Here is a new interview about Sandra and Woo with one of the Sandra and Woo fans that received a poster package, our reader

illeatyourself

Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?

> My name is Brantley Jessee, or as I like to be known online, Shike Travis Marshall. I am 19 years old, going to be 20 in a little less than a month, and I work at a McDonalds right across from the same Lehi Roller Mills featured in the original Footloose movie. I enjoy spending my time chatting online via Furcadia, watching YouTube, writing, listening to or composing music, watching TV/movies, reading, drawing, or making various updates to the many blogs I run (equestrianmilitary.tumblr.com, askdjstreamline.tumblr.com, illeatyourself.tumblr.com). I also enjoy spending time with my good friend who likes to be known as the Mad Hatter, and I even run a humor blog with him as well (askthehatterclan.tumblr.com). Aside from those, I am fairly lazy, but that doesn’t make me any less good to have around when you need help with something.

When you read Sandra and Woo for the first time, what grabbed your attention the most?

> Probably the art style, the humor, the slice-of-life storytelling, and the fact that it never even once falls into a long story arc like most other comics do. I always wanted to find a funny comic that never tried to get serious for too long, and this seems to be the only one so far! As for how I came across the comic in the first place, I kept seeing it advertised on the side while reading other comics, and eventually decided to check it out!

Is the thing you mentioned above still your favorite part of the comic, or do you like something else the most now?

> I honestly miss the colored portions of the comic, but aside from that, I can’t really think of anything I DON’T like.

Who is your favorite character and why?

> I don’t normally pick favorites, but if I had to, I’d say Larissa. She’s just too insane to not like her, and she actually reminds me of my friend (yes, the Mad Hatter I mentioned) quite a lot, minus the reckless abandon she tends to show. I could also say Butterfly, perhaps, because she was a very interesting character. Oh yeah, and Ye Thuza is also pretty dang funny, I like her most out of Cloud’s entire family. XD Cloud is a close second though. :\

Do you have a favorite story arc and/or a favorite single strip?

> None in particular, really, although I do find myself wishing they would go on another treasure hunt much like the one they went on so many story arcs ago, especially if you did the entire thing in color. And this time, instead of ending on a random and unresolved “Big-Lipped Alligator Moment” cliffhanger, it should have a legitimate ending, maybe a humorous one in lieu of Phineas and Ferb. XD

You have read Sandra and Woo for many years now. Do you think the comic has changed in any way since the beginning?

> Well, I definitely noticed a change in the art style, as well as the characters growing older seemingly in time with the changing art style. Its as if they adapted to each other. I also noticed the change to and from colored comics. Then there’s the steady increase in adult humor over time, also as they get older, just as one might experience as they get older in real life. Nicely done, Oliver. XP

Sandra and Woo is sometimes criticized for lacking focus. Is there an aspect of the comic that you’d rather get rid of?

> HECK NO.

Is there a topic you’d like to see getting addressed in a longer story arc?

> I dunno. Maybe Sandra’s relationship with Cloud? Or Woo’s relationship with Lily, as well as Lily’s relationship with Sandra and humans in general? I’d also like to see another treasure hunt story arc just like the one from so long ago. 😉

What are your wishes for the future of Sandra and Woo?

> Geez, so many questions that make me want to say “Another treasure hunt story arc”. XD As far as the comic itself goes, I hope this comic goes on for many more years, and that its fanbase keeps growing. I also hope that, if it EVER ends (finding a good successor would be absolutely brilliant if you decide to pass it on to someone else), it will be a satisfying ending that will leave me happy and content with it, not wishing anything more out of it. I trust you will be able to manage that, considering how much skill you have shown in writing this comic already. 😉

Is there any other webcomic which you’d like to recommend to our readers?

> [Note by Novil: illeatyourself’s reply was so long that I had to remove it.]

Do you have anything else do say? Here’s room for it:

> Supercalifragilisticexpyalidocious. Also, find the odd one out: aaoewfndlaehcfaidshlichcpzspfweaounaliwcunluhzlsdiufhlaewuah1apcfzfaeuwcealfuhakuflauweflaeufhl (Pun not intended) And lastly, I freaking love your other comic, Gaia. XP

Here is a new interview about Sandra and Woo with one of the Sandra and Woo fans that received a poster package, our reader

Blitz

Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?

> I’m Simon, aka Blitz the Comic Guy or Blitzkrieg1701 depending on what website I’m on at the moment. I’m a webcomic artist who works on the comics Far Out There and Conventional Wisdom (shameless self-advertising accomplished)

When you read Sandra and Woo for the first time, what grabbed your attention the most?

