Here’s the deal: While I was at University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Daily Cardinal editor dropped the New York Times crossword from our humble little college paper. I guess students wanted something easier to distract themselves with during class. This left an open slot on the comics page, and somehow I got it.

My strip was standard college stuff -- couple of college kids getting into antics in college. (I was in college at the time, in case you hadn’t caught that.) It wasn’t memorable; I didn’t know what I was doing and was trying too hard.

Then the editor considered bringing back the NYT crossword, and inspiration struck: the Megalomaniacal Crossword was born. His (its? does a crossword puzzle have a gender?) plan was to transform the entire comics page into a crossword... starting with replacing my strip. I finally loosened up, grooving on the storyline’s absurdity and breaking the fourth wall quite a bit.

Naturally, the Megalomaniacal Crossword won the battle.

I got a second chance that summer, starting a new strip called Mason Dixon Line. At first a series of one-off gags only marginally about the title characters (Mason O’Rourke and Jefferson Davis Dixon -- yes, still trying too hard), I had my first good idea: Cuddles, a possessed teddy bear on trial for selling indulgences without a license.

(Cuddles is my response to that freakish fabric softener mascot, Snuggle, as well as the cloying sweetness of the Carebears.)

There was also a series of appearances by yours truly, plus some bumbling aliens. Nothing brilliant, but some fun stuff happened. Then that strip was canned.

Got one last shot shortly before graduation. I pulled Nick Wagner, the main character from Madison Blues, out of limbo (literally) and he went on one last romp with Mason, Jeff, Cuddles and the vulture that no one owns. The Megalomaniacal Crossword returned also, channeling Gary Oldman from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. (I self-published that run in Buy This Book or the Vulture Gets It.)

Not much since, due to life and other distractions. And while I don’t see Madison Blues coming back, some of the characters -- particularly Cuddles -- have life in ‘em still. If all goes well, should have a little something ready in the near future.