Garry Trudeau

Coming up with ideas is really hard - they don't spontaneously pop into my head while I'm cutting vegetables.

Lives have been altered in fundamental ways, and later, after they acquire a more complete understanding of what goals are actually attainable, many are left facing a lot of pain and frustration. And yet, there's no culture of complaint.

The strips about the military do seem to provoke moving and thoughtful responses. It's nice when the strip resonates, but more importantly, I need to know when I'm getting something wrong. The last thing I want to do is contribute to the suffering that wounded warriors already endure.

I've been getting pulled from newspapers for my entire career.

I'm a pointillist, just working my tiny little piece of the canvas. I'm not so good at perspective.

Comic strips are like a public utility. They're supposed to be there 365 days a year, and you're supposed to be able to hit the mark day after day.

I don't think so, but it's always in the back of my mind that many of the soldiers being wounded and killed in Iraq are about the same age as my kids. My godson is going over soon, so the war's about to get personal for me.

Because I was a diminutive, arty kid, I felt like a misfit in high school - but who doesn't?

In any event, it's not exactly a secret to regular readers what my views on the war are.

Life is like a movie-since there aren't any commercial breaks, you have to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of it.

The systematic dismantling of reproductive rights, much like the takedown of collective bargaining, has been taking place in full view.

In their heyday, comics were a dominant force in popular culture, but that's over.