This is a list of frequently asked questions, or FAQ, about "Caseous." It is broken up into three sections: About the Characters, About the Cartooning Process, and Miscellaneous Questions. Read it all, or look for your particular question. If you have a question that isn't answered in this FAQ, try asking us and we'll see what we can do.
Where did the characters come from?
Frog started out as a lawn ornament that a group of high school friends took with them on various road trips, including the world-famous Wall Drug. The frog had an extended stay in the twin cities and inspired several sketches that lead to the character Frog. Bear was also around a little while prior to the cartoon, as our friends and we decided that Frog was a good friend with Bear. Fish and Gnome came directly from sketches.
Is there an official storyline that tells the characters’ origin?
It’s not printed in comic strip form, but the story goes something like this: Tadpole (little Frog) and Fishy (little Fish) were friends growing up, when Cub (little Bear) fished Fishy out of the stream. Rather than eat him, the three became fast friends. At the same moment, Gnome, a lawn ornament bought by a vacationing family and tied to the roof of a station wagon, came loose of his bindings and flew off the car as it passed the stream. He literally fell into the fold, and the rest is history.
Is Frog a phallic symbol?
No, at least, he was never meant to be. It has come to our attention that Frog’s body shape was rather… weenie-like. But no, he was never intended to be phallic. This false phallic is less apparent with the addition of Frog’s eye sockets of his current incarnation.
Why does Gnome always smile?
Gnome is actually a ceramic lawn ornament. Although he can move from time to time (although he prefers to leave his arms sticking straight out as his “molding” intended), his face remains forever painted in a pleasant demeanor, no matter how much of a jerk he is.
Why does Fish have multiple “one, guilty secrets”?
That is simply Fish being Fish. He worries about too much, and thus thinks that everything about him is shameful in the eyes of the world. We think he’s too hard on himself and should just lighten up.
What does Bear have to do with chewing tobacco?
In high school, a friend used a certain brand of chewing tobacco, which he referred to as “The Bear.” This friend was in the group that dealt with Frog’s origin, and they decided that Frog is a good friend of “The Bear.” When it came time for the comic strip, Bear was taken away from that growling grizzly on the tobacco can and transformed into the big, round, long, and dumb Bear he is today.
What’s up with the beef jerky?
Bear loves it.
What’s up with the Buffalo?
A group of high school friends (isn’t this the way all good stories start out?) began having a fascination (or perhaps mock-fascination) with a painting of an American bison, commonly known as buffalo. It hung on the wall of Lange’s Café above the best (and biggest) table in the restaurant, and some how it came about that Frog was very good friends with buffalos. When it came time for the comic strip, it was decided not to necessarily make him a bad guy, but someone with a lot of wisdom and knowledge that may or may not enjoy the Caseous characters’ company. So far, Gnome has punched Buffalo only once.
What are juggling sticks?
Juggling sticks are two thin sticks used to juggle a thicker one that usually has tassels on either end and rubber ribbing-grip down the shaft to provide notches for the thin sticks to latch on to as you juggle. Tricks, flips, and whatnot are very fun to learn. In Caseous, Frog has always wanted a pair of these, and he got them in “The Fourth Wall.” Unfortunately, Gnome killed the cartoonist before he could draw Frog in action with his newfound hobby.
Are the characters based on anyone?
If Frog, Bear, Fish, and Gnome are based on anyone, they’re most likely based upon their creator, Nate Melcher. In his words, “Frog probably represents my natural self. He’s a very centrist character; thing happen to him, and he kind of winces at his life sometimes, but things seem to work out for him in the end. I’m very much like that. Fish is my more neurotic side, when I find myself worrying over little things or when it seems like nothing is going right. He’s a good ‘fall guy’ for when I want to rant about something that bothers me. …It’s probably safe to say that Gnome is my id; he’s everything that I’ve always meant to say, but knew better. In fact, Gnome may have said it best when he claims that he is ‘pent up rage.’ Bear is dumb, and we’ve all been dumb at times. At least, I have, believe me!”
