HAVE SAPPY!!! HAVE A SAPPY!!! HAVE A SAP, SAP, SAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

THE END IS NEAR!!!  The end of 2017 that is!  I won't get into the sorted affairs of the world in this post.  Twitter and Facebook can sum it up much more graphically than I ever could.  Instead, I'll merely reflect on my experience with the year.

2017 had many up and many downs, as any year will really.  WonderCon and Comic Con were certainly high points for me, as they are every year to be honest.  It was a tight year financially for me, but that's almost become the norm in my life.  I'm about to not have to worry about my car payment anymore, so that's gonna help a lot.  Hopefully 2018 will be the year I finally make some gains for my future.

Losing my dad was obviously another hard blow.  It was something we weren't exactly shocked by, but at the end of the day, nothing prepares you for losing a parent.  It will always hit hard, no matter how expected.  I had a hard time with it initially, but the response that came from his passing was just mind blowing.  On Twitter, my timeline was flooded with condolences and well-wishes from pals, and a good many from total strangers even.  It reaffirms my faith in humanity in that there are still kind people in the world that would offer support to someone they don't know.  His wake had close to 200 people show up.  My greatest fear was being alone at his memorial because he'd burned so many bridges over the years.  To see that all these people still loved him and forgave him helped with the healing.  It was because of that, I was able to see my dad as I saw him as a child again and not as the shadow he had become towards the end.  In a way, he was redeemed.  It still saddens me he'll never get to see the great things my brother and I and his grandchildren have yet to accomplish firsthand, but I know in Heaven he looks down on us and is proud.

Creatively speaking, I'd say 2017 was a banner year for me.  Bubble Fox and the blog cartoons were very well received and I made strides in other art arenas that I'm very happy with.  Building my Halloween props for my front yard was a blast and got so many of my neighbors excited.  I even started taking another look at screenwriting this past year.  I look forward to more comics, more cartoons, more prop builds and who knows?  Maybe even a script or two in the coming year.

I'll end this post and 2017 with a simple plea to please be kind to one another.  Hatred is a vicious beast and one that is not easily defeated once it gets started.  By helping one another and just plain being nice, maybe we can make a difference.  Take care my CRAZIES.  May the coming year bring happiness and success to us all.  Catch y'all in 2018!

MIKE AND MINDY AND MISTLETOE!!!

We are back and well past the halfway point of December!  Christmas is just a few days away and already the North Pole is on lock down as Santa goes through his intense physical training regimen so he can be ready for the big night!  Given that he's been at it for over 2,000 years now, you'd think he'd have it down to a science by this point?

As you can see up top, Mike and Mindy have once again come out of cartoon retirement to bring some laughs just in time for the holidays!  Not sure why such highly poisonous plants like mistletoe, holly and poinsettias are the symbols of Christmas, but I suppose they work better than rotten apple cores, a pair of underwear and a Kenny G album!  During their run, many fans often asked me what Mike and Mindy's relationship truly was?  Were they siblings?  Cousins?  Friends?  "Serious" friends?  All good questions to which I always answered quickly, friends!  They're just really good friends!  Their habit of being comfortable around each other does give a family feel for sure, but the truth has always been these two tykes are just really good pals.  Good pals that will likely get married someday!  The basis for their relationship was always that of two kids that like each other, but don't know how to properly express it, hence the constant teasing/pranks between them.  We can all be goofs as kids, and these two were the embodiment of that.  So I hope that clears up the mystery of M&M!

And so ends all of the Holiday hubbub for the year.  Christmas will have passed by the next post and all eyes will be on the coming New Year!  It's never too late to help others this season so please donate while you still can!  Every little bit helps!  I wanna wish all of you a very safe, wonderful and Merry Christmas with all of your friends and loved ones.  Life changes very fast, so please cherish those around you and let bygones be bygones.  Until next time, take care and I'll catch y'all later and Merry Christmas!

A MOST MERRY MOUSE!!!

Woohoo!  Getting closer to Christmas y'all!  So many things to see and do!  Provided I'm not sick or hurt, tomorrow will be annual my visit to Knott's 'Merry" Farm while Friday brings Star Wars back into my life!  For those who don't live in SoCal or a state where theme parks are open year-round due to more agreeable weather, Knott's Berry Farm has long been number two in the California theme park hierarchy.  Literally minutes away from Disneyland, it tends to get overlooked sometimes but man is it a fun place, especially between October and December!  Their Halloween Haunt is legendary, having received global acclaim as being the best Halloween attraction around!  The Merry Farm during Christmas time is also a blast, giving a real down-to-Earth feel as opposed to the bazooka full of cheer that Disneyland blasts everyone with during their holiday festivities!  Both parks are worth going to during the holidays, so try to go if you can!  Anyway, enough rambling!  Time for some art!  Enjoy...

