I think we settled on Lead Paint for a couple reasons:
-It's a little dark (brain damage humor and etc.)
-It's art-related, loosely
-At least when we first started making the comic, we liked the idea of comics that are "Pretty but a little bad for you." I still like this idea, kind of, though sometimes the self-deprecation wears on me.

Interesting note: You might want to confirm with Dana, but I believe the 2nd choice for our name was "Laser Parade." There was literally no logic behind the name, it was just silly and I liked how it sounded. Dana (rightly) thought it was completely stupid, so we scrapped it.

Writing the strips can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 6 hours, depending on complexity and number of words in the strip (the more words, the more complicated the editing process and time I spend trying to say exactly what I want). I would say 2 1/2 hours is about average for 9 panels of comic. Dana (formspring@ "danawulfekotte") does all the art, so you'll have to ask her about the drawing and scaling times. I do know that she works on a PC though, in Manga Studio and Photoshop.

Maybe I will start doing them again! I stopped because I got in the habit of embedding media, which was really fun but also queasy copyright ground (especially with the threat of new laws like SOPA/PIPA). Haha also it was a pain because I have to take notes on what songs I'm currently liking. It's more tedious than you might think because I have to keep a list and make sure I don't repeat recommendations (I have an awful memory for certain things). Also I'm kind of lazy, which is usually the main reason I stop doing anything.

But! I'm glad you liked the recommendations! Here's a free one for you today:
"Spectrum" by Florence and the Machine

Haha, I feel like this is some sarcasm that I'm not getting, but if you're being serious/semi-serious, I'm Mike and I'm the writer for the webcomic Lead Paint Comics (www.leadpaintcomics.com). I follow you because 1) you're extremely entertaining and I love almost all of your work 2) I feel like you're a great educational source for writing and comic-ing. Not really in the nuts-and-bolts way that Brad G. provides on WC.com (which is great and helpful and important), but more in a "webcomics 201" way, getting more into the philosophy and reasoning behind creation and humor. Specifically in regards to comic creation, it's a really rare thing that you offer. To my (limited) knowledge I think you and Aaron Diaz from Dreden Codak are the only cartoonists who write about that kind of stuff consistently and with any applicable value. Um, so thanks for being great and thoughtful I guess? I believe my work benefits from it, so that's nice I think!

Also your attached picture to this is hilarious.

My nightmares.

Probably peanut because they are the most functional of the M&Ms? I find them to be the most filling, which is critical when you're someone who is constantly hungry like me.

A pen! Not only because pens are super-useful and a critical part of my career, but iPods friggin' blow. They break constantly (I've never had one last more than 3 months), are overpriced, and truthfully aren't that necessary in my life. PENS 4 EVA!

I haven't, and I probably won't get a chance to while it's in theaters. I know Dana has seen it though, and as I recall she hated it with a white-hot fury. You can ask her for details if you like @Danawulfekotte on Formspring.

Guilty pleasure bands, arranged in no particular order:
Lady Gaga
Lauren Hill
Third Eye Blind
Megadeth
Pink
Some Christmas music
Paramore
Promise Ring
The Get Up Kids

Probably some other stuff I am forgetting, but this is a good list to start with it at least.

Not only have I not played the second one, I haven't even finished the first one! I think the game got too easy in the middle and I got sucked into Batman: Arkham Asylum or something so I just couldn't pick it back up. Sorry!

Thanks for reading all of our comics by the way, I'm very happy that you like them.

Gosh, I don't know! #1 would probably be "Aphasia would be a blessing" (http://www.leadpaintcomics.com/2010/06/20/aphasia-would-be-a-blessing/). I don't think the joke is perfect, but Dana did an amazing job with the art and I'm really happy with the dialogue.

2-5, arranged in no particular order:
-MODOO (Amazing drawing of She-Hulk)
-On Iron Man II (Not a super-original complaint about super villains, but I like how I framed the complaint)
-The Woolf and the Spider (I love the time-sharks. Plus, eyebeams!)
-Yellow Fever (our first strip will always have a special place in my heart.)

As tempting as it would be to become some kind of time-traveling superhero, warning the world of horrible disasters before they happen, I don't think I could do it. It would be too much like playing God, one man being able to determine the course of all human life and all that. I feel that it would horribly cheapen the lives and struggles of everyone else if there was some human architect invaliding their choices and histories as he desired. I guess this is kind of a needlessly hardline and douchey existentialist stance to take, but that the kind of douche I am I guess.

So yes, I would not go back in time because I don't want to alter the future.

If I had full creative control:

First choice: The Golden Girls (never seen a single episode, but the concept of a sitcom about a bunch of women near-death is too intriguing to pass up)
Runner-up: The Transformers cartoon (1980s version)

If I was just a staff writer/writing within the real world:
1) SNL
2) The Daily Show

I did not get a chance to play it, though I was definitely interested. To be honest, I don't play that many Xbox games. I tend to favor the DS and the PC. And by PC I mean "World of Warcraft." I try to make time when I can to play the "big" Xbox games, like Bioshock and Arkham Asylum, but I've been slipping on that for a while now. I think the last good one I played was Dragon Age one, and I didn't finish it because it got too easy/I got bored for some reason.

Yeah it's a pretty good time.

Transformers. The original cartoon movie is still one of my favorite things in the world.

Chocolate Chip. Home-baked if possible.

Well, the first thing would be that we really didn't get that much, so I guess that's one thing that made it easier. But we did, and do still, get some negative feedback once and a while, and I guess there are a couple different things I do to cope (I can't speak for Dana, so if you want to know what she does, you should ask her on her own Formspring):

-There are a percentage of people on the planet that are just assholes. For whatever reason (not enough hugs, they're failed artists themselves, whatever) these people like to tear things down to validate some starving part of their self-esteem. These kinds of people and the comments they leave are completely irrelevant and meaningless, and I've become pretty good at spotting them, rolling my eyes at, and moving on.

-As for legit criticism, there's a fine line I've learned to walk between having confidence and faith in your work and knowing that it's not perfect and can always be improved. Sometimes you'll get a hurtful comment that's nevertheless a fair criticism of your work, and you may have to swallow your pride and make some changes to how you create. Other times you'll get a criticism that while intelligent, is wrong and ultimately misunderstands your work. So part of dealing with negative feedback for me is accepting that I'm not perfect, but also understanding that every comment about the comic isn't automatically right.

- I am extremely lucky to have someone like Dana as a partner. She's a lot more emotionally mature and stable than me, and whenever I get down about the comic, be it about a particularly stinging comment or my overall shitty writing or whatever, she's always there to pick me up. She's like a tiny little rock of courage, self-esteem and “don't take no shit,” it's pretty great.

That's about it! Sorry for the long answer and I hope I answered your question.

We met through mutual friends five or six years ago. She was dating the frat brother of a friend of mine I knew from high school, so we became connected through a shared social circle. Boring I know, sorry!

I've had it recommended to me once or twice, and seen it mentioned on a few blogs. I've been meaning to check it out for a while. Thanks for the reminder!