The idea of spending two years turning out a 200-page comic book that only a handful of friends would see until it was completed was pretty damned scary. I had been accustomed to touching base with my readers every two weeks through Wendel. Now I was going to disappear completely from the cartooning scene for two whole years!!! I would have really freaked out had I realized at the outset that I had drastically miscalculated how fast I could draw the book, and that in reality it was going to take me out of circulation for four years instead of two.
	LETTER TO PATSY (September 30, 1990) Patsy, I’m about to start on a massive project that’ll eat up two years of my life. I’ve signed a contract to draw a 200-page comic book. Actually, we in the comics biz call such oversized comics "graphic novels," since that sounds more classy. Tackling this project fills me with really weird feelings. It’s one of the most exciting opportunities I’ve ever had, and unquestionably the most intimidating. But scared as I am, it seems like an appropriate project for me to embark on at this point in my creative life. …