Daisy Owl

Daisy Owl is a webcomic created by Ben Driscoll. Begun in July 2008, Driscoll originally posted the comics to the Cracked.com forums, where he received a positive response and soon thereafter created a website to host them (source). Driscoll’s comics were hosted several times on the homepage for the online humor magazine Cracked.com (source). In the past, Daisy Owl was updated semi-regularly: a new comic was typically released every two days. As of June 3, 2010, new comics ceased being released on the comic's site and while no explanation has been given on the site itself, Driscoll did post an explanation on the Cracked.com forums in response to queries and concerns by fans. The explanation given was that he found after quitting his job and writing comics professionally, he no longer enjoyed it. He stated “But then it shifted from something I loved doing, into something I had to do.”(source).

The comics focus around central characters Daisy Owl, her brother Cooper, their adoptive father Mr. Owl (his real first name revealed to be Benjamin, although he is usually referred to as “Owl” by Steve and “dad” by Daisy and Cooper), and Owl’s friend Steve, a bear who was raised by humans. In the world of the comic, animals are typically portrayed as talking beings, often wearing clothes and behaving much like humans.

Plot

Although in its earliest stages there was little all-encompassing plot, later strips would provide background information on how, exactly, two human children came to be raised by an owl. In particular, the strip “Delivery” began a story arc which explained how Daisy and Cooper (quite literally) landed at Mr. Owl’s door. (source)

Another plot arc involves Steve’s meeting Kate, a polar bear with whom he finds he shares similar interests. The two begin seeing each other several times thereafter, beginning a dating relationship. (source)

In addition, the author frequently makes flashbacks to Owl’s and Steve’s childhoods, showing them as socially awkward children and teenagers.

Visual Style

Until March 11, 2010, all Daisy Owl strips (with the exception of a few paintings and posters) were in greyscale, although shading on the characters was absent at first.

Driscoll lists his main influences as "Bill Watterson, Gary Larson, Anthony Clark and Chris Onstad." (source). In the strip titled "Winter," (source) Driscoll pays homage to downhill sled-riding scenes seen in Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes.

Main characters

• Daisy Owl – No ordinary little girl, Daisy displays a creative mind and an intellect at least greater than those of her peers. Her creativity often gets her into trouble.

• Cooper Owl – Daisy’s younger brother, Cooper looks up to his sister for guidance. He is often portrayed as the more innocent of the two: he cautions Daisy against doing dangerous things and is frightened of the dark.

• Mr. (Benjamin) Owl – An owl who lives in a tall tree not far from a rocket launch site, Mr. Owl has raised Daisy and Cooper from the day they arrived rather abruptly in his backyard. Although he was once in a band, Rock Monocle (a fictional band for which Driscoll has composed and released several instrumental musical tracks), Owl is typically portrayed as uncool and a bit old-fashioned. When the comic began, Owl had a job at a store, but he was fired after an incident wherein he fell asleep on a shelf and was purchased by a customer. Owl was later hired at the honey plant where Steve works.

• Steve (Brown) – Steve was raised as a human, although he had a brief reunion with his parents and brother. Due to his upbringing, Steve has great difficulty speaking the bear language, which leads to scorn from his father. Although his father is a grizzly bear, his mother is a polar bear; Steve inherited his mother’s white fur. Steve was hired at a honey-producing plant, where he works in Research and Development (he has a masters degree in chemistry). Of all characters, Steve has undergone the greatest changes in character model. Originally drawn as a shaggy and slightly pudgy bear, Steve is now drawn slimmer and with more rounded shapes suggesting a less unkempt appearance. Steve also now almost invariably wears a hat (which was revealed in a painting, and later the first color comic, to be yellow). In the comic “Shopping,” he met Kate, a female polar bear with whom he is now in a relationship.

• Kate - A female polar bear, and Steve's love interest.

Rock Monocle

In the comic “Buddy!” wherein Steve rescues Owl from the house of the family who purchased him, it is revealed that Owl was part of a band called Rock Monocle during his high school years. Owl states that the band had broken up after senior year.

In early March 2010, Ben Driscoll released five instrumental tracks, composed and produced by himself as Rock Monocle, on his website’s online merchandise store. The tracks could be purchased individually or as a five-track album. This is so far the only non-visual-media content released as a tie-in to the comics.

Related links

• Daisy Owl homepage
• Interview of Ben Driscoll by Kevin Melrose of Radar