→2006→09→28→Comic strips→Interviews→Allison Barrows discusses ‘PreTeena’
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  1. Just a short note of appreciation and engouragement. I’m a 60 year old Grandfather with one particular Grandaughter who greatly reminds me of Teena. My small town newspaper does not carry the strip, but I read it daily on Yahoo Comics to start my workday. I laugh out loud at the Pre Teena strip more than any I’ve ever read. You have a wonderful ability to portray what I believe to be the best years of a child’s life into humouous strips! In addition, your artwork is among the best in the business! I look forward to reading your strip every day and wish you continued success with it. Dennis Baker

  2. Just a short note of appreciation and engouragement. I’m a 60 year old Grandfather with one particular Grandaughter who greatly reminds me of Teena. My small town newspaper does not carry the strip, but I read it daily on Yahoo Comics to start my workday. I laugh out loud at the Pre Teena strip more than any I’ve ever read. You have a wonderful ability to portray what I believe to be the best years of a child’s life into humouous strips! In addition, your artwork is among the best in the business! I look forward to reading your strip every day and wish you continued success with it. Dennis Baker

  3. Dear Mr. Dennis Baker,

    Thank you so much for your very kind comments about my strip, PreTeena. It’s so nice to hear from people of all ages who enjoy Teena and her adventures: I once got a lovely fan letter from a retired admiral!

    You’re lucky to have a little granddaughter like Teena. I have a daughter like Jeri!
    Allison Barrows

  4. Dear Allison,

    I don’t know if you’ll ever see this, but I have hoped for a way to let you know how much you brighten my day with Teena, her family and friends. There is something about this strip that is quite different to so many these days. You’ve managed to combine good storylines, with lots of fun and a loving family (yes, even Jeri). To top it all off, you’ve created characters that the reader really cares about. That alone would be wonderful, but then every now and then you hit the heart too.

    I remember one a while back that left me in tears. It was when Teena’s mother was singing, Jeri told her it sounded awful. The look on Tess’s face as she remembered singing to her adoring baby girl was what made the tears spring to my eyes.

    Thank you for being a blessing.

    With love, Deb Porter

  5. Dear Allison,

    I don’t know if you’ll ever see this, but I have hoped for a way to let you know how much you brighten my day with Teena, her family and friends. There is something about this strip that is quite different to so many these days. You’ve managed to combine good storylines, with lots of fun and a loving family (yes, even Jeri). To top it all off, you’ve created characters that the reader really cares about. That alone would be wonderful, but then every now and then you hit the heart too.

    I remember one a while back that left me in tears. It was when Teena’s mother was singing, Jeri told her it sounded awful. The look on Tess’s face as she remembered singing to her adoring baby girl was what made the tears spring to my eyes.

    Thank you for being a blessing.

    With love, Deb Porter

  6. Dear Ms. Barrows,
    My name is Nina. I live in Hawaii and I am 10 years old. I love your comic strip Preteena, so I was really sad when my local newspaper, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, voted it off!
    I wrote a “letter to the editor” saying that I was so sad they took out Preteena and that they should put it back!
    To my surprise, they printed my letter (see Honolulu Star Bulletin on April 18 and 22, 2007) – which was followed by a whole stream of letters from other people in Hawaii who wanted Preteena back!
    And then – this is the best part- they DID put Preteena back! (See Honolulu Star Bulletin on May 21, 2007.)
    But the weirdest thing is, right after the Honolulu Star Bulletin put Preteena back, you ran a story about how Jeri was angry that her paper had cancelled her favorite strip, so she wrote a letter to the editor to complain!
    It was so uncannily like what had happened here!! I liked the story, though! (I wonder… was the story just a coincidence?)

    ~Thanks, an avid Preteena Fan, Nina (10 yrs. old)

  7. Dear Ms. Barrows,
    My name is Nina. I live in Hawaii and I am 10 years old. I love your comic strip Preteena, so I was really sad when my local newspaper, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, voted it off!
    I wrote a “letter to the editor” saying that I was so sad they took out Preteena and that they should put it back!
    To my surprise, they printed my letter (see Honolulu Star Bulletin on April 18 and 22, 2007) – which was followed by a whole stream of letters from other people in Hawaii who wanted Preteena back!
    And then – this is the best part- they DID put Preteena back! (See Honolulu Star Bulletin on May 21, 2007.)
    But the weirdest thing is, right after the Honolulu Star Bulletin put Preteena back, you ran a story about how Jeri was angry that her paper had cancelled her favorite strip, so she wrote a letter to the editor to complain!
    It was so uncannily like what had happened here!! I liked the story, though! (I wonder… was the story just a coincidence?)

    ~Thanks, an avid Preteena Fan, Nina (10 yrs. old)

  8. Dear Ms Barrows,

    For those of us that are fairly new to your wonderful strip (a family strip, full of real life touches, both heartfelt and humorous!), is there any way we can read your past strips? Do you have any trade paperback collections out there? (Like those done for “Dilbert” and “For Better or For Worse” and “Calvin and Hobbes”) If not, are you planning any? I’m sure I’m not the only one that would love to read about this family, from the beginning!

    Thanks for giving me something to look forward to every morning!

    Ron (Springfield MO)

  9. Dear Ms Barrows,

    For those of us that are fairly new to your wonderful strip (a family strip, full of real life touches, both heartfelt and humorous!), is there any way we can read your past strips? Do you have any trade paperback collections out there? (Like those done for “Dilbert” and “For Better or For Worse” and “Calvin and Hobbes”) If not, are you planning any? I’m sure I’m not the only one that would love to read about this family, from the beginning!

    Thanks for giving me something to look forward to every morning!

    Ron (Springfield MO)

  10. Our paper doesn’t offer Preteena, but I read it most days on the web. Clever storylines; never corny.

    One problem, the text is often hard to read – sometimes virtually impossible to read.

    There must be many of us web-readers.

    Please consider resizing or reshaping text so it can be easily read on the web. I have normal vision and Pretenna is the only comic that I have this trouble with – so there must be many workable options.

    Thanks.

  11. Our paper doesn’t offer Preteena, but I read it most days on the web. Clever storylines; never corny.

    One problem, the text is often hard to read – sometimes virtually impossible to read.

    There must be many of us web-readers.

    Please consider resizing or reshaping text so it can be easily read on the web. I have normal vision and Pretenna is the only comic that I have this trouble with – so there must be many workable options.

    Thanks.

  12. I’m the creator of “PreTeena” the comic strip that several of you have very kindly commented on. I am deeply grateful for your admiration and kind observations. It troubles me that I only found this site by complete accident and that you may have thought I wasn’t communicative; nothing could be further from the truth. I LOVE talking with people who read not just PreTeena but comics in general. The give and take is thrilling, and most comics lovers are exceptionally smart about what they like – and dislike.
    I invite anyone to comment on PreTeena, and will answer every message (abusive contributions will be ignored, but I won’t shy from legitimate complaints).
    I have tried to respond to some of you directly, but there were no links. So I hope you’ve seen this, and will join what I hope will be an entertaining conversation!

  13. I’m the creator of “PreTeena” the comic strip that several of you have very kindly commented on. I am deeply grateful for your admiration and kind observations. It troubles me that I only found this site by complete accident and that you may have thought I wasn’t communicative; nothing could be further from the truth. I LOVE talking with people who read not just PreTeena but comics in general. The give and take is thrilling, and most comics lovers are exceptionally smart about what they like – and dislike.
    I invite anyone to comment on PreTeena, and will answer every message (abusive contributions will be ignored, but I won’t shy from legitimate complaints).
    I have tried to respond to some of you directly, but there were no links. So I hope you’ve seen this, and will join what I hope will be an entertaining conversation!

  14. Allison,

    Could you please respond to my June 19 post? I would be so interested in any PreTeena collections!

    Thanks!

    Ron

  15. Allison,

    Could you please respond to my June 19 post? I would be so interested in any PreTeena collections!

    Thanks!

    Ron

  16. Hi Allison!!!!

    My sisters friend meg went to paier(coincidence) and now works at disney!! Sooooo….. why arnt you on AK? TTYL(talk to you l8tr) on AK!!

    Thanks,

    Puppy

  17. Hi Allison!!!!

    My sisters friend meg went to paier(coincidence) and now works at disney!! Sooooo….. why arnt you on AK? TTYL(talk to you l8tr) on AK!!

    Thanks,

    Puppy

  18. Hi Allison,
    This is Sunday, September 23. I’ve stared at the Sunday strip for many minutes. “MYOB” I don’t get it.
    paul brown
    New Hampshire

  19. Hi Allison,
    This is Sunday, September 23. I’ve stared at the Sunday strip for many minutes. “MYOB” I don’t get it.
    paul brown
    New Hampshire

  20. Dear Allison,

    I’ve been an avid reader of cartoons strips for 50+ years and reckon Pre-Teena to be one of the funniest, most incisive and best drawn it has ever been my pleasure to view. It’s a daily requirement on my visit to Yahoo!!
    (Err…but I’m with Paul on the Sunday 23rd strip ..must be my age in my case… and I’m dying to know, because I’m sure it’s as usual very witty…

    All the very best.

    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  21. Dear Allison,

    I’ve been an avid reader of cartoons strips for 50+ years and reckon Pre-Teena to be one of the funniest, most incisive and best drawn it has ever been my pleasure to view. It’s a daily requirement on my visit to Yahoo!!
    (Err…but I’m with Paul on the Sunday 23rd strip ..must be my age in my case… and I’m dying to know, because I’m sure it’s as usual very witty…

    All the very best.

    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  22. Thanks, everyone, who sent the questions and lovely comments above!
    For Paul and Roger, MYOB means “Mind Your Own Business”. It’s a fairly common abbreviation, like ASAP or TGIF (“As Soon As Possible” and “Thank God It’s Friday”), but I’m happy to clear that up for you. Now the joke should make sense!
    (By the way, Roger, my husband and I took our two children on a canal boat vacation from Whitchurch, Shropshire, to Llangollen, Wales. We went over the Pontcysyllte Aquaduct with some trepidation, but it was thrilling to be in a boat ABOVE the teeny sheep below us! It rained every bloody day of the trip, but we loved every soggy minute of it!).
    As for a PreTeena collection, the first book has just come out. It’s just a taste – 130 or so strips – but it is expected to be the first of many. Below is a link where you can buy it online:
    http://www.allykatzz.com/page/home/
    PreTeena appears everyday on the home page of the AllyKatzz website. Scroll down along the left hand column and you’ll find where to click on to buy the book.
    For Puppy, I AM on AllyKatzz! Talk to you there!
    Thanks to all of you who enjoy PreTeena! I love hearing from you!
    Allison

  23. Thanks, everyone, who sent the questions and lovely comments above!
    For Paul and Roger, MYOB means “Mind Your Own Business”. It’s a fairly common abbreviation, like ASAP or TGIF (“As Soon As Possible” and “Thank God It’s Friday”), but I’m happy to clear that up for you. Now the joke should make sense!
    (By the way, Roger, my husband and I took our two children on a canal boat vacation from Whitchurch, Shropshire, to Llangollen, Wales. We went over the Pontcysyllte Aquaduct with some trepidation, but it was thrilling to be in a boat ABOVE the teeny sheep below us! It rained every bloody day of the trip, but we loved every soggy minute of it!).
    As for a PreTeena collection, the first book has just come out. It’s just a taste – 130 or so strips – but it is expected to be the first of many. Below is a link where you can buy it online:
    http://www.allykatzz.com/page/home/
    PreTeena appears everyday on the home page of the AllyKatzz website. Scroll down along the left hand column and you’ll find where to click on to buy the book.
    For Puppy, I AM on AllyKatzz! Talk to you there!
    Thanks to all of you who enjoy PreTeena! I love hearing from you!
    Allison

  24. MYOB!!…. Of course!!!!
    All the same thanks Allison for taking the time out to explain that…Yep now I get it!!
    (Glad you had a chance to enjoy some of the stunning North Wales landscape… Rained every day?…Not uncommon I’m afraid.. you’ll have noticed the very lush grasslands!)
    Keep up the good work on Preteena.

    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  25. MYOB!!…. Of course!!!!
    All the same thanks Allison for taking the time out to explain that…Yep now I get it!!
    (Glad you had a chance to enjoy some of the stunning North Wales landscape… Rained every day?…Not uncommon I’m afraid.. you’ll have noticed the very lush grasslands!)
    Keep up the good work on Preteena.

    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  26. Now Allison,
    Here I am in your very own New Hampshire, 72 years old, and never heard “MYOB”. Oops, now I get it… it’s *because* I’m 72 years old.
    paul brown

  27. Now Allison,
    Here I am in your very own New Hampshire, 72 years old, and never heard “MYOB”. Oops, now I get it… it’s *because* I’m 72 years old.
    paul brown

  28. To Roger:
    Wales, the land of Arthur, is almost too beautiful. The silver mists, the velvet green, the organic scent of the pub goers at the Sarah Ponsenby . . . If the sun actually had come out during our holiday, we would’ve been blinded by Llangollen’s jewel-like splendor and the baking smell of immolating dentists and their over-dressed spouses from South Carolina, which would have been very welcome and a story for another time.

    To Paul:
    Have you ever read the novelist Robertson Davies? He made “intellectual and over-60” look like a new category for e-Harmony (of course, I may be the only one right now who’s selling this idea, but still . . .). Age 72 is, like Conde Nast might package it, The New 50. My dad’s 73, and he’s embarking on a two-week cruise with his new squeeze (okay, she’s a retired Catholic school prinicipal, but you know what I mean).

    Anyway, humor should be ageless. My kids and I watch Jackie Gleason yelling that he’s going to send Alice to the moon and we all laugh. Hyacinth bellowing “Rrrrichaaarddd….” will crack anyone up.
    I hope that readers of PreTeena will relate, whether they’re kids, parents, grandparents, or victims (I’m in the last category).

    Keep writing to me! I LOVE this exchage. Paul, my husband keeps me locked in a tower in Keene. Find me! I’ll let down my hair (that may take some time because it’s very short), and we can run off to Vermont together. No, that’s out. No one wears clothes there. Eeew, at any age.

  29. To Roger:
    Wales, the land of Arthur, is almost too beautiful. The silver mists, the velvet green, the organic scent of the pub goers at the Sarah Ponsenby . . . If the sun actually had come out during our holiday, we would’ve been blinded by Llangollen’s jewel-like splendor and the baking smell of immolating dentists and their over-dressed spouses from South Carolina, which would have been very welcome and a story for another time.

    To Paul:
    Have you ever read the novelist Robertson Davies? He made “intellectual and over-60” look like a new category for e-Harmony (of course, I may be the only one right now who’s selling this idea, but still . . .). Age 72 is, like Conde Nast might package it, The New 50. My dad’s 73, and he’s embarking on a two-week cruise with his new squeeze (okay, she’s a retired Catholic school prinicipal, but you know what I mean).

    Anyway, humor should be ageless. My kids and I watch Jackie Gleason yelling that he’s going to send Alice to the moon and we all laugh. Hyacinth bellowing “Rrrrichaaarddd….” will crack anyone up.
    I hope that readers of PreTeena will relate, whether they’re kids, parents, grandparents, or victims (I’m in the last category).

    Keep writing to me! I LOVE this exchage. Paul, my husband keeps me locked in a tower in Keene. Find me! I’ll let down my hair (that may take some time because it’s very short), and we can run off to Vermont together. No, that’s out. No one wears clothes there. Eeew, at any age.

  30. Ms. Barrows,

    Thanks for a great strip – my daughter is 14, and I see pieces of her in both the Teena and Jeri characters in your strip. Your understanding of all things teen (and pre) is amazing. Keep up the good work – would love to see your strip in the San Diego Union-Tribune but I do read it online daily.

    Terry

  31. Ms. Barrows,

    Thanks for a great strip – my daughter is 14, and I see pieces of her in both the Teena and Jeri characters in your strip. Your understanding of all things teen (and pre) is amazing. Keep up the good work – would love to see your strip in the San Diego Union-Tribune but I do read it online daily.

    Terry

  32. Hi Allison

    Very pleased you enjoyed Llangollen and managed to share it on equitable terms with those from South Carolina (Of course the locals would have called them ‘Yanks’- that woulda been interesting to observe at close quarters..but I expect folks from the South get used to it when visting the UK)

    No one wears clothes in Vermont?????? Heck that’s another dream of mine shattered! (Durn an’ I was seduced by the imagery of Alistar Cooke’s Letter From America!..I always planned to make a Million(never came anything like close!) and emigrate there…Oh well)

    By the by, I’m enjoying the current storyline in particular the aftermath of Tina’s seizure of power in class; I had several chuckles over the thought of her dad’s ‘driving gesture’. The expressions on her face are a joy to behold!

    Before I sign off, what a suprise finding you on Lulu too!! I’m going to have to get that book – once I find my credit card (I know it’s in the house somewhere….No it’s not my age…I’ve always been like this)

    All the very best
    (I hope at least you have a nice view from your tower)

    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  33. Hi Allison

    Very pleased you enjoyed Llangollen and managed to share it on equitable terms with those from South Carolina (Of course the locals would have called them ‘Yanks’- that woulda been interesting to observe at close quarters..but I expect folks from the South get used to it when visting the UK)

    No one wears clothes in Vermont?????? Heck that’s another dream of mine shattered! (Durn an’ I was seduced by the imagery of Alistar Cooke’s Letter From America!..I always planned to make a Million(never came anything like close!) and emigrate there…Oh well)

    By the by, I’m enjoying the current storyline in particular the aftermath of Tina’s seizure of power in class; I had several chuckles over the thought of her dad’s ‘driving gesture’. The expressions on her face are a joy to behold!

    Before I sign off, what a suprise finding you on Lulu too!! I’m going to have to get that book – once I find my credit card (I know it’s in the house somewhere….No it’s not my age…I’ve always been like this)

    All the very best
    (I hope at least you have a nice view from your tower)

    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  34. Allison’s direct link to buy her fabulous first book through lulu.com is as follows:

    http://www.lulu.com/content/1072721

    But, yes, you can also enjoy past Sunday strips everyday on AllyKatzz (www.allykatzz.com), where there is also a link to buy the book (far left hand column).