How about supporting characters, like Steve, Chrissy, and the Freshman?
Steve started out as just a “guy in the strip,” but quickly became a metaphor for people that don’t “get” Caseous. That’s probably why so much bad stuff happens to him and why the cast hates him. Chrissy, as a character, isn’t based on anyone in particular, but the name was taken from a close friend of Nate’s. It has been said that the Freshman is based off Nate, but he firmly denies this (“He’s every freshman,” claims Nate).
Who are the celebrities that have appeared in Caseous?
Actor Christopher Walken (“True Romance,” “The Prophecy,” “A View to a Kill”) has been in numerous comic strips, as has director George Lucas (“Star Wars”), and Jeff Goldblum (“The Fly,” “Jurassic Park”). Zonker from Gary Tredau’s comic strip “Doonesbury” has made a cameo, as well as the titles and covers of several comic books, movies, books, and musical artists. Nate Melcher himself has also made small cameos, as well as some of Nate’s friends and family.
How do you come up with your ideas?
Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm. Sometimes, a script is gone over again and again (and may never be ready for the printing stage!). Other times, a script just comes from out of the blue and is ready immediately. Nate tries to sit down every few months or so and churn out at least twenty decent scripts, of which not even half will become actual comic strips. Again, they come from everywhere – just thinking about a particular situation in life (The ATM line, for example) can inspire a comic strip script. You just never know.
Who or what is your inspiration?
For the answer to this, take a look at the background of a Caseous comic strip, sometime. Small examples of inspiration that has made its way into the actual Caseous comic strips include the films “Rushmore,” “The Big Lebowski,” and “Star Wars.” Also be on the lookout for authors David Sedaris, Neil Gaiman, several comic book titles, and Bill Murray. Other inspirations include Monty Python, improv comedy, as well as lots of friends and family.
How long does it take to make one cartoon?
That all depends on the idea process. If the ideas are flowing and layout doesn’t take very long, then it’s fairly quick. Every few months, Nate brainstorms at least twenty ideas, and of those he uses maybe ten. Of those ten, Nate takes one and does rough thumbnails and layouts, followed by pencils, then inks, erasing, and finally touch-ups. All in all, it’s safe to say each cartoon takes approximately five hours.
What art supplies do you use?
Like most comic strips, it’s all fairly low-tech. Nate uses regular notebook paper for his thumbnails and layouts, and use a thicker 8 ½” x 11” Bristol board for the actual cartoons. For the both rough sketches and the actual cartoons, he uses a Pentech 0.5mm 0E405 mechanical pencil with HB (a fairly dark line) level lead. For inking, Nate uses Zebra Zeb-Roller 2000 black liquid ink pens, in both 0.7mm for large outlines and foreground objects and 0.5mm for small details and backgrounds. All the page erasing is done with Staedltler Mars Plastic “grand” erasers because they are large enough to make erasing easy. During “Freshman Observations,” Nate used other types of liquid pens, but has come to prefer the Zeb-Rollers. He also uses a clear plastic pica ruler.
Has there ever been a Caseous/Freshman Observations crossover?
Yes, several times. The first crossover was approximately one month before Caseous made its debut in April of 1999. Freshman Observations featured Nate Melcher while wearing a Frog t-shirt (which doesn’t actually exist, by the way). Since then, the Freshman and his Roommate have made cameos in several Caseous cartoons, the first being the first Caseous cartoon, “Wanna Go See,” in April of 1999.
Have there been gags or comic strips deemed inappropriate and left unpublished?
Yes, actually. Nate’s first self-edited cartoon was an early Freshman Observations involving “Representatives of the Four Seasons” for gratuitous swearing. During the writing process, occasionally a naughty word or two will find their way into a script, but are taken out by layout time. In fact, one comic strip, involving Gnome getting Frog to gaze at a woman and having Frog wind up getting a black eye because of it, will most likely never see print. “Sex humor and lots of swearing can be funny,” said Nate. “But I think it’s just a little out of place in Caseous, especially in that amount. There are other ways of getting the point across and still being funny.” Although swearing does occur in Caseous, Nate self-imposes a limit of only using what is allowed on television.
