It was not the most respectable profession. That comic book artistry is underappreciated bothers Moriarity. Fine arts is appreciated and literature is appreciated, but when you combine them, it's somehow less. When I look at the Sunday comics, I'm just depressed. I don't want to be any part of it.
Strips are so small.
Back in the day, strips were bigger. When he was 9, his parents divorced, and he moved with his mom to Greenfield, Iowa. He grew up and went to Iowa State University, where he majored in graphic design. Following graduation, he left for Minneapolis, where he freelanced for Twin Tones Records, drew artwork for Soul Asylum, reformatted some Replacements LPs into cd form and drew up countless flyers for shows, graphics for t-shirts and band posters. He became the art director for Fantagraphics, but not without same chafing at the realization they wanted him more for his graphic design skill than cartooning.