It was the year 2000 and I'd decided to break in the milennium with a new webcomic starring my longstanding top bananas Aaron Marx and Melodie. I had my characters, I had my story, and my recently completed work on the Ed Deadeye mini-series had given me confidence that I could strike a balance between humor and horror.

Aaron Marx and Melodie hadn't received the full limelight since 1992, but had since appeared as semi-regulars in Albert and had also turned up briefly in the university run of The Daily Grind. The Chocolate Conspiracy was the perfect solo vehicle for them.. I quickly got down to work...

Aaron engaged in his favorite pasttime: victimizing historical figures..

Melodie is a willing (and eager) co-conspirator...

But, wait! Wouldn't this story be better presented as a comic book instead of a webcomic? Of course it would! So into the filing cabinet goes the two weeks I've completed. Time to start over..

Lots of changes.. Aaron and Melodie get a redesign.. Melodie's eagerness is dialed back.. Groovy digital effects.. It was like moving from an efficiency into a McMansion! A McMansion with a spare McMansion in the garage!

Aaron's ability to traverse space (and the multiverse) is vividly portrayed.. as are his nifty spats and suspenders.

Breaking and entering... reality-hopper style.

Curiouser and curiouser..

It's now late 2001 and the pages are starting to pile up.. but, jeez! How long is this book going to be, anyway?? My characters turn corners and I find myself drawing two, three, four additional unplanned pages.. It's all working towards a concrete narrative goal, but my 60 page story is quickly turning into a 100 page story.. And, DAMMIT! Now all those earlier pages don't look as good as the NEW ones! That won't do.. I need to start redrawing...

Hell.. It's two years down the road.. I can do better than that now...

There.. That's better.. Except now I have another ten pages to redraw.. This is taking forever!

Did I say 100 pages? How about 200? 250? And now some of those other older pages don't look so good...

AAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

While the ninety-two pages completed have proven an invaluable training ground, there's still far too much work to be done to whip them into a printable state. Of the story itself.. well, hell.. What's the point of having a daily webcomic if not to tell stories?

-A.N.