Then, the cartoonist shared some insights into the recurring themes in his series: “The major theme is facing hardship but overcoming it as a family. The Szabos, my resourceful but often ridiculous heroes, face an uncertain future when their home renovation goes completely awry. This sense of precarity, of existing in a constant state of flux, but somehow summoning the spirit to persevere, is at the heart of the comic. We live in an age of deep economic anxiety. I'm a millennial: the first generation of Americans in recent memory to have a worse financial forecast than our parents. Housing in particular is unaffordable, or at best a crushing burden. In Home Free, I try to tap into these recognizable anxieties, while hopefully offering some comic relief.”
Asked how he comes up with ideas for new comics, Tom said: “It all stems from character. Each family member copes with their situation in a different way. Milo, the youngest child, feels liberated by the demolition of their home. He loves the outdoors and befriends the local wildlife in a neighboring nature area, leading to all kinds of feral adventures. While Julia, his older sister, is utterly mortified by the debacle and does everything she can to distance herself from her embarrassing family. Their dad, Mr. Szabo, is an irrepressible optimist and tries to put a positive spin on the chaos. But his reckless attempts to hurry the home renovation along only result in further delays. Mrs. Szabo is the glue of the family, the voice of (exasperated) reason, who struggles to maintain a degree of normalcy in their absurd circumstances. Every comic I create starts with these characters as a basis, and I do my best to listen to where they want to take the story next.”
We were curious about the artist’s approach to character design. Toro told us: “‘Home Free’ gave me the wonderful opportunity to grow artistically. I wanted to experiment with a looser style for the comic, something kinetic and bold, since it involves hectic situations in a tumultuous context. Demolition; destruction; reconstruction; messiness; adventure. I wanted to give myself permission to make mistakes, to spill some ink, to draw crooked lines, to ditch my tendency for perfectionism and replace it with an embrace of error. I wanted everything to feel a bit like a work in progress: these characters are in the midst of finding out who they really are, as their home is collapsing around them but also being sporadically rebuilt. I wanted that aura of experimentation, risk, and freedom, to imbue the characters and their world.”
Lastly, we were curious about what Tom considers the most rewarding aspect of being a comic artist. The creator of ‘Home Free’ explained: “Creating comics every week that get viewed by tens of thousands of readers is deeply, deeply rewarding. Knowing that my characters are resonating with an audience, that my drawings are a joyful part of people's daily lives, is genuinely a dream come true. And since the Szabos' house doesn't look like it'll be rebuilt anytime soon, there will be lots more Home Free comics to come!”
