Recently in Comics Category

I was at Time Warp comics Saturday morning to sign things and draw stuff for "Free Comic Book Day".  I always kind of dread this event.  On one hand it makes me feel like a real cartoonist, but on the other hand I really don't belong there.  I don't draw superheroes and most of the kids aren't old enough to read and/or understand my work. 
The day got a big boost when I saw that I was seated right next to John Porcellino whose work I really like and who I'd met once before at APE in San Francisco.  He had a lot of good advice and similar insights about cartooning and the psychology behind most cartoonists.  One of my favorite moments was when a guy asked us to draw Felix the Cat.  We both started drawing and realized that we had no idea what Felix really looked like.  We tried to figure it out, and john scrawled a little cat face that didn't look like Felix(well not exactly).  About half an hour, out of the blue he says, "Y'know, I'm starting to think this is a really good picture of Felix the Cat.

I really had fun talking with him and his wife.  We laughed a lot.  A little boy asked him to draw Superman, and I watched him do one in his style.  I thought it was great, but the little boy looked confused.  Later he told me he was "shaking inside" while drawing it!  I was asked to draw a lot of superheroes, and I tried, but they felt like failures.  My favorite drawing was one I did of Nightcrawler.  I only had what I'd remembered from the X-Men movie posters, so I just made it up and the kid was laughing and said he liked it anyway.
After John left I was pretty bored and I was getting a little surly.  I was sitting there doodling and a guy came up who thought I was doing caricatures and said, "Hi, oh, are you doing someone right now?"
I said, "Yeah, your mom." without thinking.  He cocked his head, then started cracking up.  I was glad he didn't kick my ass.  I started doing a caricature of him and he interrupted me - "Think you could draw me like this so I don't have a double chin?"
I said "It's a caricature, I'm supposed to be making fun of you!"
"I know, it's just-I hate it!"
I erased it and he was happy.  The next guy who was about 60 walked up and said, "I have a lot of ideas, but I can't draw, so I'm looking for an artist to work with."  Now, if you're any sort of cartoonist you hear this all the time, so I was trying to say no without hurting his feelings.
"I write and draw, and I don't really do superhero stuff, like-"
"Well, I used to be into super heroes, but now (dramatic pause) I'm into Jesus!"
Shit.....I told him to get in touch with Chick Publications and he left.  I left shortly thereafter.

Here are some sketchbook pages from the last week.  I'm also writing a script for my next comic!  I've never written a script before, I usually just have a general idea about where the story is leading, but I want to have everything worked out this time.












 

I think it's my self best portrait ever, it sorta looks like me, but more importantly it conveys what it's like to be me!
Ha!  Don't forget to check out Comix Magazine!

This rare and action packed tract by Jack Chick was discontinued shortly after it appeared in 1986, probably because it was too over the top, even for Chick Publications, which is saying a lot.  If you're not familiar with Jack Chick you might be surprised to find that you've read his work without even knowing it. (He's the man behind those mini comics that religious zealots hand out, mainly to ruin fun holidays like Halloween and New Years's Eve) Scary stat - He's the most published author in the world.  Read it, fear it, love it.

One of my favorite cartoonists, Johnny Ryan, will be opening his 'Horrorshow' exhibit at Secret Headquarters today.  He's posted a few pieces online at his Flickr Account Page.  Check it out, and if you've never read an issue of Angry Youth Comics you're missing out on a ton of laffs!
























the Ring by Johnny Ryan