Darby Conley
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Darby Conley is an American cartoonist best known for the popular comic strip Get Fuzzy.
Conley was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1970, and grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee.
While in high school in 1986, he won a student cartooning competition. During his Senior Year at Doyle High School (now South-Doyle High School) in Knoxville, Conley was voted 'Most Talented' by his graduating class. He attended Amherst College, where he studied Fine Arts, drew cartoons for the student newspaper, played rugby, and was a member of an all-male, jazz-influenced a cappella group, the Zumbyes. (Fellow cartoonist alumni of Amherst include FoxTrot creator Bill Amend and the late John Cullen Murphy of Prince Valiant fame.)
Like Rob Wilco, the human protagonist in Get Fuzzy, Conley is an enthusiastic rugby union fan, playing during college and sustaining several injuries that failed to diminish his passion for the sport.
Before becoming a cartoonist, Conley held a wide array of jobs: elementary school teacher, art director for a science museum, lifeguard, and bicycle repairman. This eclectic collection of professions is reminiscent of those held by Douglas Adams, whom Conley has mentioned as a comedic influence.
Conley, an animal rights activist and vegetarian, lives in Boston.
[edit] Influences
Comics that Conley has cited as personal favorites include Bloom County, The Far Side and The Adventures of Tintin. Each of these has influenced his drawing style and the sense of humor that comes through in each strip. Much of what Conley drew in his high school years and beyond, in fact, was what he described as "Far Side rip-off type stuff".
Conley has also stated that his sense of humor was shaped in part by the likes of comedy/science fiction author Douglas Adams and legendary comic troupe Monty Python. Many "one-shot" Get Fuzzy strips feature wordplay and puns that reflect these influences. He is also a fan of the band Ween.
[edit] Get Fuzzy
After submitting his Gary Larson-esque efforts to syndicates for years, a few representatives advised Conley that a strip with regular characters and some continuity might prove easier to "sell". As an animal lover, Conley decided to feature a cat and dog; some fine-tuning resulted in the strip Get Fuzzy.
Comics mega-syndicate United Media agreed in 1999 to publish Conley's new strip, which first appeared in September of that year. Get Fuzzy began its run in 75 papers, an unusually high number for a newcomer. But the strip’s runaway popularity was even more unprecedented. Within a short number of years, the circulation had more than doubled, the first book of collected strips was published, and talks were being conducted over the production of plush toys, a TV show, and even a movie.
Conley has admitted that he considers himself more of a "dog person" than a "cat person", and Satchel Pooch was based partially on his beloved childhood pet Patch. Despite Satchel's endearing characteristics, it is unquestionably Bucky Katt who has proven the most popular character of the strip. The idea for Bucky's character came from a friend's Siamese who seemed to hate Darby no matter what he did. Darby drew several versions of Bucky with his ears up, until he hit on drawing Bucky with his ears constantly pinned down. Conley was intrigued by the idea of a cat who was so unrelentingly hostile that his ears were permanently flattened against his skull, and the unique look of Bucky was born.
The unusual title of the strip came from a concert poster he once created for his brother's band, the Fuzzy Sprouts. "Life's too short to be cool," the poster read, "Get Fuzzy."
In 2002, the National Cartoonists Society selected Get Fuzzy to receive their Award for Newspaper Comic Strip.
Conley faced minor controversy in late 2003 when Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania served as the punch line of a strip about tourism destinations based on smells. Offended residents of the area deluged the author with feedback that ranged from mild indignation to death threats.
