Way of the Dodo

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Way of the Dodo, by Brian Gott

The premise behind Way of the Dodo by Brian Gott is pretty unique. It's the story of Oswald the Dodo and his adventures in a human corporate environment. With so many "iffy" managers around today (they're found in practically every workplace), it's not hard to imagine that good office support staff will truly go the way of the dodo; extinction. Brian has been a great supporter of the site; he had linked to me quite early on, and I actually discovered Brian's strip when I saw a few hits coming from his site.

Brian's background and the history of Way of the Dodo can be read here. Also, Brian's creative process can be read here. All of Brian's work is done digitally, and thus there are no true "originals" (i.e., pen and ink). He's also currently in the process of changing the method in which he creates his strip. Check out some signed prints of his work below, and then go and visit his site!

Signed Way of the Dodo print by Brian Gott, April 30, 2004. Some history about the strip, as described by Brian (printed under the picture above): "In my experience, the overused expression, 'think outside the box,' usually translates to, 'Don't do it THAT way, do it MY way!' Too often, the one telling you to 'think outside the box' just wants you to think in HIS box. Of course, for a comic strip character, the expression can take on a whole new meaning, as Oswald demonstrates here!

"On an unrelated note, I do enjoy breaking the fourth wall like this on occasion, though I try not to overdo it. Oswald routinely addresses the audience (and sometimes the cartoonist) directly. In the old style, a character leaning into a panel will often be holding onto the panel border itself, the way you might hold onto a door while leaning into a room. This is something that hasn't come up yet in the new style as of this writing, though I suspect that it will before too long."

Signed Way of the Dodo print by Brian Gott, June 9, 2004. Some history about the strip, as described by Brian: "I began to create the comic strip that evolved into Way of the Dodo while employed at a database-management firm to which I generally refer as The Company That Shall Not Be Named, or TCTSNBN for short.

"Occasionally management would make little noises suggesting that they recognized the need to be flexible and innovative. For example, a newsletter might remind us that 'If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.'

"However, in day-to-day operations, suggested changes in the way things were done were usually met with the reply, 'We've always done it that way!' This attitude from management does not tend to inspire flexibility and innovative thinking among a company's staff. (Though it certainly didn't stop them from demanding that we be 'more flexible!')

"I have to stop now before I start feeling bitter."

Signed Way of the Dodo print by Brian Gott, June 11, 2004. Some history about the strip, as described by Brian: "MSN periodically sends out advertising emails to Hotmail subscribers. (Or maybe it's just me.) One of those messages had to do with MSN's spam-blocking service. It just amused me that I was getting an unsolicited email about blocking unsolicited emails! I exaggerated the situation a bit for this gag.

"About the artwork for this strip, all I will say is that whenever I draw someone typing, I always seem to have a hard time with whichever hand is further away from the 'camera.' This is the main reason that Victor is usually seen employing the hunt-and-peck approach to typing."

Go and check out Way of the Dodo by clicking on the link below!