    Thank you for your supportive comments. You will love “PreTeena: The Paperback!”

    Brooke G.
    Universal Press Syndicate

  35. Allison’s direct link to buy her fabulous first book through lulu.com is as follows:

    http://www.lulu.com/content/1072721

    But, yes, you can also enjoy past Sunday strips everyday on AllyKatzz (www.allykatzz.com), where there is also a link to buy the book (far left hand column).

    Thank you for your supportive comments. You will love “PreTeena: The Paperback!”

    Brooke G.
    Universal Press Syndicate

  36. Thanks so much, Terry from San Diego! When I first created the strip back in 1999, my daughter was a a 9-year-old preteen and my son was just a little guy, so I’ve been able to use both of them for inspiration (or is that irritation?). They’re now in high school and middle school, but elements of them still make an appearance in the strip from time to time. I never had a sister, but I like to think that if I did, our relationship would have been much like that of Teena and Jeri. I envy them a bit, so I suppose I project my own wishes onto them It’s much cheaper than analysis!

  37. Thanks so much, Terry from San Diego! When I first created the strip back in 1999, my daughter was a a 9-year-old preteen and my son was just a little guy, so I’ve been able to use both of them for inspiration (or is that irritation?). They’re now in high school and middle school, but elements of them still make an appearance in the strip from time to time. I never had a sister, but I like to think that if I did, our relationship would have been much like that of Teena and Jeri. I envy them a bit, so I suppose I project my own wishes onto them It’s much cheaper than analysis!

  38. Hi Allison,
    Watch for me, riding my white charger to carry you away from that awful tower…But seriously, when the Union Leader first carried Preteena, I wrote Joe McQ. that I was distressed that Mother Goose and Grim was out. I think I rather expected that Preteena would be some kind of a…hmmm…well, overly sweet feminist thing. But I really have enjoyed it, especially those things that New Englanders know…how do I say it delicately…the runny nose in cold weather?
    Paul Brown
    in
    New Hampshire

  39. Hi Allison,
    Watch for me, riding my white charger to carry you away from that awful tower…But seriously, when the Union Leader first carried Preteena, I wrote Joe McQ. that I was distressed that Mother Goose and Grim was out. I think I rather expected that Preteena would be some kind of a…hmmm…well, overly sweet feminist thing. But I really have enjoyed it, especially those things that New Englanders know…how do I say it delicately…the runny nose in cold weather?
    Paul Brown
    in
    New Hampshire

  40. Hi Paul,

    Ah! Confession is good for the soul! Actually, Joe McQ was my real White Knight: he was a huge fan of PreTeena before it was syndicated. He published it for several months before Universal picked it up and I’ll be forever grateful to him for his faith in me.

    “Sweet” feminism? Never heard of it. Angry, loud, wrong-headed feminism – I’m familiar with that. And it sure as heck ain’t funny.

  41. Hi Paul,

    Ah! Confession is good for the soul! Actually, Joe McQ was my real White Knight: he was a huge fan of PreTeena before it was syndicated. He published it for several months before Universal picked it up and I’ll be forever grateful to him for his faith in me.

    “Sweet” feminism? Never heard of it. Angry, loud, wrong-headed feminism – I’m familiar with that. And it sure as heck ain’t funny.

  42. Hi Allison,
    I haven’t seen your strip before today’s appeared on Bill Bickel’s “Comics I Don’t Understand” blog (http://cidutest.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/jeri/)
    Maybe I’m missing some context… but what gives? Why is Jeri’s loving(?) mother so happy at the memory of repeatedly slapping her daughter’s face?

    Hoping I’ve got the wrong impression,
    Pete

  43. Hi Allison,
    I haven’t seen your strip before today’s appeared on Bill Bickel’s “Comics I Don’t Understand” blog (http://cidutest.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/jeri/)
    Maybe I’m missing some context… but what gives? Why is Jeri’s loving(?) mother so happy at the memory of repeatedly slapping her daughter’s face?

    Hoping I’ve got the wrong impression,
    Pete

  44. Hi Pete,

    Go back and read the strips leading up to the DREAM about smacking Jeri in the face. You may want to get in on the action after that.

    Best,
    Allison

  45. Hi Pete,

    Go back and read the strips leading up to the DREAM about smacking Jeri in the face. You may want to get in on the action after that.

    Best,
    Allison

  46. Hi Allison,
    Thanks for your reply!

    Jeri’s been grumpy and bad tempered for three strips. Tess and Teena are dreaming of slapping some sense into her. And the memory of the dream slapping (over and over and over) makes Tess very happy. Um.

    I can see the humour in wanting to slap sense into a grumpy teen, but the way Tess is relishing the memory seems a little creepy, particularly when Jeri can overhear. Maybe it’s the last panel… not having a long exposure to the strip, I am probably not reading Jeri correctly.

    Anyway, maybe it’s just me. I don’t want to make an issue over it. Thanks again for responding.
    Pete

  47. Hi Allison,
    Thanks for your reply!

    Jeri’s been grumpy and bad tempered for three strips. Tess and Teena are dreaming of slapping some sense into her. And the memory of the dream slapping (over and over and over) makes Tess very happy. Um.

    I can see the humour in wanting to slap sense into a grumpy teen, but the way Tess is relishing the memory seems a little creepy, particularly when Jeri can overhear. Maybe it’s the last panel… not having a long exposure to the strip, I am probably not reading Jeri correctly.

    Anyway, maybe it’s just me. I don’t want to make an issue over it. Thanks again for responding.
    Pete

  48. Dear Allison:
    I too really enjoy Preteena. I start off my day reading it at Yahoo.
    Raising a Jeri must be a challenge and in most cases a joy.
    Just out of curosity were you a Jeri as a youngster and have a Teena as a sister or were the roles reversed? I’ve heard it said it’s better to write on a subject one knows best.
    Blessings and keep up the fantastic work.
    Jim Martin
    Maryville,TN

  49. Dear Allison:
    I too really enjoy Preteena. I start off my day reading it at Yahoo.
    Raising a Jeri must be a challenge and in most cases a joy.
    Just out of curosity were you a Jeri as a youngster and have a Teena as a sister or were the roles reversed? I’ve heard it said it’s better to write on a subject one knows best.
    Blessings and keep up the fantastic work.
    Jim Martin
    Maryville,TN

  50. Dear Allison: I have to agree with Pete. It *is* creepy; more than that, it’s inappropriate.

    It is ESPECIALLY inappropriate for the mom to be sharing that dream with Jeri’s younger sister, whether Jeri can overhear or not.

    Bottom line: Under NO circumstances is it ok for a mother to take glee in the thought of physically assaulting her child. The mom obviously needs to visit a therapist.

  51. Dear Allison: I have to agree with Pete. It *is* creepy; more than that, it’s inappropriate.

    It is ESPECIALLY inappropriate for the mom to be sharing that dream with Jeri’s younger sister, whether Jeri can overhear or not.

    Bottom line: Under NO circumstances is it ok for a mother to take glee in the thought of physically assaulting her child. The mom obviously needs to visit a therapist.

  52. Hi Jim,

    I’m so glad you like – and get -the strip! What an interesting question, whether I was a “Jeri” or a “Teena”. I was definintely a Teena, without her good sense and brains, but I always admired the confident, take-no-prisoners Jeris. The Stick character is based on a real friend I had when I was Teena’s age, and Jeri was actually based on the beautiful older sister of another friend. The sister was elegant and slender but with long, flawless dark hair. She never deigned to look or speak to any of her little sister’s friends; superiority oozed from her every pore.

    I have a “Jeri” myself (she’s going to be 17 next week), and she’s a beautiful, splendid, strong, confident person with a great sense of humor. Our “Teena” might be my almost-14-year-old son, who is a brainy and wry observer of life while still somehow maintaining his lovely personality and general good will toward everyone.

    Again, I’m delighted you’re enjoying the strip. Thanks so much mfor letting me know!

    Blessings backatcha,
    Allison

  53. Hi Jim,

    I’m so glad you like – and get -the strip! What an interesting question, whether I was a “Jeri” or a “Teena”. I was definintely a Teena, without her good sense and brains, but I always admired the confident, take-no-prisoners Jeris. The Stick character is based on a real friend I had when I was Teena’s age, and Jeri was actually based on the beautiful older sister of another friend. The sister was elegant and slender but with long, flawless dark hair. She never deigned to look or speak to any of her little sister’s friends; superiority oozed from her every pore.

    I have a “Jeri” myself (she’s going to be 17 next week), and she’s a beautiful, splendid, strong, confident person with a great sense of humor. Our “Teena” might be my almost-14-year-old son, who is a brainy and wry observer of life while still somehow maintaining his lovely personality and general good will toward everyone.

    Again, I’m delighted you’re enjoying the strip. Thanks so much mfor letting me know!

    Blessings backatcha,
    Allison

  54. Hi Allison & Everyone else:
    Regarding ‘that’ Dream. Look folks I really do think you are reading far, far too much into what is actually a cartoon strip and not a live broadcast.
    For a ‘kick off’ (just a brit. expression meaning ‘start’) you really have to accept that this is cartoon humour, and by tradition this does tend in its conveying to thus inflate the human condition. (Fer instance did anyone actually believe that in a recent ‘Doonesbury’ strip an iraqi terrorist actually followed a US serviceman on leave to his home?…I don’t think so.)
    AND secondly, reading that series of strips of Preteena Jeri had been an exceptional pain the ‘delicates’ all week…Sssooo should we not consider that Mom and Teena were just having a joke at Jeri’s expense… in short no dream…just a bit of banter? Did anyone stop to consider that..Did they?..Hmm?…Eh?-did they?-did they? (Err that last bit’s actaully justa bit of fun folks..one should not take a carton strip that seriously should one???…..Should one?-I hope not).
    (Oooh boy! Don’t humour get serious at times.)
    By the way Jeri recently dumped a bowl of something on Teena’s head so now who needs a therapist? (No one actually. Anyone here lived with a teenage daughter?….shudder)
    But, truth be known…..Keep up the good work Allison
    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales

  55. Hi Allison & Everyone else:
    Regarding ‘that’ Dream. Look folks I really do think you are reading far, far too much into what is actually a cartoon strip and not a live broadcast.
    For a ‘kick off’ (just a brit. expression meaning ‘start’) you really have to accept that this is cartoon humour, and by tradition this does tend in its conveying to thus inflate the human condition. (Fer instance did anyone actually believe that in a recent ‘Doonesbury’ strip an iraqi terrorist actually followed a US serviceman on leave to his home?…I don’t think so.)
    AND secondly, reading that series of strips of Preteena Jeri had been an exceptional pain the ‘delicates’ all week…Sssooo should we not consider that Mom and Teena were just having a joke at Jeri’s expense… in short no dream…just a bit of banter? Did anyone stop to consider that..Did they?..Hmm?…Eh?-did they?-did they? (Err that last bit’s actaully justa bit of fun folks..one should not take a carton strip that seriously should one???…..Should one?-I hope not).
    (Oooh boy! Don’t humour get serious at times.)
    By the way Jeri recently dumped a bowl of something on Teena’s head so now who needs a therapist? (No one actually. Anyone here lived with a teenage daughter?….shudder)
    But, truth be known…..Keep up the good work Allison
    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales

  56. Roger, Sir Knight! My champion!

    Scolds, beware! When you put me in a foul mood, I lessen the gruel for my children, and, chained as they are under the floors of my opulent mansion, they tend to escape screaming that their mother has been ESPECIALLY inappropriate!

    Twirling my moustasche as I lurch off to my coffin bed,
    Farewell . ………..
    BAHWAHHHAHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  57. Roger, Sir Knight! My champion!

    Scolds, beware! When you put me in a foul mood, I lessen the gruel for my children, and, chained as they are under the floors of my opulent mansion, they tend to escape screaming that their mother has been ESPECIALLY inappropriate!

    Twirling my moustasche as I lurch off to my coffin bed,
    Farewell . ………..
    BAHWAHHHAHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  58. > should we not consider that Mom and Teena were just having a joke at Jeriâ??s expenseâ?¦ in short no dreamâ?¦just a bit of banter?

    Well sure, but how is a mother taking glee in the thought of assaulting her child a “joke”? How is that even funny?

    Would it still be funny if she actually carried through with it? If not, why not?

    btw, I am using the term “assault” on purpose. She did not dream of simply slapping Jeri. She dreamed of doing it “over and over and over”, and then took joy in that dream.

    I maintain that it’s creepy & inappropriate.

  59. > should we not consider that Mom and Teena were just having a joke at Jeriâ??s expenseâ?¦ in short no dreamâ?¦just a bit of banter?

    Well sure, but how is a mother taking glee in the thought of assaulting her child a “joke”? How is that even funny?

    Would it still be funny if she actually carried through with it? If not, why not?

    btw, I am using the term “assault” on purpose. She did not dream of simply slapping Jeri. She dreamed of doing it “over and over and over”, and then took joy in that dream.

    I maintain that it’s creepy & inappropriate.

  60. Hi folks! It’s me from Wrexham, North Wales (UK) again.

    OK Michele, fayre comment if we were talking about actually people, in actual really day-to-day circumstances, visible and undeniable. But we are talking about a CARTOON strip. Now I like a bit of censorship just like the next person (Don’t get me started on ‘Clockwork Orange’ – the film….Wot? You didn’t…Oh sorry..my bad), but as I have to state again and agin these are KARTOONS!! An’ folk in KARTOONS do things that ordinary folk don’t…that’s why they are KARTOONS…an’ it’s become a very common term for describing off the wall characters (used to turn up in critical apraisals of songs -‘with these cartoon characters’ etc..etc)…
    Now if you really need more insight into how the history has envolved then take a visit to the very excellent Don Markstein’s Toonopedia website!
    Anyhow Jeri had it coming! Does anyone remeber what a fat lot of good she was when Teena and Stick got lost in the snow!! (A very funny script)

    But now to the really worrying part….Allison you have a moustache??????????

    Oh well
    As ever ( in rusty armour..it’s the durn North Wales rain)
    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  61. Hi folks! It’s me from Wrexham, North Wales (UK) again.

    OK Michele, fayre comment if we were talking about actually people, in actual really day-to-day circumstances, visible and undeniable. But we are talking about a CARTOON strip. Now I like a bit of censorship just like the next person (Don’t get me started on ‘Clockwork Orange’ – the film….Wot? You didn’t…Oh sorry..my bad), but as I have to state again and agin these are KARTOONS!! An’ folk in KARTOONS do things that ordinary folk don’t…that’s why they are KARTOONS…an’ it’s become a very common term for describing off the wall characters (used to turn up in critical apraisals of songs -‘with these cartoon characters’ etc..etc)…
    Now if you really need more insight into how the history has envolved then take a visit to the very excellent Don Markstein’s Toonopedia website!
    Anyhow Jeri had it coming! Does anyone remeber what a fat lot of good she was when Teena and Stick got lost in the snow!! (A very funny script)

    But now to the really worrying part….Allison you have a moustache??????????

    Oh well
    As ever ( in rusty armour..it’s the durn North Wales rain)
    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  62. Hi Roger,

    My Snidely Whiplash moustache is only in the imagination of people who think I’m “creepy” and “innappropriate”. I suspect every cartoonist, comedian and humour writer has his/her share of angry detractors. Goes with the territory. I remember when the brilliant “Calvin and Hobbes” first appeared; there were angry letters to the editor (and to the synidcate, which we share), demanding the strip be pulled from the papers and accusing creator Bill Waterson of being a sicko, among other things. Well, humour, like music, is subjective.

    Hey, it’s wet here in New Hampshire, too! That’s what I love about it. I’m very comfortable with rainy days and overcast skies, probably confirming my general “creepiness”!

    Love chatting with you, Sir Roger!
    Allison

  63. Hi Roger,

    My Snidely Whiplash moustache is only in the imagination of people who think I’m “creepy” and “innappropriate”. I suspect every cartoonist, comedian and humour writer has his/her share of angry detractors. Goes with the territory. I remember when the brilliant “Calvin and Hobbes” first appeared; there were angry letters to the editor (and to the synidcate, which we share), demanding the strip be pulled from the papers and accusing creator Bill Waterson of being a sicko, among other things. Well, humour, like music, is subjective.

    Hey, it’s wet here in New Hampshire, too! That’s what I love about it. I’m very comfortable with rainy days and overcast skies, probably confirming my general “creepiness”!

    Love chatting with you, Sir Roger!
    Allison

  64. Hi Alison,
    Oh a Snidely Whiplash moustache! Thatâ??s alright then! For brief span of time I was truly worried… I had ‘Salvador Dali’ images in my head.. No I don’t know why; maybe my wife is right and I should take less sugar in my tea.
    Anyhow, yes I agree controversy certainly goes with the turf. In cartoons sometimes more than any other form. There was the historical, nay, legendary ‘Peanuts’ ‘Today we prayed at school’. I believe in some corners of Cartoondom the argument is still raging over that one!
    Another facet of Preteena I like are those strips where we are allowed to see things through Teena’s imagination – a favourite is her as a jaded city dectective viewing a body which turns out to be her father sleeping on the sofa.
    So keep on doing what you are doing.

    All the best

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  65. Hi Alison,
    Oh a Snidely Whiplash moustache! Thatâ??s alright then! For brief span of time I was truly worried… I had ‘Salvador Dali’ images in my head.. No I don’t know why; maybe my wife is right and I should take less sugar in my tea.
    Anyhow, yes I agree controversy certainly goes with the turf. In cartoons sometimes more than any other form. There was the historical, nay, legendary ‘Peanuts’ ‘Today we prayed at school’. I believe in some corners of Cartoondom the argument is still raging over that one!
    Another facet of Preteena I like are those strips where we are allowed to see things through Teena’s imagination – a favourite is her as a jaded city dectective viewing a body which turns out to be her father sleeping on the sofa.
    So keep on doing what you are doing.

