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!