Creating Comics for CoffeeScript in Action
Three years ago, I began collaborating with Patrick Lee on some comic strips for a textbook called CoffeeScript in Action.
It's a web development book published by Manning. Pat's text details the ins and outs of a coding language akin to JavaScript.
In the summer of 2011, Pat asked if I'd be interested in illustrating some comics in a look similar to my Stick Cats style. Curious about the opportunity and interested in a new challenge, I accepted the offer to bring Scruffy and Agtron to life.
Modeled on a toy robot and a stuffed monkey, the characters act out Patrick's lessons in the text.
Initially, I thought it would be a quick and easy gig, doodling simple characters in a loose style. But as a relatively green freelance illustrator, I failed to predict the complicated situations that could surround a robot and a monkey acting out examples of good (and bad) CoffeeScript coding.
I worked from loose scripts by Pat, and he was fantastic about giving me freedom to interpret his words as I saw fit. I even had the chance to toss in a few of my own bizarre supporting characters, which ended up looking like weird animal/human hybrids rather than toys brought to life.
I'm grateful to Pat for the chance to illustrate the adventures of Agtron and Scruffy. I hope our odd comics enrich the CoffeeScript in Action reading experience!
