THE GUEST STRIP BONANZA FEATURING THE GALS OF WEB COMICS!!!

Well, it finally happened.  After nearly three years, I finally got some guest strips!  Who, you might ask, was CRAZY enough to actually want to attempt to do a guest strip for Mike and Mindy?  Why some CRAZY gals known for their own CRAZY strips here on the Interwebs!  That's right folks, the CRAZYVERSE! has been taken over by girls!  Now I know why the sky's been pink, everything's gotten frilly and all these damn Unicorns keep invading my yard!  I wouldn't mind it so much if the Unicorns would quit farting rainbows!  Just because they're more colorful doesn't make 'em any less smelly!

So let's jump right in and see some new interpretations of the Spike Head and the Ponytail!  Let the Girl Power commence! 

 First, we have Jackie Tse (aka jACKEt) of the comic Many Dull Knives, another CRAZY gal and good Twitter friend!  This piece is hands down one of my favorites!  Everything about it, from the colors to the design to the gag just brought a huge smile to my face.  She even retained the tykes' humongous eyes!  I especially like how Mike goes black and white during the race!  Good thing he didn't run at Ludicrous Speed!  And using the panel border as a prop... GENIUS!!!

Last up, another great Twitter pal (and CCE veteran) Michele Hernandez, of Kat Daycare, sent in this follow up to the Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  She based it on both her entry and mine, which featured a scorpion among the dessert critters watching the sad fate of an inflated, cactus-bound dog!  Here, EVERYBODY'S trying to get away from the living Cactus, who was introduced in her piece!  Michelle is one of the best cartoonists on the web and one of my favorites to chat with on Twitter!  We are also now full-fledged Egg Cream addicts thanks to Karen Gownley!  To see more of Michelle's awesome work, click here and here!

And so ends another post here at the CRAZYVERSE!  I'll be back next time with all new adventures from Mike and Mindy and Mushrooms!  This was a great month!  Every single post was art related!  I must say, this is a really proud day for me.  This is the first time I've ever handed over the keys to the kingdom to other artists.  And I couldn't be happier with the results!  It's wild to see others take on my characters!  Thanks again to jACKEt for doing these for me! I hope you had as much fun drawing them as I did reading them, even if you did make Mike the victim in your 'toon!  And thanks again to Michelle for the great CCE follow up piece!  I hope that Cactus doesn't come after us next!  I got something special coming your way soon!  It will be EGG-cellent!  Take care, and I'll catch y'all next time!  And one more thing:  Will one of you gals please come get these Unicorns?!  They're stinkin' up the joint!

THE CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT, PART DEUX

Well, here we are!  The final part of the first ever Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  We got off to a great start last week, and now it's time to see how the rest stand up!  I gotta be honest, when I first came up with this, I really wasn't sure what to expect.  I never thought that so many people would get into it and really dig the concept!  I'm very proud of the results here and happy to have gotten such a great turn out!  And now, let's see the rest!  Enjoy...

Power Theatre Alex Callard did this entry!  This piece really cracked me up!  The Cactus' reaction is so priceless!  One of only two pieces two go all the way in showing what happened to the poor dog!  Check out more of Alex's work here!

Next up is Austin Verburg's entry!  Austin does the hysterical Austin's Inferno strip, an epic tale of high school, gaming and tacos!  Here, series regular Ashlee imagines that she's the dog!  The deadpan reaction of the last panel left me on the floor!  If you haven't read it yet, do yourself a favor and click the link!  Your life will be so much better for it!

This next piece was by New Zealand cartoonist Brendan "Jim" Boughen.  Brendan decided to pay tribute to the new Mars Mission, showing that apparently there is life on the Red Planet- Really WACKY life that is!

German cartoonist Chani is responsible for this great piece!  Fido seems quite concerned there!  I must say, I'm really pleased with the International turnout of this project.  Britain, the US, New Zealand, Germany, Holland and Canada are represented here!  Only cartooning can bring us all together like so!

Crystal Ellis did this wonderful piece! I love the dog's expression!  Such a great Children's Book quality to Crystal's work!  I'd like to see her do a full on comic out of this! (HINT HINT CRYSTAL)

Goober and Cindy Cartoonist Daniel Barton turned this piece in, and I gotta say, the "Cactapus" is now a part of my dictionary!  So many gave the Cactus a personality, but Daniel really took step further!

The great D.M. Rolfe of the hysterical Mighty Monocle did this outrageous piece!  That cat certainly used some sneaky techniques!  I get the feeling the dog didn't see it coming! (Rolfe actually confirmed it!)

