6

Justin: If there's one question I get from fans more than any other, it'd have to be concerning the inclusion of "pop" as the Gang's preferred beverage. For a while, agreeing upon some sort of "catch-all" comfort creature for the kids to be reliant on was one of the major artistic hurdles both Jon and I had to overcome. Originally, when he'd suggested using soda I'd counter-pitched the idea of going with Tang in lieu of cola, but as is often the case Jon's experience in contemporary studies won the day, as he'd reasoned that any sort of chronological ambiguity breach would serve to only distance the strip from the readers. Was I disappointed about having my idea shot down? A little, yeah. But in order to make it in this business you've got to learn how to place your pride on the shelf and reach some sort of compromise. If you go into a project expecting to win every artistic scuttlebutt you're not going to make it very far.

Jon: And of course, it's give-and-take. I originally wanted to title the project "The Struggles of Brisbane", but Justin, as he often does, reined in my creativity to something more manageable. I can't say that it wasn't for the best.