MIKE & MINDY: A COLORFUL END...

As George Harrison once sang, all things must pass.  And so it is that Mike and Mindy go back into cartoon retirement, but not before having one more adventure!  What?  You didn't think they'd simply fade away without a peep, did you?  Well, they would make a sound anyway, but you get the point!  So here they are, for one last time, Mike & Mindy!  Enjoy...

Art is very much a subjective thing.  Some pieces, like the Mona Lisa or the Birth of Man, are genuine masterpieces.  Others, like the can of soup, make us scratch our heads while others find it brilliant.  And then there are some who willingly pay six figures for a banana taped to a wall...  You can ponder that one on your own later.  Frankly, I can think of MANY better uses for that kind of money!  Still, what works for bananas seems to work for Mike and Mindy as well.  They're rich now, but it looks like part of that payment is performance art!  How long will they be taped there?  Come back around February 2025 and maybe we'll have a definitive answer!

And that does it!  Thank you all so much for sharing this month with me.  M&M were my first comic stars and it really was fun to go back and explore their wacky world!  I miss drawing them, but I have to admit, coming up with ideas for these two new comics was a bit of a task, so I know now as I suspected then that the time was right to move on to new things.  I do hope you all enjoyed their return, brief as it was.  What does the future hold?  Not much really.  I do hope to do a large, hardcover collected volume at some point and maybe even explore potential animated projects, but for now, I think retirement is probably what's best for them.  Though I'm not opposed to them popping up in a splash page or two every once in a while.  Keep your eyes and ears open because you never know when Mike and Mindy might pop up.  Especially if helium's involved!

And that's a wrap on February!  We'll kick off March next week with some art that'll hopefully be as colorful and fun as M&M are!  I'll also have some info on my table at next weekend's San Diego Comic Fest!  It's my seventh year in a row there and the only show I'll be tabling at in 2020, so don't miss next week's post if you can help it!  Until next time, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE & MINDY: MARK'S TWISTED GAME OF FUN!!!

WOOHOO!!!  Today's the last of the guest comics for the CRAZYVERSARY!!!  Wait a minute, that's actually really sad now that I think about it!  But hey, if it has to end, it may as well be on a high note, and we got THE superstar of web comics here today putting his own little "Twist" on things!

Mark Stokes is no stranger to anyone even remotely familiar with web comics.  His series, Zombie Boy, is a true benchmark of our branch of the cartooning world and one of the greatest comic strips ever done!  I could go on for hours, but there's still a comic to see!  Enjoy...

Twister, a game that is both funny AND dangerous!  Mike and Mindy always get a little too competitive when it comes to games.  Their marathon sessions of Connect Four once lead to a building collapsing while their game of Mousetrap brought a hazmat crew out to Mindy's house to clean up!  I won't even tell you the kind of havoc they wreak while playing Battleship!  Today though, they play another childhood classic, and as you can clearly see above, a LOT can go wrong!  Looks like some axel grease and forceps are gonna be needed here to untangle these tykes!  I could go on for hours on how much I respect Mark Stokes, and I actually have!  He was one of the first pros to befriend me when I was a young cartoonist scared of my own shadow and just dipping my feet into the often treacherous social media waters.  Mark welcomed me in and helped me become more confident in my abilities.  I'm honored to call him a friend and even more honored that he once again rendered my "kids" in his amazing style.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that Zombie Boy is the greatest web comic of all time.  Thanks again Mark!  Give my regards to ZB, Gorr, Boog and the Zombie Bugs and Pups!

And that's a wrap on the guest comics folks. BUT, there is still ONE comic left in the CRAZYVERSARY!  Mike and Mindy aren't quite done yet, and wanted to make one last appearance before heading back to their vacation home in Bermuda.  They promised to make their last exit a colorful one, so come back Friday and see if they'll make good on that!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

LIFTOFF WITH MIKE, MINDY AND PJ DAY!!!

