John Lee, creator of online comic Suburban Tribe, returned to daily production after a month long hiatus and published his 300th strip this week. The wickedly irreverent comic has been published five days a week since January 2003 and attracts a daily audience of 6,000 loyal readers.
Described by syndicated radio host Scott Hinze as “four fun panels inspired by the newspaper comics we all read growing up” Suburban Tribe follows the work and personal lives of four thirty-somethings in an unnamed lower midwestern city.
“What makes Suburban Tribe unique is what keeps it out of mainstream publications,” said Lee. “Comic strip syndicates want talking cats. They want women who agonize over ill-fitting bathing suits and who head families full of cute, multicultural kids. But for so many of us, this isn’t what life is. We work our fifty-hour a week jobs and try to eke out personal time too, dating and trying to have some semblance of a life. Publishing the strip online allows me the creative flexibility I need to tell the stories I want to tell.”
Future plans include publication of a comic book and other merchandising. Lee will be in attendance in Artist’s Alley at this summer’s Wizard World Chicago comic book convention.
I’ve been a Suburban Tribe fan since the cat food storyline. I’m stoked that it’s up to 300. Definitely going to WWC and looking forward to seeing the 3,000th strip one day.