I’m taking a short break from drawing to write about two major decisions I have to make for the ghost strip: Names and shapes. Hopefully, the writing process will help make that decision.
I’m torn between two names for the ghost: Oscar and Finnegan. Oscar is after Oscar Peterson, the jazz pianist. (Is there an Oscar Peterson, the hip hop pianist?) Finnegan is a reference to Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake. Since the character of Finnegan is dead, hence the wake, that would be a perfect name for a ghost.
Plus it’s Irish.
Oscar Peterson is, well….Oscar Peterson. Listen to him play and you’ll know why the piano was invented. In 1709, someone asked Bartolomeo Cristofori, “Hey, Bart. What the hell are you making?” And Mr. Cristofori replied, “Ask me in about 240 years. There’s gonna be this black Canadian guy who will know what to do with it.”
On the other hand, Finnegan is literary. And as an English major, I have to give a shout out to my lit peeps. It also fits with the character of a ghost, since Finnegan is a dead guy. And while I’m not the biggest James Joyce fan, I do loves me some Irishmen. So Finnegan wins on two counts. But Finnegan is a long name, and comic strips have limited space. Point for Oscar.
And dead black jazz pianists will always be cooler than dead drunk Irish writers. However, Finnegan can be shortened to Finn. But Finn doesn’t dance off the tongue like Finnegan.
After this written dialog to myself, I am no closer to a decision. Crap.
Which leads me to my second decision: the shape of the eyes. Oval vs. circles. I’m staring at both, but both look good to me. Moira likes the oval. But she’s only 9. What does she know?
And I still have to figure out what the kid and his parents will look like. And I don’t even have a title for the strip yet.
A cartoonist’s work is never done.






