This one is probably the first colour picture of Darvin, also circa 1983. Sometime between the last picture and this one I must have resigned to his fate as non-Captain, because he appears a lot younger. After I drew this is when we must have decided he would be tall, which is what that arrow is doing there. Darvin’s stripes, strangely, are orange. I guess the Scanners department was orange? Early in his existence, one of Darvin’s main purposes in the story was to be a best friend for Zandarin. Now, when I was in grade school, and even in high school, this seemed like a perfectly natural relationship. But as I got older, I slowly began to realize how… odd it sounds. Once you’re an adult, having a best friend, evidently, just isn’t a guy thing (though I would be interested in hearing about exceptions to this rule). I’m willing to believe it still works for Darvin and Zan, though, because they’ve been friends since they were young.
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New reader, like what I see so far. Not yet caught up to current, still reading the archives, found this, felt like commenting.
I can’t speak for most guys. I myself am not much inclined to value manliness, as such. Nevertheless, I think having a best friend is a perfectly respectable thing for adults to do, whether they be male or female. I’ve got one, and he’s an awesome mix of mad inventor, quietly eloquent anarchistic ideologue, I.T. ninja, shadetree mechanic, and chainmail artisan. I would not trade him for all the proverbial tea in china, babes in toyland, or loyal agents in the secret service. A best friend is a wonderful thing to have, if you’re lucky enough to have an awesome one.
He sounds like a very interesting guy to know! Thanks for sharing that– it’s reassuring to know the “male best friends” model actually exists!