This is a rare two-panel strip. Having seen my drawing and my writing, the editors at United Media decided the strip needed something extra. We agreed I'd draw the strip in four panels, so it could be chopped up and stacked into a square if a newspaper editor's space limitations required it. Presumably, editors would think, "This new strip stinks, but I can cut it up and move it around: I'll  take it!" The two-panel format works, also.