WHAT'S THAT?!? IT'S TERRIBLE!!!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  Well, it's almost time!  I know I'm getting excited!  Got my yard display up, got my candy ready and have already performed all ritualistic spirit dances to ward off the evil spirits while welcoming the good ones.  Yes sir, I am ready for Halloween!  Just gotta remember to leave an offering to the Gregarious Gourd so that he will leave me treats instead of tricks!  But enough about that.  It's art time!  And we got a monster today that will leave you with twice the scares for the price of one!  It's all free anyway though, so scroll down and take a gander why don't ya?  Enjoy...

What's that?  It's a What's It.  A Terrible Whatzit to be precise!  Another entry from Animal Alphabets, the Terrible Whatzit is the imagined villain from the classic children's picture book Harry and the Terrible Whatzit.  Oddly enough, this one wasn't part of my bookshelf as a kid.  I remembered the monster, as he was always on the wall of Barnes & Noble along with other picture book icons like Clifford and the Cat in the Hat, but I never read the book.  It was a fun draw though, as monsters usually are.  And I can't complain about a palette that uses so few colors!

Well, only one week left to go, but don't worry!  I promise we got a BIG finish for HALLOWEEN!!!  So be sure to come back and help us close out October right!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE MEAN STREAK OF STRIPE!!!

We are back CRAZIES!!!  Man, time's flying by, ain't it?  As I'm typing this, in addition to working on new comics and art for Bubble Fox and this blog, I've also been building a mask for my nephew for his halloween costume!  It's his first college party, so I obviously don't wanna let him down, but it is a challenge.  I'm not really a 3D artist per se.  I still can't believe I pulled off his sister's watermelon armor at SDCC eight years ago.  Still, it is amazing what you can accomplish with a little bit of patience, a lot of craft foam and about 72 hours worth of YouTube tutorials!  But enough about that!  Y'all want art!  At least I hope you do?  If so, scroll down and see what monster has sprung up this week!  Enjoy...

 

Uh oh...  Looks like someone fed a Mogwai after midnight!  Yup, the original Halloween/Christmas mashup movie, Gremlins was one of those weird 80's movies in that everybody knew, it even had a sequel, and yet was totally forgotten about by the time it hit its ten year anniversary.  Then us 80's kids all turned 20, discovered DVD's and were like "Oh yeah! Gremlins scared the &%#@ out of me as a kid!  Let's show it to OUR kids!" and thus a new cult classic was born!  Another Animal Alphabets entry, Stripe was the lead Gremlin who led an army of mutated Magwai in terrorizing a town one VERY dark Christmas.  Seriously, Kate (Phoebe Cates character) hates Christmas because her dad died while getting lodged in a chimney trying to play Santa Claus.  How friggin' terrible is that for a kids movie?!?  Anyway, this was a fun piece to draw, but holy crap was it a nightmare to correct in PS Elements!  Took me well over two hours to separate all the colors!  I know it's the dark side beckoning, but maybe it's time to time to go all digital?

Another week down as October rolls on, but fear not!  We got another monster coming as our Monster Fest continues here at the CRAZYVERSE!!!  So be sure to come back and see DOUBLE the trouble!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

EGADS!!! IT'S THE ROBOT... MONSTER?!?

Welcome to October CRAZIES!!!  I know, it's already a week in, but that's how the calendar fell this year!  The Spooky Season is upon us and I gotta tell ya, this Fall is already off to one of the busiest starts I've ever had at work!  I haven't even had any time for cider yet!  But there will be plenty of time for seasonal snacks and festivities as the creeps and terrors start to dip in. Coincidentally, this month is all about things that go bump in the night as we celebrate Halloween over the next four weeks with spooky art that will have you howling with terror, maybe even laughter.  Or it could be gas.  LOTTA bratwurst being consumed right now after all!  Either way, let's dive right in with our first entry, shall we?  Enjoy...

What the?!?  Grab the kids Miriam!  Head for the hills!  We're under attack!  It's a creature!  It's robot!  It's a monster!  It's a Robot Monster! Wait a tic... THAT is a Robot Monster?!?  Believe it or not folks, in the 1950's, this passed as high level science fiction.  Well, not really, but the film genre itself, not to mention the concept of special effects in general, were still pretty new, so a guy in a gorilla suit with a fishbowl on his head and set of TV antennae sticking out was about as good as it got at that point.  The real kicker though, if you got up close to the fishbowl, you could see a HUMAN SKULL!!!  In the words of the late great Count Floyd: "WOOOO!!! VASN'T DAT SHOCKINK KEEDS?!?"  Today's art is an oldie but goodie from Animal Alphabelts from 2018 where we depicted classic (And not so classic) monsters of horror, SciFi and fiction.  This creature was from the notorious 1950's schlock-fest Robot Monster.  I'd describe the plot, but I enjoy having brain cells left.  Should you ever feel the urge to watch it, the good fellas at Mister Science Theater 3000 already took all the guess work out and did it for you, so go watch their take on it instead as it's readily available on multiple platforms and far more entertaining!