Here we have another remarkable artist, the great Harry Rickard, the 15-year-old artist and editor of Britain's Wizzo Comic!  When I was 15, my only claim was being Captain of the Wrestling team.  Harry's already got his own magazine with a distribution channel!  Clearly this kid's got his priorities in order!  I'm proud to announce that Mike and Mindy will soon be syndicated in the Wizzo!  Britain, consider yourselves warned!

Simon McLaren, another great British artist and Twitter pal did this fun piece!  I was happy to see somebody else do a movement gag in their entry!  Simon's a wonderful artist and his use of pencils for his colors is absolutely brilliant!

Canadian artist Warren Frantz, the madman behind Offseason Comics did this brilliant entry! As stated last week, I said a "Helium-Filled Dog!"  I never specified what kind of dog!  Of course, the joke's gonna be on the Cactus when he takes a bite!

Illustrator Scott Brown did the masterpiece above!  Words and a computer screen don't do this entry justice!  Why Scott isn't published more often is beyond me because he is beyond good!  When I first saw this, it just screamed "Children's Book!"  Scott, I hope you'll at least consider doing a full on story with your piece.  I'd buy it!

And last but not least, we come to our final entry by Crosstown Cartoonist Adam Pilkington!  Another wonderful artist with a "Children's Book" quality, Adam gave us the biggest Cactus yet!  Not to mention the most Helium-Filled of Dogs!  This was a favorite!

Well, there you have it! The first ever Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  I hope you all enjoyed the entries!  I know I did!  There were some similarities, with the Cactus having a personality being chief among them.  But each and every cartoon/comic/strip totally stands on it its own as a story!  In the end, I guess you can say they were all very "Up-Lifting!"  I'd like to thank all the artists for taking time out of their busy schedules to give my CRAZY idea a try.  I hope you all had a lot of fun doing this!  I think the thing I'm most proud of with this Experiment is that we were all able to come together and just do something!  No rhyme or reason, just a bunch of artists giving a certain subject their own spin and having a good time doing it!  You all rock!  And yes, there WILL be another Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  Look for it next month!

That's all for this week!  I'll be back next time with a very special post featuring the first ever Mike and Mindy guest strips!  It's gonna be quite a post, so be sure to come back and check it out!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

IT'S TIME FOR THE FIRST EVER CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT!!!

 Before I start, I'd first like to say thanks the Bros. Oliver for an awesome experience doing their podcast!  We had a lot of fun and it's up on their site right now!  Click here to listen to it! (It can also be found on itunes as well, all for free!)

A few months back, I started this thing on Twitter called THE CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT. It's goal was simple: Take a single subject and see how many different artists would interpret said subject.  Would they all be the same?  Would they all be different?  Just how similar/unique would each entry be in relation to one another?  Well, the results are in and it's time to check 'em all out!  Because of the amount of submissions I got, I had to split it up into two parts!  So I now present to you Part 1 of the Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  Big thanks to all the awesome artists who took part in this wild idea of mine!

What was the theme you ask?  "A Helium-Filled Dog Floating Precariously Close To A Cactus!"  Why that?  Because it was the CRAZIEST thing I could think of!  Enjoy the show!

Our first entry comes from Jason Platt, creator of Mister and Me!  Love the child-like look of the Cactus, almost like it's more curious than mean!  One of the cooler things about Jason: In addition to cartooning, he's also an actor, director and playwright!

This is my splash into the Experiment!  I was trying to channel Gary Larson here, as singe-panel cartoons are not one of my strengths!  Still, I'm proud of the piece, although I do regret not doing a full page story.

Here we have Oskar van Velden's entry!  Oskar is the creator of Mojo, and the one that inspired the Experiment in the first place!  He was looking for requests for quick sketches, and this was the goofiest thing I could think of!  Next thing I know, I'm asking other artists to give it a try!  The dog's look is priceless!

Next up, Zorphbert and Fred creator (And great Twitter pal!) Dawn Griffin!  As luck would have it, Dawn wanted to do an inflated dog story for Z&F, and worked the Crazy Cartoon Experiment into her storyline! Talk about dedication!  I love how Fred's the Cactus!  He such an eager fella!

This entry comes from another great Twitter pal, CAAATS! creator Matt Gross!  I have reason to believe that Olive and Hazel might be responsible for the poor dog's predicament!  The steer's skull is a great touch too!