This little mouse got a lovely treat for Christmas: Fresh breath!  This, as well as last week's art came from the IlloAdvent art collective held on Twitter every year!  It was a bit of a challenge to come up with a new drawing for 25 days straight, but well worth the effort!  I must have been channeling my pal Jamie Cosley in this one, because the sparkly eyes I gave my little mouse make her look like one of the insanely adorable characters he always draws!  Mice have always held a special place at the Esparza household when it came time to decorate for the holidays.  My mom has always kept a small collection of mouse ornaments to put around the house, despite the fact that she's afraid of them!  She's never said why she's so fond of the mouse ornaments, but I guess any vermin can be cute if you pump enough holiday cheer into it!  Might have to try this theory with spiders!

And so ends another week as we march towards Christmas!  A couple of familiar pals make another brief return next time to get us all in a silly mood for Christmas!  I would once again like to urge all my readers to please help those in need this holiday season.  Every little bit helps!  Until next time, take care and I'll catch y'all later and to all my wonderful Jewish friends, Happy Hanukkah!

YELLOW CHRISTMAS!!!

It is now December!  Although Bubble kicked off the CRAZY Chirstmas Season last week, it is now formally the 12th month of the year, so now I can listen to Christmas music and watch Christmas movies in a guilt-free environment!  One of my guilty pleasure during the holidays is the many Muppet Christmas specials that Jim Henson made during his run, with Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas being my favorite of the bunch!  But you didn't come to hear me ramble on about mistletoe Muppets.  You came for art!  So here it is!  Enjoy...

Well, the dog's certainly enjoying the moment, but poor Frosty sure isn't!  Frank Zappa made a song about this, but I think actions speak louder than words in some cases.  Good thing snow melts!  It was long a fear of my mom's that one of our dogs would pee on the Christmas tree one year.  Looking back, the only two male dogs I ever owned, a pitbull named Rocky and a boxer named Buddy, never did it.  And Rocky totally was the kind of dog to do it too!  She also always feared my cat Sparky would climb up the tree or attack ornaments, but ever the lazy cat, Sparky always left the tree alone.  He preferred sleeping under it.  To him, the tree was his castle!  My brother's cat's on the other hand...  Rocky, Buddy and Sparky are no longer with us, but all three were most precious to me and made the holidays that much better in the House of CRAZY.

And that's all for this first week of December.  We'll be back next time with a radiant rodent celebrating a sweet score!  Remember to think of others this holiday season.  Not everyone gets a Merry Christmas or a Happy Hanukkah.  By donating to a toy/food/clothing drive, you can make a world of difference.  So please help!  Until next time, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

BUBBLE KICKS OFF CHRISTMAS!!!

That's right y'all!  Now that Thanksgiving is over (And I always hate typing that), I can finally get into the proper holiday mood!  Got lots of things planned for maximum enjoyment, but first, we gotta get some art up!  And who better to get Christmas going than the one and only Bubble Fox?  He's been dying to get this post up for a while now, so let's get this party started before he explodes!  Enjoy...

Well, Christmas just isn't Christmas without some ugly sweaters!  I oddly enough don't own any, but I guess there's always time to remedy that!  This post actually originated from Twitter last year when the Pinch Punch Post art collective selected a fox as its December theme.  For those not in the know, Pinch Punch Post always picks an animal for all to draw with the first of the month being the post date.  Having a comic with the lead character being a fox, not to mention the start of the Holiday Season, made sweater-wearing Bubble Fox the perfect subject to take part!  To the best of my knowledge, said sweater he's wearing doesn't exist, but if you click the link near the top right side of this page, you can go to my RedBubble shop and pick up a few holiday themed items to make the season more merry!

And that's all for this week!  We'll be back next time with some more merry fun!  With Christmas finally being here, please think of others.  Food/toy/clothing banks are all open and there are numerous other ways you can make the holidays happen for those that are less fortunate.  Take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: PUFFED PALS PATHETICALLY PASS!!!

It's here!  Thanksgiving is here!  So excited right now!  Well, past me who's presently typing this is pretty excited, but present me has likely been up all morning getting a pecan pie baked while also prepping cornbread stuffing.  Future me is hopefully sleeping like a baby with visions of gravy boats dancing in my head!  Point is, I'm super stoked right now!  I'm talking Comic Con levels of happiness here!  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I, as well as most you, are probably pretty busy right now, so let's just jump into the conclusion of Mike & Mindy's return, shall we?  Enjoy...

