Happy 30 years to Non Sequitur,
Wiley Miller‘s wry look at the absurdities of everyday life.
Wiley Miller’s Non Sequitur debuted on February 16, 1992 and GoComics interviews the cartoonist on the occasional of the comic strip’s 30th anniversary.
Can you share what your experience has been like working with Andrews McMeel?
I’m contractually obligated to not mention being chained to a drawing board in the dungeon of the Andrews McMeel building.
Explain how you create both formats for dailies—strip and panel—with one overall drawing.
This is difficult to explain, as it’s a visual thing. I’ve always composed my drawings in sort of a three-dimensional manner, where the camera angle is lifted up, giving the reader a more observational point of view, like a fly on the wall watching what’s going on, which makes the reader an active part of the cartoon itself.
Much more at the GoComics blog.
Since we are celebrating Non Sequitur present and past
here is our own Mike Peterson’s profile of Wiley from 2003.
“Non Sequitur” frequently punctures foolish conformity and group-thought, and even features a recurring character named “Obviousman,” a dumpy superhero who points out the clear flaws in lazy thinking.
To keep himself from the traps he lampoons, Miller has structured his feature to avoid staleness. The strip’s name is Latin for “it does not follow,” a phrase normally used to attack poor logic, but which, in this case, also indicates a refusal to fall into a rut.
© Wiley Ink, Inc.
Wiley Miller’s brilliant drawings really stand out on the comics page. Even his quick sketches show an understanding and subtlety of an accomplished and imaginative draftsman. Beautiful work!
Rather than “non sequitur,” the more apt Latin phrase for his work is “res ipsa loquitur.”