Picpak Dog creator Kim Belding is responsible for this beauty!  Kim let his very own creation, Picpak, try the Experiment himself!  I gotta admit, although this wasn't a contest, this really was among my favorites!  The timing between the panels and reactions are absolutely amazing!

Without question, Shawn Granger of Daddy's Girls, among many other titles, did the most unique entry.  When I said "Helium-Filled Dog," I never specifically said it had to be an actual inflated dog!  Shawn really thought outside the box, and hit a home run with this one!  He more than anybody got what I was trying to do with this Experiment!

This fun piece comes from the ever so awesome Crashsuit, founder of the Buns And Wieners Society (Of which I'm a member!)!  He not only drew it, he went the whole nine yards and animated it!  Even better, the Cactus is chasing the dog!  Now that's creative license! 

Max Overacts creator Caanan Grall is responsible for this dark take.  One of the more interesting things about this one is the angle of the dog.  Almost everybody else had the dog float in from the side.  I really dug the perspective he drew this at!  A very solid piece!

Sean Von Gorman did this quick sketch for the cause!  I feel a little bad, since I kinda duped him into it.  He too was looking for some quick-sketch ideas, and I shot it out to him!  Luckily, he was happy to take part!  I like how the dog doesn't seem to care that it's inflated!

Cody the Cavalier creator Jamie Cosley did this fun sketch.  Although the dog isn't helium-filled, it does contain the basic elements of the Experiment: A Dog, Helium, and a Cactus, so I does count!  And I must say this: That is the CRAZIEST Cactus of the entire Experiment!

Our last entry for now comes from a great twitter pal, Kat Daycare creator Michelle Hernandez!  Michelle took an approach similar to that of Shawn Granger in that it's more like a toy balloon than a full-on inflated dog.  Once again, the line read "Helium-Filled Dog."  I never said it had to be an actual dog, so kudos to Michelle and Shawn for paying close attention!

And so we come to the halfway mark of the Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  So far, every entry has not only been awesomely hilarious, but they have all been very different!  One of the few similarities really has been a lot of the artists giving the Cactus a personality!  It's something I really wish I'd done now!  Oh well.  There's always next time I suppose!

As you can see, we're off to as great start here!  Next week, we'll have the rest of the Experiment along with the first ever Mike and Mindy guest strip by the truly amazing (and fellow Crazy Cartoon Experiment Participant) Francesca Testen!  Brace yourselves for the Crazy Cartoon Experiment Part 2!  And do mind your cacti!  Until next time, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: ROMANCE, JEALOUSY AND EGGS CREAMS!!!

It seems like it's been an eternity, but comics are back in business here at the CRAZYVERSE!  There's so much going on right now, my head's a total blur right now!  Yesterday, I recorded the Twxxd.com Podcast with the Bros. Oliver and it also looks like the finishing touches are about to be put on my book!  Needless to say, it is a very busy but fun time here in the 'VERSE!

But enough talk!  It's Comics Week!  So let's dive right in!  Up first, Mike and Mindy!

Jealous?  Who said Mindy's jealous?  Let that be a lesson girls: Mindy will not tolerate ANYBODY makin' a move on her man!  I hope this will also serve as a reminder of the dangers of mixing Mentos with soda.  It's a very combustable combination!  I also hope that this will finally put to rest any rumors about Mike and Mindy's true relationship.  They are definitely NOT related!

And now, enjoy a serving of Mushrooms!

   

There are several stories behind this comic.  The inspiration came from Twitter pal (And fellow Union Member) Karen Gownley, whose husband is Cartoonist Jimmy Gownley.  Jimmy just ended his brilliant Amelia Rules! series, and I wanted to do a little something to show my appreciation for his creation.  One day on Twitter, I blindly asked what an Egg Cream was, and got quite the lecture from Karen about it!  It made me laugh and I thought to myself "This could work as a story!"  And so here we are.  What makes Amelia such a great character is that even though she's just a kid, she tell's it as it is.  She keeps it real!  The last unique aspect of this comic is that it's only the fifth time I've ever appeared in one of my stories.  Even in drawn form, I'm a pretty low-key guy, but the image of trying to scientifically make an Egg Cream was too funny to pass up! 

Well, that's all for now, I'll be back next time with the results of my first big Twitter project, THE CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT!!!  "What is it?" You say? Tune in next time and you'll find out!  Also be on the look out for my podcast interview with the TWXXD Dudes!  It was a very fun chat and it should be up soon!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!