Hello there, Optimist reader! The editors have decided that it wasn’t punishment enough to force you to read my comics. So now you must endure the horror that is my writing.

Congratulations! I can’t promise that this will be painless, but I can promise that it will be short, so try to take some solace in that.

First off, my name is Evan Marks and I’m a senior graphic designer. I’m from San Diego (a magical place where we surf to school and put avocados on everything). And I own a pug. It’s better than your dog.

I’ve also been drawing and doodling my entire life, so I guess it’s only natural that I’m creating these comics.

Anyway, I’d like to tell you all a bit about the comic and why you should care about it at all. My comics are going to be silly and dumb. And that’s ok. If I’m really lucky, someone will turn to the Opinion page, see my comic, take a look around to make sure no one can see them and then chuckle softly to themselves. (That’s the dream, anyway).

Yet, even though my jokes may be lacking, and my humor may be a few grade levels too low, I still want to hold my comic up to a higher standard. As an artist and a designer, I want to deliver a quality product to you, the reader. Something that, even though it may only garner a quick glance, will provide you with some small amount of pride, because you know that your school comic is a quality comic!

I’m also excited to see how else I can explore these biweekly drawings, whether through a new medium, a continuing story, or even, dare I say, funny jokes (gasp). Whatever the case, be prepared to read some truly spectacular comics!

(Spectacular comics not guaranteed.)

But what do I know about funny comics? I bet you all know way more than me, so you should send me your ideas and I’ll make a comic about them. Seriously, email me! I’m taking 21 credit hours, and working 14 more so anything I don’t have to think about helps! Plus, you could get your idea in the Optimist, forever documented within it’s pages! What’s better than that?

Thanks for your time, and feel free to send all complaints to Evan Marks.