Thousands of people see his alter ego every day, but many have never seen his face.
"If you could line up every person on campus and pick out who does 'Rudy,' no one would think it was me," he said. The freckled mission systems officer for Air Force ROTC, dressed in his short-sleeved uniform, shies away from attention. He is a modest, soft-spoken perfectionist who is easily embarrassed. "I don't do anything out of the ordinary," said the 20-year-old junior computer science major and Air Force brat. "You don't have to be funny to be a cartoonist. You just have to be observant." He has never taken an art class, but Brown has been an artist for years. "When we'd go to parties, there'd be a line waiting for Aaron to draw their pictures," said Sarah Brand, a junior English and French major. "Sometimes people would wait for hours in line. And he would always do drawings for people for their birthdays and would sketch people in class."
'Rudy' begins with a dare The strip was conceived Spring 1998, when Brown's roommates dared him to apply as a cartoonist at the Skiff. With main characters Rudy, Jonny and Speedy, the strip is based on the real-life exploits of three roommates. Rudy is freckle-faced, innocent, unsuccessful with women and a bit on the goofy side. He is a character interpretation of Brown as he was his freshman year. "Rudy is me - where he is in life isn't me now, but his character is part of me," he said. "He is a reflection of me dealing with my imperfections and insecurities that spring semester."
"John is incredibly intelligent, cynical like you wouldn't believe, sarcastic and probably one of the most persuasive people I've ever met," Brown said. "His character isn't a proper representation, but he knows it's just a cartoon." Speedy is the likeness of Adam Schoeneman, a junior advertising/public relations major, as he was Spring 1998. He is Brown's current favorite character in the strip and sports long hair, baggy pants and an expressive happy face T-shirt. "I've had a lot of fun with Speedy," Brown said. "His freshman year, Adam had girl-length blond hair, he was thin and incredibly goofy. He is flat-out weird but a really good guy. He doesn't really have a role in the cartoon other than being weird." Other characters include Ofie, based on Brand; Shelly, based on Kelly Jones, a senior psychology major; Zoe, the newest addition based on Krista Wecsler, a junior art education major and Brown's girlfriend; and other minor characters that flit in and out of the strip. Schoeneman said he still remembers the night Brown developed the idea.
Although many of the real-life characters have moved on, and the living situation has changed, "Rudy" is a depiction of true-to-life events Brown and his friends have experienced in college. "If I tried to make it up, people would know," Brown said. "I would be manufacturing, and no one would be able to relate to it. "The strip has a life of its own. It is real life in my head, but the events are very rarely the exact events in real life."
'Rudy' fans and foes Alison Indergard, a senior advertising/public relations major, said one of the first things she reads in the Skiff every day is the comic strip. "I dig it so much because he says things that need to be said, but in a humorous way," she said. "He knows how to push the envelope." But people aren't always receptive to Brown's humor.
Schoeneman said Brown has been the recipient of hate mail from various groups around campus that have been offended at his humor. "I wish I could write cartoons and then, to everyone that reads it and takes offense, explain what I meant and tell them how to take it," Brown said. Wecsler said whenever she hears people's negative reactions to the strip, she interprets Brown's intentions. "I am 300 percent in support of his decisions of humor," Wecsler said. "He sees humor very innocently. He wouldn't hurt an ant. So, when he finds out it hurts people, it hurts him, too." But Brown continues to create his strips. He draws daily, and has not missed a Skiff in three semesters. He also occasionally draws editorial cartoons for the opinion page.
The future of 'Rudy' In addition to "Rudy," Brown is also vice president of his Sigma Nu fraternity, an Air Force flight commander, and a "Web guy." He was selected Thursday for pilot training after graduation to become a fighter pilot. "I love doing ('Rudy'), but I nearly quit this semester because I simply don't have a life," he said. "But I can't live without it." Brown plans to continue his "Rudy" strip throughout school.
Although he will never again draw "Rudy" after graduation, he
dreams of having another strip someday, he said. In the meantime, he plans
to create a "In 'Rudy', I have a chance to speak to people that I will never meet," he said. "My biggest hope is that in everyone's busy lives, I have made them smile, if even just once."
Lety Laurel
|
He has published more than 200 comic strips, but Aaron Brown, the creator
of the TCU Daily Skiff's "Rudy," said most people wouldn't guess
he is the source of the successful comic.
Jonny plays the part of Rudy's best friend, although
he is the cartoon's occasional villain, scheming and occasionally mean.
With his trademark sunglasses and hat, he is based on John Dyer, a junior
religion major.
"One night we were sitting around and he said, 'I think it would
be cool to see a comic strip revolved around us three,'" he said.
"I took it with a grain of salt. But once the comic strip came out,
I was really impressed. His were probably the most original in the Skiff
and dealt with a concept of TCU that everyone could relate to and understand."
"I feel very out of control when I do a borderline 'Rudy' that
someone will take personally," he said. "The hardest thing about
doing 'Rudy' is that I can't stand making people upset. My philosophy in
life is nothing is too serious that you can't laugh at it."
"Rudy" Web site this summer which will include
an archive of every "Rudy" comic strip created, fully animated
"Rudy" cartoons, games which will incorporate "Rudy"
characters and possibly a chatroom for TCU students.
| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |