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DF Guy builds community with humor
October 27, 2006
Getting up at 7:30 a.m. to deliver the Daily Flyer around campus may not sound like the best part of the Daily Flyer Guy’s job, but junior Calvin Moore said it’s one of his favorite parts.
“I draw it, print it, fold it and get up at 7:30 to deliver it. I get to see it hit the tables,” Moore said.
A philosophy and English double major, Moore sprinkles the Daily Flyer with philosophical remarks, Internet facts and humorous drawings. He even established the first Daily Flyer e-mail address and Facebook Web page this year.
Moore said he plans to use both e-mail and Facebook as a way to interact with the campus community. He wants to make the Daily Flyer a publication that creates a sense of belonging on campus, he said.
A Spokane native, Moore is a fan of Spokesman-Review reporter Paul Turner’s column, “The Slice.” The column asks readers to respond to a question, issue or topic, and then Turner comments on the reader responses in his column.
“It generates a feeling of belongingness. There’s a quirky specialness about it,” Moore said. “It’s something I hope to use to generate this feeling of community at PLU.”
In recent Daily Flyers, Moore has asked for feedback from the campus community, such as submissions of “creepy stalker songs.” Both the email and Facebook page also allow him to communicate more easily with advertisers and readers.
“It’s sparked an opportunity for more correspondence,” he said.
Creativity runs in Moore’s family. The son of two art majors, Moore said he’s been drawing comic strips since the age of four. His mom, an elementary art teacher, would copy off pages and pages of blank squares for him to draw his comics in, he said.
“I enjoy writing, and I love telling stories – that’s what draws me to comics,” he said.
Last year, he created a comic strip for The Mast twice a month. The lag time between publishing dates made it difficult to build a relationship between his characters and audience, but the daily publication has solved that problem, he said.
Moore believes the funniest jokes are inside jokes. In order for readers to understand the inside joke, it’s necessary to build a repertoire with the characters, he said. Exposing readers daily to the personalities of his characters allows him to insert inside jokes that all readers will understand.
“The whole thing about (the Daily Flyer) really kinda fits with me,” he said.
Additionally, the daily production allows Moore to address issues, campus events or comic moments immediately, he said. For example, in the Sept. 28 issue, he claimed that Donald Duck was banned in Finland for not wearing pants. When he learned from a Finnish PLU student that his Internet information was incorrect, he was able to issue an apology two days later.
“When stuff pops up, I can address it,” he explained.
Moore draws inspiration for future issues of the flyer from his morning walks distributing the flyer, Internet sites listing random facts and news items, and things he’s jotted down in his “Novel Ideas” book. The notebook, which he created in high school, is filled with his random thoughts, characters and plot ideas.
While Moore has been interested in writing since high school, his interest in philosophy was piqued when he took the class, “The Experience of War” with philosophy professor Pauline Kaurin.
“I decided if I wanted to write, I should have something to write about,” he said. “I fell in love with philosophy. The themes are in writing, you just don’t usually know it.”
Moore is unsure what career path he’ll follow, but he does know he’d like a job where he can write and be creative.
“I would love to find a job where I have to come up with comic material daily,” Moore said.
To contact the Daily Flyer Guy, email thedf@plu.edu.
A philosophy and English double major, Moore sprinkles the Daily Flyer with philosophical remarks, Internet facts and humorous drawings. He even established the first Daily Flyer e-mail address and Facebook Web page this year.
Moore said he plans to use both e-mail and Facebook as a way to interact with the campus community. He wants to make the Daily Flyer a publication that creates a sense of belonging on campus, he said.
A Spokane native, Moore is a fan of Spokesman-Review reporter Paul Turner’s column, “The Slice.” The column asks readers to respond to a question, issue or topic, and then Turner comments on the reader responses in his column.
“It generates a feeling of belongingness. There’s a quirky specialness about it,” Moore said. “It’s something I hope to use to generate this feeling of community at PLU.”
In recent Daily Flyers, Moore has asked for feedback from the campus community, such as submissions of “creepy stalker songs.” Both the email and Facebook page also allow him to communicate more easily with advertisers and readers.
“It’s sparked an opportunity for more correspondence,” he said.
Creativity runs in Moore’s family. The son of two art majors, Moore said he’s been drawing comic strips since the age of four. His mom, an elementary art teacher, would copy off pages and pages of blank squares for him to draw his comics in, he said.
“I enjoy writing, and I love telling stories – that’s what draws me to comics,” he said.
Last year, he created a comic strip for The Mast twice a month. The lag time between publishing dates made it difficult to build a relationship between his characters and audience, but the daily publication has solved that problem, he said.
Moore believes the funniest jokes are inside jokes. In order for readers to understand the inside joke, it’s necessary to build a repertoire with the characters, he said. Exposing readers daily to the personalities of his characters allows him to insert inside jokes that all readers will understand.
“The whole thing about (the Daily Flyer) really kinda fits with me,” he said.
Additionally, the daily production allows Moore to address issues, campus events or comic moments immediately, he said. For example, in the Sept. 28 issue, he claimed that Donald Duck was banned in Finland for not wearing pants. When he learned from a Finnish PLU student that his Internet information was incorrect, he was able to issue an apology two days later.
“When stuff pops up, I can address it,” he explained.
Moore draws inspiration for future issues of the flyer from his morning walks distributing the flyer, Internet sites listing random facts and news items, and things he’s jotted down in his “Novel Ideas” book. The notebook, which he created in high school, is filled with his random thoughts, characters and plot ideas.
While Moore has been interested in writing since high school, his interest in philosophy was piqued when he took the class, “The Experience of War” with philosophy professor Pauline Kaurin.
“I decided if I wanted to write, I should have something to write about,” he said. “I fell in love with philosophy. The themes are in writing, you just don’t usually know it.”
Moore is unsure what career path he’ll follow, but he does know he’d like a job where he can write and be creative.
“I would love to find a job where I have to come up with comic material daily,” Moore said.
To contact the Daily Flyer Guy, email thedf@plu.edu.