Wednesday, May 29, 2024

AMELIA RULES AND FOOLS AROUND WITH BUBBLE FOX AND MARY VIOLET!!!

Well CRAZIES, we've come to the end of it all.  The end of it all for may 2024!  What?  You thought I meant something else?  I mean, we are ending our fan art celebration this week, but something super cool will be kicking off VERY soon, but more on that later!  For now, it's time to scroll down and see one of the coolest things I've ever received!  Enjoy...

I have long been an admirer of the artwork and comics of Jimmy Gownley, something I professed fairly recently even!  So when he opened up commissions on Twitter last year, I just couldn't resist getting some art of Amelia wreaking cartoony mayhem on my favorite character, Mary Violet, much to Joan's chagrin.  Jimmy certainly went above and beyond with the piece and I'll tell ya, the timing of its arrival couldn't have been any better as last April, I was sidelined with a torn knee ligament and missed three months of work as a result.  Getting this delivered just days after my birthday while still on the shelf was a real moral boost to say the least.  Still, I felt a little guilty asking Jimmy to draw something so outrageously silly involving his characters as it is a pretty wild gag.  I swore if the chance rose again, I'd ask for something simpler and sweeter.  Luckily, opportunity knocked a second time, leading us to the incredible piece below...

A dream come true: Bubble Fox meets Amelia and Mary Violet!  It really is such a sweet piece.  Mary Violet is absolutely adorable showing the CRAZY fox some love and letting him wear her hat while Amelia's in true form goofing on Bubble with some bunny ears!  I was hoping to commemorate ten years of Bubble Fox with something truly special and I'll be eternally grateful to Jimmy Gownley for helping me make that happen!  Thanks again Jimmy for helping Bubble not only turn 10, but show everybody how he looks facing forward! (Seriously!  Ive never figured out a good way to draw that until I got this art!)  You'll always be one of my cartooning heroes and I can't wait for your Tanner solo book!

And that's a wrap on the merry month of May CRAZIES, but don't get sad.  If you're a longtime visitor of this blog, then you know full well what's starts next week!  If not, I'll go ahead and spell it out: THE CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN RETURNS!!!  That's right folks!  Starting next week, I'll be diving deep into the CRAZY archives as we relive past Comic Con fun while counting down to the biggest week of the year!  I'm excited to share these pictures with you fine folks, so do come back and check it all out!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

BUBBLE'S BOUYANT, BALLOONY BROTHERS THREE BLOWOUT WITH JOSHUA HAUKE!!!

Time it is a tickin' CRAZIES!!!  Hard to believe that June is next weekend!  And while we welcome the arrival of Summer, we must not forget the virtues of Spring.  The birds...  The bees...  The Buoyant, Bouncy, Bubbled, Balloon Brothers?!?  That sounds a little sketchy, but perhaps today's art might shed some light on the subject?  Enjoy...

Ever the gentleman, Bubble Fox made sure all of his party guests got balloons before heading home from his party.  But when it was revealed that the Little Neighbor Girl from down the street didn't get one because Keith, Wayne and Dougie used up the rest of the balloons trying to talk like chipmunks, Bubble decided to kill two birds with one stone.  He inflated his rowdy guests with enough helium to guarantee they'll sound like chipmunks until puberty while also giving their little girlfriend the most lifelike balloons this side of a politician!  I'd say it's a fair trade.  At least until all that gas passes!  It's been awhile since Joshua Hauke has been able to take part in any guest activities.  That's because the Mad Man from Michigan has been insanely busy over the last few years!  He's moved, had kids, does school visits and comic cons and between all that somehow found time to create two new books about a boy and his daycare full of post apocalyptic mutants!  I often wonder how Josh even finds time to sleep some nights?!?  But he somehow found time for this special hand-drawn art honoring ten years of Bubble Fox and his antics!  It's a hilarious piece from one of my oldest pals in comics and I'm so honored to see Bubble Fox and the Brothers 3 FINALLY meet!  Thanks again Mooseman.  Considering all the bizarre adventures they went on over the years, being turned into balloons isn't even the weirdest thing to happen to the Keith, Wayne and Dougie!

Well, only one week left to go in this special month honoring Bubble Fox fan art, and boy are we closing it out on a high note!  I can't reveal too much else other than this art and its creator totally RULE!!!  So be sure to come back next week and see how it all wraps up!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

A ROYAL CELEBRATION WITH NORA RACZ!!!

We are back CRAZIES!!!  Summer's not that far off as we are at the halfway point in May!  I'm already feeling the vibes as the smell of BBQ and the sound of yacht rock permeate the air!  But there will be time for that later. Right now, the spotlight is solely on Bubble Fox and his big year!  And by big, I do mean his guests!  Don't believe me?  Scroll down and see!  Enjoy...

