When children's book author and cartoonist Brian Anderson unexpectedly took in a chocolate lab puppy, he didn't know the lovable furball would be the catalyst for the breakthrough he needed. Struggling with concepts for comic strips, he decided to take a break to run around the backyard with Sophie. It was then that the idea for his nationally syndicated comic, Dog eat Doug, materialized in his head. A decade later that popular, long-running comic became the basis for a series of middle grade graphic novels with the first two books receiving the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard and the forthcoming volume, Sophie: Wags to Wishes (Marble Press, October), selected for consideration as well. Aptly named after the dog who served as an unwitting muse, this humorous and heartfelt series reminiscent of Calvin & Hobbes has found fans in children and adults alike with its relatable characters drawn from Anderson's own life and herd of rescue pets.
Your pet Sophie is the dog behind the titular character in the series, which is based on your comic strip Dog eat Doug. What is it about Sophie that you find so compelling? How did she first inspire you?
My real-life Sophie inspired everything.
At the time, I was developing two very different strips for syndication. Neither could I imagine doing for five or 10 years of the contract. So there I was about to fulfill my dream of becoming a syndicated cartoonist, and I wasn’t happy. I took a break one day to play with Sophie, and as cliché as it sounds, while we were chasing each other around the yard battling the hose, I had one of those light bulb moments. Literally the entire idea for the strip, including the title, popped into my head. My son wasn’t born yet, so Doug was totally made up. By the end of that week, I had more than 60 strips written.
Once my son came along, the strip became a parody of my real life. All ideas came from watching and playing with Sophie and my son. Which is why I’m always thrilled when people ask me, “Do you have cameras hidden in our house?”
As fantastical as the strip gets, all of it stems from one tiny, unplanned chocolate lab joining our family.
Was the transition from comic strip to novel a big leap? Why did you want to make it?
Yes, in many ways. I always envisioned expanding Dog eat Doug beyond newspapers. And when that vision never materialized with the syndicate, I knew I had to make the leap myself. I’m so glad I did.
The graphic novel format gave the characters a huge new playground to explore. While I had storylines in the daily comic, the four-panel limit presented a challenge. And obviously you don’t have a lot of room art-wise in papers.
I also heard from a lot of young readers who were inspired by Sophie to write stories about their own pets. These kids had never seen or touched a newspaper, yet they found Sophie, through the e-books or their parents or grandparents. So why not give them and Sophie a new, better format?
With Sophie appealing to both young and old, I knew I could create books that kids and parents would want to read together.
Given the comic strip is designed to stand on its own and tell a story in a set number of panels, how different was it to work in a graphic novel format? Did the graphic novel require a different approach or skills from you as an artist?
That was the biggest challenge. I had the advantage of knowing these characters inside and out for more than ten years, so I didn’t have to worry about them coming to life for the reader. However, breaking the four-panel rhythm was difficult and oftentimes distracted me from letting the characters be themselves. Thankfully my editor, Michael, knows these characters and can point out things Sophie would or wouldn’t do.
The other major difference is that I can roughly map out an entire book in advance. In the case of the Sophie books, I used the same developmental stages kids go through to map out her character arc in each book. So, she grows with the younger readers. That allowed me to brainstorm all the silly ideas I wanted and then figure out where that would fit in her development. Once I create the situation, I toss the characters in and watch how they deal with it. That part is similar to the comic strip and also the same way I wrote ideas for the strip by watching Sophie in real life.
Although the protagonist is a dog, she happens to be remarkably similar to you. Was it a conscious decision to imbue Sophie with your personal traits, or did they just seep in? What traits do you and Sophie share?
Anytime you write a character, no matter how unique or alien, a part of you always gets infused into them. So while I initially based most of the strips on Sophie's behaviors and likes and dislikes—namely, cheese and socks—as her personality came to life, a part of me melded with it.
One thing Sophie and I shared was the ability to find silliness in anything. Anytime we made a bed, Sophie would dart under the fitted sheet. My wife and I would pop our heads under from opposite sides and Sophie would race back and forth under the sheet. And thus, gator baby was born!
