See? A happy ending. Well, not a sad ending, at least.

My son is headed off to college in about a week and a half, and I can’t help but notice that’s being reflected in the strips I’m working on right now. And I’m sure this theme will pop up in a few more strips, too.

I know, I know… the “empty nest” syndrome is such a cliche’. But there’s a reason cliches come into being.

This one was difficult because I wanted Davis to have a “storyteller” look to him. Unfortunately, a quick Google Image search told me that there is no definitive storyteller look. So I went with a combination of a couple of images, though my first sketch had him looking more Amish than communicative. (Actually, he still looks a little Amish to me.)

The ending to this isn’t going to be as bleak as I’ve painted it so far, but still, Ryan’s growing up and his parents are going to have to adjust to it.

Okay, it’s just possible that this little story is influenced by the fact that my son is going off to college in about two weeks. Maybe.

The bedtime stories go back to the very beginning of “Ryan’s Dad.” If you want to see what Ryan is talking about, check out the very first strip here.

I have to admit, I feel sorry for Davis in this one.

This is part 7 of Davis’s brother visiting.

AFTER THE FACT:

This is the first strip published on this site, and it’s important as the first appearance of Davis.

When I started thinking about what this strip would be, I originally thought it would just be Rooster and Ryan (and it was originally going to be called that) with Rooster acting as a surrogate father for Ryan because the parents were too busy to be seen (I was thinking about “Peanuts” and the fact that you never saw adults in that great strip).

But I quickly realized that would be unworkable. So with the need to show parents, I started thinking about what they would be like.  After struggling with that for a while, this gag popped into my head.  As soon as I wrote it down I thought, “I know exactly who this guy is.”

And he quickly developed to the point where he’s become the focus of the strip.  He’s certainly the easiest to write for, because he’s the closest to my own point of view.

So how much of me goes into Davis?  Well, a lot of his observations on life come from me, and I’m a little bit acquainted with some of the bitterness he feels, but I also share with him a love for the wife and kids.

We do have some important differences.  For one thing, the bosses I’ve had over the last few years have been great. Yeah, I may go home tired, but rarely am I as beat up by life as he is. And we have one more critical difference.

I have better hair.