    All the best

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  66. Hi Roger,

    I have to tell you about the “jaded city detective” that Teena’s character assumes: I am a HUGE watcher of BBC murder mystery/police procedurals. Oh, it goes far beyond the Agatha Christie PBS classics of “polite” mansion murder most Americans of a certain age are familiar with. No, I subscribe to BBCAmerica, and so get the most lurid of your country’s output. Helen, Mirren, Trevor Eve, Robeson Davies . . .
    Years ago I saw a film that was remarkable – and awful. “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover”. It starred Helen Mirren and was, I think, a modern version of The Canterbury Tales, or a Good Wife section of it. It took place in a “restaurant” but it was really Hell, and gorgeously appointed (one enormous wall – perhaps two stories – was decorated by the oversized painting of a Dutch master; men in red and black overseeing and judging the diners). Angels appear but are abused, demøns giggle and are wanton . . .
    But the art of the film is breathtaking.

    I could talk about his to anyone who might care. I must also say that I have one other film I MUST talk about, and that is Michael Powell’s “A Matter of LIfe and Death”.

    I’d be happy to continue to talk about Preteena whenever anyone wants to, but these other things are of much greater interest to me.

    Goodnight, Rog!
    Allison

  67. Hi Roger,

    I have to tell you about the “jaded city detective” that Teena’s character assumes: I am a HUGE watcher of BBC murder mystery/police procedurals. Oh, it goes far beyond the Agatha Christie PBS classics of “polite” mansion murder most Americans of a certain age are familiar with. No, I subscribe to BBCAmerica, and so get the most lurid of your country’s output. Helen, Mirren, Trevor Eve, Robeson Davies . . .
    Years ago I saw a film that was remarkable – and awful. “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover”. It starred Helen Mirren and was, I think, a modern version of The Canterbury Tales, or a Good Wife section of it. It took place in a “restaurant” but it was really Hell, and gorgeously appointed (one enormous wall – perhaps two stories – was decorated by the oversized painting of a Dutch master; men in red and black overseeing and judging the diners). Angels appear but are abused, demøns giggle and are wanton . . .
    But the art of the film is breathtaking.

    I could talk about his to anyone who might care. I must also say that I have one other film I MUST talk about, and that is Michael Powell’s “A Matter of LIfe and Death”.

    I’d be happy to continue to talk about Preteena whenever anyone wants to, but these other things are of much greater interest to me.

    Goodnight, Rog!
    Allison

  68. Hi Roger,

    I have to tell you about the “jaded city detective” that Teena’s character assumes: I am a HUGE watcher of BBC murder mystery/police procedurals. Oh, it goes far beyond the Agatha Christie PBS classics of “polite” mansion murder most Americans of a certain age are familiar with. No, I subscribe to BBCAmerica, and so get the most lurid of your country’s output. Helen, Mirren, Trevor Eve, Robeson Davies . . .
    Years ago I saw a film that was remarkable – and awful. “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover”. It starred Helen Mirren and was, I think, a modern version of The Canterbury Tales, or a Good Wife section of it. It took place in a “restaurant” but it was really Hell, and gorgeously appointed (one enormous wall – perhaps two stories – was decorated by the oversized painting of a Dutch master; men in red and black overseeing and judging the diners). Angels appear but are abused, demøns giggle and are wanton . . .
    But the art of the film is breathtaking.

    I could talk about his to anyone who might care. I must also say that I have one other film I MUST talk about, and that is Michael Powell’s “A Matter of LIfe and Death”.

    I’d be happy to continue to talk about Preteena whenever anyone wants to, but these other things are of much greater interest to me.

    Goodnight, Rog!
    Allison

  69. Hi Roger,

    I have to tell you about the “jaded city detective” that Teena’s character assumes: I am a HUGE watcher of BBC murder mystery/police procedurals. Oh, it goes far beyond the Agatha Christie PBS classics of “polite” mansion murder most Americans of a certain age are familiar with. No, I subscribe to BBCAmerica, and so get the most lurid of your country’s output. Helen, Mirren, Trevor Eve, Robeson Davies . . .
    Years ago I saw a film that was remarkable – and awful. “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover”. It starred Helen Mirren and was, I think, a modern version of The Canterbury Tales, or a Good Wife section of it. It took place in a “restaurant” but it was really Hell, and gorgeously appointed (one enormous wall – perhaps two stories – was decorated by the oversized painting of a Dutch master; men in red and black overseeing and judging the diners). Angels appear but are abused, demøns giggle and are wanton . . .
    But the art of the film is breathtaking.

    I could talk about his to anyone who might care. I must also say that I have one other film I MUST talk about, and that is Michael Powell’s “A Matter of LIfe and Death”.

    I’d be happy to continue to talk about Preteena whenever anyone wants to, but these other things are of much greater interest to me.

    Goodnight, Rog!
    Allison

  70. Hi Allison
    â??The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Loverâ?, now there’s a film and a half – horrible, replusive, confusing and compelling – just what I meant by ‘Cartoon’ characters; I mean that in the positive!
    Have BBCAmerica managed to find and treat you to the classic ‘Z-Cars’? That was about ordinary police in the NW of the UK in the 1960s – dare I say it was ahead of the ‘Hill Street Blues’ with that format (and our own now very, very silly ‘The Bill’- I remember that when it was good)
    â??A Matter of Life and Deathâ? must be the one film in the UK every critic and film maker agrees is one of our best. I truly don’t know if anyone has managed to equal The Ethereal atmosphere; unsettling sets,frozen action; and in black & white – difficult to match. Yes indeed, talk away – I just taped it again (we recently had a season of good UK films on tv.)

    All the best

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  71. Hi Allison
    â??The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Loverâ?, now there’s a film and a half – horrible, replusive, confusing and compelling – just what I meant by ‘Cartoon’ characters; I mean that in the positive!
    Have BBCAmerica managed to find and treat you to the classic ‘Z-Cars’? That was about ordinary police in the NW of the UK in the 1960s – dare I say it was ahead of the ‘Hill Street Blues’ with that format (and our own now very, very silly ‘The Bill’- I remember that when it was good)
    â??A Matter of Life and Deathâ? must be the one film in the UK every critic and film maker agrees is one of our best. I truly don’t know if anyone has managed to equal The Ethereal atmosphere; unsettling sets,frozen action; and in black & white – difficult to match. Yes indeed, talk away – I just taped it again (we recently had a season of good UK films on tv.)

    All the best

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  72. Hi Allison,

    Your cartoon brings back many memories of those days when our two children were teens. They are both on their own now.

    Your sensitive story line and artistic cleverness are refreshing.

    Keep on cartooning. You are destined to be in every household.

    A Vermont neighbor,

    Gene

  73. Hi Allison,

    Your cartoon brings back many memories of those days when our two children were teens. They are both on their own now.

    Your sensitive story line and artistic cleverness are refreshing.

    Keep on cartooning. You are destined to be in every household.

    A Vermont neighbor,

    Gene

  74. Thank you, Gene in Vermont. I hear from parents often who say that Jeri and Teena remind them of their own children (although very few admit to having a “Stick” sort of child!). My daughter was only nine when I created the strip, but as she grew, I found more and more “Jeri” in her than Teena – at any stage in her life. My son, Guy, is much more like Teena – easy-going, smart, wry. Anyway, I hope to be writing the strip when my future grandchildren are teens!

    To Sir Roger in Wales: BBC America has not given us “Z-Cars”, to my disappointment. I wonder if I can find it on disc, or in one of the many catalogues I get that offer series for sale. One of the new shows I liked a lot this year was “Life on Mars”, which took a page from “A Matter of Life and Death” by using the injured-man-on-the-operating-table-in-between-worlds idea and gritting it up as a police drama. Like they say, there are no new stories, only new ways of telling them.
    I’m so glad to hear you say that “A Matter . . .” is highly regarding in Great Britain, as it should be. It is a masterpiece. Incidently, does the young actor, James McEvoy (“The Last King of Scotland”) remind you of David Niven? He does me, even down to the way he wrinkles his brow while looking up.

    I can’t get anyone here to love “The Cook, The Thief . . .” like I do. I’ve seen it a least a dozen times and have forced it on patient friends, but they hate it or are shocked and repelled by it, despite its beauty (which I can’t convince them it possesses). I love the biblical references, the nude “Adam and Eve” scene in the back of the restaurant, the daemons (Tim Roth especially) hunched around the dining table in Hell . . . Well, my tastes lean to opulent allegory.

    By the way, are you a “Flashman” fan? I’ve read all of them – twice – and just learned from a fellow enthusiast that Frasier has another Flash advernture out. Can’t wait to read it. I was also big on the Richard Sharpe series and read most of the books before I knew there was a BBC/PBS series. Casting blond Sean Bean as Sharpe went a little against character physically (the actor who plays Harper is the Sharpe ideal, according to the books), but he’s done a fine job and it’s nice to see him in a hero’s role; he tends to get cast in American films as a bad guy, though I can’t think why.

    I’d better stop, as I could talk books and music and movies all night!

  75. Thank you, Gene in Vermont. I hear from parents often who say that Jeri and Teena remind them of their own children (although very few admit to having a “Stick” sort of child!). My daughter was only nine when I created the strip, but as she grew, I found more and more “Jeri” in her than Teena – at any stage in her life. My son, Guy, is much more like Teena – easy-going, smart, wry. Anyway, I hope to be writing the strip when my future grandchildren are teens!

    To Sir Roger in Wales: BBC America has not given us “Z-Cars”, to my disappointment. I wonder if I can find it on disc, or in one of the many catalogues I get that offer series for sale. One of the new shows I liked a lot this year was “Life on Mars”, which took a page from “A Matter of Life and Death” by using the injured-man-on-the-operating-table-in-between-worlds idea and gritting it up as a police drama. Like they say, there are no new stories, only new ways of telling them.
    I’m so glad to hear you say that “A Matter . . .” is highly regarding in Great Britain, as it should be. It is a masterpiece. Incidently, does the young actor, James McEvoy (“The Last King of Scotland”) remind you of David Niven? He does me, even down to the way he wrinkles his brow while looking up.

    I can’t get anyone here to love “The Cook, The Thief . . .” like I do. I’ve seen it a least a dozen times and have forced it on patient friends, but they hate it or are shocked and repelled by it, despite its beauty (which I can’t convince them it possesses). I love the biblical references, the nude “Adam and Eve” scene in the back of the restaurant, the daemons (Tim Roth especially) hunched around the dining table in Hell . . . Well, my tastes lean to opulent allegory.

    By the way, are you a “Flashman” fan? I’ve read all of them – twice – and just learned from a fellow enthusiast that Frasier has another Flash advernture out. Can’t wait to read it. I was also big on the Richard Sharpe series and read most of the books before I knew there was a BBC/PBS series. Casting blond Sean Bean as Sharpe went a little against character physically (the actor who plays Harper is the Sharpe ideal, according to the books), but he’s done a fine job and it’s nice to see him in a hero’s role; he tends to get cast in American films as a bad guy, though I can’t think why.

    I’d better stop, as I could talk books and music and movies all night!

  76. Hi Allison
    Sad to report that the only sightings of Z-Cars was on Amazon UK, a VHS tape for approx $130 (way outside of my budget).
    I see what you mean about James McEvoy, I havenâ??t seen â??The Last King of Scotlandâ?? but I remember him as Mr. Tumnus, the Faun in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, heâ??s also put quite a bit of time in on UK TV.
    Not a Flashman fan, no particular reason, the concept didnâ??t appeal to me, I guess itâ??s down to the first impressions; when I was young I really hated him in Tom Brownâ??s Schooldays. You know how these things go; weâ??ve all got our minor prejudices and â??nigglesâ??; (I stopped reading one quite funny US carton strip because I felt one of the minor unpleasant characters was getting away with far too much-no comeuppances yâ??see).
    Now I did start out liking The Sharp series, but being interested in Military History & a wargamer tended to be thinking â??Sharp! Stop looking at that woman! Leave that cad alone and get back to the front line and start killing!â?? (Gruesome isnâ??t it?). My favourite Sean Bean role was as Odyssesus in Troy, although I thought he bought a lot of dignity to Boromoir in Lord of The Rings. Yâ??ll notice, by the way, that a lot of male UK actors make a good living in the US being cast as evil â?? Normally the only way out it is to be cast as James Bond, a loveable wacky eccentric, or in an historical drama.
    Back to books: how well was Cornwellâ??s Starbuck series received in the US? The first one â??Rebelâ?? is a great favourite of mine?
    Ending on a cartoon note: – Iâ??m still chuckling over the â??Scared Sheetlessâ?? line in the Halloween series.
    All the best.

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  77. Hi Allison
    Sad to report that the only sightings of Z-Cars was on Amazon UK, a VHS tape for approx $130 (way outside of my budget).
    I see what you mean about James McEvoy, I havenâ??t seen â??The Last King of Scotlandâ?? but I remember him as Mr. Tumnus, the Faun in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, heâ??s also put quite a bit of time in on UK TV.
    Not a Flashman fan, no particular reason, the concept didnâ??t appeal to me, I guess itâ??s down to the first impressions; when I was young I really hated him in Tom Brownâ??s Schooldays. You know how these things go; weâ??ve all got our minor prejudices and â??nigglesâ??; (I stopped reading one quite funny US carton strip because I felt one of the minor unpleasant characters was getting away with far too much-no comeuppances yâ??see).
    Now I did start out liking The Sharp series, but being interested in Military History & a wargamer tended to be thinking â??Sharp! Stop looking at that woman! Leave that cad alone and get back to the front line and start killing!â?? (Gruesome isnâ??t it?). My favourite Sean Bean role was as Odyssesus in Troy, although I thought he bought a lot of dignity to Boromoir in Lord of The Rings. Yâ??ll notice, by the way, that a lot of male UK actors make a good living in the US being cast as evil â?? Normally the only way out it is to be cast as James Bond, a loveable wacky eccentric, or in an historical drama.
    Back to books: how well was Cornwellâ??s Starbuck series received in the US? The first one â??Rebelâ?? is a great favourite of mine?
    Ending on a cartoon note: – Iâ??m still chuckling over the â??Scared Sheetlessâ?? line in the Halloween series.
    All the best.

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  78. Hi Allison!!
    i was just thinking of you the other day! i came across this online, so i figured i’d leave a comment! how is the family?? its been ages since i have seen everyone! i emailed romas and would love to hear about all the wonderful things going on in your world! im living in AZ working at an arts center for kids and adults with disabilities! its very challenging as well as rewarding!
    hope to hear from you! i try to read your comic whenever i have the chance! i love it!
    Pam

  79. Hi Allison!!
    i was just thinking of you the other day! i came across this online, so i figured i’d leave a comment! how is the family?? its been ages since i have seen everyone! i emailed romas and would love to hear about all the wonderful things going on in your world! im living in AZ working at an arts center for kids and adults with disabilities! its very challenging as well as rewarding!
    hope to hear from you! i try to read your comic whenever i have the chance! i love it!
    Pam

  80. Pammy! How wonderful to hear from you! Ro told me you contacted him after you saw his work on his website (for those of you who are interested, my husband is a fine artist and you can see his work at http://www.romas.biz).

    I’m glad you’re keeping up with PreTeena (the first collection book is out; you can order it from lulu.com). How is teaching? Do you find you have the patience for it? How is your own work going? Fill us in!

    To Sir Roger:
    Oh, I AM disappointed that you didn’t get into the Flashman series, but you’re not the first Briton I’ve met who feels as you do, thanks to good old Tom Brown. Understandable that a truly terrible fictional bully should engender such loathing, and yet, what Frasier does with Flashy is remarkable. What I love is Frasier’s reportage approach to the actual history; The Charge of the Light Brigade, Custer’s Last Stand – all are told with the accuracy and respect one would expect of a crack on-the-scene reporter. Flahsy always manages to survive, “failing upward” all the way to the rank of general. Anyway, if it’s not your thing, I won’t belabour the point.

    I haven’t see “Troy” but it’s on TV here next weekend, so I’ll make a point of looking for Sean Bean as Odysseus (and isn’t Brad Pitt Achilles? I suppose he’ll be a little less silly than Richard Burton’s dye-job Alexander the Great). But you’re right about Sharp and his distracting love life (Elizabeth Hurley, in particular). The randy up-from-the-ranks officer didn’t mourn his Spanish paritsan wife very long before slipping into the next bed, eh? He owes a debt of gratitude to Napoleon for providing him with all that lusty snogging in between battles.

    I’d never heard of Bernard Cornwell’s Starbuck series until you mentioned it. I’ve added it to my Christmas list, so many thanks to you and Santa!

    We’re celebrating Thanksgiving here tomorrow, Rog, so if you spot a turkey wandering about the Welsh landscape, tip your hat and tell him he’s lucky he’s not in the Colonies!

  81. Pammy! How wonderful to hear from you! Ro told me you contacted him after you saw his work on his website (for those of you who are interested, my husband is a fine artist and you can see his work at http://www.romas.biz).

    I’m glad you’re keeping up with PreTeena (the first collection book is out; you can order it from lulu.com). How is teaching? Do you find you have the patience for it? How is your own work going? Fill us in!

    To Sir Roger:
    Oh, I AM disappointed that you didn’t get into the Flashman series, but you’re not the first Briton I’ve met who feels as you do, thanks to good old Tom Brown. Understandable that a truly terrible fictional bully should engender such loathing, and yet, what Frasier does with Flashy is remarkable. What I love is Frasier’s reportage approach to the actual history; The Charge of the Light Brigade, Custer’s Last Stand – all are told with the accuracy and respect one would expect of a crack on-the-scene reporter. Flahsy always manages to survive, “failing upward” all the way to the rank of general. Anyway, if it’s not your thing, I won’t belabour the point.

    I haven’t see “Troy” but it’s on TV here next weekend, so I’ll make a point of looking for Sean Bean as Odysseus (and isn’t Brad Pitt Achilles? I suppose he’ll be a little less silly than Richard Burton’s dye-job Alexander the Great). But you’re right about Sharp and his distracting love life (Elizabeth Hurley, in particular). The randy up-from-the-ranks officer didn’t mourn his Spanish paritsan wife very long before slipping into the next bed, eh? He owes a debt of gratitude to Napoleon for providing him with all that lusty snogging in between battles.

