Got to tell ya, this is addictive. Retelling the stories of how I came up with the toons is a great writing tool. Since the first blog about the 'behind the bluffs' just last night, I've thought of about a half a dozen new bluffs. Read on!

I WAS READING A GREAT HISTORY NEWSLETTER CALLED ‘OLD NEWS’, WHICH HAS A REALLY COOL CONCEPT. THE EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A NEWSPAPER HOT OFF THE PRESSES, WITH BIG CATCHY TITLES AND SUBTITLES OF HISTORIC EVENTS, WHICH HAPPENED A LONG TIME AGO. THE ONE COLUMN I WAS SKIMMING, STRUGGLING TO COME UP WITH A FUNNY, WAS ACTUALLY A VERY SAD STORY OF THE INFAMOUS DONNER PARTY. I REMEMBERED ROBIN WILLIAMS, FROM THE MOVIE PATCH ADAMS. IN ONE SCENE, HE STOOD BEHIND A FAKE SKELETON, AND RAISED IT’S BONEY HAND WAVING IT IN THE AIR WHILE SUPPLYING THE VOICE OF THE MAITRE DE FOR THE SKULL SAYING, ”DONNER, PARTY OF 5.” I LAUGHED SO HARD, I WET MYSELF.

I WANTED TO MAKE A FUNNY ABOUT THE THREE LEADERS OF THE ALLIED SUPER POWERS OF WORLD WAR II, BUT I DID NOT WANT TO DRAW THEM THAT MORNING, FOR SOME REASON. SO, THIS WAS MY ‘OUT’, A HISTORY LESSON AT SCHOOL. WHY NOT? IT WAS A LOT EASIER THAN DRAWING AN OLD FASHIONED WHEELCHAIR, A BULLDOG IN A TOP HAT PUFFING A STOGIE, AND A HANDLEBAR MOUSTACHE. YES, I’M MOST CREATIVE WHILE WATCHING LENO AND LETTERMAN AT NIGHT, BUT WHEN MIDNIGHT STRIKES, I TURN BACK INTO A PUMPKIN.

HERE’S A GOOD ONE. I WANTED TO PLAY WITH THE WORDS ‘YOU’RE FIRED’, AND CAME UP WITH 3 IN THIS ONE SINGLE PANEL.

IN THE BEGINNING OF MOVIE TOMMY BOY, CHRIS FARLEY IS TAKING A HISTORY TEST. THE QUESTION IS: ________________ HANCOCK WAS A SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. FARLEY WRITES HIS IN HIS ANSWER, HERBIE. I LAUGHED SO HARD, I SAW STARS. I WAS AT THE BANK THAT SAME DAY, NO KIDDING, AND THIS TEEN-AGED TELLER ASKING ME FOR MY SIGNATURE SAID TO ME, “ I’M GONNA NEED YOUR JOHN DAVIDSON ON THIS DOCUMENT” OF COURSE, I EDUCATED THE LITTLE TWIT AND THANKED HIM FOR ABOUT A WEEKS WORTH OF COMICS. HERE’S ONE OF THE FINISHED PRODUCTS. BY THE WAY, THE KID AT THE BANK DIDN’T KNOW WHO JOHN DAVIDSON WAS EITHER. NAME DROPPER.

SOME OF THE BEST OF GARY LARSON’S FAR SIDES WERE THE ONES WITH HARDLY ANY WORDING. ONE OF MY HISTORY TEACHERS FROM HIGH SCHOOL, WHOM I THOUGHT WAS IN THE MENSA CLUB, LAUGHED UNCONTROLLABLY AT MY MOONSHOT TOON. ONCE AGAIN, THIS TOON WAS A ‘NO BRAINER’, AND GOT ALL THE LAUGHS. MENSA?! HECK, SIGN ME UP THEN.

Thanks for the motivation, Bill Bettwy and thanks for the inspiration, Erin Cooley. Bill keeps edging me to draw more HISTORY BLUFFS because it's such a unique comic and Cooley actually has a bunch of Bluffs hanging in his office. Thanks, youze guyz.