We reached out to Nate, who agreed to give us an interview and share more about his recent work. From our observation, single-panel comics rely heavily on visuals. For this reason, we wanted the cartoonist to explain how he decides when to let the art carry the joke versus when the text plays a key role. Fakes shared with us: “It really just happens naturally when writing. Sometimes, I’ll think of a funny visual and write a gag based on that, or I’ll write the comic and have to determine what art works best. I’m also thrilled when I can come up with some comic that has no text at all that works. It only happens sometimes, but I’m always a bit giddy when it does.”
We were also curious if the single-panel format ever feels restrictive for the artist. Nate provided more insight into balancing the challenge of conveying a full story or punchline in his cartoons: “Having a gag comic doesn’t feel too restrictive most of the time. If it does, I take advantage of my Sunday comics -- which are much bigger. Sometimes, I’ll include multiple panels in those. The fun part about gag cartooning is the challenge of creating something that’s hopefully funny for the audience in such a short segment. Converting most of the story in such limited space isn’t always easy, but it keeps the gears turning in my head. That said, I enjoy longer-form content, too. Currently, I’m developing a comic strip with a friend of mine, along with another graphic novel.”
When asked about how his humor has evolved since he started making comics, Fakes responded: “Some of the funniest material I’ve ever done has been things that no one else except a very limited audience would find funny. For example, when I used to work at restaurants in my early 20s, I’d create comics about all of the crew members I worked with and what we had to deal with regularly. I’d include customers [who] were known, complaints we have to deal with, daily struggles, and things like that. If I took that anywhere mainstream, no one would get it. However, for about ten of us, it was hilarious. So, as I’ve grown older, I’m trying to expand on some of that in my mood but make it relatable to anyone. That’s coming together in some forms in the gag comics and my new strips in development. A lot of it is edgier, which I like.”
The cartoonist continued: “In general, though, I think my syndicated panel, Break of Day, has been pretty consistent for over the decade-plus I’ve worked on it. The mood evolves and changes as new technology, or circumstances, comes around. In a nutshell, I try to create work that relates in some ways to what we humans have to contend with, even if it’s a gag that features an inanimate object that, in reality, can’t communicate.”
Finally, we wondered if the artist has ever been surprised by readers interpreting a comic differently than he intended. We learned that: “I see this a lot! There are some interesting takes on the comics that blow me away, and I’m surprised by them. For example, some take them out of context completely and get insulted over me drawing a cute teddy bear or something. Or, they think there’s some deeper meaning in them or something else. At the end of the day, there’s no ill intentions in any of them. I try to make people laugh. Period. There are no dark or hidden messages in the comics. Although...maybe there are. Yeah, I’ll go with that! That’ll get any conspiracy theorist thinking.”
