Here's some questions that are frequently asked. "Did I make some of them up?" is one of them. And I more than likely did.

What the- where am I?

Good question! This is hOkum (strange capitalisation fully intended), a comic on the internet. I hope you find it to be up to your high standards, reader.

Why is it called hOkum?

I flicked through a dictionary and ended it with hokum, and I liked it! Especially after reading up on it (that page isn't mine, but I'll happily claim it)! The unnecessary capital o is there because it used to be a stick-man’s head (as it is in the first few strips in the archive), but I cut that from the template. For some reason I kept the capital o.

So... what’s it about?

Well, that’s kind of sketchy at the moment. I make up the plot off the top of my head really; there isn’t a terrible amount of planning involved. But we follow (at the time of writing) six characters: Sylar and Hiro from the T.V. show Heroes, Spiderman and Batman from Marvel and DC comics respectively, Detective Hortortio Caine from C.S.I: Miami (named so because I misspelt Horatio first time I mentioned him) and Sergeant Jameson from my own head.

Wow, you steal a lot of characters!

That’s not a question!

Why do you steal a lot of characters?

Ah. Well I never intended to have a fixed cast going through the plots I have led them through. It started as sketches of characters from popular culture doing silly things every day, interspersed with random stick-men doing equally silly things. I changed it because it just... happened. The story formed with no provocation from me, it just appeared on the page. So we have stolen characters!

How do you make your strips?

Well, I draw the characters and most of the scenery on plain printer paper with a four panel template paper clipped behind it (to save printer ink), using a black 0.5mm Pilot DR Drawing Pen. I then scan it into Photoshop 7, resize it and move it onto a digital template. I move bits, erase dust, darken lines and colour in there, occasionally indulging in a bit of copy + paste (shock horror!). I use the font Tooney Loons to add dialogue, and whatever other fonts I can find for any other stuff. Finally, I add the speech lines and save as a .PNG. Then I upload them for your enjoyment!

Why did you start writing a webcomic in the first place?

Well I just fell in love with the medium. Webcomics are definitely one of the most diverse and the easiest to access of the story telling mediums. Books are my second on that list, but as of right now I’m yet to start a book that I don’t run out of interest in after a chapter or so. With a comic released online, pages are released periodically, and you see the audience reaction instantly. That’s the last thing I like about webcomics: the link between creator and reader. A quick browse will show that there is definitely a fair amount of banter between me and my readership. And I love it!

Can you include something if I ask? I have a good idea!

For the most part? No. I have written incredibly far ahead at the moment, and I don’t typically take requests to include in the story. However, if I do hear a good idea, I have been known to either promise to include it in future (as I have done with at least two people at the moment) or rewrite a section of the plot entirely to accommodate it (as I have done only once for a brilliant idea). I mostly only take these suggestions from friends and people I see day to day, as it is easier to discuss ins and outs in person than over the interwubs. I write this section because, as any webcomic writer can attest to, people are just full of awesome ideas just for you!

Will you put my comic on your link page?

If I put you on my link page, one of three things has happened. Either I have read your comic and loved it so much that I felt the need to share it with my readers, or we have an alliance of sorts where we know each other, collaborate on things and chit chat every so often, or we have exchanged guest strips for each other. When any of these are true, come and ask me again!

Can I email you things?

If it isn’t spam telling me that I should send you at least £2,500 to help a Hungarian princess (yes, I have actually had spam like that), then I’m happy for you to email me things! Send it to hokum@hotmail.co.uk and I’ll have a look at whatever it is.