Semper Terribilis is a comic written and drawn by Julie Sands that appeared in the California Aggie from 2006-2008.
About:
The strip is about an embarrassing professor of an unknown subject and the students that alternately despise and idolize him (it was referred to by a lot of people as "the comic with the crazy professor"). One recognizable recurring gag that appeared throughout the strip's lifetime was "Interdepartmental Dating", in which the main character(s) engaged in an awkward dating scenario based on one of Davis's many majors. The strip's title means "Always Terrible" in Latin.
Characters:
- Dr. Martin Stopheles: Undateable professor obsessed with the letter 'F'. Better known as Dr. S (because "Stopheles" takes up too much room in a comic strip).
- Johnny Morris: Doe-eyed student who idolizes Dr. S.
- Alex Ellison: A naive, overworked science student who probably has more than a few ulcers.
- Rohan "Harold" Dalmiya: Johnny got him to take Dr. S's awful class. Surely the most normal of this bunch.
- Dennis Todrunter: The Surliest College Student.
- Coke Bottle Glasses Professor: Dr. S's occasional sympathizer.
- The Viticulture Professor: The best thing to happen to Dr. S since his students started playing D&D with him.
Art:
As computers frighten and confuse the artist, everything but the panel boundaries are done by hand with non-photo blue and mechanical pencils, Micron pens, and Prismacolor markers. The panel boundaries are drawn digitally.
Book:
In the summer of 2008, Sands self-published a complete collection of strips that appeared during the two-year Aggie run. As of Friday August 29 2008 several copies were made available in the UC Davis Bookstore for $9.95.
The book has since sold out in the UC Davis Bookstore, but is still available as a print-on-demand at Lulu (http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/julia-sands/semper-terribilis/paperback/product-20266051.html).