Well, that's it for this week, but we'll be back with more Halloween fun next time with a monster who's better known for causing trouble at more jollier time of year if you catch my drift!  And no, it ain't who you think it is!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

BUBBLE AND PEPPER: LOONY BALLOONISTS!!!

 

I'll keep it short this week.  Summer's coming to an end, it's super hot right now and the annual Guest Month is kicking off for Bubble Fox!  That won't affect the posting schedule for here since it's all cleaned up reposts anyway.  I do have some fun and VERY colorful posts coming your way that I'm excited to show off!  One of the reasons I take a month off every year is to not only rest and recharge for a bit, but also to work on other art, even learn knew skills and techniques.  I'm very behind on colored pencil work, so it'll be nice to catch up on those finally.  An artist never rests.  Even on break, I'm busy!

Well, that's a wrap on August 2026, but fear not!  We are gonna start fall off right with so much color it'll make Rainbow Brite lose her mind even!  So be sure to come back and check it out!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

BOYSENBERRY BERRY COOL!!!

We are back again CRAZIES!!!  Hard to believe we're just under two weeks away from the start of the fall season.  Well, actual fall starts in a month, but for all intents, the flags go away and the pumpkins come out the second the clock strikes midnight on Labor Day!  Since we still have a bit of summer left, let's cool off with some Fan Art, shall we?  Enjoy...

Would ya look at that?  It's Marigold, Heavenly Nostrils and her kid, Phoebe from the popular comic strip, Phoebe And Her Unicorn!  And they are all decked out for the annual Boysenberry Fest at Knott's Berry Farm!  Phoebe brings up a very good point though.  As adorable and scientifically accurate as her boysenberry costume might be, it's not very practical for going on rides, of which most can't accommodate a creature of equine origin either!  I'm sure Marigold will simply yell "UNICORN" and make it all work somehow!  A longtime favorite of mine, Phoebe And Her Unicorn is the creation of cartoonist Dana Simpson, who also created the beloved Ozy & Millie.  Phoebe and Marigold recently wrapped up their run as a daily comic as Dana looks to focus more on long-form adventures starring the two.  Thankfully, we still get a weekly dose of their shenanigans as a Sunday strip, and who knows?  Maybe someday, Phoebe and Marigold will don their boysenberry looks for real?  (Hey!  An artists can hope, can't he?)

Well, another week down as we head towards the fall, but cheer up!  We may only have one post left for August, but I'll make sure we end the summer on a high note!  So be sure to come back next week and see what floats in!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

ROOT BEER PARTY DEEP CUT!!!

Well, after nine long weeks, we're back to normal here at the CRAZYVERSE.  I'm actually okay with it.  Frankly, these art posts are much easier and quicker to queue up!  As many of you know, one of my favorite things to post here is fan art.  It's always fun to play in somebody else's sandbox for a little bit, as it gives you a new perspective while trying to get the characters right.  We're only getting a couple bits of fan art this month, but they were among the most fun to work on!  So scroll down and see who's up first!  Enjoy...

It's no secret that amongst web cartoonists, root beer is our carbonated beverage of choice!  Of course, not all brands are created equal, as few can truly hold a candle to the amazing flavor of Barq's Root Beer!  There are a few, a VERY small few at that, that prefer A&W Root Beer.  It's not bad, but it just ain't Barq's.  Unfortunately, my pal Kim Belding, creator of Picpak Dog, just can't see the light and wouldn't stop harassing the good fans of Barq's Root Beer, so, as a way to get him to let up, I drew this fan art for him depicting Picpak humiliating Cartoon Me and Mike & Mindy as well.  We all made a great sacrifice so that Kim could feel big about himself while also taking a shot at this nasty soap-flavored gum he sent me as a gag gift once!  But it worked, and now cartoonists can drink Barq's in an stress-free environment once again.  In reality, Kim is one of my closest friends in comics and easily among the funniest to ever pick up a pen.  And although our root beer preferences can get a little intense sometimes, it's always been. in good fun and has always led to funny moments with our characters.  This art has also been in my archives for 11 years now!  Feels good to finally clean it up and post it!

