuted. It's a thrill to be included in a paper with such a good comics section. My own local paper here in Portland only has room for about 20 comics, so I had to lobby for about three years before Big Nate got in the Portland Press Herald.
Suzanne Tobin:
Thanks, Lincoln, for the compliment. We get so few! Just kidding...we love to get feedback from our readers, so if anyone wants to reach me, they can e-mail me at tobins@washpost.com. Thanks!
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