Looks like Farmer Zeke's mind is blown, while the bodies of Tom Turkey and Sammy Swine are just plain blown up!  It just wouldn't be a Mike & Mindy return without the inclusion of helium, so I hope you fans that still remember these tykes are geeking out hardcore that I threw their trademark gag in for good measure!  All in all though, they're brief return was successful!  They fooled Farmer Zeke, saved the main courses and got to come out and play again!  All while not uttering a single word, keeping their silence streak intact for close to eight years now!  I hope y'all enjoyed Mike and Mindy's return.  I do miss drawing these two and am actually not opposed to putting them in occasional stories like these.  The silence thing, which admittedly isn't set in stone, is somewhat limiting.  A part of me feels them talking wouldn't be that big of a deal, while another part of me thinks it's integral to their character that they remain quiet.  Will they ever talk?  Will they ever appear again?  As Doc Brown might say, the future is unwritten, so stay "Tooned!"

And that's all for today my friends.  We'll be back next time to get Christmas off on the right fox, er, foot!  I wanna wish you all a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with all your friends and family.  Be kind to and forgiving of your loved ones.  There will be an empty spot at the Esparza table this year that will remind me I truly have much to be thankful for.  And think of others this holiday season.  Help those who need it by donating to a food bank.  Take care, Happy Thanksgiving and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: THE BARE NECESSITIES OF LIFE!!!

One week to go until Turkey Day!  So far I got my food supplies, my pants with the elastic waistband and extra baggy legs and enough Joel-era episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 to hold my own custom classic Turkey Day Marathon!  All in all, I'm good to go!  And now you will be too, because Mike and Mindy are still at it and still keeping the critters out of the clutches of Farmer Zeke!  Have they succeeded today?  See for yourself!  Enjoy...

Not sure what's dumber here: That Mike and Mindy actually thought putting there clothes on Tom Turkey and Sammy Swine would work or that Farmer Zeke actually fell for it?  This dumbass don't deserve a turkey and ham for Thanksgiving if he keeps missing the obvious!

So ends another week in November.  We'll be back next time to see if Mike and Mindy were successfully able to float another ruse past Farmer Zeke.  The holidays are approaching fast folks, with Thanksgiving itself next week.  Food banks are open and we can all spare a can or two.  Please donate and help today!  Anyway, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: HIDING THE OBVIOUS!!!

And we are back!  Usually this is about the time I start collecting supplies for my contributions to Thanksgiving Dinner.  Common sense states the longer you wait, the more scarce supplies will be, but in recent years, stores have been well stalked.  I've been to Vons on Thanksgiving morning before.  I've been in bee swarms that were more merciful!  So yeah, I always get my stuff early.  Why risk it?  Anyway, you don't wanna hear about that!  You wanna see Mike & Mindy!  So here they are in living color!  Enjoy...

Uh oh!  Farmer Zeke is here, and he don't look too happy!  Taking a play out of ET's playbook, Mike and Mindy's mountain of stuffed animals are a decent cover up, but is it enough to fool this grizzled farmer?  Only time will tell!

And that's all on the docket for this week's post.  Next week, we strip down to the heart of this epic struggle between farmer and kids and see if Mike and Mindy can pull off another miracle!  Once again, think of others this season.  Donate to a local food/toy/clothing drive today!  Until next time, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY ARE BACK AND ON THE DEFENSIVE!!!

HELLOOOOOOOOOO CRAZIES!!!  November is here, and with it, THANKSGIVING!!!  Okay, I have to settle down.  But how can I?  It's my favorite holiday!  The cooking!  The eating!  Extended time with loved ones!  A parade featuring more bags of hot air than the Oval Office!  It's hard not to get excited about all of this!  But, a post is a post and I am your host, so it's time to make the most!  And boy have I got a surprise for you all!  Two old pals have decided to step in for a few weeks and have some cartoony fun in the spirit of the coming holidays!  Just who you may ask?  Well, scroll down and find out!  That is if the title at the top of the page wasn't a big enough hint!  Enjoy...

Well look who it is!  Mike and Mindy have returned!  And haven't aged a bit!  Being a cartoon character sure does have some big advantages!  No aging, no pain and no bills...  Sign me up for toondom!  Poor Tom Turkey and Sammy Swine have escaped from Farmer Zeke's farm and must be pretty desperate if they went to those two for help!  Can M&M save these bolting barn animals?  Come back next week to see how it goes!

