Andrew Wales, Cartoonist

Whether we’re teachers trying to understand what actually worked in a lesson, parents sorting out what helps our kids grow, coaches adapting to real-time feedback, or leaders navigating unpredictable projects— we’re all evaluators . Every day we judge what we’re doing, how it’s working, and what needs to change. And more often than not, the path forward is far less straightforward than we hoped. Halcolm’s Inferno is my creative, tongue-in-cheek reflection on that universal journey. Inspired by Michael Quinn Patton’s ideas in Developmental Evaluation , the comic imagines an underworld of nine “circles,” each representing a familiar challenge we face when trying to understand our efforts and make better decisions. It’s not a retelling of Dante, and it’s not a literal guide—it’s a playful exploration of how real life refuses to fit neatly inside our plans. Across these circles, Halcolm encounters the traps we all fall into: craving simple answers for complicated problems, trying to con...

  Today’s comic brings back Halcolm—this time wrestling with the classic “Starfish” idea. It’s a reminder that in the world of evaluation, the work doesn’t always look grand or sweeping. Sometimes it’s one small act, one small insight, one small shift that feels like a drop in the bucket. But drops accumulate. Patterns emerge. Change—real change—often starts with the quiet, faithful work of paying attention, asking questions, and learning from what’s right in front of us. Evaluators know this better than anyone: impact isn’t always flashy. Sometimes it’s just one starfish at a time.

  Does this comic sound too absurd to be true? It’s actually based on a real story.   In 1980, a World Bank report on the campaign to end river blindness concluded the effort’s benefits were “inherently unmeasurable” — because the people whose sight was saved were too poor to make an impact on GDP.  Should we add a column for "compassion" on the spreadsheet? 

  In this Halcolm strip, a simple chore — cleaning a shared office — turns into a contest of cleverness. As Halcolm and a young professor try to outdo each other with ever-loftier “wise sayings,” their sweeping gets faster, louder, and more dramatic. By the end, the office is spotless… but the air is a choking cloud of dust. It’s a perfect metaphor for what happens when ego sneaks into collaborative work. In evaluation, teaching, or any shared endeavor, we can be so eager to sound insightful that we stir up more confusion than clarity. Instead of helping the situation, we cloud the room — and our relationships — with unnecessary dust. Sometimes the wisest move isn’t offering the smartest statement. Sometimes it’s simply working together, gently, without the need to outperform. Clean spaces are good. Clear air is better.

  In developmental evaluation, as Michael Q. Patton reminds us, you often have to fire before you fully aim. The point isn’t to get it perfect on the first shot — it’s to learn from what happens. Halcolm’s barrage of questions captures the heart of this approach: targets move, contexts shift, and what you learn from each “miss” helps you discover what the real target is becoming. Evaluation goals evolve as the system evolves. Insight emerges not from standing still and planning endlessly, but from noticing where the arrows actually land — and adjusting your aim accordingly. In other words: missing isn’t failure. Missing without learning is.

Halcolm’s Progress: A Pilgrim’s Guide to Developmental Design This comic strip is based on my thoughts and interpretations gained from reading Developmental Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to Enhance Innovation and Use by Michael Q. Patton.  Every evaluator has walked some version of Halcolm’s winding path — even if we didn’t sketch it quite so literally. This comic follows Halcolm through the uncertainty, messiness, surprises, and insights that Michael Q. Patton describes as the essence of developmental design and evaluation . In Patton’s world, clarity rarely arrives at the beginning. It emerges through movement — by asking new questions, responding to what shifts, and adapting in real time. Halcolm’s detours make that visible: the Swamp of Subjectivity where meaning gets muddy, the Swarm of Small Things that threaten to drain focus, and the Implementation Storm that forces him to redesign on the fly. Yet the journey isn’t only chaotic. At places like Feedback Fa...

Halcolm has one of those days where he’s convinced the whole world stinks. Everywhere he goes, the smell follows him. The people, the places, the conversations—nothing seems right. It’s a classic story, almost fable-like: a man who believes the world has gone sour, only to discover the problem is quite literally right under his nose . In Halcolm’s case, it’s his mustache. We laugh because it’s simple… and because it’s true. We’ve all had moments where we blame the world for what we’re carrying ourselves. In research and evaluation, this becomes a powerful illustration of bias . Our experiences, assumptions, and past frustrations can cling to us like invisible odors. They shape what we notice, how we interpret it, and what we conclude—often without us realizing it. Halcolm reminds us that perception can feel like reality, even when it’s filtered through something we’ve forgotten is there. The mustache is the metaphor: our own history, expectations, and blind spots coloring everything...

  Introducing Halcolm’s Progress : A Comic Journey through Evaluation, Ideas, and Imagination For the past several years, I’ve been exploring a unique creative intersection: where research and evaluation meet comics and storytelling . That adventure led me to create a series of illustrations inspired by the work of renowned evaluation scholar Michael Quinn Patton —and today, I’m excited to share the new cover image for my latest project, Halcolm’s Progress . If you’re new to this world, don’t worry. Here’s the nutshell version. Who is Halcolm? Halcolm is a fictional character created by Michael Patton as a way to communicate big ideas in a playful, accessible way. He’s a sort of evaluation folk hero—part philosopher, part wanderer, part comic sage—who stumbles through challenges, insights, and “a-ha” moments. My comics take Halcolm’s spirit and run with it: What if Halcolm’s journey were an illustrated quest? What if the challenges of evaluation were reimagined as literal landsca...