"$#!@&% Grandpa" Comics

$#!@&% Grandpa is a comic strip that originally "ran" in 2015-2016, with short encores in 2018-2019. It has returned for 2021. It is impulsive, sloppy, and stupid. While originally only shared with friends and acquaintances, I've arguably received more positive feedback for $#!@&% Grandpa than any of my "serious" art.

Austere, even formidable people have told me they love $#!@&% Grandpa. A friend who uses English as a second language told me $#!@&% Grandpa is his favorite thing I've done. Grandpa speaks to people while speaking for himself.

How To Pronounce "$#!@&%"

I'm not a fan of revisionism or censorship, but earlier fans will notice I've hidden the expletive in the original title. It remains the same title, you simply have to say the true word yourself. I feel this change is more appropriate to the spirit of the comic and, more importantly, it's what Grandpa would want.

For those new to Grandpa, pronunciation of $#!@&% begins like you're telling someone to be quiet and rhymes with "pity." It's a way of saying someone or something is not good, in this case Grandpa. What's strange is there is nothing overwhelmingly $#!@&% about Grandpa. The name was as impulsive and unplanned as the strips themselves, and nothing in Grandpa's conduct nor character is completely $#!@&% in nature. A better name might have been Difficult or Obtuse Grandpa. We'll save those for the overseas translations.

I was completely unaware of a comedy film with a slightly similar name/concept that came out two years prior to the debut of $#!@&% Grandpa. My pride makes it difficult to steal ideas from other people, much less famous people, and I'm not sure whether there is anything beyond a superficial similarity as I've never investigated. I'd be shocked if it riffs on the same notes. I don't mind being part of the zeitgeist sometimes, anyway. I'm not the first person to channel an old man and I won't be the last.

The Facts

I never would have analyzed or explained $#!@&% Grandpa five or six years ago. His story comes through me, not from me. However, enough time has passed that we can now reflect on Grandpa, though we must continue to use restraint lest we profane the sacred.

The main character is a fictional grandfather who lives with his two grandchildren, Kailee and Pete. It's not specified where their parents are or whether Grandpa is the maternal or paternal grandfather. In fact, it's not specified that he is a blood relative of the children at all, only that they appear to live with him and call him Grandpa. Regardless, Grandpa appears to be something of a guardian to the two grandchildren and takes an interest in their lives, again challenging the idea that Grandpa is as $#!@&% as the strip's title suggests.

Grandpa's Tinder... excuse me... his Tendril profile reveals that his name is George and he is seventy-six. We have to assume he is telling the truth, as his granddaughter sees the profile and to our knowledge she does not challenge the details. You might ask, "Who would lie about being a 76-year-old named George?" Remember, this is Grandpa. He refers to having been previously married and it could be inferred that his wife has passed away, or that he is at least single now given his use of an online dating service.

I will not go into the themes or subject matter discussed in $#!@&% Grandpa. Grandpa more than adequately covers that territory on his own. Grandpa has a desire to express himself, plain and simple. You can agree, disagree, or simply let it wash over you. Some have asked, is he me, the author? I don't know — I thought he was you.

I considered making $#!@&% Grandpa an ongoing series that continued indefinitely on a set schedule, but like all true inspiration, it would have been a disservice to force Grandpa to perform against his will in rigid intervals. Grandpa has always been retired, but he periodically enters a deeper retirement. However, I know better than to mistake his naps for the big sleep. Like the band says: he sleeps with one eye open.

For now you can trust that Grandpa remains in his purple chair, always thinking. Always swiping. When he thinks and swipes long enough, we know he must eventually speak. Keep listening.

"$#!@&%" Sketches & Scraps:

In order to understand the full pathology of $#!@&% Grandpa, you must look beyond the comic strips. During the peak 2015-2016 era of Grandpa, he appeared in other scenarios and situations, some of them physical and others purely mental, sometimes accompanied by words and other times in silence, but always with something for you to think about.

There is something amorphous about him. His clothes and glasses remain the same, but his features shift subtly, almost like different actors playing the same character. You always know it's him, though... because of his mind. It's like seeing a friend in a dream and it doesn't look like them but you know it's them. You don't question it because it's the stuff of souls.