I admit it. I definitely lifted the idea of the “speeding ambulance in the last panel” gag from Scott Kurtz. But come on. You really think Kurtz was the first guy to come up with that gag? I’m reminded of a line Krusty once said on The Simpsons after being crank-called: “If this is anyone but Steve Allen, you’re stealin’ my bit!”

Saul Salvatore is loosely based on Sal “The Stockbroker” Governale, a former stockbroker who now plies his wares on the Howard Stern radio show. It’s just…really odd to think that one man can call both those professions his own in the course of his lifetime.