Welcome back my CRAZIES!  Sadly, today kicks off the last week of Mike & Mindy's 10th Anniversary, but hey!  If this is the end, then we're gonna close things up on a high note!  And thankfully, PJ Day is here to make sure we start the end properly!  M&M recently visited Flatt Bear, and surprised everybody with the manner of their exit!  What was so surprising about it?  You'll just have to scroll down and see for yourself!  Enjoy...

I think Duffy summed it all up there.  Mike and Mindy NOT getting inflated in the end AND leaving in a peaceful manner with no trail of destruction behind them?  Shocking indeed!  PJ Day is another dear pal of mine from the web comic realm.  Funny, sincere and always happy to jump in, PJ's got a great style that's always cracked me up.  The fact that one of his main characters is a snake too is also a huge plus in my book, making Flatt Bear a must-read!  Thanks again PJ!  Kinda curious now how M&M arrived there!

Well, one more guest comic to go!  Be sure to come back Wednesday and see how it all ends!  On the guest comic end of things anyway.  The real end is Friday!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE & MINDY: A WELL-ROUNDED FRIENDSHIP WITH TIM GREEN!!!

Welcome back my CRAZIES!!!  We're wrapping Week 3 of the CRAZYVERSARY as Mike and Mindy hit the Big 1-0!  Today, a most distingued guest makes a long overdue return to the land of CRAZY, the hilarious and fun creator of Vinnie the Vampire, Tim Green!

Tim has a long and varied history with the CRAZY roster and it's a well known fact that Sunny and Mindy are Bloomer Buds when the panels aren't rolling.  So let's dive in and see what kind of mischief that Timbo's cooked up this time around!  Enjoy...

Aw helium...  Mike and Mindy's old standby.  When all else fails, this uplifting little gas comes in and saves the day!  You'll never hear anybody say that Mike doesn't have a well-round personality.  And when things are looking flat, you can count on Mindy to pump some life back into any situation.  Just hope Mike doesn't let that inflated ego get the best of him.  Expansive knowledge can lead to a really swollen head, or in Mike's case, a really swollen body!  Well, I think I've had enough pun for now, so let's talk a little about Tim Green!  He's one of my dearest pals in the web comicsphere and one of my favorites to chat with!  His comic, Vinnie the Vampire, is one of the all-time greats!  It's the tale of a dysfunctional family of vampires largely run by an ever-so-evil toddler, Sunny!  Tim's art and humor are fun and lively, despite the characters technically being dead!  It's always pure joy when I see new art come in from Tim, and the buoyant display above is no exception!  In addition to being a great artist, Tim's straight up a great guy.  A friend you can depend on, he's always happy to lend a hand or an ear when you need a pal.  Thanks again Timbo.  Perhaps next time Sunny and Mindy can join in on the bloated, balloony fun!

And that's all she wrote for Week 3!  Next week is the beginning of the end for the CRAZYVERSARY, but never fear!  We're going out on a high note, especially with Monday's comic, which is something completely different!  So be sure to come back and see how it all goes down!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY ARE OUT OF THIS PLANET THANKS TO SCOTT WARREN!!!

We are mid-week here at the CRAZYVERSE and still celebrating the incredible Mike & Mindy 10th Anniversary party!  M&M had a surprising following with audiences abroad, probably because of them not talking, which meant no language barriers.  I can't help but wonder if perhaps life on other planets might also be fans of them by that same logic?  I unfortunately don't have the means to find out.  Scott Warren, on the other hand, does!  So pour yourself a huge heaping bowl of Crunchy Bunches and then see how things worked out by scrolling below!  Enjoy...

Well, Mike and Mindy seem to like the aliens, and the aliens are giving them a thumbs up instead of a probe, so that's gotta be a good sign, right?  Frankly, those aliens should be careful.  M&M's penchant for mayhem is quite legendary and could lead to shenanigans.  The kind of shenanigans that lead to planetary conquest at that!  Scott Warren is no stranger to the world of CRAZY.  He's done many guest strips over the years for Mike & Mindy and Bubble Fox, and he always delivers big!  His style is a classic, mixing the funny pages with Saturday morning cartoons.  His comic, Crunchy Bunches, is of the funniest out there and will hopefully be coming back soon.  This hiatus has been far too long!  At least we got some guest comic action from him!  Thanks again Scotty boy!  I really do love your take on the Buoyant Brats!