That's all for this week, but we'll be back at it again seven days from now with some flavorful fan art for a very magical duo!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN: OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH MORE OLD!!!

 

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  With any luck, I'll be at opening day at the San Diego County Fair today, or the Del Mar Fair for us old timers!  I've been looking forward to the fair for weeks now as the urge for Chili Fries, Deep Fried Twinkies and White Oak BBQ has got my mouth watering!  But more than that, I just love the exhibits and gardening displays, not to mention's the animals and collections.  It's just a fun place.  Speaking of fun, there's something else on the other side of the country that's gonna be a LOT of fun...

 

For nearly ten years, I have taken part in the Team Cul De Sac Art Auction at HeroesCon in Charlotte,

North Carolina.  Though I've never had the pleasure to attend in person, I have had the pleasure of donating original art for the auction, and this year is no different!  Below are my offerings for 2026:

Melon Crazy: Pen and ink on Bristol Smooth Paper colored with Olo Markers.

Surf The Dragon: Pen and ink on Bristol Vellum Paper colored in PrismaColor Colored Pencils. (This piece in all took FIVE days to finish!)

For those of you heading to HeroesCon this weekend, June 12-14, now is your chance to not only own some original CRAZY art but also send a swift kick to the rear end of Parkinson's Disease once and for all as ALL proceeds go towards research of eradicating this horrible disease.  Richard Thompson, the creator of the wonderful and hilarious Cul De Sac comic strip, suffered from it and succumbed to the disease in 2016.  Humanity was robbed of not only a phenomenal cartoonist but a wonderful human being as well.  The auction itself in on June 12 and is free for convention attendees.

And now, it is time to continue our trip down memory lane as we head back to the recent past of 2016.  As the fog clears, you'll recognize Downtown San Diego and the San Diego Convention Center.  Ah yes, I see it now!  Cap up those Code Red Mountain Dews folks, because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is on!

It isn't uncommon to see celebrities walking the streets of San Diego during SDCC.  Even Big Red himself-Oh my God!  If Santa Claus is doing what it looks like he's doing, he is definitely going on the Naughty List!

It is always a good idea to bring a snack with you to COMIC CON.  You burn a LOT of calories throughout the day!

He may not be as powerful as Silver Skeeter, but Quailman is definitely a badass!

The movie kinda sucked, but this cosplay was cool at least!

Now THAT is a hell of a hat!

Yes folks, that IS Paul Stanley of KISS hanging out at the Entertainment Earth booth!  They had some really cool toys and exclusives, but their swag distribution left a lot to be desired sometimes.

Even as a baby, Jack Burton's Porkchop Express was tricked out!

Always upping the ante, the FX Lawn once again wowed con goers with their amazing activations, including a zipline!

BOO!!!

A very long shot of the Petco Park Interactive Zone, and the infamous Mr. Robot Ferris Wheel that wasn't promoting Mr. Robot but totally was!

OOOOH YEAH!!!  MACHO MADNESS AND HULKAMANIA'S IN THE HOUSE!!!

One of the things I really miss about the old Hasbro booth were the super cool toy displays they'd build every year.  This one previewed the the battle scene from the then-coming Star Wars film, Rogue One.  I know Disney-era Star Wars has been a mixed bag at best, but man, that movie did not disappoint!

And finally, we close out this week with some cosplay that the Master would certainly approve of: Torgo!  He seems trustworthy...

And that was Comic Con 2016!  I do remember this being an extremely busy year at the show, but a very fun one as well.  It was kind of the final time that all the offsites had an open-door policy of just letting people come and go as they pleased.  They never really jammed up when they operated like this, but they sure do now with all these stupid reservation systems!  Hopefully in the future, they will look back at what worked in the past.

Well, that's another week down, but believe me, we got plenty more coming with the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN!!!  So be sure to come back and check it out!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE 2026 CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN IS HERE!!!

Welcome to June CRAZIES!!!  Summer is here!  Barbecues, theme parks, the start of the San Diego County Fair!  And, of course... COMIC CON!!!  That's right folks!  It is that time of year again and the time has come for some reminiscing about the joys of COMIC CONS past!  But first, we got a little something else to attend to, another tradition that has been going on for close to a decade now...

For nearly ten years, I have taken part in the Team Cul De Sac Art Auction at HeroesCon in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Though I've never had the pleasure to attend in person, I have had the pleasure of donating original art for the auction, and this year is no different!  Below are my offerings for 2026:

Melon Crazy: Pen and ink on Bristol Smooth Paper colored with Olo Markers.

