About
• Where did the name hindsight 21/17 come from?
  The story opens with the depressed 21 year old, Owen. Like many of us, Owen can't see far ahead into the future because he's so caught up in being stuck in the past, and trying to change the past (hindsight). Quinton (the magical stuffed elephant) decides to solve this problem by making Owen 4 years younger so that Owen can attempt to relive life and do all the things he wishes he had done before (21/17). It's also a pun on the t-shirts that say hindsight 20/20, implying that it's easier to look backwards than it is to look forwards, to suggest that even our view of the past can be obscured.
• Where did the idea for the comic come from?
  The comic all started one day a long time ago...
  Sometimes pieces just all fall together. One of my art projects was to combine an animal with a character form and for the logo to portray characteristics of each. This was the spawning of the first cartoons for Q, the elephant, over dinner and desert at Apple B's. Among other doodles and finally the inspiration to start my own comic, I began creating the characters. I knew what type of characters I wanted, and after that they just created themselves. They live inside my head now and I've developed split personalities. This is my first comic, and it was my goal to improve my drawing skills. Also I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't a quitter and that I could commit to something grand (and maintain something artistic to help me get through the stress of school).
• Are any of the characters based on real people?
  Perhaps a few, loosely based personalities. To me the characters are more universal, each representing a part of us, or at least me. Occasionally one of my friends happens to sneak into the comic, but mostly the characters are figments of my imagination...
• Why is pink such an important color?
  Honestly I don't know. Pink was not chosen as a gay color. But Quinton just seemed to fit as a pink elephant. Maybe it was my childhood memories of Dumbo, or else the image of one of those little beanie babies in the back of my head. Quinton became pink to make him stand out, then after that pink just became important, like Q is.
• So is this supposed to be a gay friendly comic, and which of the characters are gay?
  I never intended for this comic to have a central focus on gay issues. In fact I don't even like labels so I would hesitate to call any of the characters gay. Sure there are some characters that like one sex more than the other, but this comic is really supposed to be about freedom, and falling in love with someone for what their personality is. Unfortunately the world I have created is unrealistic, and I have tried to reduce the amount of discrimination and the tabooness of boys liking boys. Sadly some people still look at my comic and scream, "oh it's gay, yuck!"
• What's the deal with backeyed?
  Owen loves any good spy/mystery flick. From thrillers to movies-that-make-you-think, Owen's obsession for the exciting life of a spy sometimes gets carried away in his imagination. Owen has a very active imagination, to the point where he begins to fill in all the details of life that don't quite make sense to him. backeyed is Owen's reaction to life around him, and his way of explaining how mysterious things happen.
• What about the author?
  Well I'm pretty much just your average male student. I already have an undergraduate degree in Computer Science, and I'm currently back at school to get a second undergraduate degree in Art. This is just to delay time before I decide between grad school and work. I'll eventually end up somewhere in the large field of Graphic Design. Unless of course I start a successful band or end up on Broadway. This comic was just my way of having an artistic outlet while trying to complete my first degree. It's also been an outlet for me to reflect upon life.
• What about the future?
  My plans are to stick with hindsight 21/17 for as long as possible. I want to be able to say I did a comic for a few years. So don't count on seeing it end anytime soon. Unfortunately I'm constantly coming up with new ideas, and never wanting to finish them. There will likely be more comics by me, some short lived, but coming in various styles and being in no way related to hindsight 21/17.