Howard Tayler
He launched a spacefaring webcomic about a mercenary blob alien, building a twenty-year daily strip into a self-published sci-fi empire.
Born 1968 (age 58)·American cartoonist·Birthday: February 29·Generation X
Biography
Howard Tayler is a pioneer of the webcomic world, proving that independent online storytelling could be a sustainable, full-time career. A Brigham Young University graduate with a degree in music composition, he took a sharp turn into cartooning in 2000 with 'Schlock Mercenary,' a sci-fi comedy following the amoral but oddly likable alien mercenary, Sergeant Schlock. Tayler's discipline was his superpower: he published a new strip every single day without fail for over twenty years, crafting a sprawling, coherent space opera with sharp humor and evolving artistry. He leveraged early internet direct sales, selling books and merchandise to a devoted fanbase, and became a vocal advocate for creator-owned content. His journey from music major to self-sufficient cartoonist embodies a DIY ethos, showing how passion, consistency, and direct audience connection could forge a new path in the digital age.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Howard was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Howard Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Howard's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created and published 'Schlock Mercenary,' a daily webcomic that ran without a single missed update for 20.3 years.
- Won the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story in 2021 for the final volume of the 'Schlock Mercenary' series.
- Successfully crowdfunded numerous print collections, demonstrating a sustainable model for independent webcomic artists.
- Co-founded the 'Writing Excuses' podcast, a popular and award-winning educational resource for genre writers.
Did You Know?
He served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Korea.
The character Schlock is a shapeless, carbosilicate amorph who often solves problems by eating them.
He initially used his music degree to run an independent record label before starting the comic.
He is a frequent panelist and speaker at science fiction and writing conventions.
“The universe is a very big place, and we are a very small part of it. But we are a part of it.”