Surf The Dragon: Pen and ink on Bristol Vellum Paper colored in PrismaColor Colored Pencils. (This piece in all took FIVE days to finish!)

For those of you heading to HeroesCon next weekend, June 12-14, now is your chance to not only own some original CRAZY art but also send a swift kick to the rear end of Parkinson's Disease once and for all as ALL proceeds go towards research of eradicating this horrible disease.  Richard Thompson, the creator of the wonderful and hilarious Cul De Sac comic strip, suffered from it and succumbed to the disease in 2016.  Humanity was robbed of not only a phenomenal cartoonist but a wonderful human being as well.  The auction itself in on June 12 and is free for convention attendees.

And now, dear CRAZIES, it is time to proceed with the fun, the laughs, the memories.  I can barely contain myself even as I type, so let's just jump right in!  The year is 2015, the site is the San Diego Convention Center.  Hold on to your Batman Underoos because the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN is a go!  Enjoy...

A sight rarely seen by most who go to SDCC: A near empty exhibit hall!  It's pretty wild to see the place before the booths go in.  Oddly enough, the place actually seems smaller when it's empty, despite the vastness of it all.  This was likely taken in Hall D looking south as the air wall separating Halls G and H is  up in the background of the picture.

Another behind the scenes shot looking east towards the front of Hall D.  The pony banner welcomes you to the eventual Hasbro booth, my home away from home for quite a few years.  From 2013-2019, I hung all their lights and monitors at both their main booth and their former Toy Shop booth.  It wasn't always the easiest booth to do, but the dudes who ran it were really cool and Hasbro always hooked us up with free toys and swag when the show was over.

Anytime is a good time for Dia De Los Muertos!

Will somebody PLEASE get these dudes a shrubbery?!?

The awesome NERD HQ offsite!  Lotta controversy surrounding its exit from the SDCC, but then again there's a lotta controversy surrounding the folks who used to run it now too, so I guess it evens out.  Regardless, it was a fun experience and a great opportunity for those without badges to have some fun at SDCC.

If McDonalds was honest in their advertising.

A cool activation at the Petco Park Interactive Zone!  Can't really make out the logo behind the statue, but it appears to be promoting a video game of some sort.

It's Bill Cipher!  I never watched Gravity Falls, but the young folks seemed to like it!

The Nintendo Lounge!  It was a great offsite once upon a time.

The legendary Hall H Star Wars panel!  After the panel ended, attendees were led to the Pops Site out back for a concert and fireworks show!

The Nintendo booth in Hall A.  Mario Maker was kinda the last hurrah for Wii U and led to a funny story involving my buddy Riki, who was absolutely crushing it on these insanely hard levels that a bunch of wise ass kids made.  So much so that it made news all the way over at the Convention Center!

The FX Lawn in its second year definitely didn't disappoint!

The Xbox Lounge...  We didn't know how good we had it back then!

Lego Conan celebrates the first year of Conan O'Brien doing shows at SDCC!  His shows were so much fun.  I wish TBS still aired them.

My niece Kristen hanging out with some Comic Con Corgis!

Wonder Woman meets Jedi Wolverine, the latter of which technically could happen in Disney's vast expanded universe!

I don't think that's true, but he hasn't been smiling upon them much lately.

You meet a lot of interesting people on the Trolley ride up to Downtown!

Lastly, we close the book on 2015 with a much younger me with my much younger nephew and niece!  They were 12 and 10 then and are now 23 and 21.  I can't even believe they're adults now with lives and interests of their own.  I don't know why time has to fly by so quick, but I'd love to go back to those simpler days, even if only for a little while.

And that was Comic Con 2015.  Definitely one of my best years there in terms of swag and participation!  So much great cosplay too!  The offsites were slamming and still competently ran and the world was a much kinder and more hopeful place.  Kinda bummed I'm running out of pictures from this one.  It was a good show!

Well, that's one week down, but fear not, for we got nine more to go as the CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN gets your summer kicked off right!  So be sure to come back and see what we got cooking next!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

VAMOOSE WITH THE VAQUITA!!!

Well, another month has come to pass here at the CRAZYVESRE.  But when one door closes another one opens up, and this door is a particularly fun one, for you see...  SUMMER IS HERE!!!  Okay, technically it's still a few weeks away, but come on now; we all know summer really starts the second Memorial Day weekend rolls up!  And the smell of BBQ is already permeating my neighborhood!  But enough about that.  So much cool stuff is on the way that one post isn't enough to contain it.  So let's get our swim trunks on and dive on in with this week's guest who is already jumping for the season!  Enjoy... 

