Jack Comics!

Click on the comic for a closer view!

From time to time, we invite folks to share their images of Far West Texas and the Texas Mountain Trail region...today, it is cartoonist Chris Ruggia!

In January 2005, Alpine-based cartoonist Chris Ruggia launched the first episode of his natural history comic, Jack: Adventures in Texas' Big Bend.

Since then, he has followed along with Jack (a black-tailed jackrabbit) and Mel (a kangaroo rat) as they've encountered other Chihuahuan Desert denizens -- and done their best to avoid being eaten by them.

The story is set in the desert scrub near the base of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park (take the Paint Gap road early in the morning and you'll probably see a few of Jack's compatriots), and wherever possible each character's personality is based on the actual life cycle, diet and behavior of its real-life counterpart.

The comic just posted its 50th installment at http://www.jackcomics.com/ and a new facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jack-Comics/194114093968657) features a peek at the comic in progress and announcements of new episodes.

Two printed comic books featuring Jack and his world are also available at jackcomics.com, as well as the following shops in the area: The Murphy Street Raspa Co., Front Street Books, the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center , and the Panther Junction Bookstore in Big Bend National Park (http://www.bigbendbookstore.org/).

 "Stay tuned...in the future, we'll ask Chris to come back and show us Mel, (the  kangaroo rat), the earless lizard, and spadefoot toads!"