    I’d never heard of Bernard Cornwell’s Starbuck series until you mentioned it. I’ve added it to my Christmas list, so many thanks to you and Santa!

    We’re celebrating Thanksgiving here tomorrow, Rog, so if you spot a turkey wandering about the Welsh landscape, tip your hat and tell him he’s lucky he’s not in the Colonies!

  82. Hi Allison,
    Belated Givethankings greetings! (Wellll poor Stick has to have some supporters). Aside: I hope you and your family enjoyed your Thanksgiving Day – actually all our turkeys are bundled up in barns and suchlike on account of outbreaks of bird flu – and then comes Christmas…. Of course our Prime MInster doesn’t pardon one either.
    ‘Troy’ is quite clever in that the story is told from the perspective as to how the legends might have arisen, the account of Achilles’ Heel is particularly well done, ok Brad Pitt is centre stage, but everyone else’s performances are impressive – I won’t go on any more, don’t want to spoil it for you.
    I visited your husband’s website and was glad I took the time to do so, finding the Artist At Work very interesting, and I do enjoy good Scifi / Fantasy artwork – his is certainly Class!
    Returning to Preteena, last Sunday and ‘No One Likes A Yesmom’ with the buildup in the exchanges between Jeri and Mom – excellent – a truly laugh out loud cartoon.

    All the best
    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  83. Hi Allison,
    Belated Givethankings greetings! (Wellll poor Stick has to have some supporters). Aside: I hope you and your family enjoyed your Thanksgiving Day – actually all our turkeys are bundled up in barns and suchlike on account of outbreaks of bird flu – and then comes Christmas…. Of course our Prime MInster doesn’t pardon one either.
    ‘Troy’ is quite clever in that the story is told from the perspective as to how the legends might have arisen, the account of Achilles’ Heel is particularly well done, ok Brad Pitt is centre stage, but everyone else’s performances are impressive – I won’t go on any more, don’t want to spoil it for you.
    I visited your husband’s website and was glad I took the time to do so, finding the Artist At Work very interesting, and I do enjoy good Scifi / Fantasy artwork – his is certainly Class!
    Returning to Preteena, last Sunday and ‘No One Likes A Yesmom’ with the buildup in the exchanges between Jeri and Mom – excellent – a truly laugh out loud cartoon.

    All the best
    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  84. Hi Sir Rog,

    Thanks, as always, for your grand insights (and delicious compliments). Turkeys: I was astonished to find our “Givethanksing” bird (your soft spot for Stick is lovely) tasted so much better in England. We left on our canal boat trip from Whitchurch and had a pre-voyage dinner at a fine pub named The White Horse on the way to Wales. The set-up was buffet-style, but nothing like one is used to here, and certainly not “bar food”. Fresh roasted turkey was the main event (and I mean fresh: a glance out the window at the birds pecking around the yard confirmed it), along with spectacular beef, Yorkshire Puddings to shame me (we call them Pop Overs here, and they are leaden in comparrison). English food is excellent, if one knows what to order!

    I’m sorry, Rog, but I have to shoo. My son wants to leap off his computer and onto this one so he can print out some music (Rufus Wainwright’s “Halleluja”). He’s a pianist; I take credit for introducing him to this little gem. We’re big Blur fans, too; my son looks uncannily like Damon Albarn, we discovered!

    More later . . .

  85. Hi Sir Rog,

    Thanks, as always, for your grand insights (and delicious compliments). Turkeys: I was astonished to find our “Givethanksing” bird (your soft spot for Stick is lovely) tasted so much better in England. We left on our canal boat trip from Whitchurch and had a pre-voyage dinner at a fine pub named The White Horse on the way to Wales. The set-up was buffet-style, but nothing like one is used to here, and certainly not “bar food”. Fresh roasted turkey was the main event (and I mean fresh: a glance out the window at the birds pecking around the yard confirmed it), along with spectacular beef, Yorkshire Puddings to shame me (we call them Pop Overs here, and they are leaden in comparrison). English food is excellent, if one knows what to order!

    I’m sorry, Rog, but I have to shoo. My son wants to leap off his computer and onto this one so he can print out some music (Rufus Wainwright’s “Halleluja”). He’s a pianist; I take credit for introducing him to this little gem. We’re big Blur fans, too; my son looks uncannily like Damon Albarn, we discovered!

    More later . . .

  86. Hi Allison..
    Oh yes The Yorkshire Pudding is a most quintessential British dish; it is hot nourishing, simple to make. It also fulfils another function, that is it gives our erstwhile neighbours The French another reason to despair over our cooking, I do like the French and defend their right to be despair over our foods (Itâ??s one of these complicated relationships that grow up between European states).
    Ah Blurâ?¦ I was not allowed to listen to them, my younger daughter was an Oasis fan, and my elder daughter was a Grunge and Riot Girrrl (Dinosaur Jr, The Pixies, Nirvana, Screaming Trees, and suchwhich); thus they dictated my musical menu. My son has a more simple taste, Metal and has inadvertently converted me to Killswitch Engage (lots of loud guitars, roaring etc).
    To Preteena. Remember the fuss over Mum dreaming about slapping Jeri? How come no one has kicked up a ruckus over Jeri punching Teenaâ??s arm and demanding money to stop? (Typical teenage sibling behaviour there!!)
    Anyway hope your son got the right music; computers can be unco-operative beasts at times, and as for printers!!!
    All the best for now.
    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  87. Hi Allison..
    Oh yes The Yorkshire Pudding is a most quintessential British dish; it is hot nourishing, simple to make. It also fulfils another function, that is it gives our erstwhile neighbours The French another reason to despair over our cooking, I do like the French and defend their right to be despair over our foods (Itâ??s one of these complicated relationships that grow up between European states).
    Ah Blurâ?¦ I was not allowed to listen to them, my younger daughter was an Oasis fan, and my elder daughter was a Grunge and Riot Girrrl (Dinosaur Jr, The Pixies, Nirvana, Screaming Trees, and suchwhich); thus they dictated my musical menu. My son has a more simple taste, Metal and has inadvertently converted me to Killswitch Engage (lots of loud guitars, roaring etc).
    To Preteena. Remember the fuss over Mum dreaming about slapping Jeri? How come no one has kicked up a ruckus over Jeri punching Teenaâ??s arm and demanding money to stop? (Typical teenage sibling behaviour there!!)
    Anyway hope your son got the right music; computers can be unco-operative beasts at times, and as for printers!!!
    All the best for now.
    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  88. Hi Allison..
    Oh yes The Yorkshire Pudding is a most quintessential British dish; it is hot nourishing, simple to make. It also fulfils another function, that is it gives our erstwhile neighbours The French another reason to despair over our cooking
    Ah Blurâ?¦ I was not allowed to listen to them, my younger daughter was an Oasis fan, and my elder daughter was a Grunge and Riot Girrrl (Dinosaur Jr, The Pixies, Nirvana, Screaming Trees, and suchwhich); thus they dictated my musical menu. My son has a more simple taste, Metal and has inadvertently converted me to Killswitch Engage (lots of loud guitars, roaring etc).
    To Preteena. Remember the fuss over Mum dreaming about slapping Jeri? How come no one has kicked up a ruckus over Jeri punching Teenaâ??s arm and demanding money to stop? (Typical teenage sibling behaviour there!!)
    Anyway hope your son got the right music; computers can be unco-operative beasts at times, and as for printers!!!
    All the best for now.
    Roger
    Wrexham

  89. Hi Allison..
    Oh yes The Yorkshire Pudding is a most quintessential British dish; it is hot nourishing, simple to make. It also fulfils another function, that is it gives our erstwhile neighbours The French another reason to despair over our cooking
    Ah Blurâ?¦ I was not allowed to listen to them, my younger daughter was an Oasis fan, and my elder daughter was a Grunge and Riot Girrrl (Dinosaur Jr, The Pixies, Nirvana, Screaming Trees, and suchwhich); thus they dictated my musical menu. My son has a more simple taste, Metal and has inadvertently converted me to Killswitch Engage (lots of loud guitars, roaring etc).
    To Preteena. Remember the fuss over Mum dreaming about slapping Jeri? How come no one has kicked up a ruckus over Jeri punching Teenaâ??s arm and demanding money to stop? (Typical teenage sibling behaviour there!!)
    Anyway hope your son got the right music; computers can be unco-operative beasts at times, and as for printers!!!
    All the best for now.
    Roger
    Wrexham

  90. Hi Sir Rog,

    Silly cooked-up rivalry between Blur and Oasis. For my money, all the Blur blokes are contributing members of society (even if I don’t agree with their politics), while the Brothers Oasis just got (get) wasted and abusive. No contest, in my book.

    My son – just a few weeks shy of 14 – is HUGE into Jethro Tull, especially the early 70s stuff. We took him to see Ian Anderson live who was doing a smallish acoustic U.S. tour. It was a nice evening – nothing like the head-banging stadium concerts of my youth, but he loved it. It just goes to show you that a lot of kids respond to music that requires some actual musicianship and thought, as opposed to mindless pop of today. I was teaching as a college adjunct a couple of years back and my students were all into 80s stuff like Talking Heads, Ultravox, Elvis Costello . . . Good taste, I’d say.

    Yeah, how ’bout that, with Jeri the bully beating her little sister? No gnashing of teeth and calling for counseling, I see. Hmm; maybe my critics have recovered their buried senses of humour.

    By the way, Rog, what do you do? Are you in the cartoonist game, or do you have a real job?

  91. Hi Sir Rog,

    Silly cooked-up rivalry between Blur and Oasis. For my money, all the Blur blokes are contributing members of society (even if I don’t agree with their politics), while the Brothers Oasis just got (get) wasted and abusive. No contest, in my book.

    My son – just a few weeks shy of 14 – is HUGE into Jethro Tull, especially the early 70s stuff. We took him to see Ian Anderson live who was doing a smallish acoustic U.S. tour. It was a nice evening – nothing like the head-banging stadium concerts of my youth, but he loved it. It just goes to show you that a lot of kids respond to music that requires some actual musicianship and thought, as opposed to mindless pop of today. I was teaching as a college adjunct a couple of years back and my students were all into 80s stuff like Talking Heads, Ultravox, Elvis Costello . . . Good taste, I’d say.

    Yeah, how ’bout that, with Jeri the bully beating her little sister? No gnashing of teeth and calling for counseling, I see. Hmm; maybe my critics have recovered their buried senses of humour.

    By the way, Rog, what do you do? Are you in the cartoonist game, or do you have a real job?

  92. Hi Allison
    May I congratulate your son on his taste – Jethro Tull, one of the UKâ??s better late 60s-70s bands; I never truly appreciated them in their hey-day; (I was following -American bands; e.g. Velvet Underground, Steve Miller,) – I must get a compilation CD sometime. Mind you, Ultravox, very specialâ?¦ â??Viennaâ??â?¦Oh wow!

    Yeh, Jeri ends up takinâ?? a well-deserved walk in the rain â?? I like that perspective when sheâ??s looking back at just Tinaâ??s shadowy profile in the window. And soaking wet papers? â?? Why were we not surprised? Her infuriatingly self-centred view is very true to life.

    Me? I am a civil servant,currently involved in the administration of the UKâ??s creaking Social Security system, which works not because of government and high-ranking officials but in spite of them. (Letâ??s hear it for clerks!!). An amount of my spare time is involved in writing my less than serious fantasy â??epicâ?? The Nearly Not Quite Paladinsâ??; Volumes 1 & 2 being on Lulu and have soldâ?¦ooooh all of 5 copies (â?¦ I bought 3 of themâ?¦someoneâ??s trying to tell me somethinâ??)

    Proper job and Cartoonists? Well I reckon that drawing and trying to think up humour over 7 days per week (colour strip on Sundays) is fayre long hard road to tread. I doff my hat (well my Houston Oilersâ?? baseball cap) to you allâ?¦. Keep up the good work!
    (Ah well back to Vol. 3 of The NNQP)

    All the best
    Roger (By the way that was my stupid broadband connection going wacko that caused two version of the same missive turning up â?? still trying to figure out why)

  93. Hi Allison
    May I congratulate your son on his taste – Jethro Tull, one of the UKâ??s better late 60s-70s bands; I never truly appreciated them in their hey-day; (I was following -American bands; e.g. Velvet Underground, Steve Miller,) – I must get a compilation CD sometime. Mind you, Ultravox, very specialâ?¦ â??Viennaâ??â?¦Oh wow!

    Yeh, Jeri ends up takinâ?? a well-deserved walk in the rain â?? I like that perspective when sheâ??s looking back at just Tinaâ??s shadowy profile in the window. And soaking wet papers? â?? Why were we not surprised? Her infuriatingly self-centred view is very true to life.

    Me? I am a civil servant,currently involved in the administration of the UKâ??s creaking Social Security system, which works not because of government and high-ranking officials but in spite of them. (Letâ??s hear it for clerks!!). An amount of my spare time is involved in writing my less than serious fantasy â??epicâ?? The Nearly Not Quite Paladinsâ??; Volumes 1 & 2 being on Lulu and have soldâ?¦ooooh all of 5 copies (â?¦ I bought 3 of themâ?¦someoneâ??s trying to tell me somethinâ??)

    Proper job and Cartoonists? Well I reckon that drawing and trying to think up humour over 7 days per week (colour strip on Sundays) is fayre long hard road to tread. I doff my hat (well my Houston Oilersâ?? baseball cap) to you allâ?¦. Keep up the good work!
    (Ah well back to Vol. 3 of The NNQP)

    All the best
    Roger (By the way that was my stupid broadband connection going wacko that caused two version of the same missive turning up â?? still trying to figure out why)

  94. I’m a fan from Malaysia, Mrs Barrows, and I’ve checked out your work daily in the local newspapers. Love the part where Teena’s parents relive their 80’s youth years. There should be more like that, like Teena & Jeri time traveling to the 80’s or something…

    Just wanna, how do you learn to ink like that? That’s the best, most expressive inking I’ve ever seen! You’ve got to teach us how to ink, please, Mrs Barrows? Maybe put some “how to ink Preteena” in your next Preteena collection!

    PS: Don’t you want me, oooOOOOoooh….!

  95. I’m a fan from Malaysia, Mrs Barrows, and I’ve checked out your work daily in the local newspapers. Love the part where Teena’s parents relive their 80’s youth years. There should be more like that, like Teena & Jeri time traveling to the 80’s or something…

    Just wanna, how do you learn to ink like that? That’s the best, most expressive inking I’ve ever seen! You’ve got to teach us how to ink, please, Mrs Barrows? Maybe put some “how to ink Preteena” in your next Preteena collection!

    PS: Don’t you want me, oooOOOOoooh….!

  96. Hi Zaki & fellow Preteena fanatic!

    That was a truly funny Sunday strip wasn’t it? I particularly liked the slightly hysterical expression on Tess’ face upon being discovered by her daughters. They just keep on getting better don’t they.

    Roger
    Wrexham
    UK
    North Wales

  97. Hi Zaki & fellow Preteena fanatic!

    That was a truly funny Sunday strip wasn’t it? I particularly liked the slightly hysterical expression on Tess’ face upon being discovered by her daughters. They just keep on getting better don’t they.

    Roger
    Wrexham
    UK
    North Wales

  98. Now, Roger, and Zaki, you’ll turn my head!

    Glad to know you, Zaki. Cool name. Stick in the strip has a cousin named Zachai. As for inking, I’ll give you the very best teaching tool I know: Ditch the pencil and draw with a pen. I did that when I was just a little girl and it forced me to improve my drafting skills because I couldn’t erase. If you do that, you’ll become very fleet of finger, too. I can change a facial gesture with the tiniest flick of of the pen because drawing a comic character is a form of shorthand, a sort of self-editing that lets me keep what I need to get across the expression without overdrawing. The drawing is everything; inking is more of the same – knowing what to emphasize and where. I use technical markers (.08 down to .005), then I follow up with a marker that’s got a tip like a brush. Experiment! You’ll find a style you like.

    Roger, I LOVE the title of your book! It has a Pythonseque quality to it. I will go to Lulu today and buy Vols. I and II. They, in partnership with my syndicate, published a small PreTeena collection. I have no idea how it’s doing.

    Couldn’t agree more with you on the world somehow getting on despite the dubious efforts of government. On the few occasions when our government has “shut down”, I rejoice. Well, good luck with your social security system. No one here is counting on ours.

    Houston Oilers?? What year was THAT? My husband says they’re now the Tennessee Titans or some such thing. Your cap must be quite a conversation starter at the local.

    Well, gents, must dash. Christmas party at 7. Free booze, in honour of our Lord.

  99. Now, Roger, and Zaki, you’ll turn my head!

    Glad to know you, Zaki. Cool name. Stick in the strip has a cousin named Zachai. As for inking, I’ll give you the very best teaching tool I know: Ditch the pencil and draw with a pen. I did that when I was just a little girl and it forced me to improve my drafting skills because I couldn’t erase. If you do that, you’ll become very fleet of finger, too. I can change a facial gesture with the tiniest flick of of the pen because drawing a comic character is a form of shorthand, a sort of self-editing that lets me keep what I need to get across the expression without overdrawing. The drawing is everything; inking is more of the same – knowing what to emphasize and where. I use technical markers (.08 down to .005), then I follow up with a marker that’s got a tip like a brush. Experiment! You’ll find a style you like.

    Roger, I LOVE the title of your book! It has a Pythonseque quality to it. I will go to Lulu today and buy Vols. I and II. They, in partnership with my syndicate, published a small PreTeena collection. I have no idea how it’s doing.

    Couldn’t agree more with you on the world somehow getting on despite the dubious efforts of government. On the few occasions when our government has “shut down”, I rejoice. Well, good luck with your social security system. No one here is counting on ours.

    Houston Oilers?? What year was THAT? My husband says they’re now the Tennessee Titans or some such thing. Your cap must be quite a conversation starter at the local.

    Well, gents, must dash. Christmas party at 7. Free booze, in honour of our Lord.

  100. Hi Allison

    That was interesting to read about your technique, itâ??s always fascinated me how cartoonists can get so much expression in a few lines; â??a form of short-handâ?? â?? yes that does makes sense!

