Talking about Earl McKimmson
I first mentioned Audrey’s father, Earl, WAY back in THIS 2004 Strip. At the time, I got a bit of grief and criticism for introducing a much more mature topic into my kids comic strip and was told more than once, in varying degrees of intensity, to stick to the kids stuff. I haven’t brought it up since then, NOT because of my critics, but because it wasn’t a plot point I had ever planned to elaborate on. (Although, I think I’ve aptly handled equally mature subjects involving the various characters and their relationships since then.) But, after this most recent Summer storyline, I decided I wanted there to be a more concrete reason that Audrey isn’t often featured regularly in the big, summer stories. In the past, it’s often been hinted that she simply goes out of her way to AVOID them, as they’re far too crazy for her tastes, but I decided here to compound that rationale.
As for the OTHER subject I touch upon in this strip, Audrey’s weight, I just decided to put it out here after years of occasional comments and emails asking me about it. When I originally introduced Audrey in THIS 2002 story, she was a good bit thinner than she is now, but still shown to be what is considered “overweight”. As I go more comfortable writing her, and more comfortable with her place in the strip as a romantic foil for Bernard, I rounded her out a little more, making her size more apparent… a fact that seemed to get under a few folks skin a little.
In the years since her introduction, I’ve been told that my portrayal of Audrey and her size was irresponsible as it set a bad standard for kids, (as though the current standard of “Stick thin” is a GOOD standard the rest of the world is perfectly comfortable setting.) and I’ve had plots revolving her dieting down ever so politely suggested to me. As I’ve said in the past, that’s not happening. I’ve made active efforts to NOT make her size a plot point or have entire plots revolve around it. In fact, unless I’ve slipper up over the past 6 years, I don’t even think I’ve made MENTION of her size in the strip in any way. It tends to irritate the heck out of me when anyone of a larger size in entertainment is immediately sectioned off as the “Fat, funny friend” of the “Normal, beautiful” female lead… perpetually there to make tired, old fat jokes and make the thin female lead look better, and that was never my intention with Audrey. She’s one of my favorite characters and often acts as the strips lead when the stories merit it and her size is not a joke or a punchline and it certainly doesn’t make her any less of a valid romantic lead opposite Bernard. It’s the way she is and it’s not changing anytime soon. If the critics out there need to read a comic about a girl constantly stressing about her size and cracking jokes at her own expense, I’m pretty sure “CATHY” is still in most papers. Audrey ISN’T Cathy.
