You don’t always have to pay a price for pleasure. Sam Brown created www.explodingdog.com, and visual amusement is free on this Web site. Brown showcases his comic strip of word-picture associations. He features stick-figure cartoon drawings shaped as sweetly as all-day suckers, and creates narratives inspired by random sentences mailed to him. One e-mailer proposed the title "Why is my Water Bill $48?" And another entry, "Love is Like … a Crossword Puzzle," shows one character wiping away tears, while a romantic partner reaches out and pleads "… Mississippi." Brown sure can make a simple line look as sad as can be. But you know what’s really sad? He has to pay the price. DBWired hosts Brown’s Web site, charging him $5.95 a month. Check out Brown’s site for this inspired eye candy, and don’t miss the great links to likeminded art-story pages. Check out www.dbwired.com to start your own site.

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