    Gosh and Oh MY! Thanks for the vote of confidence in The NNPQ saga; I hope the content lives up to the expectations raised in the title â?¦ you can check the former out in â??Previewâ?? before you commit money.
    Iâ??ve seen the Preteena collection on Lulu; I would have purchased, but I have a feeling (and a hope) it may be turning up in my Christmas stocking.

    Yehhhh, I knew I shouldnâ??t have mentioned the team, the moment I pressed â??Submit Contentâ?? I knew I shouldnâ??t have!! But itâ??s that cultural mistake; British soccer teams donâ??t very often change names & locations; anyhow history: I was gifted the said cap in 1994 by a friend of my wife who had returned from a visit to his home state (Ohio, for the record) â?? I did not wear it all that often (only to annoy or mystify neighbours â?? as popular interest in American football died out in the UK also circa 1994)â?¦ anyhow â??tis now the property of my elder grandson Jim who took a fancy to it on a recent visit â?? and my wife is somewhat gladdened by that.

    Hope the party went well and is your part of the US getting heavy snow? The scenes from New York State looked quite scary.

    (By the way the less than reverential reference to 60s bands in last weekâ??s strip did have me chortling, on all sorts of levels â?? we did take our â??groupsâ?? far too seriously way back then)

    Anyhow All the best, and in case I donâ??t get to write before, I hope you and your family have a Very Happy Christmas

    Roger
    Wrexham (Cold â??n Damp)
    N Wales
    UK

  101. Hi Allison

    That was interesting to read about your technique, itâ??s always fascinated me how cartoonists can get so much expression in a few lines; â??a form of short-handâ?? â?? yes that does makes sense!

    Gosh and Oh MY! Thanks for the vote of confidence in The NNPQ saga; I hope the content lives up to the expectations raised in the title â?¦ you can check the former out in â??Previewâ?? before you commit money.
    Iâ??ve seen the Preteena collection on Lulu; I would have purchased, but I have a feeling (and a hope) it may be turning up in my Christmas stocking.

    Yehhhh, I knew I shouldnâ??t have mentioned the team, the moment I pressed â??Submit Contentâ?? I knew I shouldnâ??t have!! But itâ??s that cultural mistake; British soccer teams donâ??t very often change names & locations; anyhow history: I was gifted the said cap in 1994 by a friend of my wife who had returned from a visit to his home state (Ohio, for the record) â?? I did not wear it all that often (only to annoy or mystify neighbours â?? as popular interest in American football died out in the UK also circa 1994)â?¦ anyhow â??tis now the property of my elder grandson Jim who took a fancy to it on a recent visit â?? and my wife is somewhat gladdened by that.

    Hope the party went well and is your part of the US getting heavy snow? The scenes from New York State looked quite scary.

    (By the way the less than reverential reference to 60s bands in last weekâ??s strip did have me chortling, on all sorts of levels â?? we did take our â??groupsâ?? far too seriously way back then)

    Anyhow All the best, and in case I donâ??t get to write before, I hope you and your family have a Very Happy Christmas

    Roger
    Wrexham (Cold â??n Damp)
    N Wales
    UK

  102. Hi Sir Rog,

    It’s so much fun “talking” with you!

    Now then, the Palladins. Didn’t that gorgeous woman from “Monarch of the Glen”, the lady of the manor, star in the (70s?) TV show? Her name slips my mind, but she’s a stunner, even now at, what? 60 something? Anyway, your books will be in MY stocking this year (figuratively. They won’t arrive for a few weeks, I’ll bet). I can’t wait to read them. I’ll be starting my first real novel in the new year. I’ve written six graphic novels, and it’s been a blast, but I subscribe to the old saw that everyone’s got at least ONE story to tell, and I want to tell mine. It’ll be a comedy because I’m funny on paper, if not in real life.

    I think it’s fabulous you had the Oiler’s cap and passed it on to your grandson! How many Welshman have such a cool item? If I had a Manchester United scarf or jersey, I’d wear it during our Super Bowl, just to be perverse. My husband likes the NY Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, but, being in New England, we’re supposed to care about the Patriots. Me? I’d rather go to the theatre.

    Speaking of theatre, when I was in London some years back I caught the glorious Peter O’Toole in a little thing called “Our Song”, with the exquisite Tara Fitzgerald. It was okay, as plays go, but the big moment came for me afterward. I waited outside the stage door for O’Toole’s exit clutching the first volume of his newly released autobiography for him to sign. When he emerged, he loomed over everyone in the crowd like a street lamp, shining down all all around him. I thrust my book at him and struggled for something witty to say (as I said, I’m better on paper), but all I could muster, in a terrible American accent I was suddenly aware of, was “M-my favourite movie is ‘The Ruling Class’ (pronounced not CLAHHS, but CLEEASS). He graciously said, “Ah! Mine too”. Unforgettable.
    He co-starred in “My Favorite Year” with Mark Linn Baker, the brother of a schoolmate of mine. Mark majored in drama at Yale and was a favourite of my dad’s, who was an art teacher. I took my parents to see him as Touchstone when I was a student at a nearby college. Six degrees of separation, or fewer!

    The night after we saw O’Toole, we were in a little pub near the where we were staying (on First Street in Knightsbridge). It was early (for Brits) – about 4:00ish – and the pub was empty save for one enormous fellow alone at the bar. We struck up a conversation because the man was a Yank from Texas. After exchanging the usual “What are you doing in London?” niceties, we learned he was an actor and in “Le Miserables”, then playing. Ooo! Impressed were we! So, sez I, what do you do in the show? He said, “Oh, I’m Jean Valjean”! Good Heavens! He arranged for us to have center loge seats – best in the house – for that evening, our last in town. He was magnificent! Then he insisted we wait for him after the show, which we did, and we went out to a pub with the actress, also an American, who played Fantine. What an end to a marvelous trip! I LOVE the U.K.!

    Now, Sir Knight, stories from you! Have you been to the States? If so, where? Impressions?

  103. Hi Sir Rog,

    It’s so much fun “talking” with you!

    Now then, the Palladins. Didn’t that gorgeous woman from “Monarch of the Glen”, the lady of the manor, star in the (70s?) TV show? Her name slips my mind, but she’s a stunner, even now at, what? 60 something? Anyway, your books will be in MY stocking this year (figuratively. They won’t arrive for a few weeks, I’ll bet). I can’t wait to read them. I’ll be starting my first real novel in the new year. I’ve written six graphic novels, and it’s been a blast, but I subscribe to the old saw that everyone’s got at least ONE story to tell, and I want to tell mine. It’ll be a comedy because I’m funny on paper, if not in real life.

    I think it’s fabulous you had the Oiler’s cap and passed it on to your grandson! How many Welshman have such a cool item? If I had a Manchester United scarf or jersey, I’d wear it during our Super Bowl, just to be perverse. My husband likes the NY Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, but, being in New England, we’re supposed to care about the Patriots. Me? I’d rather go to the theatre.

    Speaking of theatre, when I was in London some years back I caught the glorious Peter O’Toole in a little thing called “Our Song”, with the exquisite Tara Fitzgerald. It was okay, as plays go, but the big moment came for me afterward. I waited outside the stage door for O’Toole’s exit clutching the first volume of his newly released autobiography for him to sign. When he emerged, he loomed over everyone in the crowd like a street lamp, shining down all all around him. I thrust my book at him and struggled for something witty to say (as I said, I’m better on paper), but all I could muster, in a terrible American accent I was suddenly aware of, was “M-my favourite movie is ‘The Ruling Class’ (pronounced not CLAHHS, but CLEEASS). He graciously said, “Ah! Mine too”. Unforgettable.
    He co-starred in “My Favorite Year” with Mark Linn Baker, the brother of a schoolmate of mine. Mark majored in drama at Yale and was a favourite of my dad’s, who was an art teacher. I took my parents to see him as Touchstone when I was a student at a nearby college. Six degrees of separation, or fewer!

    The night after we saw O’Toole, we were in a little pub near the where we were staying (on First Street in Knightsbridge). It was early (for Brits) – about 4:00ish – and the pub was empty save for one enormous fellow alone at the bar. We struck up a conversation because the man was a Yank from Texas. After exchanging the usual “What are you doing in London?” niceties, we learned he was an actor and in “Le Miserables”, then playing. Ooo! Impressed were we! So, sez I, what do you do in the show? He said, “Oh, I’m Jean Valjean”! Good Heavens! He arranged for us to have center loge seats – best in the house – for that evening, our last in town. He was magnificent! Then he insisted we wait for him after the show, which we did, and we went out to a pub with the actress, also an American, who played Fantine. What an end to a marvelous trip! I LOVE the U.K.!

    Now, Sir Knight, stories from you! Have you been to the States? If so, where? Impressions?

  104. Hi Allison
    Monarch of the Glenâ?¦ Must be Susan Hampshire who did star in the The Pallisers (BBC, 1974), which was a twenty six episode adaptation of Anthony Trollopeâ??s six novels of the familyâ??s fortunes. She also played Fleur in the 1967 dramatisation of Galsworthyâ??s Forsythe Saga, both stunning pieces of tv drama, when our BBC could be guaranteed to produce class (thatâ??s Klass in my accent).

    Ooh six graphic novels; â??The Artistâ??s Modelâ?? & â??The Artistâ??s Friendâ?? being two? I hope the novel goes well. But anâ??t they a pain to get started?

    Yes Peter Oâ??Toole is possessed of a great talent. Heâ??s in Troy too, as Priam the Trojan ruler and father of Paris and Hector, itâ??s a wonderful performance as a world-weary dignified old man who still believes in a code of ethics, I wonâ??t say anymore, donâ??t want to spoil the film for you. Did you see him turn in an electric performance as Henry II against the legendary Katherine Hepburn in â??The Lion in Winterâ??. Wow! Did the sparks fly in that film!! That must have been quite a buzz meeting the man in person.

    Iâ??m glad the UK made a good impression on you; I must admit Iâ??m not all that pleased with Britain these days, I reckon we are in a bit of a declineâ?¦ BUT if my readings of many histories serve me, that has been a common lament all over the world at all times (particularly as one gets on in years);sssooo perhaps itâ??s just me?

    No, sad to say Iâ??ve never made it to the US (would if I could, but ah circumstancesâ?¦circumstances) although I find your country fascinating, and try to absorb as much information as I can. My impression? The US has a lot to offer, like managing to stay a 300,000,000+ pop. multi-cultural, 5 (I think) time-zone democracy (ok none of them are perfect letâ??s be honest). I am, I confess, an avid follower of the Presidential Races. Also I (ooh deep breath here for I tread on dangerous ground) enjoy your humour more than our current UK take (too much cussinâ?? and mean-spiritedness) â??hence my visits to US cartoon sites- Preteena of course!!!

    And on that happy note Allison I wish you and your family and all Preteena followers a Happy Christmas.

    All the best

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  105. Hi Allison
    Monarch of the Glenâ?¦ Must be Susan Hampshire who did star in the The Pallisers (BBC, 1974), which was a twenty six episode adaptation of Anthony Trollopeâ??s six novels of the familyâ??s fortunes. She also played Fleur in the 1967 dramatisation of Galsworthyâ??s Forsythe Saga, both stunning pieces of tv drama, when our BBC could be guaranteed to produce class (thatâ??s Klass in my accent).

    Ooh six graphic novels; â??The Artistâ??s Modelâ?? & â??The Artistâ??s Friendâ?? being two? I hope the novel goes well. But anâ??t they a pain to get started?

    Yes Peter Oâ??Toole is possessed of a great talent. Heâ??s in Troy too, as Priam the Trojan ruler and father of Paris and Hector, itâ??s a wonderful performance as a world-weary dignified old man who still believes in a code of ethics, I wonâ??t say anymore, donâ??t want to spoil the film for you. Did you see him turn in an electric performance as Henry II against the legendary Katherine Hepburn in â??The Lion in Winterâ??. Wow! Did the sparks fly in that film!! That must have been quite a buzz meeting the man in person.

    Iâ??m glad the UK made a good impression on you; I must admit Iâ??m not all that pleased with Britain these days, I reckon we are in a bit of a declineâ?¦ BUT if my readings of many histories serve me, that has been a common lament all over the world at all times (particularly as one gets on in years);sssooo perhaps itâ??s just me?

    No, sad to say Iâ??ve never made it to the US (would if I could, but ah circumstancesâ?¦circumstances) although I find your country fascinating, and try to absorb as much information as I can. My impression? The US has a lot to offer, like managing to stay a 300,000,000+ pop. multi-cultural, 5 (I think) time-zone democracy (ok none of them are perfect letâ??s be honest). I am, I confess, an avid follower of the Presidential Races. Also I (ooh deep breath here for I tread on dangerous ground) enjoy your humour more than our current UK take (too much cussinâ?? and mean-spiritedness) â??hence my visits to US cartoon sites- Preteena of course!!!

    And on that happy note Allison I wish you and your family and all Preteena followers a Happy Christmas.

    All the best

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  106. Merry Christmas to you too, Sir Rog!

    Actually, “The Artist’s Model” and “The Artist’s Friends” are children’s books I wrote and illustrated about, respectively, how a book cover comes into being, and different types of artists and the art they produce. The first book was based on my daughter’s experience posing for one of my husband’s book covers when she was three. He took her to his regular photo studio in NYC where she was costumed and posed with an adult model. I thought it made for a cool subject. In the second I had all our friends who are artists describe the kind of work they do.

    The graphic novels are a series called “Goofyfoot Gurl”, about teenaged surfers in The O.C. (Orange County, California). “Goofyfoot” means one who surfs with his left foot forward rather than his right, in case you don’t do a lot of surfing in Wales. It’s been great fun supplying just the story and not the illustrations, and then seeing what the illustrators have done (marvelous!). The genre is manga (that pervasive Japanese cartoon style), but with a pretty, water-coloury American feel. the publisher is Thomas Nelson in concert with Realbuzz Studios, if you’re of a mind to have a look.

    The UK in decline?! Don’t let it happen! Remember what a toilet Ireland was just a few years ago? Now it’s one of the fastest growing economies in Europe. Look at Estonia: only two decades ago it was a impoverished Soviet satellite. Now it’s the wealthiest and most prosperous of the Baltic states (and I’ll bet Putin’s paying attention, those poor buggers). Privatizing and giving the free market a chance to blossom has done wonders!

    Well, you’ll just have to get yourself over here for a proper visit. May I suggest a little trip next October to Keene, New Hampshire? We have a world-famous pumpkin festival that people flock from all over the world to see. Go have a look on the web (Keene Pumpkin Festival) and you won’t fail to be impressed. The U.S. is too big to take in at a gulp. But a trip to, not New York City or Disney World, but to a typical New England town, will give the visitor a much clearer idea of what Americans and amrican life is really like. That’s what I so loved about our canal boat trip on the Shropshire Union Canal: I got to meet real Britons in their element, and they were lovely to a man (accept for that barmaid at the Sarah Ponsenby in Llangollen, but she may have been having an off night).

    Susan Hampshire! Of course! What a beauty! And you’re right; I confused Palliser with Palladin. Well, when I get your books, all will be made clear, I’m sure.

    I see “The Lion in Winter” probably twice a year. What a cast! Aside from the two obvious stars (Hepburn was MUCH older than O’Toole in the film, but would you ever know it?), Anthony Hopkins, Nigel Terry (excellent as Arthur in “Excalibur”), and the other two handsome men whose names escape me just now (one was married to Vanessa Redgrave, I believe) – – oh, but I could go on about movies all day. Are there any particular american movies/actors you like? Why?

    Have a sparkling New Year, Rog! Think about crossing the pond. I’ll be your guide!
    Allison

  107. Merry Christmas to you too, Sir Rog!

    Actually, “The Artist’s Model” and “The Artist’s Friends” are children’s books I wrote and illustrated about, respectively, how a book cover comes into being, and different types of artists and the art they produce. The first book was based on my daughter’s experience posing for one of my husband’s book covers when she was three. He took her to his regular photo studio in NYC where she was costumed and posed with an adult model. I thought it made for a cool subject. In the second I had all our friends who are artists describe the kind of work they do.

    The graphic novels are a series called “Goofyfoot Gurl”, about teenaged surfers in The O.C. (Orange County, California). “Goofyfoot” means one who surfs with his left foot forward rather than his right, in case you don’t do a lot of surfing in Wales. It’s been great fun supplying just the story and not the illustrations, and then seeing what the illustrators have done (marvelous!). The genre is manga (that pervasive Japanese cartoon style), but with a pretty, water-coloury American feel. the publisher is Thomas Nelson in concert with Realbuzz Studios, if you’re of a mind to have a look.

    The UK in decline?! Don’t let it happen! Remember what a toilet Ireland was just a few years ago? Now it’s one of the fastest growing economies in Europe. Look at Estonia: only two decades ago it was a impoverished Soviet satellite. Now it’s the wealthiest and most prosperous of the Baltic states (and I’ll bet Putin’s paying attention, those poor buggers). Privatizing and giving the free market a chance to blossom has done wonders!

    Well, you’ll just have to get yourself over here for a proper visit. May I suggest a little trip next October to Keene, New Hampshire? We have a world-famous pumpkin festival that people flock from all over the world to see. Go have a look on the web (Keene Pumpkin Festival) and you won’t fail to be impressed. The U.S. is too big to take in at a gulp. But a trip to, not New York City or Disney World, but to a typical New England town, will give the visitor a much clearer idea of what Americans and amrican life is really like. That’s what I so loved about our canal boat trip on the Shropshire Union Canal: I got to meet real Britons in their element, and they were lovely to a man (accept for that barmaid at the Sarah Ponsenby in Llangollen, but she may have been having an off night).

    Susan Hampshire! Of course! What a beauty! And you’re right; I confused Palliser with Palladin. Well, when I get your books, all will be made clear, I’m sure.

    I see “The Lion in Winter” probably twice a year. What a cast! Aside from the two obvious stars (Hepburn was MUCH older than O’Toole in the film, but would you ever know it?), Anthony Hopkins, Nigel Terry (excellent as Arthur in “Excalibur”), and the other two handsome men whose names escape me just now (one was married to Vanessa Redgrave, I believe) – – oh, but I could go on about movies all day. Are there any particular american movies/actors you like? Why?

