Midge the Mutt’s Introduction

Welcome to everyone reading the Anipal Times and this article! My name is Sunny, and I’m the cartoonist behind Midge.

Okay, above is where the cartoonist stopped to get up and get more coffee, and use the bathroom. I have only a few minutes before she comes back, so let’s get to it.

I’m Midge, and I’m the actual star of the show. Admit it. Nobody cares about the cartoonist; they care about the star. It’s like a sitcom—you don’t want to know about how the writer got started; you want to hear about the actors, about the face of the entertainment.

So, that’s what I’m here for.

I’m a dog, a mutt specifically, a part dachshund, part Beagle, part Basset, I think. My ears are super long, so I’m pretty sure there’s Basset in there.

I came into being in 1996 when the cartoonist was still young and drawing all my comics with a pencil on notebook paper. She was trying to be the next Bill Watterson, Charles Schulz, or Jim Davis, or a combo of the three. I don’t know.

Mighty ambitious for a little kid.

Anyway, a rescue dog named Bridget, whom the cartoonist had as a kid, inspired her to create me, even though we didn’t look alike. In fact, the stuffed dog the cartoonist played with inspired my design.

Because a kid created me, she drew me poorly at first.

So, as the cartoonist got older, she redesigned me and the other characters in our cast (who are also less important than I am) and started improving her jokes. I kid you not, the very first punchline of my very first comic was “I take pride in my droppings.”

How’s that for an embarrassing start? I’m ready for Nickelodeon now! Just kidding. Anyone who knows me knows I would never sell myself to a network. I’m an independent doggo.

Since 2008, when my cartoonist began my online presence with the Official Midge website (now gone) and a year later as @MidgetheMutt on Twitter (happily still there, and I’m not calling it X), I’ve released three indie books featuring my comics!

I also have a store on Zazzle called MidgeShop (wink, wink) https://www.zazzle.com/store/midgeshop/products

She was glad when the syndicate columns rejected her.

That can make this tougher, of course, because we must do all our marketing ourselves. I work my paws to the bone! It’s hard but rewarding!

Now, enough about my dazzling career. You want to know about me.

Well, I’m adventurous, silly, and I love, love, LOVE socks (I think I might have a problem).

As for the cartoonist, she’s human, loves animals, and has a bunch of her own. To clear up a common misconception, I’m not one of them.

Melissa (my human in my comics) is not a cartoonist. Though I’m sure there’s a lot of Sunny-isms in Melissa’s reactions to my antics. Just like there’s a lot of Sunny’s doggos in those aforementioned antics.

Uh-oh. I hear her coming back, so I’ve got to wrap this up. I’ll end by saying that I hope the cartoonist and I entertain you, dear reader, with our comics, our future articles, and my boundless canine charm.

Now, go hug your furbabies!