That's it for today, but be sure to come back Friday so we can end Week 3 with a very "well-rounded" guest comic!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

WELCOME TO THE "SHOE" CRISPIN WOOD!!!

Welcome to Week 3 of Mike & Mindy's 10th Anniversary!  And what better way to start things off than by addressing one of M&M's biggest tropes!  You see, as much of a role as helium, bloomers and mayhem played throughout M&M's run, they were never exactly a constant.  They happened, yes, but the two tropes that played out more so than any other were their silence (And not once in any of the comics that I ever drew did they actually utter a single word) and Mike's perpetually untied shoe, which always switched feet every comic!  Well, they're still silent, though they have spoken in guest strips, so I guess the only thing to take care of now is that rogue shoe of Mike's!  Luckily, Crispin Wood, the creator of Small Blue Yonder, was up for the task!  How'd he pull it off?  Scroll down and you'll find out!  Enjoy...

Mike's never been accused of lacking creativity, and he certainly got those creative juices flowing today!  I never realized how long those laces really are!  Gonna be sad when he inevitably has to take a step!  At least we have that fourth panel to remember it by!  Crispin Wood is a damn funny fella!  His comic, Small Blue Yonder, is more or less the spiritual successor to The Far Side.  Subversive, irreverent and insanely funny, Crispin's a true master of the cartooning craft and a real stickler for dialogue placement too!  In a perfect world, his comics would be in every newspaper on the planet, but thankfully, he posts them on his website so that ALL can access and enjoy them.  What a nice guy, am I right?  Thanks again Crispin.  You always deliver big laughs!

That's all for now.  We'll be back Wednesday for a guest comic that's truly out of this world!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

WHO GAVE THOSE TWO WANDS?!? DANA ATNIP?!?

Woohoo!  We are halfway into this massive anniversary party!  And what better way to close out Week 2 than with a little bit of magic, am I right?  Especially since today's Valentines Day!  Magic AND romance?  Who could get that here so swiftly?!?  Luckily, Galactic Dragons creator Dana Atnip had a card up her sleeve and delivered just that!  So take your potions and charms and sit back, because we are a go!  Enjoy...

Uh oh!  Those spells are gonna leave a lasting impact!  I thought wizard duels were just meant to disarm opponents?  Mindy being a Hufflepuff isn't too surprising, and not just because she's about to be puffed.  But Mike as a Slytherin?  His blind bravery definitely makes him Gryffindor material if you ask me!  Then again, Gryffindors probably don't inflate their girlfriends using magic, just mean distant aunts!  Hopefully someday we'll see the results of their duel!  Dana Atnip is one of the best artists in comics today.  Her comic, Galactic Dragons, the story of a ragtag group of dragons on a rescue mission IN space, is a fabulous tale of action, comedy and even a small dash of romance!  Her style, which comes across as a mixture of Chuck Jones and Walt Kelly, is stuff of dreams.  I can look at her art all day!  She's also a very dear friend and sweet person.  Every year she does a guest comic for Bubble Fox and now has Mike and Mindy to her credit too!  Thanks again Dana for rendering my cartoon kids in your adorable, whimsical style!

And that's a wrap on Week 2.  We'll be back in couple of days to kick off Week 3 by tying up loose ends!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

FOOD FIGHT!!! WHY WOULD WARREN FRANTZ ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN?!?

Another day, another guest comic!  And today, things are gonna get a bit messy.  You see, ages ago, Mike and Mindy made a trip up north to meet Gayle and Gloria, two of the stars of the hockey-centric comic, Off Season, created by the Personable Purveyor of Poutine, Warren Frantz!  Things initially got off to a great start between the tykes until little Gayle made the mistake of claiming that Canadian bacon was better than ham.  Well, M&M would not stand for such blasphemy and things have been rocky ever since!  Hoping to broker some kind of lasting peace, Warren invited the Buoyant Brats back up to Canadian to have lunch with their "Frenemies," and, well, things didn't quite go as planned.  Enjoy...