And that's all for this week.  We'll be back next time to see how well the kids are hiding the live stock!  As is tradition here at the CRAZYVERSE, I want to urge all the CRAZIES out there to think of others this holiday season.  Toy, food and clothing drives are already underway in many towns and every little bit helps.  Even something as simple as a dollar in a Salvation Army bucket can make a difference.  Not everyone is fortunate and we should all do our part during the season of giving, so please help.  Anyway, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2017!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN MY CRAZIES!!!  Yes I know it's really in six days, but by the time next Wednesday rolls around, it'll be November!  Besides, Count Bubbula (Pronounced "Bubb-YOU-la") wanted to show off his costume while the time was still right!  I miss the days of dressing up and going trick-or-treating.  School was especially fun on Halloween as it was the one day of the year we were pretty much allowed to run wild all day!  But alas, those days are long gone.  These days, I spend my Halloweens building cool props to spook up my yard!  We just gotta find ways to make our own fun when we get older!  Anyway, it's time for some art!  Enjoy...

In the Pumpkin Universe, they dress as us!  This piece came about last year when good pal Mark Stokes had done a comic where his adorable character, Solstice, dressed as a pumpkin in a Zombie Boy comic.  I myself had done a Halloween avatar for my Twitter page that had Bubble dressed as a pumpkin and we both talked about how kids dressing up like pumpkins seemed to be a staple of the holiday.  Mark jokingly said he'd like to see a pumpkin dressed as a kid someday, and low and behold, I whipped this up the following week!  Since it's usually girls that don the foam gourd, I felt a pumpkin dressing as Mindy seemed most appropriate, albeit a little creepy!  There's just something about the pumpkin's glee that cracks me up every time I look at this!  Thanks again for the great idea Mark!

And that's a wrap for October!  We'll be back next time to kick off some Thanksgiving fun!  In the meantime, have a fun and SAFE Halloween folks.  Be wary and alert and mind the little ones running about.  Until then, Happy Halloween, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

ZOMBIE BOY, IN THE FLESH!!!

Oh!  Hello there!  Back again already?  Well, we are more than halfway through October now and Halloween is rapidly approaching!  I don't know where time goes exactly, but it sure would be nice if we had more of it every so often.  But enough rambling.  It's time for some art!  Enjoy...

One of the coolest things about taking part in Inktober last year on Twitter was getting the chance to pay tribute to all my wonderful pals in the web comic world!  That's where today's art, and last week's as well, came from!  Mark Stokes, the genius behind Zombie Boy, has long been a dear friend of mine.  He was the first big artist to befriend me on Twitter and has become a mentor in many regards.  Much like Tim Green, there aren't enough words to describe how great these guys are and how much I love their art.  Hopefully the Halloween spirit has inspired some new comics from them!

That's all for this week.  Come back next time for some inspired Halloween art and a message from Bubble Fox himself!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

A "SUNNY" HALLOWEEN IS HERE!!!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  We are now in the art portion of October!  And I couldn't think of a better way to kick things off then with an homage to the evilest little girl in ALL of comics!  Who is this little hell cat you say?  Scroll down to find out!  Enjoy...

Any long time fan of the CRAZYVERSE should probably recognize the kid above.  It's none other than Sunny from Tim Green's amazing comic, Vinnie The Vampire!  Sunny's both adorable and dangerous, making her the breakout star of the comic!  Timbo hasn't been posting lately, but I know how much he loves Halloween, and am hoping this love will bring about the retyrn of Sunny's alter ego, the masked Halloweener!

Well, that's all for today.  We'll be back next week with an homage to another web comic pal that's equally spooky and fun!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

LONG BEACH COMIC CON 2017... FINALLY!!!

Welcome to October CRAZIES!!!  After a week delay, we finally got our review of Long Beach Comic Con 2017 up!  And really, what better way to kick off Halloween month than with a bunch of people in costumes, am I right?  It was a weekend of fun, wonder and some awesome action figure scores, so enough clowning around!  Let's hit the road and go back to Long Beach!  Enjoy...

Sexy Dumb And Dumber cosplay.  Some things just aren't meant to be sexy!

Hey Arnold! cosplay!  "Helga" had the perfect unibrow going there!

Cholo Peanuts!  This is a variant I can get behind!

Some great The Mask cosplay happening here!

My favorite cosplay of the con!  Hard to tell in the pic, but his vest and "Lightning" lit up!

Couldn't get to close to this dude.  He nearly put an eye out!

Spy vs. Spy, friendship is mayhem!

And the most creative use of a "Hoverboard" award goes to Aladdin!

One of the cooler things LBCC has is the laser tag arena they put up in the exhibit hall every year.  They also had a gaming arena set up on giant screens where people took part in Mario Kart and Smash Bros tournaments the whole weekend!

She put a spell on Billy!

Slapshot cosplay!  It's about friggin time!

She's Mary Poppins y'all!

"Peace among worlds!"

The Justice League was there and ready to take on their worst foes yet: Film Critics!

Sorry dude.  The Festival Of Fools is in Washington, DC right now!

His spidey sense was tingling at the thought of a non-MCU Venom movie!

I've seen plenty of Mad Eye Moody cosplay since the Goblet of Fire came out, but this is easily the best one!

