My 27 One-Panel Comics Featuring Kids Who Are Anything But Ordinary

I am a professor in the Art Department at the University of Costa Rica. I teach a Cartoon Workshop, and my students have always analyzed comics from other countries. Since there were no Costa Rican comics, I decided to create "The Adventures of Wences" to include them in the curriculum.

I met two friends during my teenage years who shaped my path. One of them was the person who finally helped me decide to study Fine Arts at the university. Both were named Wenceslao. In their honor, I decided to name the comic strip after them, but without the last syllable—just Wences. They were a great source of inspiration to me.

I’m always observing what’s happening around me, from someone talking about UFOs to another person walking their dog. Anything can happen, and whatever does happen inspires me to develop an idea. I jot down several, and in one afternoon, I start drawing them. Then I go over them in ink, edit them graphically, and add color—all using a program called GIMP.

I imagine that the reader might react—either positively or negatively—to the strip they read. I try to make them accept the characters, both visually and psychologically, so they get used to them and feel some empathy for each one. To that end, the strip offers a good range of personalities that can appeal to readers’ tastes.