I will admit I imposed many of the pop culture Easter Eggs on Sophie, although she loved sitting next to me while watching Doctor Who.
Although Sophie is a middle grade graphic novel series, there are a lot of references only adults would get. Was that an intentional decision? Did you want the books to work on two levels?
I'd love to say that, yes, I am a genius and masterminded that idea. However, it comes down to the old saying that we stand on the giants that came before. It’s something I learned from reading the early Peanuts comics as a young kid. I was lucky enough that my Dad had a copy of the first Peanuts collection from the 1950s. It was light-years different from the Peanuts I read in the Sunday paper.
I idolized Charles Addams, Calvin and Hobbes, and Bloom County. I didn’t know it at the time, but they were teaching me that silly comic strips could work on several levels at the same time. The more real your characters become, the more they are going to deal with real hopes, dreams, anxieties, and fears.
When you’re not writing books, you teach kids how to draw comics. When did you start giving lessons, and why did you decide to start teaching?
The first time I gave formal lessons was in college. A professor asked me if I would teach his kids how to draw. It was quite nerve-racking until I saw how excited the kids got when they made progress. That planted the seed for how I wanted to approach teaching kids how to create stories.
When I was young, I just assumed that people who wrote books and drew comics were born with the ability to do it. I never saw the thousands of hours of struggle it took them to succeed. I knew I wanted to create a simple way to reframe the process so that kids could instantly see that the goal of writing a story was accessible. I wanted kids to know that if they wanted to be a writer or a cartoonist, it was no different than any other trade. Carpenters aren’t born knowing how to build a staircase. It’s the same with writing and drawing.
Over the years I developed a fun, interactive presentation that walks kids through outlining their own story in under half an hour. It’s amazing to watch as they realize that something that seemed so impossible is now something they can do at recess. Once that barrier is gone, all they have to do is put in the time to keep improving.
What book collection of comic strips first made an impression on you? How have those early experiences influenced your work?
That’s an easy one. As I mentioned earlier, that first collection of Peanuts strips my dad had from the 1950s remains my most prized book. Schulz’s early comics were, of course, funny, but they were dark and laden with anxieties. It was something as a kid I didn’t see in the current newspapers. I read those in second grade, and they were seared into my creative consciousness.
And while I’ll never be the cartoonist Charles Schulz was, those early Peanuts gave me the most invaluable gift of knowing comics could be much more than just jokes and gags. You could breathe life into characters so long as you get out of your own way and let them grow.
Even though my little Sophie is gone, so long as I put the work in, her spirit lives in those pages, and I get to share her with everyone.
In the past, you’ve drawn customized comic strips for fans. What was one of your favorites to draw, and do you plan to do it again?
I haven’t drawn many one-offs for specific people, but I have done tribute strips to artists or people that have inspired me. And sometimes they read it, and I’ll send them the original. Although recently I wrote and drew a special comic just for librarians that my publisher will hand out at ALA.
You have other rescue pets and foster animals, too, some of whom have made appearances in your work. Why do you think animals are such a source of inspiration for you?
I’m not exactly sure. The odd thing is that the more you study dogs and cats and learn their behaviors and how to work with them, the more miraculous they become. I’m also fascinated by how unique every dog is. They have their own personalities, and that generates so many ideas for characters. You can never judge a dog by its looks or breed. That’s why I treat every dog as an individual, which also gives rise to unique characters and story ideas.
Case in point, my Annie became one of the most popular characters simply because of the stark contrast between her real-life appearance and personality. To most people she looks terrifying, and yet she was raised at a daycare. I think that came through in her cartoon persona, and people responded to it.
Might any of your other pets star in a spin-off series?
Yes! I do have something in the works, but I haven’t shared it with anyone... yet. I started writing a spin-off series based on three of my foster dogs. I’ve always included my foster dogs’ stories in the comic strip and the graphic novels, and I think it’s time they got their own series.
I never wanted to preach about rescuing dogs or “adopt don't shop,” so I brought attention to shelter and foster dogs and cats by making them as real as possible in the comics. Instead of telling people every dog is unique and special, I can show them.
