I started with the title. It’s based on an infamous audio recording of legendary jazz drummer Buddy Rich berating his band members on their tour bus after a show. In a profane rant, an unhinged Rich accuses them of playing “clams” all night long, clams being jazz slang for bum notes and screw-ups. I’ve always loved jazz lingo and the word “clam” was rattling around in my skull for a long time before I thought that “Nothing But Clams” would make a good title for a comic strip.