The very first “Nerdmigos” webcomic strip was made two years ago when I was playing around with ideas for an invitation flyer for my birthday party, which I shared a guy who inspired the character of Gelipe, who’s birthday is a day before mine. It was fitting to have Gelipe in the first strip, since I met some of the Nerdmigos through him (except Erick and Roy). Throughout 2009 we had several nerd gatherings (including Comic-Con) and I got to know these guys a bit. A lot of funny stories came from those gatherings and it felt good to have friends to hang out with, but I was still the new kid in the group. I never used the finished comic strip in the invitation, but I did post it on my blog and shared it with my friends. Some really liked it and had a laugh, others just ignored it, but the biggest support and motivation came (and still does, and I thank him publicly for that) from my friend Carlos Lerma (Lerms), who liked it a lot and said he wanted to see more of these strips. It was always my intention to include all the Nerdmigos in the comic, and even though I didn’t know them all that well, I started writing them into the strips. Most of my inspiration came from my favorite comic strips that I have always read in newspapers, like, “Peanuts” and “Mutts.” Within a week I had written the first ten strips and decided to keep going, since I saw it as a good exercise to keep writing and drawing.
By the time I was done with Year One, I had become the official documentarian of Nerdonia, and I had received several ideas/requests/suggestions/threats from friends who wanted to see themselves or other people in the comic strip. I definitely wanted to do more with the comic and try new things. So, for Year Two I decided to do two things: First, I wanted to try and learn new techniques to make the comic. Second, I wanted to establish “Nerdmigos” as an ensemble cast and keep expanding the number of characters (meaning that the comic is not about one or a couple of main characters). This gave me a chance to include new and old friends, like Luisma, Soria, Amaranta, and Insaneo (who actually had a cameo in Year One). I also got to expand on Señor Maquino’s monkey assistant, Jack, which has been a lot of fun. This year has also given me the opportunity to hang out with my friends in another arena, doing art shows and proudly using the “Nerdmigos” banner.
So, what started as an inside joke among friends, and then a creative exercise for me, has now become a strange love letter to awkwardly social friendship in general. And I have a lot of fun making it!
Thanks for reading and thanks for all your support!!!
Be sure to check out the Year One and Year Two art jams featuring several talented artists and friends!
