KARL KERSCHL, creator of the webcomic about a sasquatch improbably called THE ABOMINABLE CHARLES CHRISTOPHER and his life in Cedar Forest, talks to JODY MACGREGOR.

The Abominable Charles Christopher is an addictive webcomic. Hilarious and tragic by turns, it’s the story of a well-meaning but dumb-as-bricks yeti and the animals he shares a forest with. Taking a leaf from Walt Kelly’s classic strip Pogo, the animals are stand-ins for everyday humans. There’s a deadbeat-dad bird who always returns to the nest stinking drunk, a squatter toad and skunks who turn everything into an ad.

JODY MACGREGOR: Your animals act like modern, urban characters – the ad skunks are favourites of mine. What made you want to depict them that way?

KARL KERSCHL: They’re all archetypes, I guess, and I’m not even sure how modern they are. A lot of these characters would be at home on ‘50s television. When I’m drawing a strip (or conceptualizing it) I usually know what kind of feeling I want it to have, and the choice of animal is secondary. So I might end up with a fox or a deer and not really know why. In the case of the skunks, it’s one of the few strips that I wrote deliberately, by which I mean that I had something to say about the nature of advertising and wanted to express it in the comic. I hate ads. I hate being sold to. I’m not sure what I wanted to say, exactly, but I felt an urge to bring that huckster element into the world of the Cedar Forest.

As for why I chose skunks to be the salesmen ... I have no idea. Except that skunks are kind of funny to look at.

JM: Are you ever tempted to go back and change strips after you’ve put them up?

KK: Urghh. Yes. I rarely do, though. Once I’ve posted the strip on Wednesday, I try not to look back because there’s only so much I can do without it becoming obsessive. I like that it’s a snapshot of the developmental process, though – certain characters evolve visually over time, and if I changed the earlier drawings I feel like I’d be cheating myself. I might tidy up a few things before it’s eventually collected into a book, but those changes will be minimal.

JM: Does having the almost-instant feedback of a comments system make a difference to how you see the comic?

KK: In some ways, the readers are as important to the process as I am because their responses will guide me in terms of what sort of tone the next few strips might require. If they seem fatigued with overly comical strips, I’ll mix it up with some sad moments, etc. I’ve found that, for the most part, their tastes are very similar to my own – the emotional moments that resonate with me while I’m working on the comic also seem to resonate with them. We’re all on the same page.

JM: Do you have an ending planned for the series?

KK: Sort of. I know what the very last strip will be. I think. But when that will be or how I get there is a complete mystery. There are certain moments I’d like to capture, but it could really be years in the making, especially at a strip-a-week. It’s designed to be a continuous strip until I need it to not be, so I guess it’ll go on as long as I’m interested in it.

You can read THE ABOMINABLE CHARLES CHRISTOPHER every week at www.abominable.cc

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