Stephen McCranie created the comic strip Mal and Chad as a feature for his college newspaper. It's about a boy and his pet dog (there's a robot in there somewhere, too, so be still mah heart!) and if the premise looks familiar to you, you're not alone.
A lot of people have compared Mal and Chad to its archetypal predecessors (if you will): Calvin and Hobbes, Tintin and Snowy, Charlie Brown and Snoopy - and I think they're on the right track. Fifteen years after Bill Watterson retired and ended Calvin and Hobbes, the world desperately needs a replacement.
I, for one, am cheering Stephen McCranie and his super-fun creation on, and you should too. Check out Mal and Chad here: Link
P.S. Stephen is also kind enough to do a feature on Neatorama's Art Blog here.
P.P.S. Stephen also drew us this fantastic fan art (Thanks Stephen!)
If for no other reason I wish Stephen success.
The dog would be kicked out of school, if a student, by
the loons running them these days. I wonder if a banana can even be taken to school for lunch these days.
;)
The face-on version of the dog is similar enough that Bill Watterson could sue this guy successfully.
The example was cute/funny, but you gotta be careful when you create stuff.