Frequently Asked Questions

Q:	What is the Grand Theme of The Apple Tower?
	The Apple Tower is a comical, graphic ode to hometowns the world over, and is meant to capture a sense of the charm found there.

Q:	What is the Publishing Schedule of The Apple Tower?
	The Apple Tower features daily black & white strips, and a special, full-color 'Sunday' strip which often runs on Saturday, with the rough, penciled version published the following day as a special bonus for those interested in the creative process.

Q:	What legal protections do The Apple Tower comics have?
	Brian Barnett is the sole registered copyright owner of everything in this graphic work, The Apple Tower, which includes all related characters and images.

May I copy, distribute, or make use of the characters or images from The Apple Tower?

Not legally without Brian Barnett’s written permission. To seek permission, please use the Contact link.

Please note that provisions have also been made for sharing The Apple Tower comics by means of the Email A Friend! link.

Brian Barnett is also happy to give signed prints of his individual cartoons. Email him for further information.

Is the apple water tower real?

There is a real water tower in Jackson, Ohio that is painted to look like an apple. It is this tower that is the source of inspiration for the fictional water tower in Applegrove.

To see a photograph, go to the Characters section of this site, and click on the sketch of the water tower there.

Q:	Does Applegrove represent any particular real-life town?
	No, Applegrove isn't inspired by a single town. Rather, it is inspired by many different towns that the creator of this work has experience with. Most notably, Jackson, Ohio and Grandview Heights, Columbus, Ohio. However, the fictional town of Applegrove is intended to mirror all hometowns in general.

Q:	Are the characters in The Apple Tower inspired by real people?
	Some of them are, yes. For example, Norman, Orson, Carrie, Orson’s Parents, Larry and Deputy Keifer have all been inspired by real people. It is important to keep in mind what ‘inspired by’ does not mean. The characters share some personality traits to real people. This means they are inspired by certain individuals, but are not meant to represent them.

Q:	Did Brian Barnett go to art school?
	No. Instead, he spent most of his 12 years in regular school drawing instead of paying attention, as most of his teachers will attest.

Q:	Has Brian Barnett’s work ever been published in newspapers?
	Yes

Why is The Apple Tower presented in black & white during the week? Wouldn’t color be better?

There are several good reasons why The Apple Tower is presented in black & white except on Sundays.

The black & white format is an art form all its own, and many people (including Brian Barnett) are fans of it.
Publishing in black & white during the week makes the full color Sunday strip stand out more, and adds a special element to the overall experience.
Presenting The Apple Tower in this way is a nod to the format in which many classic comic strips of yesteryear were presented.

Online publishing effectively gives Brian Barnett the opportunity to work with unlimited space restraints. So why has he put such small space restrictions on his individual cartoons here? Doesn’t that limit his creativity?

Creative freedom is a funny thing, in that more is not always better. Based on years of experience trying out a variety of sizes and formats, Brian Barnett respects the classic, 4-panel layout as being ideal for daily comics. It provides enough space to do the art form justice, while at the same time not overwhelming the cartoonist in his ability to provide a daily, quality comic strip.

The Apple Tower Sunday strips have been given plenty of space so that Brian Barnett can really let loose when he wants to.

Q:	Why doesn’t Brian Barnett live in his hometown, considering he loves it so much?
	Ninjas.

Q:	Who are Brian Barnett’s major creative influences?
	Todd McFarlane, Bill Watterson, Gary Larson, Drew Struzan, Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Mel Blanc, Walt Disney. This is the abbreviated list.

Q:	Are there currently book collections of The Apple Tower in print?
	No, but be patient! Brian Barnett's desire is that at some point, after the first year of online publication, The Apple Tower might find a way into your local bookstore. The reality of this will depend primarily on enthusiasm, support, and word of mouth from you, the reader.

Q:	When Did The Apple Tower Premiere?
	The Apple Tower officially launched on November 23, 2009.

How Long Did Brian Barnett Spend Developing The Apple Tower?

Brian Barnett first began developing his idea for The Apple Tower in 2004.

By the time The Apple Tower premiered on November 23, 2009, Barnett had invested countless hours in the creation of his fictional world. Some of the strips that have appeared here since the launch of the website were actually drawn back in 2004. Others will never see publication, due to the evolution and progression of the overall idea.

The Computer’s Role in Brian Barnett’s Work

Technology has changed the world of cartooning quite a bit, but Brian Barnett is old-school. He comes from the age of White Out and copy machines.

Brian Barnett still prefers to do his work with pencil and paper, and he doesn’t see that changing any time soon. The computer’s role in his work is basically this:

It replaces White Out when making corrections.
It replaces the copy machine when making reductions.
It makes coloring the Sunday strip easier in the interest of time.

In other words, everything you see here was done by hand and scanned in. That includes the lettering and even the panels around the comic strips. Therefore, everything is completely original and comes directly from the mind and hand of Brian Barnett.

Many people now correctly assume that a lot of cartooning is done with computers. Though, to attribute the artwork here in The Apple Tower to the tricks and shortcuts of a computer program cheapens and undermines the efforts of the creator.

Brian Barnett Cartoonist

Brian Barnett began drawing cartoons seriously at age 6, after his mother bought him the instructional book, "How to Draw Mickey Mouse and Friends". He was immediately attracted to the frantic, fluid pencil sketches throughout the book.

In the 1990s, Brian Barnett was a regularly published cartoonist for several Ohio newspapers. In following years, he dedicated time to submitting work to five of the most popular newspaper syndicates in the USA.

Despite the rise of the Internet, Brian Barnett was for years opposed to the idea of publishing his work online. One reason is that he prefers the way comics appear in print. Another reason is that he feared public mindset, that as a comic strip made available online, his work might unintentionally be seen as amateur.

With time, Brian Barnett's view of things changed. He came to realize that the day of newspaper syndicates as the all-powerful authorities over comic strips as a creative medium had ended. It was now possible for him to appeal directly to readers and allow the public to decide for itself whether or not his work was worth becoming emotionally invested in. The idea of appealing to the newspaper syndicates became an archaic thing of the past 100 years.

With this realization clearly in mind, Brian Barnett spent the next 5 years developing the idea you see presented here, The Apple Tower, a graphic ode to hometowns the world over, and the charm found there. It is currently being read not only by people all over the USA, but indeed, by people around the world.