Modern Short Stories is a Pittsburgh-based "media label" founded by Steve Soboslai and Chris Fafalios of the Pittsburgh pop punk band Punchline and friend Amanda Yu.

The seed that would become Modern Short Stories was sown in July 2007 when Heavy.com announced Punchline the $25,000 grand-prize winner of their Contraband Contest,[2][3] in which bands competed for views on videos uploaded to the site.

The two previously collaborated on a "YouToon" (a term coined by Fafalios referring to any cartoon uploaded to YouTube) called Texas Toast.

Within these pages you'll find a treasury of thought-provoking and hilarious poetry, illustrations, and (masculine) fairy tales written by Tony Hartman and Chris Fafalios.

These two (straight) buddies have figured out the formula for comedic cartoon poetry while spending Saturday afternoons drawing, writing, and laughing.