July 31, 2015
July 28, 2015
July 25, 2015
Cast of Characters
Alan - Patriarch for the family. Co-owner of Mug Shot Coffee House in a small Midwest town. He has recently married a woman who has two children who are older than his own two. He has made changes in his diet and lifestyle that has confused his extended family. He is often the smartest person in the room, but is frustrated by how dismissive everyone is of his opinion.
Lori - Wife of Alan and co-owner of Mug Shot Coffee House. Lori is spirited and often confrontational. She is loving, but impatient. Lori is fiercely loyal to her family, though she can be strongly critical of them as well, however it is simply because she wants them to strive for more out of life.
Murray - The most regular customer at Mug Shot. Murray experienced a crisis of faith which led to many changes in his life and viewpoint. He’s often a negative spin on events.
Darren - Regular musical performer at the coffeeshop. Darren is a radical/hippie view of the world which sometimes challenges Alan’s conservative upbringing and cautious business sense.
The Kids - The combined children from oldest to youngest. The two oldest are from Lori’s previous marriage. The oldest children are young adults and there are situations regarding the ways in which they express their independence. The two youngest children are still in school and bring a fresh perspective with their generation gap and naive candor.
Extended Family - Members of Alan & Lori’s respective families play into the home dynamic. The families are sarcastic and explain it away under the guise of realism.
Lori - Wife of Alan and co-owner of Mug Shot Coffee House. Lori is spirited and often confrontational. She is loving, but impatient. Lori is fiercely loyal to her family, though she can be strongly critical of them as well, however it is simply because she wants them to strive for more out of life.
Murray - The most regular customer at Mug Shot. Murray experienced a crisis of faith which led to many changes in his life and viewpoint. He’s often a negative spin on events.
Darren - Regular musical performer at the coffeeshop. Darren is a radical/hippie view of the world which sometimes challenges Alan’s conservative upbringing and cautious business sense.
The Kids - The combined children from oldest to youngest. The two oldest are from Lori’s previous marriage. The oldest children are young adults and there are situations regarding the ways in which they express their independence. The two youngest children are still in school and bring a fresh perspective with their generation gap and naive candor.
Extended Family - Members of Alan & Lori’s respective families play into the home dynamic. The families are sarcastic and explain it away under the guise of realism.
About the Artist
Vegan Dad is a serial comic strip created by Alex Porter. Alex is an artist born and raised in Chicago, Illinois who relocated and currently lives in a small town in Wisconsin. A daily comic strip has been something he enjoyed first as a reader. "All my life I have loved the sweet melancholy of Peanuts, the goofiness of early Garfield and the amazing wit and beautiful surrealism of Calvin & Hobbes." Primarily a songwriter and musician, Alex decided in early 2014 to try a semi-regular comic on a free-community website. "The response was... positive... overall." Alex jokes, "Vegan Dad is not the edgiest strip published, but it is entertaining. I do get good comments on my storylines, which I appreciate." After developing the characters and stories, Alex had the challenge of designing the characters. "The page I was using had templates, so I was supplied with pre-drawn characters and backgrounds. It was nice, but also limiting." Having an art background has been helpful in creating his own unique vision for his comic. "Yeah, I attended some art classes at the University of Wisconsin and there were some techniques I picked up during that time. Funny thing is, I wanted to be a 'commercial artist' back in those days, and never would have imagined comics. They were lesser 'art'. But I know myself well enough to say that I would NOT have lasted drawing logos and product images for someone else. Comics are amazing in comparison." As for the future of Vegan Dad, Alex is positive. "I enjoy the strip and the ideas keep coming. I can't say there's 50 years of the strip in me, but I can say that as long as I know that others are enjoying it, I'll be inspired to keep it alive."
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