 Little Flash, meet R2!

One step ahead of the Sith...

The new It hadn't come out yet, but I'm almost certain Pennywise cosplay will be dominating all the cons next year!

And that was Long Beach Comic Con 2017.  Despite the circumstances leading into the weekend, I still had a good time.  It was somewhat of a down year for LBCC.  Attendance-wise, it was probably the most people I've ever seen there.  Doing it during Labor Day weekend helped as they didn't have to compete with the NFL on Sunday this time.  However, they also did it during the same weekend as DragonCon in Atlanta and Fan Expo in Toronto, so many of the big name vendors that usually go to LBCC weren't there.  At least 13 regulars that I see there every year didn't come.  Hopefully next year they'll be back.  I did get some awesome action figure and trading card scores at least!  I'm always on the look out for obscure treasures, and one booth had them in spades!  Overall, I needed a weekend away and it helped out a lot.  It was a good time and I look forward to being back next year!

That's all for today my CRAZIES.  We'll be back next week with some art celebrating the very personification of Halloween!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

FOR DAD...

Today, I'd like to talk a little bit about my dad.  He's been on my mind a lot lately.  Tomorrow will mark a month since he passed away.  He'd been suffering for some time since having a massive stroke shortly into the new year in 2016.  His death wasn't a total shock, given his condition, but still came out of nowhere as he'd not had any recent issues health-wise.  My dad was 61, not exactly ancient in this age where people regularly reach 90 and more.

To understand my dad is like studying nuclear physics.  He was as complex as he was hilarious.  I suppose a little back story is needed here to understand the kind of man he was.

 My dad, sometime in the 1970's, surfing San Diego's famed Imperial Beach

My dad's full name was Dante Alejandro Esparza.  He was born and raised in San Diego.  He loved sports, especially track and football, and thrived in both sports.  To this day, he's still regarded as Montgomery High School's best football player, even winning the Golden Helmet Award in 1974 as San Diego's top high school football player.  After high school, he worked construction and surfed.  He loved surfing.  It was about the only time he ever seemed to be at peace with life when he was out riding the waves.  He was one of Imperial Beach's most popular surfers and amassed a large collection of custom boards from legendary IB board maker, Jay Novak.  The art at the top of this page features a take on his trademark board.  He loved it so much, he often referred to it as his third son.  From there, he got married and started a family.  He was often called "Big" Dante by friends and family, especially after my older brother was born and named Dante as well.  Things pretty much went south from there.

 My dad with his granddaughter, Kristen, in 2008

At some point in his teens, my dad got hooked on drugs.  Like most addicts, he started small and worked his way up.  For a while, he seemed to have somewhat of a grip on things, but then his dad passed away, and depression hit him hard.  Soon after, he lost all drive and ambition.  After several years, my mom could no longer take his antics.  As more time passed and more bridges were burned, he sunk to new lows and worse habits.  For the rest of his life, he'd never be the dad I knew as a kid.

 "Big" Dante with my brother, "Little" Dante behind him and his grandson, "Littlest" Dante, on his shoulders, in 2008

As my brother and I got older, we remembered the good days with our dad.  His funny stories.  His insane practical jokes.  His ability to make any situation, no matter how bad it was, fun.  We saw the good that was still hidden deep within and wanted to help him.  Sadly, it just wasn't meant to be.  Years and years of drug abuse took their toll on him, both physically and mentally.  He often thought we were keeping him locked up when in reality, his multiple conditions just didn't allow for him to do anything.  It was heartbreaking to go through.  He'd already suffered one serious stroke prior to the big one.  When the second stroke hit, we knew it was over.  After 20 months of suffering, he finally passed on.

 My dad and I front and center, with my Uncle Bruno beside my dad and my Uncle Victor beside me, in 2002

Could have, would have, should have will always be the sad tale that was my dad's life.  In the end, it's not gonna change anything that happened.  I know I loved him.  He knew I loved him.  My brother and I did everything humanly possible to help him.  You just can't win them all.  These days, I do think of the bad times.  That can't be helped.  But I think of the good times too.  Thankfully, there are many to remember.  When I think of my dad, I think of a funny fat man who wore rainbow suspenders and knee-high socks, despite looking ridiculous.  I think of an avid Chargers fan who stuck with them no matter what.  I think of the great cook who barbecued better than anyone.  I think of a man who even at nearly 300lbs at one point could still outrun and out-surf anyone who challenged him.  But more than that, I think of a man who was generous to a fault that would not hesitate to give you the shirt off his back if you asked him.  When my first car died, he gave me a fairly new one without even asking him.  When my brother needed a home, dad gave him his.  If that's doesn't count for a good heart, I don't know what does.

