I first noticed Cox & Forkum when I spotted a cartoon called "The Blogger's Cycle." I thought, "Wow. These guys nailed me! I could have written this myself, if only I were that clever and talented."

I immediately read the rest of the Cox & Forkum weblog, where I was astounded by the sharp, professional level of their work. Given the popularity of my interview with Chris Muir earlier this year, I thought it would be fun to interview these guys too.

I must say, they were a fun interview, and probably the easiest one I've ever done. --Dean

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Q: Where do you guys hail from? Where do you live now?

FORKUM: I'm from the Nashville area, and that's where I live now.

COX: I grew up all over. I was born in Pensacola, but by the time I graduated high school, we had lived in Cincinnati, Birmingham, Orangeburg, S.C., Houston, Denver, and finally Huntington, W.V. Today I live in Atlanta.

FORKUM: Since we have to collaborate from different cities, one might think we have a direct connection via the Internet. But we're still using fax machines. I fax sketches to John. We discuss them by phone. He faxes back the roughs and finals. Technologically speaking, we're stuck in the '80s.

COX: That's 1880s. I recently sold my mule for a pack of quill pens and a whole bunch of fancy white paper.

Q: I take it that you still use pen and ink, and then just scan the cartoons. What are your favorite art tools (pen, brush, inks, etc.)?

COX: I've always had a love affair with old materials: oil on canvas, woodcuts, charcoal on parchment. Pen and ink has a rich tradition, and I've been enjoying the chance to put my stamp on it along with my cartooning heroes: Michael Ramirez, Ben Sargent, Mike Peters, and Jim Borgman. I love the high-contrast nature of ink and the emphasis it puts on design. Our cartoons often require a certain "trickery" to pull off, so the challenge to raise the bar is fascinating to me. These days I use Faber Castell brush pens, Pigma Micron pens, Speedball steel-nib pens and smooth bristol board. I do all the pencil work with a 4H and a 2B...and a big, fat eraser.