Keep In Mind That In 1985, I

I Drew The Last Image Ever Of Opus At Midnight While Puccini Was Playing And I Got Rather Stupid. Thirty Years. A Bit Like Saying Goodbye To A Child - Which Is Ironic Because I Was Never, Never Sentimental About Him As Many Of His Fans Were.

Doonesbury Had The Requisite And Overwhelming Influence In 1980, As It Did On Any College Cartoonist Who Was Paying Attention, Of Course.

My Post-child Period Resulted In One Instant Change: I Write Shorter Books For Kids.

The Cartooning Was Always Just An Abstraction. It Was An Income. It Was Making Me Famous. It Was Allowing Me To Go And Do Other Things That I'd Wanted To Do.

Keep In Mind That In 1985, I Had A Potential Readership Of Over 50 Million Americans. At That Time, A Good Portion Of Those Were Under 30.