People like Tim Downs

Tim Downs (Born 1954) is an American comic artist and author best known for his Downstown comic strip and the Bug Man series of Christian mystery novels.

Downs grew up in a non-religious household near Town and Country, St. Louis County, Missouri, with his parents Charles and Bobbie Downs. While in 7th grade at Parkway Junior High School. Downs came in first place for an oratory contest sponsored by the Des Peres Optimist Club, later coming in third place in the regional contest sponsored by the Optimist Clubs of St. Louis.

In high school, Downs began to doodle single-cell comics, often drawing on paper towels at the can factory where he worked as an evening janitor. Although his comics were influenced by Charles Schultz's Peanuts, Downs was unsuccessful selling his work.