About the comic: Todd and Penguin began on the web in 2000
as an attempt to fill the void left by Bill
Watterson and Charles Schulz. In 2004 Todd
and Penguin was one of the few comics selected
to be hosted for free by Universal Press
Syndicate's Comics Sherpa site and was selected
as one of the editor's choices. KeenSpot
signed Todd and Penguin to its syndicate
in 2005.
In 2006, KeenSpot published the first Todd
and Penguin collection in the full color
book, "Embrace Your Inner Dork."
Todd and Penguin first appeared in print
in the Stanford Daily in 2002. The comic
has also been featured in six other newspapers
as part of KeenSpot's syndication page.
About the author: David Wright is a reporter/ editorial cartoonist
at a newspaper just north of Daytona Beach
Florida. When he isn't working, he can be
found attempting to finish writing one of several
books, attempting to play guitar, and attempting
to keep the cats from pooping outside of
the litterbox.
He has failed at these
attempts more times
than he cares to recall.
He now spends every waking moment attempting
to learn the magical formula which allows
someone to balance raising a baby boy, work
and comics.
You'd have to ask his wife, who is taking
the brunt of that task, how well he is doing.
He is also in a recovery
program to overcome
referencing himself in
the third person. |
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What people are saying...
"Perhaps the perfect balance of bitter
and sweet. Todd and Penguin Brings
the Funny
even though Todd's life really
could be a
lot better, and bad things keep
happening.
And Penguin's faith is strong
and childlike
enough that it seems like it's
never hopeless.
And, while stolen cookies bring
joy and lost
jobs bring depression, the pair
and all those
around them keep things together
in their
own way...David Wright is a master
of the
personal moment and the bemused
expression.
On the surface it's Penguin's
love of cookies
and Todd's ennui with his job.
Under the
surface it's humor coming out
of acceptance,
love, and selfish housecats or
officially
bitter goth girls. It's broad
enough to have
fertile grounds for humor, but
it never loses
its quiet core."
Eric Burns - Websnark.com
"Whenever I read Todd & Penguin,
the first thing that occurs to me is that
Todd is a man of remarkable patience. Penguin
possesses just the right mix of mischief
and naiveté that would drive me up a wall.
He wakes Todd up at 5AM to tape his teddy
bear’s broken leg, or to tell him it’s the
start of ‘National Cookie Month’. Then he
turns around and sets Todd up as the patsy
in a water balloon practical joke. But before
I can wonder why Todd doesn’t just strangle
the little bird and have done with, I think
of my own kids, and it occurs to me that
it isn’t patience that restrains him. It’s
love. David Wright has taken a truly funny,
well-drawn, engaging comic and done what
I’ve seen precious few others do well. He’s
imbued it with actual love. The pitfall in
trying to do this is that invariably it comes
off as corny or trite, and elicits more groans
than laughter from readers. Witness the bane
of all contemporary comic creators, The Family
Circus. But with Todd & Penguin, the
love is a natural part of its fabric. Like
Calvin and Hobbes or Peanuts, it walks the
line between sentimentality and sharp wit,
and you never notice how difficult it should
be to pull off. It’s the perfect batch of
cookies, and Dave has the recipe down pat...
Penguin’s simultaneous innocence and mischievousness;
Todd’s (sometimes grudging) acceptance of
his little buddy’s foibles; Dave’s obvious
affection for the characters he’s created...
They say true happiness in life is found
in small doses. Like a hug from a friend.
Like a really good cookie.
Like reading Todd & Penguin."
Lee Adam Herold -
Chopping Block
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