The Early history of Erwin O'Skunk

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.