The strip’s namesake, Shoe, is based on legendary North Carolina journalist Jim Shumaker, Jeff McNelly’s first newspaper boss.
P. Martin Shoemaker is a grouchy, cigarr-smoking, newspaperbird with a tough side and an even tougher other side. He is a proud ex-husband 5 times over. When not editing reporter Cosmo Fishhawk’s stories and columns to shreds, he can be found trying his darnedest to pick up his next ex-wife or grumbling about the food at Roz’s Diner.
Perfesser Cosmo Fishhawk is an over-educated underachiever. He is the reporter and columnist for Shoe’s newspaper, The Treetops Tattler-Tribune although he’d much rather be a famous novelist.
Even though he’s slightly on the chubby side, Cosmo insists he’s not fat… he’s just fluffy. When not fighting his war on calories, he specializes in being late for work, striking out with the ladies and taking naps at his desk.