    Have a sparkling New Year, Rog! Think about crossing the pond. I’ll be your guide!
    Allison

  108. Hi Allison.
    OOOoooopss! Sorry about the wrong assumption on the â??Artistâ??sâ?? series, I made that based on reading Amazon; should have looked deeper, trying to be too smart; I grovel in a restrained way. The ‘Goofyfoot Gurl’ series looks interesting. Did you start with a theme, write a narrative and then comes the artwork? Also what age group reads them, would they suitable for a 12 year old? (Like say fâ?? r instance my granddaughter)

    UK, Eire, Estonia, Russia? I wonâ??t start; I will go on and on and on. I do find History and the impact upon the current dayâ??s politics a very engrossing subject; thatâ??s why I do absorb as much as I can about the US Presidential Elections, all those states, all those communities, all those view points merged in with so much history. Iâ??m sure I would agree with you following a visit to a typical New England town â?? the great Alistair Cooke was very strong on such themes.

    Lion In Winter; I think the age gap would work aesthetically as Eleanor of Aquataine was older than Henry, but Iâ??m not too sure.,Yes indeed there were a whole screen full of great performances in that film. Ah now my favourites; from the USA OK in no order.. â??Gloryâ??; Full Metal Jacketâ??, â??Failsafeâ??; â??Baltoâ??, Aliensâ??, â??Little Women (1992 version)â?? â??Gettysburgâ?? (Martin Sheen), â??Cold Mountainâ?? â??Primary Coloursâ??, â??Seven days in Mayâ?? â??Twelve Angry Menâ?? (Henry Fonda Version) â??Taking of Pelham 123â?? â?¦ err Iâ??m gonna stop now before I truly get carried away. (And â??Troyâ?¦ musnâ??t forget â??Troyâ?? or â??Legend of The Fallâ??.. and ..errr..â??Spinal Tapâ??.. Iâ??m truly gonna stop now!!)

    Ohhh I would joyfully visit New Hampshire if I could but circumstancesâ?¦ ah circumstancesâ?¦ Anyways are you ready for your Primary yet(here I go again) with all those smiling candidates and their busy staffers, and the whole media thing? Do the local folk hide, step up and ask difficult questions, join in with their partisan choice or simply accept it as a thing that happens every so often? I do find the US presidential elections most interesting, and usually start sniffing (in a e-sorts way) around the websites two years before the event.

    I see that Jeri has been running loose in the past week; I thought the one of her sniffing (thereâ??s that word again) at the gift card envelopes very funny; the Christmas Message that was never completed a real â??laugh out loudâ?? one and why is it that the young find it so hard to believe that their parents have a right to beâ?¦. Ahem…romantic; spot on observation there.

    Well I must go and sort out a minor post-Christmas present mystery; and soâ?¦

    A Happy New Year to you and your family Allison; if that journey across the pond ever becomes a possibility I will let you know!!

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales

  109. Hi Allison.
    OOOoooopss! Sorry about the wrong assumption on the â??Artistâ??sâ?? series, I made that based on reading Amazon; should have looked deeper, trying to be too smart; I grovel in a restrained way. The ‘Goofyfoot Gurl’ series looks interesting. Did you start with a theme, write a narrative and then comes the artwork? Also what age group reads them, would they suitable for a 12 year old? (Like say fâ?? r instance my granddaughter)

    UK, Eire, Estonia, Russia? I wonâ??t start; I will go on and on and on. I do find History and the impact upon the current dayâ??s politics a very engrossing subject; thatâ??s why I do absorb as much as I can about the US Presidential Elections, all those states, all those communities, all those view points merged in with so much history. Iâ??m sure I would agree with you following a visit to a typical New England town â?? the great Alistair Cooke was very strong on such themes.

    Lion In Winter; I think the age gap would work aesthetically as Eleanor of Aquataine was older than Henry, but Iâ??m not too sure.,Yes indeed there were a whole screen full of great performances in that film. Ah now my favourites; from the USA OK in no order.. â??Gloryâ??; Full Metal Jacketâ??, â??Failsafeâ??; â??Baltoâ??, Aliensâ??, â??Little Women (1992 version)â?? â??Gettysburgâ?? (Martin Sheen), â??Cold Mountainâ?? â??Primary Coloursâ??, â??Seven days in Mayâ?? â??Twelve Angry Menâ?? (Henry Fonda Version) â??Taking of Pelham 123â?? â?¦ err Iâ??m gonna stop now before I truly get carried away. (And â??Troyâ?¦ musnâ??t forget â??Troyâ?? or â??Legend of The Fallâ??.. and ..errr..â??Spinal Tapâ??.. Iâ??m truly gonna stop now!!)

    Ohhh I would joyfully visit New Hampshire if I could but circumstancesâ?¦ ah circumstancesâ?¦ Anyways are you ready for your Primary yet(here I go again) with all those smiling candidates and their busy staffers, and the whole media thing? Do the local folk hide, step up and ask difficult questions, join in with their partisan choice or simply accept it as a thing that happens every so often? I do find the US presidential elections most interesting, and usually start sniffing (in a e-sorts way) around the websites two years before the event.

    I see that Jeri has been running loose in the past week; I thought the one of her sniffing (thereâ??s that word again) at the gift card envelopes very funny; the Christmas Message that was never completed a real â??laugh out loudâ?? one and why is it that the young find it so hard to believe that their parents have a right to beâ?¦. Ahem…romantic; spot on observation there.

    Well I must go and sort out a minor post-Christmas present mystery; and soâ?¦

    A Happy New Year to you and your family Allison; if that journey across the pond ever becomes a possibility I will let you know!!

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales

  110. I love your cartoon, especially Stick in her black dress(Sunday, 1/20/08). On the other hand, the father is a real ass. I suppose he does represent most men – always wanting a sultry, exotic woman – someone other than his wife, but he still tics me off. Sylvia

  111. I love your cartoon, especially Stick in her black dress(Sunday, 1/20/08). On the other hand, the father is a real ass. I suppose he does represent most men – always wanting a sultry, exotic woman – someone other than his wife, but he still tics me off. Sylvia

  112. Greetings and Salutations Ms. Barrows.

    I cannot recall exactly how I discovered PreTeena but I’m certainly glad I did. For a couple of years now, it has consistently delivered a smile and, not on the rare occasion, such as today, an outright guffaw. The observation made by Teena in the final frame, being such a casual understated harbinger of the detonation that is imminent is difficult to pull off in any medium, exceptionally well done here and, for me anyway, hilarious.

    Foggy.

  113. Greetings and Salutations Ms. Barrows.

    I cannot recall exactly how I discovered PreTeena but I’m certainly glad I did. For a couple of years now, it has consistently delivered a smile and, not on the rare occasion, such as today, an outright guffaw. The observation made by Teena in the final frame, being such a casual understated harbinger of the detonation that is imminent is difficult to pull off in any medium, exceptionally well done here and, for me anyway, hilarious.

    Foggy.

  114. Hi Sylvia & Foggynoggin.

    Is not the Preteena series the best on the current scene? Like you Foggy I am not sure how I came across Preteena (I think it might have been mooching about Yahoo’s News pages) and I agree with your guffaw moment, infact the week 21st Jan- 26th Jan concerning Dad’s haplass attempts to get the right model were pure gems of humour and cartoon art.

    Yeh Sylvia that black dress was another gem; but don’t be too hard on Dad, he is just your average fellow out-numbered in the gender domestic stakes. (One of my favourites involving him was when he found out that Jeri’s sometime boyfriend Johnson was taking her on a camping trip- even with parental supervision — the outraged paternal reaction was so true to life).

    Anyone else out there got any favourite weeks (or two week’s worth of Preteena’s)?

    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  115. Hi Sylvia & Foggynoggin.

    Is not the Preteena series the best on the current scene? Like you Foggy I am not sure how I came across Preteena (I think it might have been mooching about Yahoo’s News pages) and I agree with your guffaw moment, infact the week 21st Jan- 26th Jan concerning Dad’s haplass attempts to get the right model were pure gems of humour and cartoon art.

    Yeh Sylvia that black dress was another gem; but don’t be too hard on Dad, he is just your average fellow out-numbered in the gender domestic stakes. (One of my favourites involving him was when he found out that Jeri’s sometime boyfriend Johnson was taking her on a camping trip- even with parental supervision — the outraged paternal reaction was so true to life).

    Anyone else out there got any favourite weeks (or two week’s worth of Preteena’s)?

    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  116. What happened to people posting here using their real names, both first and last?

  117. What happened to people posting here using their real names, both first and last?

  118. Fayre point Wiley. I dunno how I started, just thought it was a sort of convention… Actually it’s Roger Llewellyn Jacob , or R L Jacob if I’m being sniffy about something.
    Anyhow with that sorted what are your latest views on Preteena?

  119. Fayre point Wiley. I dunno how I started, just thought it was a sort of convention… Actually it’s Roger Llewellyn Jacob , or R L Jacob if I’m being sniffy about something.
    Anyhow with that sorted what are your latest views on Preteena?

  120. Dear Sir Rog, Sylvia, Wiley, and friends,

    I’m so sorry to have been unable to write since after Christmas: I had a book to finish and it took every day I wasn’t working on PreTeena (I have two kids and a husband, so they took a little time, too).

    I missed my weekly exchange with Sir Roger, but I found that you lovely people went on without me and – with Sir Knight’s expert guidance – had some fine and funny exchanges. If you’ll give me a day or two to organize, I can write back to each and all via this site and we can all have a good, solid blab.

    In the meantime: Hugh, the dad in PreTeena, is based on my artist husband who has been using the beautiful models in his work for nearly 30 years (including Fabio!). I USED to be one of them, but time and tide . . . Anyway, I didn’t make the dad a jerk, just a realistic artist who has women all around him and can’t win for trying. Be nice, Sylvia! He’s a doll!

    ‘Night All!
    Allison

  121. Dear Sir Rog, Sylvia, Wiley, and friends,

    I’m so sorry to have been unable to write since after Christmas: I had a book to finish and it took every day I wasn’t working on PreTeena (I have two kids and a husband, so they took a little time, too).

    I missed my weekly exchange with Sir Roger, but I found that you lovely people went on without me and – with Sir Knight’s expert guidance – had some fine and funny exchanges. If you’ll give me a day or two to organize, I can write back to each and all via this site and we can all have a good, solid blab.

    In the meantime: Hugh, the dad in PreTeena, is based on my artist husband who has been using the beautiful models in his work for nearly 30 years (including Fabio!). I USED to be one of them, but time and tide . . . Anyway, I didn’t make the dad a jerk, just a realistic artist who has women all around him and can’t win for trying. Be nice, Sylvia! He’s a doll!

    ‘Night All!
    Allison

  124. Hi “mike c” … Please include your first and last name with your future comments.

    Thank you.

  125. Hi “mike c” … Please include your first and last name with your future comments.

    Thank you.

  126. Hi Folks

    Glad the book is finished Allison. When can we look forward to its release? How was your Primary from your perspective? (Thought Dad was based on your husband, but felt not my place to suggest so – british reserve and all that sort of thing)

    Most precise Mike C – I indeed agree. Would you care to share your favourite week or two week’s (we call ’em fortnights in the UK) worth storyline with us?

    How about you Mike Cope? What draws* you to Preteena?

    Sorry have to end now. Promised myself I’d type out some pages before I settle down to some serious BBC coverage of Super Tuesday!

    All the best
    Roger (Jacob)
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

    *arrrrgh! i can’t believe i used that when discussing cartoons!!..Oohh let the record stay!!!

  127. Hi Folks

    Glad the book is finished Allison. When can we look forward to its release? How was your Primary from your perspective? (Thought Dad was based on your husband, but felt not my place to suggest so – british reserve and all that sort of thing)

    Most precise Mike C – I indeed agree. Would you care to share your favourite week or two week’s (we call ’em fortnights in the UK) worth storyline with us?

    How about you Mike Cope? What draws* you to Preteena?

    Sorry have to end now. Promised myself I’d type out some pages before I settle down to some serious BBC coverage of Super Tuesday!

    All the best
    Roger (Jacob)
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

    *arrrrgh! i can’t believe i used that when discussing cartoons!!..Oohh let the record stay!!!

  128. Hi Sir Rog, and all else,

    The book I finished was the 6th in a series of graphic novels called “Goofyfoot Gurl” about teen surfers in Orange County, CA. It’s been great fun to write, but not draw, for characters very different from the PreTeena gang. More books are projected, but I have no details yet, so I’m going to work on a graphic novel I’ve been planning myself in the interim. I won’t say anything more until I finish the proposal and get an offer from a publisher.

    As for the primary, Sir Rog, today,Mitt Romney pulled out, so John McCain will be the Republican nominee (never thought Huckabee had a chance, although I met him at a dinner and he seemed like a lovely fellow. Ron Paul was never a serious threat to anyone). Barrack Obama has a huge advantage over Mrs. Clinton, not least of which that he is not Mrs. Clinton. He strikes me as an elegant, dignified man with a beautiful speaking voice and a considerable amount of personal charm that is sincere, not smarmy (again, the Clinton name leaps to mind). But so far, he’s not said much beyond platitudes about hope and change, and his inexperience is a real concern. In any case, it’ll be a very interesting election – the first in which my daughter will cast her very first vote.

    Now then, back to the Hugh character: If you’re new to the strip, I urge you to go back and find the strips in which he appears (I’ll try to go through my archives and find specific weeks, to make it easier for those interested). I went out of my way to make Hugh NOT the doofus husband we see too often; the clueless oaf who can’t get his socks on without them ministrations of his smart wife and savvy kids. In fact, one of my favourite scenes involves a Sunday when a surly Jeri gets in the car after her father picks her up from a sleep-over. She treats him as a mere operating appendage of the vehicle, ignoring him when he greets her and asks how her night had been. When she doesn’t respond, he explains that he’s had a new transmission installed and the car will not start unless the passenger greets the driver with cordial warmth. When she asks him if there is something wrong with him, he says “Oops! That didn’t work. Better get out and start all over again”. Hugh’s a good guy.

    I just finished a week of dailies (2/18-23) that makes gentle fun of those star registry scams, where you pay to have a star named after you. I can’t believe anyone actually PAYS to have some bogus outfit, with absolutely no authority whatever, “name” a star! Anyway, sometimes I like to use PreTeena to get pet peeves off my chest. (you should see me on the subject of cell phones!).

    Best to all! Let me hear what you like! ‘Night, Rog.

  129. Hi Sir Rog, and all else,

    The book I finished was the 6th in a series of graphic novels called “Goofyfoot Gurl” about teen surfers in Orange County, CA. It’s been great fun to write, but not draw, for characters very different from the PreTeena gang. More books are projected, but I have no details yet, so I’m going to work on a graphic novel I’ve been planning myself in the interim. I won’t say anything more until I finish the proposal and get an offer from a publisher.

    As for the primary, Sir Rog, today,Mitt Romney pulled out, so John McCain will be the Republican nominee (never thought Huckabee had a chance, although I met him at a dinner and he seemed like a lovely fellow. Ron Paul was never a serious threat to anyone). Barrack Obama has a huge advantage over Mrs. Clinton, not least of which that he is not Mrs. Clinton. He strikes me as an elegant, dignified man with a beautiful speaking voice and a considerable amount of personal charm that is sincere, not smarmy (again, the Clinton name leaps to mind). But so far, he’s not said much beyond platitudes about hope and change, and his inexperience is a real concern. In any case, it’ll be a very interesting election – the first in which my daughter will cast her very first vote.

    Now then, back to the Hugh character: If you’re new to the strip, I urge you to go back and find the strips in which he appears (I’ll try to go through my archives and find specific weeks, to make it easier for those interested). I went out of my way to make Hugh NOT the doofus husband we see too often; the clueless oaf who can’t get his socks on without them ministrations of his smart wife and savvy kids. In fact, one of my favourite scenes involves a Sunday when a surly Jeri gets in the car after her father picks her up from a sleep-over. She treats him as a mere operating appendage of the vehicle, ignoring him when he greets her and asks how her night had been. When she doesn’t respond, he explains that he’s had a new transmission installed and the car will not start unless the passenger greets the driver with cordial warmth. When she asks him if there is something wrong with him, he says “Oops! That didn’t work. Better get out and start all over again”. Hugh’s a good guy.

    I just finished a week of dailies (2/18-23) that makes gentle fun of those star registry scams, where you pay to have a star named after you. I can’t believe anyone actually PAYS to have some bogus outfit, with absolutely no authority whatever, “name” a star! Anyway, sometimes I like to use PreTeena to get pet peeves off my chest. (you should see me on the subject of cell phones!).

    Best to all! Let me hear what you like! ‘Night, Rog.

  130. Hello there Allison
    Well done on finishing your book. Tell me would the Goofyfoot Gurl graphics be suitable for a 12-year-old granddaughter? (One simply has to plan for these birthdays with meticulous detail at that age).

    If I could get to grips with this Blog thing I could fill pages about the US presidential elections. This one is the most fascinating for ages; Will the enthusiasm for Barrack Obama overtake the Clinton machine? John McCain seems to have the nominations, but will the We-hate-McCain-Republicans bring his plans crashing down in some unforeseen way? I just keep on watching & reading every report I can. I wish your daughter well when attending her first vote; it doesnâ??t matter who she chooses, just vote; a large number of people have regularly had to lay down their lives for that principle (I donâ??t half get odd looks when I expound that view â?? or the other â?? Maybe we get the politicians we deserve?â??) (Preteena flashback â?? Teena watching a TV programme with a lot of bad-mouthing: Mom Doesnâ??tâ?? like Teena watching WWF wrestling- turns out she watching an election broadcast for the 2006 House elections â?? nice observation there Allison)

    Yeh, letâ??s hear it for Hugh! He is a character I can believe in. â??Tis true; being a constantly cash-strapped type I am often puzzled how the doofus characters can hold down the well-paid jobs they do (they turn up in UK sitcoms with annoying regularity) There was that week last year when he tries to spend quality time with Teena and Jeri and ends seated between them up snoring on the sofa â?? â??great punch line from Jeri â??We must do this more oftenâ?? â?? oh boy, have my children experienced such moments! Thinking back a year or so (or maybe more-I gotta get a better archiving system) one a minor character tells him â??My dad says you canâ??t make money out of artâ?? & Hugh gives this precise & dignified explanation that one can with hard work & dedication only to be told by the boy â??No my dad says YOU canâ??t make money out of art,â?? and Hughâ??s snap response in the same panel â??Tell your dad I can take him at golf any timeâ?? Fascinating thing though, heâ??s a father of two daughter with a combined age of 24 and his hair has not turned grey â?? nay white- yet! Jests aside, the guy is truly Everyman, albeit a talented one. â?? Could still go on about the recent art-model series 01/21-26. (Something I just remembered about the â??Suspension of beliefâ?? 01/24 panel, mother & daughter have exactly the same expressionâ?¦. Is that where Jeri gets IT from???)

