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The Early history of Erwin O'Skunk
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The main character of
Urbanoids,
Erwin O'Skunk, was originally
just a very disgusting fictional person I'd drawn a few times in highschool.
Back then he went by the (completely nonsensical) Swedish name Onkel
Rovskunk.
His first "real" public appearance was as a guest character in a comic
strip called Ivar Qnutsson I used to draw for
Mensa Sweden's
almost-monthly newsletter Legatus Mensae in '92 and '93.
I didn't use any name for him
here. I just needed some disgusting slob. (Don't ask for a translation
of this. Some of the humor just wouldn't work in English and part
of it is too esoteric to be of much interest to non-Swedes.)
The following page never saw print. I had put it together in 1995 for an annual
publication about Information Technology a group of people called
IT-Forum distribute to Computer Science students to help them
find a job after they graduate. A friend of mine was part of their inner
circle that year and asked me to come up with something funny about
the subject.
I decided on the following idea: some guy would look for work and
give the reader a list of good advice, which he would himself follow
very closely, but due to his disgusting nature (and sometimes
exaggerated honesty), all of it would backfire dramatically. (Example
from below:
"4. Mention something about your experiences from previous jobs".
"Cubicles are th' best, 'cause there ah c'n ventilate mah awful intestinal
gases. T' say nuthin' of mah foot odor.")
Ahem. Well, the comic was no success. The Forum didn't care much for
that type of humor and used a page by some other local talent. I tried
again in 1996, with some cleaner jokes they did publish, but
that's a different story.

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