FAQ

What’s in the name “Cube Root Garden”?

Cube Root Garden captures the major themes of the comic. A cube root is a math expression, but a literal root involves biology and nature. The name itself is a pun – see Comic #1.

Who is the artist/cartoonist?

The comic is created by Brian Woo-Shem˺. In the real-world, Brian is a mechanical engineer with a masters’ degree from Santa Clara University.

When are new comics posted?

Comics typically appear every few weeks. The cartoonist has a very unpredictable and busy schedule, so occasionally comics may be put on pause for a few months at a time. Be assured this is an active project, and many exciting new comics are in the works.

What is the inspiration?

Ideas for the jokes come from daily life. Most comics are inspired by a funny event or conversation in the cartoonist’s life.

A list of comics that inspire parts of Cube Root Garden is in Favorite Comics.

Is this fiction? Slice of life? Nonfiction?

The comic is intended as fiction (ie. talking animals) but many of the actual jokes or interactions happened in real life with a different set of people and characters. Comics may eventually include more obvious fictional or fantasy elements.

How is the comic made?

The comic is drawn completely digitally. To see the workflow and process of drawing the first Cube Root Garden comic, check out Brian’s blog post here˺. Comics are created using primarily free, open-source software, including:

• Krita˺ for comic art, panel layouts, handwritten text, and coloring.
• Inkscape˺ for comic formatting, character intros, and branding materials.
• LibreOffice Writer˺ for planning documents, page layouts, and books.

How is the website made?

The Hope Comics website is powered by WordPress˺, using the Amphibious˺ theme, comic management by Webcomic˺, and hosted by DreamHost˺.

Can I use/reuse/publish/repost comic(s)?

All comics, promotional materials, and text are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License˺. This means you can share them (such as on social media) and reuse for non-commercial purposes (such as academic presentations, print for personal use). You may NOT sell or profit from them. Non-commercial, kid-appropriate remixes and fan art are welcome. More information on this license can be found at Creative Commons˺.