    The Star Scams one sounds fun, looking forward to next weekâ??s worth.
    Keep on keepinâ?? on
    All the best
    Roger (Llewellyn) (Jacob)
    Wrexham-NorthWales-UK

  131. Hello there Allison
    Well done on finishing your book. Tell me would the Goofyfoot Gurl graphics be suitable for a 12-year-old granddaughter? (One simply has to plan for these birthdays with meticulous detail at that age).

    If I could get to grips with this Blog thing I could fill pages about the US presidential elections. This one is the most fascinating for ages; Will the enthusiasm for Barrack Obama overtake the Clinton machine? John McCain seems to have the nominations, but will the We-hate-McCain-Republicans bring his plans crashing down in some unforeseen way? I just keep on watching & reading every report I can. I wish your daughter well when attending her first vote; it doesnâ??t matter who she chooses, just vote; a large number of people have regularly had to lay down their lives for that principle (I donâ??t half get odd looks when I expound that view â?? or the other â?? Maybe we get the politicians we deserve?â??) (Preteena flashback â?? Teena watching a TV programme with a lot of bad-mouthing: Mom Doesnâ??tâ?? like Teena watching WWF wrestling- turns out she watching an election broadcast for the 2006 House elections â?? nice observation there Allison)

    Yeh, letâ??s hear it for Hugh! He is a character I can believe in. â??Tis true; being a constantly cash-strapped type I am often puzzled how the doofus characters can hold down the well-paid jobs they do (they turn up in UK sitcoms with annoying regularity) There was that week last year when he tries to spend quality time with Teena and Jeri and ends seated between them up snoring on the sofa â?? â??great punch line from Jeri â??We must do this more oftenâ?? â?? oh boy, have my children experienced such moments! Thinking back a year or so (or maybe more-I gotta get a better archiving system) one a minor character tells him â??My dad says you canâ??t make money out of artâ?? & Hugh gives this precise & dignified explanation that one can with hard work & dedication only to be told by the boy â??No my dad says YOU canâ??t make money out of art,â?? and Hughâ??s snap response in the same panel â??Tell your dad I can take him at golf any timeâ?? Fascinating thing though, heâ??s a father of two daughter with a combined age of 24 and his hair has not turned grey â?? nay white- yet! Jests aside, the guy is truly Everyman, albeit a talented one. â?? Could still go on about the recent art-model series 01/21-26. (Something I just remembered about the â??Suspension of beliefâ?? 01/24 panel, mother & daughter have exactly the same expressionâ?¦. Is that where Jeri gets IT from???)

    The Star Scams one sounds fun, looking forward to next weekâ??s worth.
    Keep on keepinâ?? on
    All the best
    Roger (Llewellyn) (Jacob)
    Wrexham-NorthWales-UK

  132. Dear Sir Roger,

    Yes, the “Goofyfoot Gurl” surfer series would be perfect for your granddaughter: I write “clean” but not stupid. The characters in the series are in their late teens and in college or on their way. The art, which I’m not responsible for, is gorgeous — manga but with a California vibe. Check it out at Realbuzz.com.

    You’re charming about your interest in our electoral process; weird are this year’s delegates and super delegates (remember those freakish “hanging chads” from 2000?), I could dredge up a marvelous Blackadder episode where the Stupid Prince has to win a Rotten Burrough (a dog named Collin was the sole voter). In other words, Sir Knight, the crown goes to the most corrupt – – unless there are Free Markets.

    On another subject:
    My son, Guy, 14, is playing the jazzy opening piano riff to “Locomotive Breath”. He’s flawless. Some have said I should put him on YouTube, but I’m creeped out by . . .well, it’s creepy. But he’s so bloody good, and he’s been trying to get Ian Anderson’s attention for six years. You’d think an old artist would be glad of a new apprentice . . .

    Very happy with Sunday March 30: Henry VIII is the subject. Let me hear from you.

  133. Dear Sir Roger,

    Yes, the “Goofyfoot Gurl” surfer series would be perfect for your granddaughter: I write “clean” but not stupid. The characters in the series are in their late teens and in college or on their way. The art, which I’m not responsible for, is gorgeous — manga but with a California vibe. Check it out at Realbuzz.com.

    You’re charming about your interest in our electoral process; weird are this year’s delegates and super delegates (remember those freakish “hanging chads” from 2000?), I could dredge up a marvelous Blackadder episode where the Stupid Prince has to win a Rotten Burrough (a dog named Collin was the sole voter). In other words, Sir Knight, the crown goes to the most corrupt – – unless there are Free Markets.

    On another subject:
    My son, Guy, 14, is playing the jazzy opening piano riff to “Locomotive Breath”. He’s flawless. Some have said I should put him on YouTube, but I’m creeped out by . . .well, it’s creepy. But he’s so bloody good, and he’s been trying to get Ian Anderson’s attention for six years. You’d think an old artist would be glad of a new apprentice . . .

    Very happy with Sunday March 30: Henry VIII is the subject. Let me hear from you.

  134. Hi Allison

    Ta for the extra information on the Goofyfoot Gurl series; targeted on Amazon (UK) and ready to order!

    Speakinâ?? of which I finally got meself organised and purchased from Lulu your very own PRETEENA collection. So many gems there, and packed with truth; I could laugh out loud at â??Mean Girlsâ?? while nodding my head over memories of my own daughtersâ?? trials, tribulations (and transgressions) , and my personal favourite â??Bad Hair Dayâ??! Itâ??s not often a cartoon follower can get to personally (albeit in an e-mail sort of way) thank the artist for a large number of laughs at times when reasons to chortle were a bit a sparse on the ground, but thanks! And keep up the good work!!

    US Presidential Elections: Oh I dunno about â??the most corruptâ??. Though of course eyebrows get raised over some of the decisions and judgements over the duration of a Term. Still as The Great Churchill said â??Democracy is a poor form of government, but the alternatives as so much worseâ?? I watch and I wait with interest.

    More power to your son Guy, as the old songs goes â??Keep on Keepinâ?? Onâ?? and I understand that Benny Green once said â??A jazz musician is a juggler who uses harmonies instead of oranges,â?? wish Guy well from me for the future. Know what you mean about YouTube â?? itâ??s a parental thing.

    Ah, ‘The Tudors’. I didnâ??t take to it, opinion was divided over in The UK, lots of stuffies like me couldnâ??t take to a thin and average sized Henry, of course weâ??d been captivated by the now legendary â??Wives of Henryâ?? with Keith Michelle in 1970-71. I guess the parallel Iâ??d draw is with the film â??Gettysburgâ?? lots of ACW folk were unhappy with Martin Sheen being Robert E Lee (certainly not the same sizes or dimensions) and yet it is a great favourite of mine. ANYHOW back to â??The Tudorsâ??. Iâ??ll give it marks fer colour, impact and TV drama, though; but not my colour, impact & TV drama. Iâ??m glad though that it made it over the Pond, truth be known not much brit TV is worth exporting these days (REEality, Soaps and Chat showsâ?¦.. oh yuk! â??and thatâ??s before I start on our Kom-meddy efforts)â?¦ Ah I see I have slipped into my Grumblinâ?? Old Geezer (trans: man â?? used as a term of mild abuse or disinterest) mode. Donâ??t mind me Allison, you mark up The 30th March on your calendar and ENJOY!!

    Ah well, I must away and delete passages while copying & pastinâ?? others â?? anâ??t writing fun?.

    All the best

    Roger (Llewellyn) (Jacob) aka ‘R l Jacob’, aka ‘Roger from Wrexham’
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  135. Hi Allison

    Ta for the extra information on the Goofyfoot Gurl series; targeted on Amazon (UK) and ready to order!

    Speakinâ?? of which I finally got meself organised and purchased from Lulu your very own PRETEENA collection. So many gems there, and packed with truth; I could laugh out loud at â??Mean Girlsâ?? while nodding my head over memories of my own daughtersâ?? trials, tribulations (and transgressions) , and my personal favourite â??Bad Hair Dayâ??! Itâ??s not often a cartoon follower can get to personally (albeit in an e-mail sort of way) thank the artist for a large number of laughs at times when reasons to chortle were a bit a sparse on the ground, but thanks! And keep up the good work!!

    US Presidential Elections: Oh I dunno about â??the most corruptâ??. Though of course eyebrows get raised over some of the decisions and judgements over the duration of a Term. Still as The Great Churchill said â??Democracy is a poor form of government, but the alternatives as so much worseâ?? I watch and I wait with interest.

    More power to your son Guy, as the old songs goes â??Keep on Keepinâ?? Onâ?? and I understand that Benny Green once said â??A jazz musician is a juggler who uses harmonies instead of oranges,â?? wish Guy well from me for the future. Know what you mean about YouTube â?? itâ??s a parental thing.

    Ah, ‘The Tudors’. I didnâ??t take to it, opinion was divided over in The UK, lots of stuffies like me couldnâ??t take to a thin and average sized Henry, of course weâ??d been captivated by the now legendary â??Wives of Henryâ?? with Keith Michelle in 1970-71. I guess the parallel Iâ??d draw is with the film â??Gettysburgâ?? lots of ACW folk were unhappy with Martin Sheen being Robert E Lee (certainly not the same sizes or dimensions) and yet it is a great favourite of mine. ANYHOW back to â??The Tudorsâ??. Iâ??ll give it marks fer colour, impact and TV drama, though; but not my colour, impact & TV drama. Iâ??m glad though that it made it over the Pond, truth be known not much brit TV is worth exporting these days (REEality, Soaps and Chat showsâ?¦.. oh yuk! â??and thatâ??s before I start on our Kom-meddy efforts)â?¦ Ah I see I have slipped into my Grumblinâ?? Old Geezer (trans: man â?? used as a term of mild abuse or disinterest) mode. Donâ??t mind me Allison, you mark up The 30th March on your calendar and ENJOY!!

    Ah well, I must away and delete passages while copying & pastinâ?? others â?? anâ??t writing fun?.

    All the best

    Roger (Llewellyn) (Jacob) aka ‘R l Jacob’, aka ‘Roger from Wrexham’
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  136. Dear Sir Roger of Wrexham:

    I’m sorry, but I completely forgot that we were communicating our opinions and anecdotes in a public forum. I will no longer be able to write to you on this site. If you’d like to continue our conversation, please contact me through Universal Press Syndicate. I value the many readers and fans I have online, but for those with whom I’ve become friends I’d prefer to speak with privately.

    Best as always,
    Allison

  137. Dear Sir Roger of Wrexham:

    I’m sorry, but I completely forgot that we were communicating our opinions and anecdotes in a public forum. I will no longer be able to write to you on this site. If you’d like to continue our conversation, please contact me through Universal Press Syndicate. I value the many readers and fans I have online, but for those with whom I’ve become friends I’d prefer to speak with privately.

    Best as always,
    Allison

  138. Hi Allison and also fellow fans of Preteena!

    Ooops I forgot that!

    Anyhow to followers of Preteena. Has anyone visiting this site purchased the Preteena book from Lulu? Whereas Preteena has a dedicated following of her own age group, when you look back just at this forum you will see a universal appeal; and the collection is very good value for money.

    I like the idea of grouping the strips under headings, most collections follow a chronological format, which often works, but highlighting the various episode as individual chapters gives the work a nice ‘short stories of Teena’ feel.

    I said it before, but it bears repeating the ‘Bad Hair Day’ series is very funny; mind you, Hugh(Dad)’s reaction to the concept of his daughters being fitted for bras is spot on!

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  139. Hi Allison and also fellow fans of Preteena!

    Ooops I forgot that!

    Anyhow to followers of Preteena. Has anyone visiting this site purchased the Preteena book from Lulu? Whereas Preteena has a dedicated following of her own age group, when you look back just at this forum you will see a universal appeal; and the collection is very good value for money.

    I like the idea of grouping the strips under headings, most collections follow a chronological format, which often works, but highlighting the various episode as individual chapters gives the work a nice ‘short stories of Teena’ feel.

    I said it before, but it bears repeating the ‘Bad Hair Day’ series is very funny; mind you, Hugh(Dad)’s reaction to the concept of his daughters being fitted for bras is spot on!

    Roger
    Wrexham
    N Wales
    UK

  140. Dear Allison,

    I just saw your Sunday Mar. 30 Preteena about the internet’s rendition of the history of Henry VIII. I love it!!! I’m a big Herman’s Hermits fan and the strip made me chuckle. I wonder what new things I’d learn today if I researched some of the history I learned ages ago. Thanks for the great subject….. the link to the comic is circulating among Peter Noone’s (the Hermit known as Herman) fanclub. Hope you’ll check out Peter’s website and maybe we’ll meet at a concert sometime.

    http://peternoone.com

    Alice M.
    Michigan

  141. Dear Allison,

    I just saw your Sunday Mar. 30 Preteena about the internet’s rendition of the history of Henry VIII. I love it!!! I’m a big Herman’s Hermits fan and the strip made me chuckle. I wonder what new things I’d learn today if I researched some of the history I learned ages ago. Thanks for the great subject….. the link to the comic is circulating among Peter Noone’s (the Hermit known as Herman) fanclub. Hope you’ll check out Peter’s website and maybe we’ll meet at a concert sometime.

    http://peternoone.com

    Alice M.
    Michigan

  142. HI Alice,

    I’m so glad you liked the Henry strip (it’s now among my all-time faves), and I’m thrilled Peter Noone’s fans will read it, too. The song came out when I was a very little girl and I remember singing it over and over at my grandparents’ house on Cape Cod until they made me go have a nap! I sang it with a very broad Cockney accent, which may have been the final straw! It’s so much fun writing weird little jokes like the Henry strip that one has to be a certain age to “get”, because it challenges the curiosity of younger readers to find out why the punch line makes sense. This week’s strips involve the poetry of Stephen Crane, who wrote the classic American novel, “The Red Badge of Courage”. I love his poems, so it was a great pleasure to incorporate his work into my much lesser art form!

    Thanks for the info about Peter Noone’s website. I will certainly have a look!

    Best,
    Allison Barrows

  143. HI Alice,

    I’m so glad you liked the Henry strip (it’s now among my all-time faves), and I’m thrilled Peter Noone’s fans will read it, too. The song came out when I was a very little girl and I remember singing it over and over at my grandparents’ house on Cape Cod until they made me go have a nap! I sang it with a very broad Cockney accent, which may have been the final straw! It’s so much fun writing weird little jokes like the Henry strip that one has to be a certain age to “get”, because it challenges the curiosity of younger readers to find out why the punch line makes sense. This week’s strips involve the poetry of Stephen Crane, who wrote the classic American novel, “The Red Badge of Courage”. I love his poems, so it was a great pleasure to incorporate his work into my much lesser art form!

    Thanks for the info about Peter Noone’s website. I will certainly have a look!

    Best,
    Allison Barrows

  144. Dear Ms. Barrows,

    I wanted to start by saying how much I enjoy PreTeena. It is one of the four comic strips I read daily, and, of those four, it’s probably my favourite. I love the sardonic wit, the intelligence, the puns, and the realistic characters. I laugh frequently, and thank you for sharing your art with us.

    However, the strip from 3 April 2008 did not make me laugh. Rather, the last panel, in particular (featuring Stick struggling to breathe), made me cringe. Hiding someone’s inhaler is not funny, and, in actuality, can be extremely dangerous. In fact, it could be fatal, and devoting a strip to the “humourous” side of it is, in my mind, bordering on irresponsible.

    I acknowledge that I may be hyper-sensitive regarding this issue, and thus, I apologise for what some may see as an overreaction to a harmless comic strip. However, as one who is both asthmatic and who, on 28 August 2003, witnessed the anguish of friends who lost their 16-year-old daughter to a severe asthma attack, I do feel somewhat entitled to my hypersensitivity. Asthma can kill, and can do so even when the sufferer has the proper medication, as in the case of my friendsâ?? daughter.

    I plan to continue to enjoy my daily dose of PreTeena, but felt it necessary to bring your attention to what I believe is an important issue. Thank you, once again, for sharing your considerable talent with the public.

    Sincerely,
    Dee

  145. Dear Ms. Barrows,

    I wanted to start by saying how much I enjoy PreTeena. It is one of the four comic strips I read daily, and, of those four, it’s probably my favourite. I love the sardonic wit, the intelligence, the puns, and the realistic characters. I laugh frequently, and thank you for sharing your art with us.

    However, the strip from 3 April 2008 did not make me laugh. Rather, the last panel, in particular (featuring Stick struggling to breathe), made me cringe. Hiding someone’s inhaler is not funny, and, in actuality, can be extremely dangerous. In fact, it could be fatal, and devoting a strip to the “humourous” side of it is, in my mind, bordering on irresponsible.

    I acknowledge that I may be hyper-sensitive regarding this issue, and thus, I apologise for what some may see as an overreaction to a harmless comic strip. However, as one who is both asthmatic and who, on 28 August 2003, witnessed the anguish of friends who lost their 16-year-old daughter to a severe asthma attack, I do feel somewhat entitled to my hypersensitivity. Asthma can kill, and can do so even when the sufferer has the proper medication, as in the case of my friendsâ?? daughter.

    I plan to continue to enjoy my daily dose of PreTeena, but felt it necessary to bring your attention to what I believe is an important issue. Thank you, once again, for sharing your considerable talent with the public.