Father and sons, May 1987

Alexander Pope once said "To err is human."  If there's any truth in that quote, my dad was certainly the most human of us all.  He wasn't perfect, but who is?  He was simply human, as fragile and frail as any.  Dante Alejandro Esparza was called many things during his lifetime.  I just called him dad.

BIG BLOATED BUNNY BALLOONS BY BEAR!!!

Sheesh!  Try saying the title of today's post five times fast!  We are now more than halfway past September 2017!  So much time passes so quickly these days.  I keep thinking there's a big box somewhere that all the lost time falls into, but alas, I've yet to find it.  But at least we got art to keep us entertained until that box of lost time is found, right?  Anyhoo, enough chit chat, here's some art!  Enjoy...

Poor little bunny.  Well, he's actually a fairly big bunny now, but still, he just seems so startled by it all!  It's not his fault he makes such an adorable balloon!  This theme came from the Daily Doodle who put out the idea of a bear and bunny.  I figured there just wasn't enough alliteration with a bear and bunny, so I tossed a balloon in as well!  But then I thought to myself, "Why stop there?  Why not make the bunny a balloon?"  Next thing I know, a simple drawing becomes a one-panel gag cartoon!  See?  These things practically write themselves sometimes!

And that's wrap for today!  We'll be switching gears next week and close out September with a look back at my recent trip to Long Beach Comic Con.  So recent in fact that as of this writing, it hasn't actually happened yet!  I think I might be qualified to be a Timelord at this point!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

THE DAPPER HIPPO!!!

And we are back!  September is chugging along at a frantic pace, or at least I assume it is.  I write these well in advance, so I tend to do a lot of guessing here.  What I can say is that it IS a new week, and that calls for some NEW art!  So here it is!  Enjoy...

Hippos are quite the snappy dressers!  My memory fails me again here as to whether or not this theme was from Sketch Dailies or the Daily Doodle.  All I can recall was that the theme itself was to simply draw a hippo, and I felt he needed to be jazzed up a bit.  Enter a top hat, cane and bowtie, and you got one dapper hippo!  Thanks to cartoons, I've spent my entire life thinking that all one needs to be fancy is simply to add a top hat and bowtie to their wardrobe.  If I ever actually get nominated for an award, I'll be sure to wear both to the ceremony!

And that's all she wrote today.  We'll be back next time with a goofy bear and his "Uplifting" method of cartoon alliteration!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

HORTON AND HIS EGG!!!

September is upon us CRAZIES!!!  We have unofficially hit Fall, which means my favorite time of the year is here!  Pumpkins and vanilla!  Turkey and stuffing!  HALLOWEEN!!!  I know school's back for so many, but aren't these awesome holidays more than enough to soften the blow?  Besides, school was actually more fun in the Fall, probably because we had so many wonderful events to look forward to!  But that's enough of that.  Y'all came to see some art, and I intend to deliver!  Enjoy...

Good old Horton.  Loyal to a fault and more dedicated than any to his job!  I can't recall whether this was a Daily Doodle or Sketch Dailies theme, but one of them said to draw Horton the Elephant, so I did!  Of course, I took a bit of CRAZY license with it, implying that Horton himself laid the egg!  Elephants are a lot of fun to draw.  Their shapes are simple, making them natural cartoon critters.  I really need to draw them more often!

And that's all for this week!  Hope you enjoyed my Fall Kickoff.  We'll be back next week with another rotund critter looking to step out!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

VOLCANOS AND FOXES AND DRAGONS, OH MY!!!

Welcome to the end... Of August!  Yup, the Summer is pretty much over now, BUT, that just means the wonderful Fall season is upon us!  Halloween!  Thanksgiving!  The start of Christmas Overkill!  What's not to be happy about?  Sure, school's back in for many kids, but I graduated years ago!  Every day is kinda pointless when you don't have a set schedule!

Anyway, before we jump into today's art, I figured I'd give y'all a heads up about the start of Guest Month over at Bubble Fox.  September has more or less become the one break I take each year from cartooning as it's pretty busy for me at work and on the home front.  So to help me get a little relief, some dear pals have stepped in to take the reigns of making sure that Bubble and his pals are thoroughly inflated with enough CRAZY gas to keep them floating the whole month while I'm gone!  It'll be a fun time for all, so be sure to stop by and take a look!  Anyway, speaking of Bubble Fox, his girlfriend Willow is the star of today's post!  Enjoy...

They don't get any more fantastic than Willow!  This was a Daily Doodle post that asked for fox art.  It was also coming off the heels of a Roald Dahl-themed week that also had a Fantastic Mr. Fox day, so I thought I'd present another fox who's equally fantastic, if not more!  Bubble may be the star of the comic, but Willow is definitely one of the most popular characters in the series.  I always enjoy creating stories centered around her.  She's the lone voice of reason in a world full of wiseguys!

