Back in 1997, I kept drawing this dog with an angular head a human-ish body. My favorite baseball player is Ernie Banks and one of my all time fav moving picture shows was and still is, Joe vs. The Volcano. So, with these two loves in mind, Banks© was born into comic strip form.

I remember being a bit frustrated that my previous tries at syndication were met with a rejection form letter – so, as I usually do when I’m frustrated – I tried something completely different. These strips may seem forced and simple now, but back in 1997, they were a breakthrough for me. They also got me my first non-form letter response from a syndicate… An editor at Universal Press Syndicate sent me a hand written note that he’d like to see more samples in 6 months or so.

Here are the very first bunch of strips with Banks:

After I got the letter, I sat down and drew another month’s worth of Banks©, and then proceeded to do the dumbest thing that a young, aspiring cartoonist can: I got a big head and thought that whatever I drew from that point on was comedy gold. So, with my head swollen to the size of a small planet, I sent the second month to UPS within, like, a week of receiving his note. I think I even said something like, “As you can see, my comic has progressed past even my own expectations…”.

I was (and still am) an Idiot.

Of course, I never heard anything more about Banks© from any syndicate, much less UPS. So, with my head still swollen, but slowly deflating, I soldiered on with the concept, continuing to submit it as many times as I could that year.

The moral of this brief encounter with my dream? Work harder, work humbled and stop filling your head with hot air.

If this story makes you happy and you’d like to see more of Banks for the years to come, you can show your support through a small donation through this week’s BIG TURKEY of a FUND DRIVE. It’s once a year, thank God.

Thank you all for your support so far!

-Corey “FRS” Pandolph