Dr. Zork: Out of the Vault after 20 Years

Little known fact: Today is National Comic Book Day! Even lesser known fact: My husband used to write a comic strip called “Dr. Zork” for his departmental newsletter back when he was doing his anesthesia residency (20 years ago!).

Dr. Zork: Alien Anesthesiologist

The strip was about an anesthesiologist who also happened to be an alien. Doug wrote the copy, and I drew the pictures.

It was pretty silly, but we had a good time creating it together. It was a nice diversion from all those grueling hours Doug put into training at Parkland!

Anesthesia may have chosen the radio station at the hospital where Dr. Zork worked, but in every operating room my husband has ever worked, it is the lead surgeon who picks the music.

That’s actually a good thing, too, since studies show that listening to their favorite music improves surgeon performance and speeds patients’ recovery, as well.

Fortunately, my husband enjoys just about all genres of music, so the surgeons’ selections have never been a problem.

Also — as he now chairs the hospital disciplinary committee — I’m sure he would frown on Dr. Zork’s turning all the committee members into frogs if that were to happen today! 🙂

Step-by-Step Tutorial: How to Draw a Frog

That particular strip is probably my favorite, though. I’ve always loved frogs, and I found them fun to draw. Want to try sketching a few yourself? Here’s a step-by-step tutorial to help you practice: