And around the Triangle, you don't have to look far.

"There are a lot of really good cartoonists in this area," says Kevin Dixon of Chapel Hill, who could be counted among them. In addition to other projects, Dixon, 42, is illustrating a version of the ancient tale of Gilgamesh, with text by his father.

To help spread the word about local cartooning talent, Dixon and a handful of artists will appear tonight at Chapel Hill Comics. They will sign their creations (and sell a few, they hope) talk about their work and help jump-start the store's new section devoted to local comics.

Although Chapel Hill Comics regularly has carried local work on consignment, there has never been a dedicated section for it, says store owner Andrew Neal. With a specific space, Neal hopes that local artists will have the initiative to stock it.

Stephanie Freese of Raleigh will be one of those who does. Freese, 35, draws the online comic "The Dada Detective" and will appear tonight to sign her work.

The strip, Freese says, centers on a hard-boiled detective who "is approached by a heretical talking mime. She's searching for her duck, and chaos ensues." Matt Wood and Dave Milloway are the writers.

It has always been difficult for independent cartoonists to get noticed. But the Internet and on-demand publishing companies have helped, Freese says.

A new "Dada Detective" strip is posted each Monday at likelystories.com. Freese and Co. also use lulu.com, the Morrisville-based on-demand publisher, to print hard copies of their collections.

Not long ago, aspiring comic-book creators had to make their own books at the copy store. Now they can create slick, professional books they can sell at conventions, where thousands gather to dig through bins of old favorites and to discover new ones.

The folks behind "The Dada Detective" take the marketing of it seriously. Last year, they attended Comic-Con in San Diego, the world's largest comics convention.

Closer to home, Freese is involved with the North Carolina WebComics Coffee Clatch. Members meet monthly to network and exchange ideas. "We want to encourage camaraderie," Freese says.

Camaraderie among people aiming for the same goal? If only Dilbert could manage it at the office.