Simon and his adventures are among my favorite things to doodle. Most of the drawings here were on the backs of old grocery lists. Simon’s design has changed substantially since I first began drawing him: His eyes have gotten bigger, his eye bags baggier, and his posture much worse. He has developed a pot belly and a tendency to always wear the same shirt… jumper… thing. I’ve settled on drawing him with three fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot, but I can’t seem to make up my mind which of his eyes are which color. Occasionally I muse on what kind of creature he is and whether or not he has things like teeth and a skeleton. It’s still all very unclear.

In the early days, I dubbed Simon a “weirdist,” though now I just think he’s weird. Actually, his weirdness is mostly just due to his nature as a doodle; he is doomed to live out whatever oddities are flitting through my mind while my fingers are idle and holding a pen. Usually, he is the lone hero of his adventures, though occasionally a companion appears. (The above “Mr. Richardson” made his cameo while I was reading “Moby Dick.”) My favorite of Simon’s friends thus far is Sir Cada, a very fancy cicada who popped into a brief but beautiful existence in the summer of 2023. Perhaps he’ll emerge again one day.