Uh oh!  Not only does NOTHING get ketchup and mustard out, but they messed up Mindy's hair!  I get the feeling this is far from the end of this battle.  Let's just pray Mike and Mindy don't come back with their helium tanks!  Heaven help the Golz family if they do!  Warren Frantz is among my dearest friends.  He's a husband, dad, coach, teacher, hockey player, cartoonist and renowned kindersmurf wrangler!  Frankly, I can't figure out how he finds time for it all!  As some of you will recall, I released my first picture book this past holiday season and Warren's students largely worked as my test audience with great results!  He's a true pal and a hilarious cartoonist!  It's because of Warren that "Fartcoustics" and "Gubble Bum" now exist in the comics lexicon!  Thanks again Warren, not only for the guest comic, but also for being such a great guy and role model.

And that's it for today.  We'll wrap Week 2 up on Friday with a guest comic that's truly "Magical."  So be sure to come back and check it out!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

BUFF MIKE BREAKS A SWEAT WITH JASON PLATT!!!

Welcome to Week 2 of Mike & Mindy's 10th Anniversary CRAZIES!!!  Mike and Mindy have been up to a lot since their comic series ended.  What kinda things?  Well, that's a closely guarded secret.  Even I wasn't allowed to know!  Luckily, M&M are close friends with Mister and Me creator, Jason Platt.  They even let him come over to their house and hang out for a bit and what he saw was shocking to say the least!  What was the big revelation?  Scroll down and see!  Enjoy...

Oh my!  Looks like Mindy's largely been chilling out while Mike's been hitting the gym!  Usually "pumping up" takes a different meaning with these two.  Now, Mike is Buff the Stuff!  And to think, Jason once hinted that Mike had actually grown up and became Bubble Fox!  Jason Platt's no stranger to these CRAZY parts, having done guest work on M&M and Bubble Fox before.  His art is truly a marvel.  It's whimsical, serious and funny all at once, like a modern day Jack Davis.  His comic, Mister and Me, is a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dad and all the adventures they get into.  He recently updated the story to now take place in middle school with aged characters while the strips still feature five-year-old Newell and his dad navigating this wild world!  It's a place we've all been before and can relate to.  Thanks again Jason for adding some of your whimsy to my characters!

That' all for now, but fear not!  We'll be back on Wednesday with an international incident that's sure to get your appetites going!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: "LOONY" GUESTS OF ANTHONY MOORIN!!!

Back again to wrap up Week 1 of Mike & Mindy's 10th Anniversary!  And since we wanted to end things on a high note, I thought we'd introduce a new element into the fold: A cat!  Or, more specifically, Cat, the star of the hilarious comic Weird Bean by the weirdest bean of them all, Anthony Moorin!  How will this cantankerous kitty deal with the Buoyant Brats?  Scroll down and find out!  Enjoy...

Uh oh!  You definitely can't let your guard down when Mike and Mindy have access to their favorite natural element: Helium!  Mike and Mindy themselves partook in balloony madness many times, but every so often, they like to share with others!  Cat's often pretty harsh on his pals, like the innocent Kitten or the ever-so-gullible Dog, not to mention countless others that have suffered by his padded paw!  Yeah, Cat definitely had this coming, and Anthony Moorin's a great sport for letting M&M have some fun with his creations, which is one of the funniest comics on the web today.  I always enjoy his art and characters and always look forward to seeing what new mayhem his "Pets" have in store every Monday!  Thanks again Bean of Weird!  And tell Cat that at least his squeaky farts will be somewhat amusing as he deflates!

And that's all for Week 1!  We'll be back on Monday with more guest comic hijinks, so be sure to come back for a very STRONG showing!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: BACK TO THE BEGINNING WITH KIM BELDING!!!