> The thing that initially grabbed me was the characters. I was seeing a lot of Sandra & Woo ads across the Project Wonderful network and thought it looked pretty cute.

Is the thing you mentioned above still your favorite part of the comic, or do you like something else the most now?

> Well, several of the characters are older now, but everything is still pretty cute! Also, it’s a thought likable cast of characters, which is a good way to keep me coming back.

Who is your favorite character and why?

> Oh wow. I’ll sound stupid saying this right after specifically bringing up likable characters, but I have no idea. I like pretty much everyone this comic has to offer.

Do you have a favorite story arc and/or a favorite single strip?

> Again, it’s hard to say. I do get a special twinge of delight whenever The Empress of Northia shows up.

You have read Sandra and Woo for many years now. Do you think the comic has changed in any way since the beginning?

> Oh yes. The comic feels like it’s “grown up” quite a bit over the years, and I don’t just mean the art shift… although that’s a part of it. Being able to look back at the earliest strips and see the main characters looking so much younger adds to the sense that they’ve come a long way.

Sandra and Woo is sometimes criticized for lacking focus. Is there an aspect of the comic that you’d rather get rid of?

> I suppose the argument could be made that doing arcs focused on one main character shortchanges the others, and that more brief appearances (say, a brief cutaway to Larissa in the middle of a Woo-heavy arc) would help balance things out. However, I know from experience that such things are much easier said than done. Anyway, since I don’t specifically dislike any part of Sandra & Woo, I’m not going to get upset over one of those parts getting more attention or not.

Is there a topic you’d like to see getting addressed in a longer story arc?

> …well, I guess I wouldn’t mind finally having Larissa’s “secret” finally cleared up. Am I right folks?

What are your wishes for the future of Sandra and Woo?

> Lots and lots of critical and financial success for its creators, obviously!

Is there any other webcomic which you’d like to recommend to our readers?

> Far Out There (www.FarOutThere.com) and Conventional Wisdom (ConventionalWisdom.SmackJeeves.com) of course! Seriously, though, Kiwi Blitz (www.KiwiBlitz.com) and Star Power (www.StarPowerComic.com) are well worth checking out.

Do you have anything else do say? Here’s room for it:

> Freedom! Justice! Cookies!

Here is a new interview about Sandra and Woo with one of the Sandra and Woo fans that received a poster package, our reader

Petah-Petah

Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?

> My name is Peter, I’m 23 years old, and I live in the Netherlands. I have several hobbies, such as playing games, cycling, browsing the internet and swimming.

When you read Sandra and Woo for the first time, what grabbed your attention the most?

> I’ve been reading the comic early 2009, so what grabbed my attention is kinda hazy, but I think the art style was definitely the biggest into why I’m reading it. It also helped that the relation between Sandra and Woo as owner and pet was pretty nice.

Is the thing you mentioned above still your favorite part of the comic, or do you like something else the most now?

> The art style is definitely still at the top. The interaction between Sandra and Woo has somewhat fallen a bit, though.

Who is your favorite character and why?

> Cloud, especially in the beginning, was so cool. Being able to take down bullies much bigger than him made him pretty awesome in my book. In the recent years, I’m gonna have to give it to Seeoahtlahmakaskay, mainly since she reminds me of Okami’s main hero, Ameterasu.

Do you have a favorite story arc and/or a favorite single strip?

> The A.R.T. arc. Especially that one comic where Larissa’s dad gets even with her. I also like the comics where Cloud’s parents were playing with MLP toys, if only because I’m a fairly big <em>Friendship is Magic</em> fan.

You have read Sandra and Woo for many years now. Do you think the comic has changed in any way since the beginning?

> The art has gotten better. Also, Sandra seems to be interacting more with other characters than she does with Woo.

Sandra and Woo is sometimes criticized for lacking focus. Is there an aspect of the comic that you’d rather get rid of?

> You tend to make incredibly long arcs. Not that you should get rid of the storylines, but I would like to see them shorter. The most recent one, for instance, with Butterfly sending the special one, took four months to complete, and mostly focused on a character I wasn’t very interested in.

Is there a topic you’d like to see getting addressed in a longer story arc?

> I’m afraid I can’t really think of anything. Perhaps a day in the life of Seeoahtlahmakaskay?

What are your wishes for the future of Sandra and Woo?

> You seem to be doing pretty fine with Sandra and Woo. Just keep doing what you do best and never stop improving.

