In the meantime, when he thinks about his antagonists, he remembers a lunch meeting with one of his heroes, "The Far Side's" Gary Larson.

"One of the questions I asked him was regarding feedback on his work, and did he show his comics to his friends and family. His words were, he worked in a vacuum: He put out comics, they got into newspapers, and that was it. That was the end of the communication," he says. "And if you look at his work, it's perfect and it's wonderful and it's consistently great. So I look at that and I think some community can be helpful -- but for the most part, stick to your own voice, trust your own judgment, write how you want to write."