F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How come I've never seen this comic in stores?
A: Yes, I like my comics too, but making and selling Dr. Pineapple direct on the web lets me complete comics at my own pace.  If you want a high quality physical copy of my comics, check the store link on the left.
Q: Why are you starting the Dr. Pineapple saga in the middle?  I wanna' see how it all began!
A: Keep your pants on, I'll get around to having ol' Cap'n Pineapple recount the tale of how he became an intergalactic privateer someday.  I felt that "The Great Pearl" was best to introduce the characters anyway.
Q: Privateer, what the hell?  He's so obviously a pirate!
A: No, he certainly is not!  Dr. Pineapple is employed by his home world of Fruitopia, and thus is a privateer.  Besides, being a privateer is far more noble than being a pirate.  If you want to know more about privateers (or anything in general) just search wikipedia.
Q: Why no updates?  I've been waiting FOREVER for a new comic!
A: I do this in my spare time, and the stories are often long.  Patience comes to those who wait, and when I do finally update, you'll have enough pages to choke a mule!  Though, if you want to pay me tons of money, I'll make all the Dr. P comics you want. :P
Q: How did you come up with such a goofy idea for such an awesome comic?
A: Dr. Pineapple originated in the design document for a proposed upgraded version of The Atomic Ball Pit as an opponent in the multiplayer mode.  I designed him in about half an hour, and then later decided to start a new ongoing project of some kind... and quickly threw together a bunch of stupid ideas.  Thus Dr. Pineapple: Intergalactic Privateer was born.

Here's where it all began...
Q: How do I make my own comics?
A: Who am I, Stan Lee?  I ain't no comics guru. But here's a rundown of my process: (probably not the best)
  • 1) Write the story (and then re-write it until it feels polished)  Keeping an idea book is useful for writing your stories. If you get any ideas, you can keep them organized.
  • 2) Thumbnail out the panels, then later rough out the page layouts. This helps to get things started.
  • 3) Pencils.  pencil it out, and make sure to leave space for the text.
  • 4) Ink it.  I used to tape a clean sheet of paper on top of my pencils and stick it on my light table.  Then started by inking the borders, then the text and word balloons, and finally the actual art.  Don't be impatient, tackling the panels and text may be a long tedious process, but it gets it out of the way, and makes the actual inking go faster.  More recently, I've taken to inking on top of the pencils, then erasing it clean later.
The tools I use:
  • Originally, heavy duty printer paper 11x17 (I'm cheap).  More recently, I've switched to using Borden & Riley #234 Paris bleedproof paper for pens 9x12.
  • #2 pencil
  • Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens (I like these, mostly I use the F (fine) and S (super fine), but I use the M (medium) for page borders and such, and the B (brush) to fill in large areas of black. (often when the pen starts to dry out, I'll crack open the pen and squirt in some black india ink to extend it's life)
  • Y&C Gel Xtreme white pen: for touchups (the black variety of this pen is great for doodling)  Still looking for something better for white touchups.
  • Standard ruler.
Q: What font do you use to letter your comic?
A: Fonts are kind of lazy IMO, real men letter by hand! (even if their handwriting sucks)
Q: If you're my ultimate hero, is it possible that you could have a hero?
A: In the realm of comics, yes, Osamu Tezuka!  Probably the hardest working human being who ever lived.  He died pretty young, so I don't really plan on emulating him though.
Q: Did real people ask you these questions?
A: Nope, this is just for my own amusement, and your enlightenment.