If there'd ever been a "My Cage" cartoon I'd want comedian Brian Posehn as the voice of Jeff T. Shark.
Originally run July 18th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: https://w...
2021-01-13 05:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
One idea I had for the strp early on was for the strip to be about a put upon elf who had to keep an irresponsible Santa in check. Maybe I should've done that instead. Maybe I will. Who knows? :)
Originally run July 17th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: 2021-01-12 05:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
We couldn't decide on a color for Ashley, so we left her white on several color samples while we decided and realized white was the perfect color for her.
Originally run July 16th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: https://www....
2021-01-11 17:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Yes. I know Luke and Leia are brother and sister. Yes. They did make fun of that on our 'Atop the Fourth Wall' review.
Originally run July 15th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
2021-01-11 05:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Way back when I thought if there were ever an animated 'My Cage' that Patton Oswalt should play Norm and Will Arnett should play Rex. Back then no one was using them as voice actors. I should have been a voice actor casting agent instead of a writer I guess.
Originally run July 14th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
A...
2021-01-09 05:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
When Melissa was hired to draw the strip, she was happy to be able to do a different style than the Manga style she'd been doing at Tokyopop. Then they told her they wanted her to draw the strip in a Manga style. She pointed out when it comes to funny animals there's really no difference in American and Manga styles, but to no avail.
Originally run July 13th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en....
2021-01-08 05:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
When released, our syndicate King Features, advertised the strip as it's first "manga inspired" comic strip. We got a lot of flack from people on the internet that misquoted it as the first ever "manga inspired" or first manga comic strip. I knew calling it that was going to be trouble no matter what.
Originally run July 12th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage 2021-01-07 05:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Today's strip is a little grainy due to a user error my PC had (sorry! :( ).
To make up for it I've included a copy of the strip that shows how our old syndicate used to color the strip.
Back then at least, it was the norm for the syndicate's in-house coloring team to color the daily strips, and the artist would only do the Sunday strips. For some reason, 'My Cage' came our MUCH worse than the other strips, so much so Melissa was stunned and quickly re-colored the strips bef...
2021-01-06 14:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Maureen is partially based on my wondering why male characters only fall for attractive female characters and that's ok, but female characters falling for successful men are often shamed as gold diggers. (I actually know the answer: Male Writers.)
Originally run July 10th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: 2021-01-05 14:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post
The therapist I saw after my father's death in one session accidently let it slip that he noticed I'd put on weight. He was a good therapist actually, but that one slip became the basis for Dr. Alan.
Originally run July 9th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: 2021-01-04 14:36:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Sorry for having to catch up.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
-Ed
Bridget's painting was supposed to be a larger part of the strip originally, but like Jeff getting sweeter and dumber, she evolved differently than I had planned.
Originally run July 1st 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: http...
2020-12-29 15:54:05 +0000 UTC View Post
A buyer from Hot Topic contacted me while the strip was running (we had a mutual acquaintance).She said if we could get 'My Cage' in more papers she'd suggest it for merchandise in the store, thinking it'd be a good match. Our editor at the time said "If we could get it in more papers we would've already" I'm starting to realize, Mel and I were treated well there, but the strip wasn't. :D
Originally run June 30th, 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: 2020-12-29 15:51:10 +0000 UTC View Post
With the animal puns we'd try and decide whether or not to use them based on if it'd ruin the punchline if readers needed to pause and think about them. Kevin Bacon in one sense fits right in, and in another sense opens up a lot of questions about eating bacon, so I'm not sure where it fits. :D
Originally run June 29th, 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Me...
2020-12-29 15:43:09 +0000 UTC View Post
When the strip was cancelled our syndicate's proof readers told us we were one of the strips they looked forward to reading when it came in. Considering how we kept them on their toes, that was a BIG compliment. :D
Originally run 28th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: 2020-12-25 02:12:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Violet wasn't supposed to originally be from a wealthy family, but when I saw Melissa's design for her, it reminded me of Nicole Richie.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLNaownbvX0
TV Tropes: 2020-12-23 13:15:55 +0000 UTC View Post
I choose the name Ashley for...well, for Ashley...because I thought it sounded "perky" but also had the word "ash" in it which reminded me of death.
Originally run 26th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: https://www.youtube.com...
2020-12-22 13:59:55 +0000 UTC View Post
When this strip ran, I remember in the comments section under one of the newspapers that ran it, a person wrote non-ironically to ask why Norm would put his thoughts some place where they couldn't be seen by others. That still weirds me out.
Originally run 25th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: 2020-12-21 14:57:10 +0000 UTC View Post
This was the first 'My Cage' test strip I ever did. I sent it to my friends. One wrote back and said "This makes me want to commit suicide". I knew then that it'd get published.
I've attached the original here too for fun.
Originally run 24th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: 2020-12-21 14:48:08 +0000 UTC View Post
This reminded me of how when I first wrote 'My Cage' I was feeling pretty hopeless, and wanted to turn that feeling into something positive. These days I just feel hopeless.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYBODY!!!! :D :D :D
Originally run 23rd 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: 2020-12-21 14:34:08 +0000 UTC View Post
I hope this works. I've done it a few times and can't see the image, but I'm being told it's there.
Anyway, when our Texas fans were going to meet up I asked our editor at the time if the syndicate would fly us out there. I did mean it as a joke, but he laughed WAY to hard for WAY to long at it. :D
Originally run June 22nd 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage 2020-12-18 13:56:40 +0000 UTC View Post
At one point some 'My Cage' fans in Texas were going to meet up at a CiCi's Pizza. An unusual amount of fans of the strip came from one newspaper in Texas. More on this tomorrow.
Originally run June 21st 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: 2020-12-17 16:21:05 +0000 UTC View Post
An editor at our original syndicate predicted the strip would do better on the coast and be less popular in middle America. Instead most of the papers we were in were in middle America. That could be because the one young sales person at the syndicate who liked us had that area. :D
Originally run June 20th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/...
2020-12-16 13:59:48 +0000 UTC View Post
I guess we did get away with more than some strips at the time. Still, we weren't allowed to show Bridget and Norm in a bed together since they weren't married.
Originally run June 19th 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: https:...
2020-12-15 13:58:20 +0000 UTC View Post
This is still one of my favorite strips of the series, and the reason I'm catching up in reverse.
Note the use of the name Steve again. Is this the Steve who keeps calling out of work on Norm?
No. No it is not. :D
Originally run June 16th, 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: 2020-12-14 14:17:06 +0000 UTC View Post
The bird like character in panel 3 was going to be a recurring character that we never really got around to. I find it funny she never appears again. I doubt anyone else does. :D
Originally run June 17th, 2007.
-Ed
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Cage
Merch: cafepress.com/mycagecomic
AT4W review: 2020-12-14 14:11:06 +0000 UTC View Post
