Zits (comics)

Zits is a comic strip written by cartoonist Jerry Scott and illustrated by Jim Borgman about the life of Jeremy Duncan, a 17-year-old high school junior (he was 15 when the comic started). The comic debuted in July 7, 1997, in over 200 newspapers, and by 1998 it was included in "more than 1,700 newspapers worldwide in 45 countries and is translated into 15 different languages." Zits has received multiple awards and continues to be syndicated by King Features.

Set in the central Ohio suburbia, the strip centers on Jeremy as he tries to balance his family life, social life, the academic demands of high school and his plans for the future, often with a heavy dose of surrealism, making it stand out from being just a typical teenager cartoon strip.

In 1996, Jerry Scott was drawing Baby Blues, a comic strip about raising children he co-wrote with Rick Kirkman. He realized, however, that his profession as an independent cartoonist was limited to whatever joke he could conceive next. A friend suggested he begin a strip about a teenager. Scott heeded the proposition but was unsatisfied with his character's sketches, finding them similar to those of his existing strip. After Scott discussed the issue with his artist friend Jim Borgman, the two corresponded with one another over the next few months and eventually collaborated on the characters that would become the Duncans. King Features, already distributing Baby Blues and Borgman's editorial cartoons, began running the new comic strip in 1997 with Scott writing and Borgman drawing.

Charles Schulz liked the new strip, but added, "Zits is the worst name for a comic strip since Peanuts." Said quote would later be printed on the back of the compilation book Humongous Zits, along with a ripped-out piece of paper with multiple different names considered (such as Jeremy, Yo., and My So-Called Life and Stuff), with Zits circled last as the final choice.

To create each installment, Jerry Scott comes up with an idea and then writes and sketches a fully scripted layout, which Jim Borgman draws finished art for, occasionally embellishing or replacing Scott's layouts if he feels he can make the strip's visual more lively.

Jeremy Michael Duncan is an intelligent^{[citation needed]}, 17-year-old high school junior (earlier a 15-year-old freshman) who aspires to be a rock musician. He is named after Jeremy Clyde of the 1960s rock duo Chad and Jeremy (although one strip shows his parents named him after a lyric in "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night, "Jeremiah was a bullfrog") and was once mentioned to have an older brother named Chad, who is away in college. Jeremy spends much of his time with his friends and trying to impress love interest and part-time girlfriend, Sara Toomey. Jeremy was once told by his mother he was conceived to the Led Zeppelin song "Stairway to Heaven". When not at school or with his friends, Jeremy is often embarrassed and/or lectured by his parents, Walt and Connie Duncan.

He is shown as having an ability to tell who is calling on the telephone and for what reason when it rings (sometimes even before it rings).

He usually wears his purple shirt over a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and fat tongued Sneakers. He is extremely tall, even when slouching. Jeremy spent time restoring a 1962 Volkswagen Type 2 van with his best friend Hector Garcia, which they hoped to drive across the country when they turned 16. The van was in running condition but did not run very well considering its age. In the spring of 2023, the van was flattened by a speeding garbage truck. Jeremy barely fits in the replacement car his half of the insurance money bought him. Jeremy is also the lead singer and guitarist of his garage band, which goes by many names including "Chickenfist", "Goat Cheese Pizza", "Jughead's Hat", and "Angry Dwarfs". In May 2017, his band received their first business engagement, a 6-year-old's birthday party. In July 2017 the band had their first "adult" engagement at the Arthur C. Coachella Senior Citizen Center, where the geriatric audience gave them a much better reception, with them constantly shouting "Turn It Up!". After the band debuted in a Battle of the Bands competition, Jeremy received his first kiss from Sara and the relationship took off. Since then, Jeremy and Sara have gone through many arguments, breakups and reconciliations. For all of Jeremy's flaws, however, he retains a high sense of morality and integrity as can be seen in the story arc where he steals a signpost with his name on it, only to return it to the police to free himself of the guilt he feels (although he uses Hector's name when turning it over). On another occasion, Jeremy is overwhelmed by a school essay he has to write and all the other commitments he has made. A fellow student, Phoebe, suggests he use a website to pull a bootleg essay off the Internet. In the end, however, Jeremy's sense of ethics overcomes the desire to plagiarize, and he spends the night writing the essay himself. In late 2000s strips, Jeremy received his learners' permit. In September 2007 strips, Jeremy's mother refers to his being a sophomore in high school. As of 2009 strips, Jeremy is claimed to be 16. On the August 23, 2009 strip, his driver's license was shown.