Hey, Conner. Thanks for checking Vorto out. I'm really glad you're enjoying it.
I'm using grawlix for a few reasons. I think it gives the strip a retro feel which is a big part of 'Vorto'. Grawlix is a time-honored tradition that dates back to the early 1900s. The first reported use of it was in a 1909 'Katzenjammer Kids' strip, which was also one of the first American newspaper comic strips.
It's been used throughout the comic history since to convey cursing without actually crossing the line. Comic artists from Charles Schulz to Bill Watterson have used grawlix. Historically this was done because it wasn't possible to swear in a newspaper strip. Often, as is the case with 'Vorto', the intended readership for a strip is a mixed market of kids and adults. Vorto is a gritty, nasty pirate who curses like one, but it's not practical to print cursing in the strip for all audiences.
Finally, and coincidentally, the word grawlix was coined by Mort Walker the creator of 'Beetle Bailey' and 'Hi and Lois' who was a graduate of the University of Missouri in Columbia where I live. So in that way it's an inadvertent homage.
I'd definitely like to hear more about what you think about this, and if anyone else has an opinion on the use of grawlix and their use in 'Vorto' I'd appreciate feedback. Thanks.