Is there any other webcomic which you’d like to recommend to our readers?

> Soul Symphony is done by a friend of mine. It’s about a girl who has to save her fellow students from their internal struggles by fighting them in their souls, using the power of music. Other comics I’m also a big fan of are Awkward Zombie, Brawl in the Family, Manly Guys Doing Manly Things, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal and Poppy O’Possum.

Do you have anything else do say? Here’s room for it:

> To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be getting any posters at all anymore. But holy crap, Novil, that tube contains a whole lot more than I was expecting. My favorite posters are on there too, so those will definitely get a spot on my wall somewhere.

Here is a new interview about Sandra and Woo with one of the Sandra and Woo fans that received a poster package, our reader

Sara

Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?

> I’m female, 17, and am in training to become a pastry chef. Regarding my characters I’m incredibly childish, shy and I’m a lunatic. :’3

When you read Sandra and Woo for the first time, what grabbed your attention the most?

> Woo of course… totally cute, a cuddly raccoon and he can talk. *-*

Is the thing you mentioned above still your favorite part of the comic, or do you like something else the most now?

> I just love all characters and there’s just nothing that I don’t like.

Who is your favorite character and why?

> Larisa – Her way of thinking is unique and what she’s hiding from others is even more heart-melting. I also like fire. *,-,*

Do you have a favorite story arc and/or a favorite single strip?

> The story about Zoey’s crush on Michelle… That was the first time where I was already desperate on Monday because I had to wait until Thursday to know how the story continues.

You have read Sandra and Woo for many years now. Do you think the comic has changed in any way since the beginning?

> Mmmh no, it is still extremely compelling, funny, exciting and wonderful. It’s now even better drawn, but that’s secondary to me because the plot is always great. <3

Sandra and Woo is sometimes criticized for lacking focus. Is there an aspect of the comic that you’d rather get rid of?

> No, none.

Is there a topic you’d like to see getting addressed in a longer story arc?

> Zoey and Michelle >_<

What are your wishes for the future of Sandra and Woo?

> That it’ll never end. Q_Q’

Is there any other webcomic which you’d like to recommend to our readers?

> No.

Do you have anything else do say? Here’s room for it:

> I love Sandra and Woo and it’s my favorite comic which I won’t ever stop reading… and you’re always looking forward to Monday, although Monday usually isn’t a day to look forward to. :’3

Sandra and Woo has caught the attention of the scientific world; it seems like every second “Proceedings of …” article series features a reference to our little comic! … Well, not really ;), but there are now indeed four scientific articles dealing with Sandra and Woo!

The first two articles, in German, were written by linguist Jun.-Prof. Dr. Ulrike Preußer from the University of Duisburg-Essen. Unfortunately, I can’t link them here since they were published in commercial magazines and are not available online. In her articles, she takes an in-depth look at the German versions of our strips #1 A Sly Raccoon and #17 The Forbidden Fruit and how comics can be used by teachers to generate literary interest in grade schoolers. The second article “Das war ein Schock, das mit der Schlange!” about The Forbidden Fruit features several reactions of third and fourth graders after reading the strip. Only one boy, Marius, immediately got the reference to Adam and Eve. Sandro was totally shocked by Woo’s behavior! 😉

• Ulrike Preußer: “Literarisches Lernen am Comic – Zur Visualisierung literarischer Verfahren”, kjl&m forschung.schule.bibliothek, 3/2013, kopaed verlagsgmbh, München.
• Ulrike Preußer: “Das war ein Schock, das mit der Schlange!”, Grundschulunterricht Deutsch, 2/2014, Oldenbourg Schulbuchverlag, München, pp. 16–22.

The other two articles, in English, were written by the computer scientists Philip Buchanan, Bachelor of Engineering at the University of Canterbury, Michael Doggett, Associate Professor at Lund University, and Ramakrishnan Mukundan, Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury. In their articles, they use artwork from Sandra and Woo to present a new automatic algorithm for extracting properties of an individual artist’s style and applying those properties to other drawings.

• Philip Buchanan, Michael Dogget: “Transferring Characteristic Proportions to Modify the Artistic Style of Cartoons”, Proc. Computer Graphics International, Bournemouth, UK, 12–15 June 2012.
• Philip Buchanan, Michael Dogget, R. Mukundan: “Structural Vectorization of Raster Images”, Proc. Image and Vision Computing New Zealand IVCNZ-2012, Dunedin, New Zealand, 26-28 Nov 2012, pp. 319–324.