OH MARY VIOLET...

Well, we've come to the end of another month, this time April.  With any luck, I'll be fully vaccinated by now and looking to possibly head back to work soon.  Much is still left uncertain, but hopefully, things are still looking up.  Wanna know what gives me a sign of hope?  More silly fan art of course!  And today I'm honoring one of my heroes of cartooning, the brilliant Jimmy Gownley!  So scroll down and see what's in store for today!  Enjoy...

Oh dear.  I don't think the Pork Chop Express stands a chance against Mary Violet with mystical powers.  She's formidable enough without them!  Today's honoree comes from the wacky world of Amelia Rules!, Jimmy Gownley's awesome comic that celebrates childhood and all its wonders and complexities, especially the more surreal aspect of it.  And no character from the series is more surreal than Mary Violet, the mousy, pale and constantly trodden upon little girl who has a knack for bad timing.  Whether she's being slammed, burned, run over or flattened by medicine balls, this kid could give Wile E Coyote a run for his money in a cartoon survival contest!  At one point, she joins a super hero club where she finally just lets out her pent up frustration and the results were some of the funniest panels ever drawn.  When I was thinking about which comic character would make a good Lopan, the villain of the 80's cult classic Big Trouble in Little China, Mary Violet was the natural first choice.  I've long been a fan of Jimmy Gownley's work.  I came across it by accident at Comic Con one year when one of his book covers caught my eye.  It was a hilarious image of the AR cast careening off a cliff in a go-cart that had me cracking up.  I picked up the book and fell in love with the series immediately.  I myself was a very young cartoonist at the time, not sure what direction I wanted to go in.  Kids and humor comics weren't getting much traction, so I was afraid to show my work, but when I came across AR, it gave me the confidence to throw caution to the wind and make comics for all ages.  It's been a fun ride ever since and I'll always be grateful to him for that.  I've been lucky enough to meet Jimmy a few times and he was very nice and courteous and his wife Karen has become a very good friend on Twitter.  They're proud union folks like me and I can't wait to see what they have in store down the road.  I'm also thankful their kids finally forgave me for that pony thing!

And that's a wrap on April 2021!  I hope you all enjoyed the fan art this month.  With no cons happening again this year, it's been fun putting together themes based on past art I haven't posted past Twitter yet.  Be sure to come back next week for some more CRAZY fun!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

HEY!!! JASON PLATT: FIRE IN THE HOLE!!! LITERALLY!!!

We are back!  Only one more week to go this April 2021, but as we plot along here in a world rebuilding, let us remember the simpler things in life that make us laugh.  Pies in the face, fart sounds and, of course, cartoon characters' butts being lit on fire!  What would be pretty horrific in real life is actually pretty darn funny when its happening to a bug-eyed illustration!  Throw in some 80's nostalgia, and its a recipe for even more hilarity!  Don't believe me?  Scroll down and see for yourself!  Enjoy...

Poor Newell.  Probably regrets wearing those acid wash jeans now!  Back to the Future did indeed have some groundbreaking visuals, the vast majority of which still hold up today, but the flame trails shooting up between Marty and Doc's legs have always been a head scratcher.  They clearly shoot up past crotch-level, and yet neither of their clothes catch on fire.  I know, movie magic and all, but still: They are literally standing in flames in non-fireproof clothing!  As anyone who lived in the 80's can tell ya, it seriously did not take much to start a fire in the era before watchdogs actually started caring about product safety!  But enough about that, today's honors go to Newell and his Dad, the stars of Jason Platt's hilarious and often heartwarming comic, Mister & Me.  Jason's among my oldest friends in webcomics and has made many guest contributions to the CRAZYVERSE over the years, including one of my all-time favorite Mike & Mindy guest comics.  He recently did a series of graphic novels where Newell has aged to middle school and is still just as silly and irresponsible as he was as a five-year-old.  This was one of my favorites to draw as Newell yelling "MY HAMS" just really cracked me up, though "Fart" is his go-to word for trouble, the same way some of us might cuss.  He seems like a kid who'd have grown up on Adventure Time.  Since he's in middle school now, Newell yelling fart with his butt lit on fire might be for other reasons now though, eh Jason?  That might be a funny comic someday!