Why don’t I understand Caseous?
We don’t know. Honestly, when someone comments to us that they don’t get the comic strip, we have to shrug. Yes, there are hidden messages. Yes, each installment of Caseous contains 100% of your daily-recommended dose of metaphors and symbolism. But from the very beginning, all of this has been coated with jokes (or “gags”) in almost every panel. Not to compare Caseous to the fantastic “Calvin & Hobbes,” but we feel Bill Watterson did his best work when he was pissed off at his syndicate and worked his comic strip into a metaphor for his struggles. Caseous is funny; you may have to take an extra second to think about it, but the funny is there. (Tell you what. If you don’t get it, e-mail us and we’ll try and help you out!)
Does hate mail or letters to Network (The Minnesota Daily’s resident complain-column) bother you at all?
At first, yes. But now, it’s reached a point where it’s like water off a duck’s back. Many of the letters that are written to Network about Caseous don’t really make much sense, which makes it easier to dismiss them. Attacking us by saying we’re dumb doesn’t really tell us why they don’t like Caseous. Frankly, if we took these letters seriously, then we would be dumb.
What does the word "caseous" mean, anyway?
The name "Caseous" itself comes from the Latin "cassius" which means "of or like cheese." Basically, it means cheesy. Nate just happened to stumble across this wonderful adjective while randomly flipping through a thesaurus one morning while trying to find a novel and original e-mail address name. Tentatively, this was going to be the name of a pseudo-rock band that never happened (re-enter: high school friends), but Caseous has finally found its use, after all.
Which came first, Caseous or Freshman Observations?
Freshman Observations first saw print in September of 1998. The first sketches of the characters of Caseous didn’t appear until a few months after, and Caseous itself wasn’t printed until April of 1999.
Do you like tacos?
Yeah. Our favorite is the grilled chicken soft-shell tacos with hot sauce, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce at Chipotle Mexican Grill. If you send us some, use priority shipping so they stay hot, please.
Is it true there have been live performances of Caseous comic strips?
Yes! “Cell Phone Ethics” was performed in an original comedy production performed by “Q” at the Brave New Institute in Minneapolis, MN called “To Peeve or Not to Peeve – When Opposites Attack.” It was performed by Nate Melcher as Frog, Greg Nesbitt as Fish, and Pat Huot as Steve. “Q” is always working on new scenes, and it is quite possible we will see more “live” Caseous in the future!
Will there ever be a Caseous cartoon or movie?
We doubt it. In fact, this question is ridiculous and stupid, much like the way Stormtroopers can’t shoot anything in “Star Wars.” An occasional appearance in live theater has been and is very plausible, however.
Will there ever be Caseous collections or merchandise?
They are not available (nor do they exist) right now, but maybe someday.
How can I get a hold of original art?
Basically, you can’t. Nate Melcher keeps all of his artwork. However, he has been known to give autographs or draw special, autographed pictures of people’s favorite characters when he has the time to do so.
What’s the easiest way to get a hold of Caseous?
Until Caseous collections are available, the easiest way is to either pick up a copy of The Minnesota Daily every Friday, or visit this website.
How do I make my own comic strip?
Draw, draw, draw! Honestly, it just takes a little bit of artistic talent, good characters, and a good funny bone to make a good comic strip. And not all the best comic strips have all three parts of the equation: Gary Larson often felt his artistic talent was lacking in his widely popular “The Far Side,” while many find Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” to not be so much funny as containing interesting characters. Find some characters that you would be interested to read about, put them in situations that interest you, and go from there. And again, keep drawing!
Why do you answer questions as a collective?
We think it’s funny.