This week for Pet of the Week, we bring you Associate Editor’s Walt Richardson for a look at his best friend.
Full Name: Duncan “The Skunk” Richardson
First Appearance: January 7, 2006
Favorite Comic: Duncan is often seen nudging the complete collection of Jeff Smith’s “Bone” on the lower shelf of the family room bookcase. Even my pets have good taste.
Secret Origin:In October, 2005, my family’s pet beagle, Calvin, was put to sleep. Calvin had been my companion for as long as I could remember — literally. My parents had adopted him approximately a year before I was born, and he had been by my side through preschool, elementary school, middle school, and into my first year of high school. At sixteen, I was well past the stage where I had known about the finality of death, but this was the first time it had happened to someone close to me. Whether or not he was human, Calvin was a “someone,” as far as I was concerned.
A few months later, my father, my sister, and I found ourselves in a local Petsmart. We told ourselves that we were only going there to see and maybe play with the various dogs up for adoption each Sunday, and that we were not at all looking for a companion to take Calvin’s place. So far, we had done well in resisting — we just needed some of that lovely animal affection that we had been left without; outright replacing Calvin would be impossible. That day, however, we came across a mopey-looking, lanky yellow foxhound named Tinker, who perked up as we approached his cage. Just as curious as he was, I asked my father if we could take him on a short walk. That was all it took — instantly, Tinker treated us like his own family, and it seemed like he had always been a part of ours. Thinking Tinker to be a horrible name for a dog of his stature and poise, we eventually settled on the name Duncan, and he has been a beloved member of our family ever since.
If you would like your pet to be Pet of the Week, send pictures and the origin of your dog, cat, fish, lizard, etc (preferably with something comic book related somewhere near him or her to make this all seem “more legitimate”) to matthew@multiversitycomics.com, and every week I’ll choose one to go up on the site. All pets sent in will be featured at some point, so if yours doesn’t show up in the first week just keep checking back.
