Part 1: The Idea

Anyone that knows me can vouch: I'm a horribly distracted individual. I have a difficult time focusing on the same thing for ten minutes, much less 24 straight hours. I knew that 24 Hour Comic Day would stretch my MTV / Sugary Cereal-style attention span to its breaking point, so I needed a theme or idea that would interest me for this comic. If it bored me, I might as well turn out the lights and call it a night.

My sister, Erin, recently discovered that she's pregnant with her first child. It's a big deal in our family. The first grandchild for my parents and the first great-grandchild for my grandparents. A huge step and a momentous time for all of us. That said, I knew that I wanted to write something for Erin.

It's tricky, though... I'm not a parent, so what sort of sage wisdom or observation could I give to her in a comic? Besides, I was really trying to make an effort to avoid coming up with a concrete plot before the day itself. Thematically, though, what would be interesting to me and special to her?

And then I had it.

Taking a cue from my all-time favorite movie, Joe Versus The Volcano, I knew I wanted to tell a story about a central character that goes on a possibly ill-advised journey into the unknown. (The character Mags would eventually reflect my own cynicism about parenting, and the Wendy character would be a picture of Erin's unflinching courage and committment to the idea.)

And at the end, a leap. Into... something.

Sounds like something I'd like to read, so that was my idea.

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