And that's all she wrote for this week.  Come back next time so we can send April 2021 off in a big way with little trouble.  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

BEWARE THE BALD-HEADED BEAR, PJ DAY!!!

We are back!  The days are getting longer and the weather's getting warmer.  It's the time of year mammals begin to shed some excess fur.  It's also the time of year that bears start coming out of their winter slumbers.  Some bears are more dangerous than others, as the late great John Candy found out in the classic comedy, The Great Outdoors.  The Bald-Headed Bear was real doozy, though it was also the bare-butt bear by the end of the flick.  Now, what exactly does this have to do with today's post you might be asking?  A lot actually.  Last week, I mentioned that I had launched a morale booster last year called the Spread Some Laughs campaign where I drew fan art each week for pals and inspiring artists.  Part of the campaign also involved working the characters into 80's movies!  Some were easier than others, but there were a few characters that fit certain movies like a glove, and none more so than today's subject!  Who is it?  Scroll down and see!  Enjoy...

Who turns a shotgun into a lamp?  Honestly now, you're asking for trouble!  This week's honors go to Carl the Snake and Duffy the Bear from PJ Day's Hilarious webcomic, Flatt Bear, the tale of an extremely dumb bear named Duffy and the insane amount of trouble his bumbling nature causes his friends and loved ones.  Carl tends to be on the receiving end of Duffy's constant shenanigans, so casting him in the Chet Ripley role was a nice change of pace for the poor, beleaguered serpent.  Oddly enough, this isn't the first time in Duffy's career that he's had a shorn backside, but you'll have to dig that up yourselves!  PJ Day is one of my closest pals in comics and has done numerous guest spots for me over the years.  It's always a pleasure to give his wonderful toons the CRAZY treatment!  Now quit slacking and give Amelia the Kidloon Day treatment PJ!  We're still waiting!

 

That's all for now.  We're already at the halfway point for April!  Time flies, eh?  Well, that's just the way things go, but be sure to come back next week for some more 80's crossover fan art that's blazing a new trail!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

MILLIE IS A GAS!!! AND SO IS TIM BUDGEN!!!

Welcome to April CRAZIES!!!  In better times, I would've been reviewing WonderCon 2021 for you all today, but... Less said the better I suppose.  There is some hope though.  I recently got my first dose of the vaccine and will be getting the second dose towards the end of the month.  California's numbers have dropped considerably in recent weeks and things are slowly opening up.  It's cautious optimism at best, but hopefully things will continue to improve here and elsewhere.  Only time will tell.

This month will be a special month as I celebrate some fellow cartoonists and illustrators that I'm quite fond of!  Last year, in an effort to keep spirits high, I took to drawing fan art for my pals and inspirations in the cartooning world.  It was a campaign I called Spread Some Laughs.  Kept it going for about six months before the daily drawing challenges started up in the fall.  This week's entry was part of a different collective, but still falls within the range of fan art, so I've included it today anyway because I wanted this month start with a bang!  Enjoy...

Mermaids primarily eat seafood, so they are likely to be VERY gassy.  Today's art was part of the popular Twitter trend of #DrawThisInYourStyle, where an artist will post something they've done and ask others to draw it in their own distinct styles.  My good pal Tim Budgen, an amazing illustrator from jolly old England, posted some art from his book, Starwhal, for us to draw.  It's the tale of a little mermaid named Millie and her magical pet narwhal who is actually a sparkly-powered Starwhal!  Tim's original image was of the two of them swimming together, which I technically did replicate, but I had to pump a little bit of CRAZY into the piece too, hence the flatulent nature!  Luckily, Tim loved it and everybody thought it was a fun piece!  Hopefully Tim STILL likes it and hasn't forgotten that he STILL has a #DTIYS featuring Mike & Mindy to draw!  Possibly even two if he chooses to do the next challenge!

So ends Week 1 of April 2021!  It's my birth month and spring is in full swing, so be sure to come back next week and be blown away by some fun fan art!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!  Oh, and Happy Easter!