The Perishers enchanted into a dog by a gypsy wench (as he puts it, "I knew I should have bought those damn clothespegs!") – the strip gives occasional hints that this is actually true as opposed to another fantasy. As a lord, he demands to be treated with respect, and often tells Wellington so to his face. Unfortunately Wellington only hears barking. Wellington thinks Boot is lazy and should help out with the household chores, but Boot usually manages to find some way to "accidentally" mess things up in the hope that he won't be asked again. He hates taking baths, and
The Cartoon History of the Universe History of the Universe"'s publication. "The Cartoon History" is illustrated in a black-and-white cartoon style. Gonick occasionally uses crosshatching and other realistic drawing techniques, but he primarily draws with a lively brush-and-ink squiggle that resembles Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes", Walt Kelly's "Pogo", and René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo's "Astérix". Occasionally, as in the sequences on India in the second book, he mimics Gilbert Shelton's style from "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers". His tribute to "Asterix" is explicit. When Gauls are depicted, not only do they often resemble Goscinny and Uderzo's characters Asterix and Obelix, but when Gonick treats the