Flipper?  Please!  This Vaquita is way cooler than some pampered porpoise!  Very similar to their dolphin cousins, these marvelous marine critters are critically endangered but hopefully on the road to recovery.  Thankfully, this cartoon vaquita is safe from the perils of our reality.  Another entry from Animal Alphabets, I had a lotta fun with this one.  Keeping the color scheme simple really helps things.  It's easy to get overwhelmed in the coloring process as so many of us want to do shades, highlights and gradients, which are great if you have the time and skill for it.  But, there is a lot to be said about simple flat coloring as well.

And that's a wrap on May 2026, but there's definitely no need to be sad folks!  Why is that?  Because next week, the annual CRAZY COMIC CON COUNTDOWN returns!  Hardly seems real that we're already gearing up for the biggest show of the year, but it is on the horizon as guest and show exclusives are already being announced as of this writing!  It'll be a long trip down memory lane well worth taking, so be sure to come back and check it out!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT!!!

We are back CRAZIES and halfway past the merry month of May!  Time flies for sure, but we are keeping pace with all the CRAZY critters that come out to play here at the CRAZYVERSE!!!  And we got another beauty coming up that could tame ANY cold-hearted beast!  Don't believe me?  Scroll down and see for yourself!  Enjoy... 

There are many gorgeous butterflies that bless us with their existence.  From being great pollinators to their stunningly beautiful wings, butterflies make the world a better place.  Among the real attention-grabbers is the Ulysses Butterfly!  Their wings of black and iridescent blue stand out in any environment and are quite hypnotic as they flutter from flower to flower!  They would certainly be welcome in my yard that's for sure!  Another 2017 piece for Animal Alphabets, this one was a blast to do!  Aside from being an easier color job with so few colors, I just loved how well these hues all worked together!  If it wasn't for the fact that non-digital coloring mediums aren't very practical for current cartooning standards, I'd hand color everything I do!  Hopefully these art collective pieces make up for that.

Well, one week left to go in May 2026, but have no fear!  We have a guest next week that will have you jumping for joy that summer's around the corner!  So be sure to come back and help us end the month on a high note!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE TEENSY TANSY BEETLE!!!

We are back again CRAZIES!!!  And another week closer to the fun and festivities of summer!  I know we still got a few weeks to go, but how can I not get excited?  It's right around the corner and the San Diego County Fair is on deck!  But there will be time for that later.  It's time to meet our special guest for the week!  She's a bit if a diva if I'm being honest and quite frankly, she'd kinda starting to bug me!  But, her beauty truly shines through as you'll see when you scroll down.  Enjoy...

Meet the Tansy Beetle, a true living gem!  Similar to the junebug in appearance, these living emeralds are for more elegant with their shiny, glossy exoskeleton that shines in iridescent hues of green and gold!  I'm sure many have mistaking these gorgeous bugs for actual polished gem stones, only to be deeply disappointed (And probably greatly disturbed even!) to see it fly off!  This week's piece was part of the Animal Alphabets Art Collective back in 2017.  I don't recall what the specific theme was, but I do recall enjoying this one as beetles are always a fun draw.  They're like little bug tanks!

Well another week down as we March to summer, but more fun is coming, so be sure to come back next week and give it a good look!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

THE SLIMMING EFFECT!!!

Welcome to May CRAZIES!!!  Another month is upon us, and with it comes new art, never before seen outside of Twitter!  We got a lot of fun planned in the coming weeks as we get ready for summer, the San Diego County Fair, BBQ Season and, of course, COMIC CON!!!  But we're already getting ahead of ourselves here.  Let's just ease on in with some art starring a ferocious feline who clearly got his fill!  Enjoy...

Tigers.  Fierce.  Gorgeous.  Hungry.  VERY hungry!   Certainly the one above hasn't missed too many meals.  Perhaps he should try hunting for his food more often instead of hitting the buffet line at the ol' Bengal Barbecue!  Those stripes only camouflage the background, not your bad habits!   This piece was originally done for the Pinch Punch Post Art Collective on Twitter back in 2017.  One of many that used to dot the social media landscape, it too recently came to an end, bringing many sad faces to a once vibrant online art scene.  All things must pass I suppose, but it's still sad to see something that made so many happy go away.  Perhaps in a few years, when happier times return, we will see the art collectives come back.

That's all for this first week of May 2026, but fear not!  We got a stunning critter coming in next week that'll leave you green with envy!  That or nausea, I always mix those two up!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!