Nothing big at all. I had a strip for two years in an independent student newspaper in Madison, WI (daily circulation varied between 16,000 and 20,000), but it was more for the fun of it and quality definitely wasn't the most important thing!
Yeah, I am going to be doing the whole creator/writer/artist package with this idea.
I've been reading up on the submission guidelines for a lot of the publishers out there but, since this project is going to more of a labor of love than with a direct intent to publish, I am probably going to make a full first issue before I put together submission packages based on the individual publisher's criteria.
Thanks for advice!