>If pd.com *had* been around, I know the sort of thing I would do: I would acknowledge that something terrible had happened, but I would not suspend ordinary operations. I would continue making my snide remarks and lunatic jokes just as usual.
>
> If war breaks out, I will do the same. pd.com will continue on its normal course, and will acknowledge the war in its own silly fashion. Is that disrespectful? I would say no.

Likewise, I won't be interrupting the upcoming Planet Earth (and other tourist traps) strips with anti- or pro-war commentary. I really don't see how a war against Iraq would impact my comic strip. I neither pause nor mention things such as suicide bombings in Israel, United Nations Security Council squabbling, or children kidnapped by separated parents for the same reason PE(aott) is not planning on mentioning Iraq. PE(aott) is entertainment, that's all. It's not social commentary. It's not something that has deeper meanings than what's shown in the strip (well, unless you count references to Buffy, The Vampire Slayer). It's just entertainment.

The only "real world" moment that appeared in my strip was the one year anniversary of September 11th, but that's because I was extremely close to the events. If you review the archives of the comic strip around the actual event, there's no mention of the event in the comic, aside from a logo appearing on a character's t-shirt.

I'll stop blathering about myself for a moment. (But just for a moment.)

People need entertainment, distractions from the stress of everyday life. Movies, books, drawings, just talking to each other. If everything was suddenly geared towards one stressful event, there would be no joy.

-FP