Freethunk, the gag cartoon series originally came out of another funnies series that I draw for the online community called Frenetic Wanderings. It was split off into its own feature for a variety of reasons but chiefly because either it offended a more mainstream audience or the public at large just did not understand the religious or scientific references used in the humor.

After working with another ambititious individual within the Skeptical Community who was wanting to do skeptical, pulp-style fiction and art I began to think more and more about freethinking pop culture and how effective pop culture in general is; especially considering that the Christian Pop Culture that is now no longer stuck in the religious supply store. And as I looked around on the web I saw pieces here and pieces there of possibilities but no one was collecting everything in one place and giving it a mission or an overall theme.

So I came up with the nonsense word "Freethunk" to refer to all freethinking entertainment that could be considered part of the new, emerging pop culture--from net radio to comics to fiction--and then I slapped that title onto my cartoon series and started distributing it to other webmasters. My site came next with an emphasis on comics and cartooning plus articles on entertainment, but what I found was that it was going to be harder than I thought to get people to submit and to be willing to identify their work with freethinking. Most artists don't like to be labeled or categorized. I understand that but I also feel you can identify with a movement without being swallowed and regurgitated by it. Which is why the term "freethought" is a good, nonexclusionary word for unbelievers or those who prefer natural causes to supernatural ones. If freethinking artists weren't going to come to me then I was going to go to them and ask permission to feature their material. Duncan Crary of the Institute for Humanist Studies was vital in this when he introduced me to some other cartoonists who considered themselves atheists and we did a podcast together discussing the Danish Cartoon controversy. Ever since that podcast for some reason I have been able to find more and more artists willing to allow me to show examples of their work. And Freethunk.net has been spreading by word of mouth and bringing in more visitors because people are interested in the overall idea, plus some of them just like to play the games that are available.

The next step for Freethunk is to start featuring material with freethinking characters instead of just satirizing religion. Ongoing comic strips, flash animations and online comicbooks including freethinking superheroes and more serious fare than just the funnies and editorial cartoons. Freethinkers are an interesting bunch and turning their outlook on life, their eccentricities, and even their conflicts with each other into comics and stories is the best thing we can do to draw in more like-minded people. It helps create a sense of community and a feeling that you're not so alone in trying to question the majority's pseudoscientific, supernatural view of the world. That's why I include the ambiguous phrase on my site: You're not crazy, they are.

Hopefully, at the very least, Freethunk.net inspires competition because my ultimate wish is to see a sustainable market for freethinking pop culture--comics, animation games, movies and TV series. It has to start somewhere and I believe that we're headed in the right direction with podcasts and net radio. Freethinking comics and cartooning has to catch up.

And one last note. Freethunk will probably even offend freethinkers. I don't shy away from bad taste, nudity, sex talk or language. This is not intended to be highbrow art though it can contain highbrow concepts. Some R-rated material will be included. I only say this because one of my Freethunk cartoons did cause a Freethought newsletter Editor to quit in protest because his board thought it was offensive due to cartoon violence and the word "bullshit" and so they yanked it from publication, as well as I have received an occasional email telling me that some of my humor is inappropriate. I am also aware of an elitist mentality that I call "The Steve Allen Effect" that equates etiquette with intelligence. There may be some truth to that in personal dealings but with cartooning and comics all bets are off. The nature of humor and the fictional arts should not be restrained by niceties, political correctness and sensitivities. All freethinking artists should be subject to the criticism of their readers and will succeed or fail based on demand for their work.