    Sincerely,
    Dee

  146. Dear Dee,

    Your anxiety, discomfort, and distaste for the “struggling, struggling . . .” strip as regards Stick and the Stephen Crane poem about man’s tiny throes is well founded. I think I hate it, too. Jeri is a cultural Mean Girl, and is known to bully her younger sister and goofy best friend. I agree that the “joke” wasn’t worth the cheap shot. There is nothing funny about asthma: Stick’s full blown allergies I’ve always tried to treat with knowing respect, since my husband of 26 years is allergic to everything.
    I was going for the idea that “gods” plague “little people”: I liked the poet’s idea that it isn’t fine or noble to menace people who struggle, whatever your place in life. I made a clumsy attempt at conveying the notion, and I failed, as you’ve pointed out.

    Thank you for your respectful criticism. I have great regard for intelligent disagreement.

    Best wishes,
    Allison

  147. Dear Dee,

    Your anxiety, discomfort, and distaste for the “struggling, struggling . . .” strip as regards Stick and the Stephen Crane poem about man’s tiny throes is well founded. I think I hate it, too. Jeri is a cultural Mean Girl, and is known to bully her younger sister and goofy best friend. I agree that the “joke” wasn’t worth the cheap shot. There is nothing funny about asthma: Stick’s full blown allergies I’ve always tried to treat with knowing respect, since my husband of 26 years is allergic to everything.
    I was going for the idea that “gods” plague “little people”: I liked the poet’s idea that it isn’t fine or noble to menace people who struggle, whatever your place in life. I made a clumsy attempt at conveying the notion, and I failed, as you’ve pointed out.

    Thank you for your respectful criticism. I have great regard for intelligent disagreement.

    Best wishes,
    Allison

  148. Dear Allison,

    Thank you so much for your gracious and thoughtful response. I suspect I shall be a fan of yours for many years to come.

    As an aside, my son’s Grade Seven Humanities class is just beginning a poetry unit, and I think the Stephen Crane strips will be a perfect introduction for him. I thank you for creating them.

    With much respect and admiration,
    Dee

  149. Dear Allison,

    Thank you so much for your gracious and thoughtful response. I suspect I shall be a fan of yours for many years to come.

    As an aside, my son’s Grade Seven Humanities class is just beginning a poetry unit, and I think the Stephen Crane strips will be a perfect introduction for him. I thank you for creating them.

    With much respect and admiration,
    Dee

  150. Dear Dee,

    Thank YOU.

    May I recommend to your son “The Complete Poems of Stephen Crane”, published by Cornell University Press? The paperback is seven or eight dollars, but I’m sure it can be had on Amazon for less.

    He will no doubt read Crane’s famous novel, “The Red Badge of Courage”, as my son did in 7th grade, but Crane was much prouder of his collection of poems than his classic book. Hint: A scholar I much admire strongly suggests that Crane’s poems be read aloud. Have your son try it and I’ll bet you’ll agree!

    Best wishes,
    Allison

  151. Dear Dee,

    Thank YOU.

    May I recommend to your son “The Complete Poems of Stephen Crane”, published by Cornell University Press? The paperback is seven or eight dollars, but I’m sure it can be had on Amazon for less.

    He will no doubt read Crane’s famous novel, “The Red Badge of Courage”, as my son did in 7th grade, but Crane was much prouder of his collection of poems than his classic book. Hint: A scholar I much admire strongly suggests that Crane’s poems be read aloud. Have your son try it and I’ll bet you’ll agree!

    Best wishes,
    Allison

  152. Hi Allison,

    Though PreTeena is aimed at the preteen market, I often find humor in it as well (I’m in the over 40 crowd). However, I just read that PreTeena is leaving the Union-Leader here in Manchester. Is this true? Is the strip coming to an end, or are they just making a bad decision in dropping it?

    Thanks,
    Mike

  153. Hi Allison,

    Though PreTeena is aimed at the preteen market, I often find humor in it as well (I’m in the over 40 crowd). However, I just read that PreTeena is leaving the Union-Leader here in Manchester. Is this true? Is the strip coming to an end, or are they just making a bad decision in dropping it?

    Thanks,
    Mike

  154. … and then I spotted the news article – whoops. Sorry to see it go but glad it’s by your choice and not others. Good luck with your future endeavors! 🙂

    – Mike

  155. Dear MIke (and everyone else who’s been kind to write me):

    I am so sorry to end PreTeena. It was necessary. Given the strains on the business, the changes in news delivery and how it affects features, the need for and lack of engagement by newspapers in one of its oldest and best-loved institutions – the daily comic strip . . . There are lots of culprits.

    The one thing that always remained was the flower-pushing-through-asphalt element of the creators. We KNEW how tough the business was to break into, but we did it anyway. Some of us sprouted, some flourished. It was never an easy job but it was a bloody good one.

    The garden was pretty full when we entered the field: Many great cartoonists were either at the height of their skills or so satisfied with the excellent work they’d done, they could move to new art forms. But some of us began our careers at what we’re now seeing as a crossover period, when our “delivery system”, the daily newspaper, was struggling to compete with online news and entertainment.

    I did my very best to make PreTeena a funny strip that delivered. I agonized over weeks in which I couldn’t think of something new to say. I’d bring things that meant something to me – most recently the poems of Stephen Crane – and do a week that was silly and meaningful (Jeri’s response to some the Crane’s quoted poems are among my favourite strips of all time).

    I hope to manage some sort of online presence for PreTeena in the next few months. Be assured that I didn’t create Teena and the gang to see them disappear. You’ll know soon what my plans are.

    Thank you all so very much for your kindness and encouragement.

  156. this is for mike cope why in the hell are u worried about my first and last name icould use a bogus name and nobody would even notice wwhy do you even care you are a real jerk and that is putting it as niceley as i can
    mike

  157. Could this be a new lease on life for many struggling newer toons:
    Build a base audience in the newspapers, expand that audience online while syndicated…and then take their feature strictly online, where deadlines are more managable and reader/creator interaction can actually build a strong, loyal fanbase.

    and Lulu makes collections viable for smaller features.

    Syndication could be used as an incubator…if you’re good enough to get syndicated, that is…

  158. OK folks, leaving personal niggles, foilbles and wishes aside… gentlemen,(and I an’t replying to the first sentance folks) let’s make a bit of space for the Cartoonist, their wishes and their reasonings.
    Yeh, right on Allison! It was done and it was bloody well done too!! All of us who read Preteena will have memories of our favourites. We respect your right to move in diferent directions. We look forward to whatsoever you have in mind. You have a talent and wheresoever it goes it will bloom. (ooh I’m in the prediction field now… heady stuff).
    We wait, we look forward to seeing how you end of this chapter, and muse on what the next one might be.
    Good luck, and THANKS!!!!
    (And let’s all honour Preteena by piling in with our favourite memories of the strip!)

    Roger
    Wrexham
    North Wales
    UK

  159. Oh, Dear Allison,
    I wish you would say it ain’t so, as Preteena starts my day along with the walk to the box and the mug of coffee. I must say, “Stick” was a favorite, and the seasonal runny nose really hits “home”.
    Bless you and your creations.
    Paul Brown
    in
    New Hampshire

  160. Thank you so much, Paul. I’ll miss the gang, too, but I hope to bring out a big fat PreTeena collection book (or books), hopefully before Christmas 2008, so keep your eyes peeled.
    Bless you, too!

  161. Hi Allison,
    Preteena runs in The Star, Malaysia, and we only learned that yesterday’s strip was the last. My eldest son, who’s 16, and I have been ardent fans of Preteena and we’re so sad that there won’t be any more. Seems like all the great comic strips are going. Another favourite of ours is Zits by Jerry Scott & Jim Borgman.
    Anyway I’m so happy to hear that you’ll be publishing a Preteena collection and I look forward to seeing it. Just hope that it’ll be on sale here in Malaysia.
    So take care and all the best.

  162. Hello Ms. Barrows,
    I’m from Malaysia and its certainly I read just yesterday that you are ending your run. Hope that you will do a comeback someday, maybe with a different touch where Teena & friends have grown up (only slightly I hope). It is a great run to your strip, to reflect what we were when we were their age.
    Looking forward to the final strip, the collection book (hopefully soon) and maybe a comeback someday.
    Best wishes to you.

  163. Dear Christine and Benjamin,

    What a pleasure to hear from avid readers in Maylasia! My former next-door neighbors and (still) good friends were expats for years in Singapore: The Singapore Straits Times (if I’m quite right), was one of my first over-seas papers and the most engaged in terms of readers. My friends brought me my debut in that paper and I have it proudly displayed in my studio.
    Christine, my daughter (who wasn’t the model for Jeri but certainly could fill the roll now), has junior prom tomorrow night. Is your son into that? Do they have prom in Malaysia?

    And to Ben: Are you into comic books (which they now loftily call “graphic novels” ( I get to scoff because I’ve written six volumes)? I have some recommendations, if you’re interested.

    Anyway, I love hearing from you great, smart people. It’s a joy.

    Later and whenever,
    Allison

  164. Hello Allison,
    Good to hear a swift feedback from you. Yes we do have prom nights in Malaysia, which are starting to become like proper prom night unlike just a night out during my days in high school from 1983-89. Its a different world now from our time really. I could still remember my college years studying in the UK just as if it was yesterday when I hear accounts from students coming back for the summer.
    I do collect comics that eventually is published for sale normally from syndicated strips (not those Marvel or DC types). Have a collection of vintage Beano and Dandy myself. Would love to hear recommendations from you.
    I read in the local daily The Star (thestar.com.my) running your strip that the final episode of your run would appear today. Sadly, I do not really look forward to the end, but all good things must come to an end.
    It was good to be interacting with the creator of this strip, and seriously I must say its really so life-like as if it was you who was Teena or Jeri in the life that was 20 or 30 years ago.
    Take care and all the best to you. Hopefully this may not be the actual end of things and you may plan a comeback.

  165. Hi Allison, It’s really nice to hear from you so quickly.
    Yes, we do have proms over here but usually at colleges and not high schools.
    Speaking of Jeri, my son and I love how dense and shallow she can be and never fail to have a good laugh over how vain and oblivious she can be.
    By the way, the announcement about the end of Preteena ran with the strip where Teena had a dream about everyone all grown up, and the final strip today is about Teena and Jeri in the artificial flower aisle of the craft store.
    Anyway Preteena has never failed to put smiles on our faces and laughter in our lives so we’re really looking forward to your collection book.

  166. Aww, Christine, Jeri’s only dense and shallow and vain and oblivious to people who don’t appreciate how much the world revolves around her. Why, if Jeri stopped thinking about herself and started thinking about other things, imagine the chaos!
    Seriously, though, Jeri’s a good egg – better than she lets on. I wouldn’t have minded having a sister like her.

    To Benjamin: I was thinking you might have a look at the Vertigo collection of graphic novels (I think it’s a division of D.C., but don’t let that put you off). My two favourite series are “Lucifer” and “100 Bullets”. “Preacher” has some interesting things going on too, (a grungy Irish vampire, for one), but some of it is VERY disturbing (a grandmother from worse than Hell who submerges her grandson in a coffin on the floor of a swamp as a life lesson).
    I like “100 Bullets” best; I can’t imagine why someone hasn’t optioned the idea for a movie franchise or cable television show. It’s very cool, and I have fun casting the stories in my mind.

    Just a thought!

  167. I’m very sorry to learn that you are ending PreTeena. I have read it for 7 years online in Israel where I live (the name Sabra Klein resonates quite a bit with me…), as well as in the US, Holland, and Australia, which is where I am writing now. Teena herself has always reminded me of one of my daughters, but I enjoy Tess and Gordo, too. I particularly liked your literary references, especially a number of years ago when Johnson and Jeri wound up acting out Shakespeare in ‘real life’. The Herman’s Hermits gag was good, too….Years ago I wrote to you and asked if there were a published collection of PreTeena; I’m glad that I stumbled on this website and found out that you have finally put out a book.
    I look forward to further adventures of Teena and her family and friends, in whatever format you choose.
    Best of luck,
    josh

  168. Dear Allison,

    First as a fellow New Hampshirite (Berlin) I always read your strip with a lot of pride. Pride in a NH artist who was making good. I am so going to miss the strip.

    PreTeena was something that my new wife and I shared every day. We loved it, and will miss it. In many ways it was something that we could pause over during the day and just share an us moment.

    As a life long Comic Book fan, Vertigo is an imprint of DC Comics. Preacher is indeed a great read and I recommend it highly!

    With Highest Regards.
    Jim Durdan

  169. Hi Allison,

    I found this site while trying to figure out what happened to my preteena fix. I really loved the comic. I loved all of the characters. My kids are grown and flown, which means I had a chance to appreciate both the teena and jeri phases, as well as real parental attitudes among those few of us who weren’t perfect parents.

    I really liked the way you ended the comic, although I didn’t know that was what was happening when you did it. Following the kids to their adulthood was a wonderful finish.

    I’m sad, but I want to wish you the best in your ongoing personal story, and I will look out for Preteena and the gang, and I’ll also keep an eye out for whatever else you might be doing.

    Cheers!

    John

  170. This may sound tactless, but doesn’t Ms. Barrows have a private address for fan mail? Why is The Daily Cartoonist the host-of-choice for an ongoing public exchange between Ms. Barrows and her fans?

  171. Add me to the list of those who will miss Pre Teena.

    My dad raised us on Archie and Andy Capp comics back in the 60’s and 70’s so I

    quickly became a fan of Pre Teena when our local paper started running it around

    2003. But when they replaced her in 2006, I discovered the online sites like

    Gocomics and kept up with the series.

    Let’s hope that Teena’s departure is temporary. What are the chances of seeing a

    comic book?…

  172. This 53-yo man, married with three children, will miss PreTeena. I read it every day.

    Allison Barrows, I wish you well.

  173. Itâ??s becoming a too common occurrence.

    Every day you go to online for your morning tour of your favorite comics. As the days go by a dark feeling begins to creep over you; one of the very best of the lot is following a storyline that has some vague finality to it. But you shrug if off, like ghosts at the door of a funeral parlour. And then the day comes: â??Hey, thatâ??s yesterdays ‘toon!â? You submerge the dread quickly by telling yourself that sometime the update is slow. (The first stage of Cartoon Grief: Denial) You check later in the day. No change. Not so easy to submerge it this time. You look the next day. Then the next day…and the next. By the fourth day youâ??re in the second stage of grief, Da-Break: “Well they have to go on vacation like everyone else!”…and with a stubborn optimism, you keep coming back until the following week and you see…..no change. And then with a final surge in the feeling of impending doom you spark up Google and enter, with trembling fingers. “PreTeena ending”. And the heartless electrons flash in front of your eyes the terrible news…

    Another exceptionally excellent strip quietly leaves the stage. PreTeena is clever, well drawn, entertaining, well written and above all not formulaic. There was a subtle edginess to it that infused the humor with a realism that energized it without being cruel or crude; a rare gift these days of the cheap laugh. It will be sorely missed by this reader. I wish you the best of luck, Ms. Barrows in your next success as I am sure whatever you set your pen to will be. Thank you so much for all the laughs and smiles.

    Foggy

  174. Hi Mrs. Barrows,

    I just wanted to tell you just how much I enjoyed your comic strip “Preteena.” It was frequently hilarious, sometimes poignant, and always entertaining. I am sad that it had to end, but I wish you and your family luck in your future endeavors.

    Take care and enjoy life!
    Ruth

  175. I will really miss PreTeena. It was one of my favorites. What a shame it is gone.

    However, I am looking forward to PreTeena books. I will be first in line to purchase them.

    Thanks!!

  176. I just wanted to let you know how much I liked Preteena. I am sad that it is ending, but I know how hard it is to maintain quality of something creative, and if you feel you have said all you have to say with this strip, I respect your decision. Better to go out while you’re still great, like Calvin or Bloom County, than to hang on going through the motions for the paycheck.

    Good luck in your next endeavour.

  177. Hi Allison,

    I will really miss Preteena — it is (was) my favorite strip. Perhaps your career path will lead you back to it some day. (I’m hoping for the same for Bill Watterson, my previous favorite cartoonist.)

    Also, I just have to say that you’ve got a great attitude about the strip’s detractors. (Who are, I’m sure, far, far fewer in number than your admirers!) Some folks out there may be taking cartoons just a wee bit too seriously. Thank you for sharing your creativity, artistic style, empathetic and wildly funny humor with us as long as you did.

  178. Hi Allison,

    Well, it had to end sometime…I’ll miss your strip with other good ones that have retired (Calvin comes to mind) and miss it as I surf through some of the other fodder some of the web-sites pass off as good cartoons.

    One last thought, I’d like to commend you on your courage to have the Keenes attend church. I’m sure you had some challenges and debate on that one. The only other cartoon I can think of that does that is “The Simpsons”.

    Best of luck in your future work!

  179. I will miss Teena. I have a somewhat strange question — was her given name Teena, or is that short for something like Christina?

  180. Please don’t end your strip! it’s the best one in the whole of the U.S.! I was soooooo sad when i heard it was ending! I barely *a year or two* started reading it! it was amazing and i loved it!!!

  181. Just out of curiosity, why did you feel the need to post your comments anonymously?

    Perhaps you didn’t read the rules of this forum.

  182. King Arthur was a real Scottish king from Camelon, outside Falkirk. It is an area frequented by UFOs, which I’m sure will interest a lot of the posters here. I just get that feeling.

  183. If you have amnesia when you post, is that still considered posting anonymously?

    Wonder if any of those aliens have been able to lift Excalibur? And I thought aliens only visited our american hillbillies? I thought we had exclusive rights on ET’s??

  184. Very sorry Preteena has ended. We (my wife & I) oldies (in our 60s) in New Zealand have always considered it the very best cartoon strip. Many thanks for several years of most delightful entertainment. We think Stick is the greatest!!

  185. Good morning. Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up.
    I am from Slovenia and learning to speak English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: “By dailyearner in public bookmarks with tax taxes turbo turbotax turbotaxes.”

    With love :), Eloise.

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