We are back!  And we got our first guest comic of the anniversary!  And surprise surprise, it's by the creator of Picpak Dog: The young, bright and insanely fast Kim Belding, the only cartoonist on the planet who can turn in a guest comic WHILE you are literally asking him!  Kim's one of a kind and could give Sergio Aragones a run for his money!  So sit back and take a good look at this age-appropriate entry!  Enjoy...

Baby Mike and Mindy!  Why didn't I ever think of that?  Probably because Hanna Barbera already ran the gamut of the popular characters as babies/kids trope.  Kim breathes new life into the subgenre though, and as always delivers big laughs from the small tykes!  M&M was all about surrealism and so is Picpak Dog, which is one of the reasons why I love Kim's work so much.  He's an amazing artist and an even more amazing person.  I'm honored to be friends with him and equally honored that he gives so much humor and charm to my characters!  Thanks again Kim!

That's all for today!  We got another guest comic coming up on Friday that'll give you all belly laughs.  BIG belly laughs at that!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY RETURN!!! 10 YEARS HELIUM, BLOOMERS, MAYHEM AND... ASPARAGUS!!!

It's here!  The moment we've all been waiting for!  Mike and Mindy, the tykes that started it all, have come out of cartoon retirement to celebrate ten years of shenanigans, most of it involving helium, bloomers and other assorted mayhem!  The story of M&M is actually a pretty simple one.  After years of doodling and drawing but not really having much direction,  I came up with these two kids who popped up in another series I was working on at the time called Mushrooms.  Their initial appearances were as random kids in one-off comics with no real plans for them beyond that.  Somehow, the thought of a boy and girl duo really appealed to me and after a few more scribbles, there they were: Mike & Mindy!  They informally debuted on the Kids Love Comics blog back in January of 2010.  Ray Friesen, a cartoonist I had met at Comic Con sometime earlier, was kind enough to give me a shot and posted them for me.  After further thought and encouragement, I started what is now known as The CRAZYVERSE the very next month, the blog for all things CRAZY!  Well, if your definition of crazy is my comics, art and convention pics, then yes, all things CRAZY!  At the time, I had no social media presence, so it was a bit of a surprise when M&M started gaining a little bit of traction with fans.  By 2011, I finally added Twitter to the mix and things really took off from there!  In all, Mike & Mindy ran from February 2010 to December 2014.  They appeared in over 60 individual comics, three books, numerous splash pages, T-shirts, sketch cards and even quite a few guest comics to boot!  Although it's been over five years now since they ended, ten years is still a remarkable deal, and so all this month, we are celebrating their achievement!  Today marks the first NEW M&M comic since they ended (The two-page comic that appeared a few years ago had been drawn while they were still going, it just hadn't posted yet).  In addition to today, another new comic will bookend this month and we have plenty of guest comics in between!  So sit back and enjoy this revealing look at Mike and Mindy, as well as another old friend longtime CRAZIES might recognize!  Enjoy...

Dinner and a show?  Who could ask for more?  The Giant, Dancing Asparagus?  Hmm, okay!  You got him!  In addition to Mike and Mindy, this spirited vegetable has also made a return, though he never formally retired.  I just had no real reason to use him in anything after!  The Dancing Asparagus has a storied history.  He was born of the Buns & Wieners Club jam comics and somehow sorta became my character.  Given the content of my comics, I guess a giant, dancing vegetable really wasn't much of a stretch.  As far as personality goes, he really had none.  He literally would just show up and start dancing!  So I guess today's comic is not only monumental in that it features Mike and Mindy's return, but it also marks the first time ever that the Dancing Asparagus has had a job AND a name!  Asparago just seemed like a good fit for a magician/dancer.  As for the gag, I guess Asparago had been watching some Benny Hill or Looney Tunes prior to taking up magic because this is definitely a trick out of those playbooks!  Mike and Mindy seemed to be taking it quite well.  If you can't have an underwear dance party with a giant, mutant vegetable, who can you have an underwear dance party with?

That's all for today.  We got a guest comic on Wednesday that's full of youthful promise, so be sure to come back and check it out!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later and welcome back Mike and Mindy!