Overview :

Background :

I started Larry & Daryl on a whim. I had a guy at my job (that will remain nameless for his privacy), that I was friends with, that used to come into my office and tell me these really odd storied that happened to him.

These were not just a "Hi, how is your day" kind of stories; they were in-depth accounts of some pretty weird stuff. I used to look forward to talking with him, just to see what would happen to him next. I asked if I could write some of his stories down and use them someday, and he agreed. (always ask for permission).
I remember him telling me about the money he found in a fast food bag. I think it was like $50 or so. He always came out of things on top.

We both have long since left the company and I miss his stories.

The comic started out to be just a few panels each week/month showing off some humor.
I had not intended to create all that it has become today.
Today it has a full storyline, with backgrounds and full character development.

When you think about it, a lot of really funny things pass your eyes each day, and if you try to remember the circumstances, it can make for a really funny comic.

The company where I worked one Christmas was purchased by a larger corporation, and as with most companies, they laid off some people.

My friend mentioned above came into my office and said, "Well I see some more people got the Christmas Goose, eh?"
I almost fell off my chair. When I thought about it, and the other stories he told me, as well as my own experiences, I wondered what it may look like in a comic, so I started thinking about actually putting something together.

So what about the story line? A sitcom (Situation Comedy) type could work.
But what about the characters? Male and female? Two women? Two men?
Then I remembered a friend I had back in high school that I really liked hanging around with, and I wondered what it would have been like if we both never got married. Yeah, we'd be miserable. :-)
Yes, that would work! Two guys that grew up together trying to find themselves and also girl friends and maybe future wives.
My comic was coming into existence.

But what to call it?
What would these two look like?

Character Conception :

Now I'd like to go into a bit of detail on the characters and how they were created. I fired up Poser and brought in Michael from DAZ3D.com and started spinning the dials. "One guy is handsome, no. One guy is just ok looking". "Maybe he is cute (to the girls) but shy".
I came up with something I liked and saved "him" off. Then another Michael character was created, and this time I wanted someone different looking, but how?
I think it's important to say at this time to think about the personalities of your characters before you create them.
Will he be a womanizer? Will she be the Barbie doll type? What nationality will they be? I'd also like to mention that you may want to shy away from stereotyping any nationality unless you are going for that feel, because you don't want to offend your readers if they happen to come from that country. That is unless you make it so far out that it could be anyone.

Case in point, I needed a boyfriend for one of the characters (which never got used) that I will get into later, that cared more about himself then her. What nationality should he be? I knew a guy like this back in school. He was Italian. Since I don't want to offend anyone, and yes I married and Italian girl, I decided to not stereotype because I also have a lot of Italian friends who are NOT like this. And my wife would kick my butt.

What would I do? I will break my rules on people from cities though. New York people tend to be tough people. That is a good quality.
New Jersey people tend to be rude drivers. No offense to the nice people who are left in New Jersey (like me).
California people seem to stereotype as beach boys and surfer dudes, although the ones that I know never surf.

So sometimes it's fun to play around as long as you are not trying to hurt anyone. I thought about my second character for a few days and also remembered someone I knew back in school that was a bit slow. He was a good guy though, but "not the sharpest knife in the drawer".
So now I had a personality for both of my leading men. The second guy needed to have some feature that sets him apart without looking ugly. So I gave him a large nose, and eyes that were close together, but what to name them?
I have a friend named Larry. I always liked that name. I tried it out: "Hi I'm Larry". Ok, that worked.
Someone in work suggested "I'm Larry, this is my brother Daryl, and my other brother Daryl" from the Bob Newhart show.
The only Daryl I know was Daryl Dragon from "The Captain & Tennille" Yes I AM that old.

Ha-ha. Daryl it is! I liked that name too, so Larry and Daryl were born.

Story Line: