It all started when cartoonist Dan Povenmire (Life is a Fish) began pestering Larry Stone, also a cartoonist, to make changes to his band�s Web site, which Larry was kind enough to create for him in the first place.
It is interesting to note that if either Larry or Dan had put as much effort into updating the Keep Left Web site as they did arguing about updating the Keep Left Web site, there wouldn’t be anything to argue about. But arguing, although counterproductive, was a hell of a lot more fun.
Dan and Larry quickly passed the point where words were enough to express their emotions, so they lashed out in comic strip form.
What follows is their cartoon duel. Dan would draw a strip, and Larry would reply in kind, all by e-mail. They traded illustrated barbs back and forth, and the comics got more clever and twisted as the series went along.
Larry had this hidden on his Web site, but it’s not the sort of thing that you want to show to clients or clergymen. So we found a new home for the series on Badmouth.
The e-mails that started it all are reprinted below, leading into the comics themselves. The comics are shown as thumbnails. Just click on the comic to make it bigger. If you have an overzealous popup blocker, you may need to adjust its settings.
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire SO WHAT ABOUT MY BOOK DEAL? |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone Woking on it! Which is more than I can say for you and the Blab page. |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire It’s because I’m being passive aggressive about the time you punched me in the nose at the campus crafts faire. |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone So you didn’t mind that I kicked you in the crotch, it was just the nose thing? Interesting. |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire In case you forgot…  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone No. In case YOU forgot….  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone Well, it IS Sunday…  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone Nice. Of course you realize this means war.  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire Get yourself outta this one, Houdini!  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone I would appreciate it if in the future you not refer to my selfishness and my narcissism, but rather my NARSELFISSHISM.� Thank you. |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire How �bout simply �shithead.� That�s easier to pronounce. |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire Hmm. Interesting. But how’d you get your leg back? |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone It�s bionic, you idiot! |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire Swoosh.  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone Nuthin� but net.  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire SLAM DUNK!  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone It’s a last shot at the buzzer and�it’s GOOD! THE CROWD GOES WILD!  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire Overtime.  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
| From: Dan Povenmire To: Larry Stone How To Market Larry  |
| From: Larry Stone To: Dan Povenmire  |
March 16th, 2004 at 12:44 pm
What about updating your website :)++
March 22nd, 2004 at 7:54 am
Hahaha, damn that was awesome!
I think both had good art, but Dan came back the best and laid more zingers on Larry.
But Larry laid the plot down more.
December 16th, 2004 at 11:22 am
I missed school to finish reading this.
January 29th, 2005 at 7:09 pm
wha deeh
September 6th, 2005 at 10:49 am
My uncle Dan and Larry have too much time on there hands!