Non Sequitur to turn 15
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Universal Press has posted an interview with Wiley Miller who will be Non Sequitur’s 15th anniversary. Non Sequitur is now in 700+ papers.
Here is the Q&A from Universal’s site:
Q: What was your first cartoon, Fenton, like? How was it different from Non Sequitur?
“Fenton was pretty much a traditional, family comic strip. It had moderate success, but wasn’t anything really groundbreaking. And that pretty much explains how it was different from Non Sequitur, where I set out to do things in a completely different way than the old, traditional comic strip. I prefer to take the risk in breaking new ground than the safety of mediocrity in following a well-trod path. That, to me, is the essence of creativity, and this is supposed to be a creative endeavor.”
Q: When you first started Non Sequitur, what were your main objectives? How have your objectives changed? Did you ever think you would still be writing and drawing the comic after 15 years?
“The last question first: The whole point of how I developed Non Sequitur was to guard against the burnout that has ended other strips. I wanted to give my strip the broadest base possible so that I could strike out in any direction my creative juices wanted to go while still remaining relevant to the feature itself. And it worked! Taking departures from the usual fare, doing something completely unexpected, is like creating a whole new feature, but on a limited basis. This keeps the creative juices flowing and prevents burnout. And, yes, I fully expected to be still at it after 15 years, and expect to keep doing so until they find me slumped over my drawing board and planted in the ground.”
Q: Non Sequitur is known for being popular among many audiences. Why do you think your comic attracts so many kinds of readers? Was this initially a goal that you had?
“In a way you could say I set out to do this, but in a backward way. My approach has always been to assume the intelligence of the reader and not dumb-down or pander to any particular demographic. And it’s this approach that has generated most of the response I get from readers. What did surprise me is the number of young people who write to me. I honestly didn’t think this brand of humor would appeal to them.”
Q: In hindsight, what do you make now of the whole cartoon parody that sparked so much controversy in the New Straits Times in Malaysia? What was your reaction to the people’s responses?
“I make of it now the same as what the people’s responses have been from there, much ado about nothing. My cartoon was simply used (misused, actually) as an excuse for that government to march in and shut down the newspaper. They had to go way out of their way to rationalize that, but that’s what governments do.”
Q: You stated in a previous interview that you thought the media was doing an unsatisfactory job with exposing the truth. You used your comic strip in order to show people the real truths. On the eve of an election period and in the midst of a controversial war, how do you think the media today are doing their job?
“The media are just now starting to catch up and ask questions that they should have been asking since 2002. When I would satirize what was going on, trying desperately for people who were just marching lockstep behind the false front of patriotism to wake up, I would get an avalanche of vitriolic hate mail from Bush supporters. Such mail gradually started to dwindle a couple of years ago as it became more clear that what I was saying was true. Now the hate mail from Bush supporters is almost nonexistent.”
Q: What’s next for Non Sequitur? Do you have any plans to change the cartoon in any way regarding layout or text?
“Oh, I like to surprise people with new stuff. It’s no fun if I give it away early.”
Q: In 2006 you came out with your first children’s book. How do you switch hats from sardonic and cynical used in Non Sequitur to sweet and kind?
“Actually, my children’s book (“The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil”) came from Non Sequitur. It was another experiment of mine in the Sunday editions, where I wanted to do a series done in a narrative rather than the usual comic fare. My approach was to write it as though I was writing a book instead of a comic strip. I honestly had no intentions of it actually becoming a book at the time. As a matter of fact, when I started the series, I had no idea where I was going with the story! It was the kind of tightrope act only a cartoonist under deadline would be dumb enough to do. But it worked, and got a tremendous response from the readers, especially from kids and parents who enjoyed reading it to their young children every Sunday. It really just harkened back to a bygone era, when comics were at the height of popularity.”
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