Cow & Boy

With fatherhood looming, I kept seeing that six-year-old version of myself drawing comics in his bedroom, and I thought how crushed he would be to find out that I had given up on our dream. . . . So, three months after my daughter was born, I submitted Cow and Boy." -Mark Leiknes, creator of Cow and Boy

Evocative of a boy and his pet beagle, or a precocious six-year-old and his imaginary pet tiger, Cow and Boy isn't afraid to tackle the complex relationship that exists between a boy and his cow.

More Cow and Boy

To balance yin, there is yang. To complement day, we have night. There are just some things in life that harmonize with one another and Mark Leiknes's Cow and Boy creation definitely benefits from the paradox of its two central characters, namely one towheaded boy named Billy and his trusty bell-ringing sidekick Cow, who move through life's adventures with a refined balance of curiosity, meaning, pathos, and humor.

From inspired games of chess to grassy afternoon talks of reincarnation to lakeside swimming-hole ponderings that make room for a game of charades, Cow and Boy thoughtfully explores a different species of friendship in the funny pages.

"With fatherhood looming, I kept seeing that six-year-old version of myself drawing comics in his bedroom, and I thought how crushed he would be to find out that I had given up on our dream. . . . So, three months after my daughter was born, I submitted Cow and Boy." --Mark Leiknes, creator of Cow and Boy

Evocative of a boy and his pet beagle, or a precocious six-year-old and his imaginary pet tiger, Cow and Boy isn't afraid to tackle the complex relationship that exists between a boy and his cow.

To balance yin, there is yang. To complement day, we have night. There are just some things in life that harmonize with one another and Mark Leiknes's Cow and Boy creation definitely benefits from the paradox of its two central characters, namely one towheaded boy named Billy and his trusty bell-ringing sidekick Cow, who move through life's adventures with a refined balance of curiosity, meaning, pathos, and humor.

From inspired games of chess to grassy afternoon talks of reincarnation to lakeside swimming-hole ponderings that make room for a game of charades, Cow and Boy thoughtfully explores a different species of friendship in the funny pages.

Living at a frantic Los Angeles pace, Mark Leiknes and his wife dreamed of sitting on the porch of a Midwest farmhouse, sipping iced tea, and watching their kids play in the open fields nearby. With the birth of his daughter, Mark set that plan into motion with the creation of Cow and Boy. The family has now happily relocated to Minneapolis, Minn.