September 20, 2016 - News Post

Welcome, dear reader, to year two!

Did everyone enjoy year one? Of course you did. What an eventful year it was. We laughed, we cried, we wondered why we keep doing this to ourselves. Through it all, though, you inexplicably kept coming back. Thank you for that.

Because I like to reuse old material, I thought I'd take a look at my favorite (and least favorite) comics from the first year.

My Favorite Comics

Here are the 5... no, let's say 6... Here are the 6 comics that I love the most:

1. The Other Shower Principle
   This is not the funniest, the dialogue is a bit clunky and makes little logical sense. This comic is, however, my favorite. It features Jeff in the nude-- what more could anyone ask? It also marks a change in how I approached the comic. Although "Jeff" is an entirely fictional character who shares my name, my looks, my words, my thoughts, and my adventures, this was the moment I decided that it was okay to both expose and portray mysel-- I mean Jeff, in a not-so-flattering light. It's also based more in truth than you want to know.
2. Null Reference Exception
   This is the perfect combination of a coding issue I faced, Mr. Battles being a jerk, and me working out real life frustrations through the comic. I was having a bad week, and had to be informed by my wife that carrying around a hammer was not a healthy way to deal with my frustrations. Thankfully, that doesn't mean that comic characters couldn't do it.
3. Forgetfulness
   I forgot why I found this one funny.
4. The Dev Dilemma
   The very first strip is actually one of my favorite gags. To be fair, I wrote about 20 before starting the strip, and picked my absolute favorite to be the first comic.
5. A Sense of Urgency
   This one sat in my comic queue for months as I tried to think of a punchline. I had jotted down the initial idea, then tried each and every comic day to shape this into something useful. I don't know if I'm more pleased with the joke itself or the fact that I was able to come up with a satisfactory 4^th panel after 5 months of failing. Probably the latter.
6. Touchscreen
   Man, I hit a good stride from December 15-29, 2015. There is something solid about this comic. It's quick, simple, and based on real life. I especially like how a little art goes such a long way.

My Least Favorites

I learned long ago that getting a comic out on time is essential. If I want to keep people coming to this site (which I do… for now), regular postings are not optional. I told you people that I'd put out comics on Tuesday and Friday, and I've never once missed a day. Sometimes, however, I should probably break that habit. Here are my 3 least favorite:

1. Insurance Records Not Found
   This is a problem that I have encountered year after year, but I don't know why I included it as a comic. I try to stick with the theme of software and technology. I mention websites as the jumping off point, but it seems like a stretch. Combine that with a flat punchline, and you have my least favorite comic.
2. Late Fees
   Like Insurance Records Not Found, this one is barely related to technology. Okay, yes, I mention websites and automated phone lines, but I don't know why I decided the subject was appropriate. I cringe every time I see this one.
3. Use Safari To Google This
   This was one of the earliest comics, so it's tempting to give myself a pass. But even at the time, I didn't find this one very funny. I was attempting to do something “ripped from the headlines”, but I would've been better off writing a fart joke of some sort.

Most Popular

Not all of my comics have made the rounds on social media, but here are the ones that you guys tend to like the most.

1. Code Mode
   This comic hit 2.1 million views in a single day. I was a bit surprised, since this one was a bit of a throwaway gag. I had removed the words “code mode” from another comic, and decided to not let that phrase go to waste. It didn't.
2. It Works On My Computer
   Janet is awesome in this one. I like it. Typically, the comments on my comic sympathize with the coders against the demands of a clueless management. This is one of those rare comics that has commenters siding with management over those lazy coders.
3. Fireflies
   I had no idea what to do for the comic the next day, so I went for a long walk with the wife. This is one of those fantastic scripts that write themselves. I like this one a lot. It's one of the more optimistic sounding strips.
4. The Dev Dilemma
   Again with the first comic. The love for this comic actually helped get the word out quite quickly when I first started posting. I think it took 3 comics before I had a regular audience.
5. Google Google Google
   This one baffles me. It's a good joke, but not the greatest. Still, some people went wild for it.

All right, that's enough from me. You want to read more? Go through the archives yourself. Or even better, stick around for year two.

-Jeff