Bill Kte'pi is a New Orleans resident, originally from New England. In addition to Fugue, he also creates Arctic, a daily comedy strip following the adventures of a polar bear and an albino in the Arctic. He's the author of the Santa's Soldiers roleplaying game published by Deep 7, the creator (suggester, what have you) of Ben and Jerry's Full VerMonty ice cream, and has previously published several short stories, gaming articles, and the introduction to a book of Mark Twain essays. None of that pays very much, so perhaps you should buy him a cup of coffee.

He's a Bowie fan, which is probably obvious. The story of Beck Denby is not inspired by Outside, but certain lyrics mapped well to the story, and the album provides a good plot impetus. He knows little about music, less about art, and barely a thing about mathematics. He is not a genius. He has never been in a coma. Nothing in Fugue is inspired by the author's life.

Fugue happened by accident. From the start, it was clear that it did not fit the scheme of the Lagniappe comics -- Sunday non-recurring strips on the Arctic site -- but he kept working on it anyway, because the idea was very solid and crystal and didn't fade away as he formed it, unlike many ideas (even the good ones). From the start, it was clear it would not be a talking heads strip, or a particularly linear one, but at the same time the idea seemed heavily plot-driven. If the odd combination of factors works for you, email him and let him know.

Ironically, given the use of color in Fugue and the necessity of it in abstract art, the author is partially colorblind; certain shades of blue and grey are indistinguishable. Whether or not this has influenced the look and feel of Fugue is left for the reader to decide. If you saw the author's shirts, you might suspect an affection for the offensively loud.