And that's all she wrote for August.  I guess I should also mention that my break only affects the Bubble Fox site as this blog will still have new artwork posted to it.  Why this site and not the other?  Simple.  The work for the blog's cartoons aren't as time consuming!  Anyway, we'll kickoff September right, I promise!  I'll also be walking around at the Long Beach Comic Con this weekend, so be sure to say "Hi" if you spot me!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

HE'S A DISCO DANCIN' DUCK!!!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  Hard to believe, but August, and Summer, is almost over!  The older I get, the more time seems to speed up.  It seems like the month's we're supposed to have the most fun in go even faster than others!  I suppose that's just the way it is, but hey!  At least we got a dancing duck to soften the blow a little bit, right?  Enjoy...

He's got rhythm!  I'm pretty sure this was a Daily Doodle theme as they simply wanted a duck.  Well, ducks are right up there with cats as being naturally cartoony, so I went a few steps ahead and made him a dancing duck!  For those unfortunate enough to have lived through the 70's, disco music reigned supreme throughout the decade.  Among the numerous one-hit wonders the genre produced was a parody song by Los Angeles DJ Rick Dees called Disco Duck.  The song, which was done to sound like Donald Duck was on lead vocals, was a joke that more less caught on, getting national airplay.  Thankfully, disco music eventually faded out and Disco Duck was placed in the same closet that The Macarena, The Electric Slide and Call Me Maybe all reside in.

And that's all she wrote!  We'll be back next time with double the art to close down August as CRAZY goes on vacation!  Se be sure to come back!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

GIVE HIM SOME STRING!!!

And we're back!  Hopefully y'all are having a nice week as Saturday rapidly approaches.  If not, well, maybe this CRAZY cat will help make your hump day a little more tolerable.  Whatever the case may be, enjoy...

Never come between a cat and its string.  The results could be lethal!  I honestly can't recall who came up with the theme, but I believe it was a Daily Doodles entry.  Cats are naturally cartoony, so it's always a pleasure to draw one when the opportunity presents itself.  Especially calico cats!  Don't know why, but they're just so darn cool!

And that's all for today!  Come back next week for some duck art that will hopefully "Quack" you up!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

THE RETURN OF THE ART!!!

After nine long weeks of all-Comic Con pics, we are back to a relatively normal state here at the CRAZYVERSE.  Or about as normal as things can be on a site run by me!  Yeah, I'll miss the bliss that is SDCC, but life must go on!  Besides, I'll have some Long Beach Comic Con pics to post soon, so all will even out eventually!  Anyway, there's been a severe lack of colored art on the blog lately, so why not remedy that with a piece I did for charity recently!  Enjoy...

My good friend, Sean Webster, is one of the UK's premiere illustrators.  He's also a fan of the critters and, along with his mother, started the charity Draw For Animals.  The goal is to raise money for the Chester Zoo and their work with endangered animals.  Being an animal lover myself,  I didn't need convincing to jump on board with this and now, to the best of my knowledge, this Alligator and his swamp pals are up for grabs for anyone looking to add a little bit of CRAZY to their collection.  And best of all, it's for a good cause!  So click the link in this paragraph and help some critters out!

Well, that's all for this week.  It feels good to have some art back up on here.  We'll be back next time with a feisty feline who needs a fix.  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

COMIC CON 2017!!! NO LINES FOR THIS ONE!!!

Well, another Comic Con has come and gone here in San Diego.  This year's show certainly grabbed a few headlines with DC and Marvel pulling out all the stops for their remaining 2017 slates as well their lineups for 2018.  Cosplayers brought their "A" game in an effort to turn some heads.  And line management, or rather mismanagement, became the story of the show as some con goers still wage a furious war of words on social media with SDCC staff over bungled line distribution.  So pretty much your typical Comic Con really!

As for me, the show got off to a rough start but thankfully evened out by Saturday for two of the best days I've ever had at SDCC!  Picked up plenty of swag and nabbed some pretty rare books that I'm itching to dive into!  But first, how about we dive into some Comic Con pics instead?  Comic Con 2017 is/was a go!  Enjoy...

Among the biggest free offsite events was put on by Amazon promoting the second live action series based on The Tick.  I only got to do the first part as the second stage of the experience had too long a line out in the hot sun.  I'd like to say it was a fun activation but, sadly, Amazon's employees weren't up to task and pretty much were the prime reason the lines here were taking so long.  But, I got a pair of Tick antennae out of it, so it wasn't a total loss! 

Hey!  It's Mr. Poopybutthole!  Glad to see he's fully recovered from his Beth-inflicted wounds!

