BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM — A locally created comic strip exploring the transition from life in high school to life after graduation will now be featured in North Country This Week.

The comic can be found here.

North Country This Week is launching “McCauley,” a new strip created by Clarkson student Ethan Lyons, who says the idea was born from a mix of nostalgia and personal reflection.

Two major factors led to the start of the strip, Lyons said.

“Throughout my entire life, I’ve always felt a special feeling inside when I read the classic comics,” Lyons said, noting that he was inspired by favorites such as Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes.

Last year, he began rereading vintage collections, including a 1950 compilation of Charles Schulz’s early Peanuts strips. What followed were months of studying cartooning and refining his own ideas.

He said that in December, during a break from studying, he drew the first “McCauley” strip.

While the comic leans heavily into humor, Lyons said its storyline carries a deeper personal thread. The main character, RoB McCauley, represents an alternate version of himself, a look at what life might have been like had he not chosen college.

“During the first few months of my college career, I had an internal struggle about if I was where I belonged,” he said. “While I’m currently satisfied with my choice to pursue professional engineering, McCauley is the story of my alternative life without college.”

However, cartooning has been part of his life even longer.

Although he has been creating characters since age 6, Lyons said he didn’t attempt a continuous strip until January 2020, when he challenged himself to draw a three-panel comic every day for a year. The strip, titled “Luck and Louis,” followed three carefree kids navigating childhood adventures.

When the COVID-19 pandemic kept students home, he found himself with excess time to write and draw. By January 2021, satisfied he had met his goal, he ended the project. He was a seventh grader at the time..

In the years since, he experimented with short-lived series such as “McHay” and “FuzzWorth’s Field,” but none gained traction.

“McCauley,” he believes, is different.

Drawing the strip, often beginning at 5 a.m. before classes,  gives him a sense of purpose, he said. Each installment is entirely his own, from concept to final line.

“There’s an indescribable satisfaction I get when I finish each strip,” Lyons said. “And that’s multiplied when I get to share my strips with other people.”

He hopes one day to become a professional cartoonist and understands the discipline that goal requires.

At its core, “McCauley” explores the transition from high school to life after graduation. Its underlying message, Lyons said, is that who you are matters more than any title or role you pursue.

In the strip, Rob McCauley lands a job at “Duffy’s Odd Jobs,” performing absurd tasks that span multiple trades. Storylines include everything from transporting a family of beavers to a musical open mic night to navigating young love jitters.

“If you like comics with pure humor and a classic feel,” Lyons said, “McCauley might just be for you.”

Lyons is from Gansevoort near Saratoga Springs. He  is majoring in mechanical engineering at Clarkson.

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