Aw, a party!  What fun!  The presents!  The hats!  The confetti!  The inflated party guests!  Wait, what?!?  Well, it wouldn't be much of a CRAZY party without a least SOME helium being pumped around!  And this time, Pepper gets round for his Fox Daddy while two more guests, the surprisingly happy-looking Evil Little Princesses, also expand their horizons (And waistlines!) for the occasion!  The creation of illustrator Nora Racz, the Evil Little Princesses are a perpetually bickering pair of sisters that just can't get along!  But for the above art, they decided to put their differences aside and come together to celebrate Bubble's big year by turning themselves into balloons along with Pepper for his amusement!  Nora was so kind to gift me this art as she really is one of my closest friends in the cartoonist/illustrator community.  Her whimsy and humor blend seamlessly and every time I see new art from her, I know my day is going to be good!  Thanks again Dear Nora for helping Bubble Fox celebrate his big moment.  He still can't figure out how they all fit in one box!  It's time for some Unicornloons!

Another week down as we continue our celebration of all things Bubble Fox this month with even more bubbly fun from a brother who's taking things to knew heights with three times the laughs!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

GETTIN' THE BUBBEL FOX PARTY STARTED WITH DANA ATNIP!!!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  We've been on a bit of a fan art kick since coming back from WonderCon, so why rock the boat by changing things up?  Fan art is awesome!  Even more so when I am on the receiving end of it!  You see, this year marked the 10th Anniversary of Bubble Fox!  You know?  That webcomic I do over on ComicFury?  It's a pretty special deal for me as it's the longest continuing series I've ever drawn and I was surprised by a few pals from across the interwebs here who sent me some fan art celebrating the frenetic fun that is Bubble and pals!  Figured this month would be as good a time as any to spotlight a few of my favorite pieces of fan art, so let's jump right to it!  Enjoy...

Would ya look at that!  It's Willow, Bubble and Pepper and boy are they looking ever so adorable!  That's because they were drawn by the great Dana Atnip of Galactic Dragons fame!  Dana's a longtime friend and no stranger to the CRAZYVERSE, having done MANY guest comics over the years.  Her whimsical style and cute characters remind so much of the works of masters like Chuck Jones, Warren Kremmer and Walt Kelly.  Her takes on Bubble and pals are so amazing I often consider just selling the series to her!  She truly is one of the best out there and I'm honored to call her a friend.  Thanks again Detroit Dana.  Hopefully Pepper's dragon girth will keep him close to the ground!

Well, that's all for today, but fear not CRAZIES!  We got even more bubbly fun next week with more Bubble Fox fan art from a friend who is royally awesome, so stay "Tooned!"  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

GASP!!! IT'S G.A.S.P.!!! WATCH OUT FOR SNEEZE BARFS!!!

Welcome to May CRAZIES!!!  Summer is almost here!  Man, I can already smell the BBQ and lemonade!  But enough about that!  We''ll have plenty of time to celebrate the season of fun in the coming weeks.  Right now, we are celebrating the fun that fellow comic creators bring us!  And this week is a particular treat as we honor one of the greats of all ages comics!  Who is it you ask?  Well scroll down and see for yourself!  Enjoy...

Evil doers beware!  G.A.S.P. is on the scene!  Who is G.A.S.P. you ask?  Why, the Gathering of Awesome Super Pals!  Though, they aren't acting very super at the moment.  There's their fearless leader, Captain Amazing, also known as Reggie, whose name coincidentally rhymes with "Wedgie" which is exactly what Ultra Violet, aka Mary Violet, is giving him right now!  Kid Lighting, aka Pajamaman, would help, but he's in a bit of a jam himself right now after being plowed through by Ms. Miraculous, aka Rhonda, who herself has just been bowled over by a medicine ball!  Meanwhile Princess Powerful, aka Amelia at dead center, seems to have taken all that she's willing to take at this point.  'Course, there are quite a few other members of G.A.S.P., but I only had so much room on the paper!  These colorful kids are the creation of Jimmy Gownley, one the cartoonists that really inspired me to quit hiding behind my sketchbook and start getting my comics out there.  His artwork is so appealing with a real Jack Davis quality in that he can be very detailed and realistic and yet still come across as silly and cartoony without it being jolting.  When I came across his Amelia Rules! series at SDCC my senior year of college, it was a defining moment for me.  That there was somebody else out there doing humor and kids comics and without the banner of MAD Magazine behind him, it gave me the confidence to give it a shot myself.  Jimmy's also just a heck of nice guy.  The first time I met him, I fanboyed hard, but he was patient and assuring and gave me advice.  It's because of folks like Jimmy and Phil Yeh, Stan Sakai, Sergio Aragones and late great Batton Lash that I'm still here and still creating and having the most fun I've ever had doing it.  Jimmy's also done a couple of commissions for me, but those are for another day.  Thanks for letting me play in your sandbox Jimmy!  And thanks keeping the sneeze barfs to a minimum!

Well, that's one week down in the Merry Month of May, but the merriment will continue as more Fan Art is coming next week!  So be sure to come back and see who will be next to get the CRAZY honors!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!