Strawberry Shortcake and Spider-man love them some MST3K!  Seriously now, who doesn't?!?

The Dawn Of Justice/Justice League Batmobile!  The DCEU films have been polarizing to say the least, but I think one of the few things everyone can really agree on is that the latest incarnation of Bruce Wayne's wheels are pretty badass!  It's like a mix of the Burton and Nolan Batmobiles.  I actually saw them drive it out of the building Sunday night during the load out!

Ms. Frizzle!  Not exactly sure why so many Ms. Frizzle cosplays are showing up at cons these days, but I really do love it!  Not-The-Norm cosplay is my favorite kind of cosplay!

After a pretty lackluster offering in 2016, the Petco Park Interactive Zone returned in a BIG way this year!  Pepsi hosted celebrity interviews and gave away free food and sodas, as did Xfinity and Heartstone, and there were plenty of interactive offerings to keep those without badges entertained for hours on end like the IT VR Bus Experience or the Kody Kapow Challenge Course!  Pepsi's food offerings were inspired... LITERALLY!!!  You see, they were serving free food based upon popular fandoms like Game Of Thrones, Deadpool or Naruto.  In the end, the "Wookie Cookie" and "Fire and Ice Float" were all I got to try, but the Ramen Taco certainly raised my eyebrows!

The LED wall at the Lucasfilm booth!  Proud to say I once again built this one!

Two Disneyland classics made the trip south for a change!  I won't lie.  Guardians Of The Galaxy: Mission Breakout is an AWESOME ride and a HUGE upgrade over Tower Of Terror.  Still, I really loved TOT and was so sad to see it go!  At least the Florida version is still up.  Unfortunately, I have no firstborn to barter Disney World tickets with!

The Adult Swim On The Green Carnival!  Once again, all I could really do was stare from the outside.  Had my nephew and niece with me and since neither are 18, we couldn't go in.  Even on the weekend, when I was on my own, the crowds swarmed all the free events, squashing my efforts to get in.  Guess there's always next year...

Does me heart good to see the original TMNT movie get some pop culture love!  That first film in 1990 is very underrated and among the most faithful (and best) comic book adaptations ever!  Not to mention thosee turtle suits, some the Jim Henson Creature Shop's best efforts ever!

If it weren't for all the tattoos, this would be a pretty spot-on Bulma cosplay!

Say his name not once, not twice, but THREE times, and the ghost with the most will appear!

Dr. Hammond is still out and about looking for some willing archeologist testimonials!

In honor of Spaceballs' 30th Anniversary, Barf showed up with quite a few other Mawgs to represent one of the best space epics ever!

The Average Joes took a break from The Ocho to take on any challengers Comic Con may offer up!

The Wild Thornberries closely examine Comic Con's own varied wildlife population!

 Mary and Bert get ready for a ride in the Batmobile thanks to a helpful Mattel attendant!

Penelope Pitstop got through her perils and made it to SDCC just in time to save the Anthill Gang from getting mowed down by Dick Dastardly and Muttley!

Check it out!  It's Tiny Joel!  With his own homemade Tom Servo!  This kid clearly has cool parents and a great future ahead!

By Grothbar's Hammer!  Dr. Lazarus and Rick are chilling at Comic Con!

And that was Comic Con 2017!  I tell ya, I was there practically from start to finish, setting it up, attending it and taking it down.  The last part is never easy.  Besides just being worn out by con's end, taking it all down is like putting away the Christmas decorations times 1,000!  You know it has to be done, but it's just such bummer!  Other than that, it was really business as usual.  Was bummed to see a few more longtime con booths disappear, like Adult Swim and Legendary Films.  Also bummed that for the second straight year, there was no Star Wars programming or Xbox Lounge.  These were SDCC staples that seriously need to come back!  Crowds and lines, which are to be expected at this point, got a lot of attention from media outlets.  I hate saying it, but at this juncture, it might simply be time to make Hall H a premium that costs extra if folks wanna go in that badly.  Saturday especially would be the day they could probably test it out on, because those are the gold ticket panels.  As far as crowds go, if SDCC is gonna continue to include pop culture elements that aren't really relevant to the show, it's gonna keep bringing in extra crowds that no amount of convention center expansion is going to fix.  Ultimately, the simplest solution is to just cut out crap that shouldn't be there.  Come what may, we are now 50 weeks away from Comic Con 2018!  Who's excited?!?

And that's all she wrote for the 2017 CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN!  I hope you all enjoyed the last nine weeks of past SDCC glory!  And don't be so sad that it's over.  Comic Con may be 50 weeks away, but that just means we're 41 weeks out from the next countdown!  Not to mention other con pics will be posted in between, so stay tuned!  Next week, we return to normal with some CRAZY Charitable art!  So be sure to come back and check it out!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!