DON'T TALK BACK!!!

We are back!  And already approaching the halfway point in February!  I know it feels longer but that Spring feeling is already hitting me!  Of course, when you live in San Diego, most days tend to already feel like Spring!  But enough about that, y'all came for some art (I've noticed the increase in views lately and I can't express my gratitude enough!), so let's get to it before we get trampled by the herd!  Enjoy...

Don't talk back, Yak!  Don't you EVER talk back, lest you want an attack from a brat with a tongue like a tack!  Yak's were the theme from this particular Animal Alphabets outing and I was largely inspired by the Shaving Yak from The Ren & Stimpy Show back from Nickelodeon's early-90's heyday.  The way they drew yaks always cracked my brother and me up as kids, so I just kinda ran with it.  Adding the sassy little girl was just a personal touch.  I have found memories of babysitting my cousins and niece when they were little and although I adored them all, they were real mouthy little turds!  Still, they were happy times and now they're all grown up and making their own way in this insane world...

Another one down as we march on towards March. But fear not!  Another piece of CRAZY art is a mere seven days away and this one will leave you breathless!  So be sure to came back and check it out!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

WINNERS AND LOSERS!!!

We've done it!  We've reached the end...  Of January!  What?  Did you think I meant something else?  We still got plenty of fun to be had this month and this year in general, but more on that when the time is right.  Speaking of more, we gotta wrap up our fight again Inflation this month, and we saved quite a doozy for last!  Don't believe me?  Well then, just bounce your way a little further down the page and see for yourself!  Enjoy...

BUBBLE FOX?!?  WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?  I mean, I know the Little Princesses are evil and no doubt deserved to be turned into dirigibles, but what did their Goblin Butler ever do to you?!?  This is what happens when you enter a CRAZY contest.  You get a CRAZY prize!  Another Twitter art collective run by Jennifer Cuthbert and myself, this time it was the #CRAZYTalentShow!  We got quite a few entries, all insanely good, but at the end of things, Jennifer and I decided that the piece done by the incredible Nora Racz, featuring her Evil Little Princesses putting on a show, was the best of the bunch!  And so they were given their prize, a year's supply of helium, all at once by Bubble Fox himself!  This was a fun piece to do, but boy did it take awhile to color, especially later when it came time to do Photoshop corrections!  Darker colors are just a straight up pain!  Hopefully these kids didn't get a swelled head over their win, but as far as inflated egos go, these Evil Little Princesses are usually pretty pumped!

And that's a wrap on January 2025 and our Fight Against Inflation for the year!  I can't think of a funnier way to kickoff the new year, well, maybe a whole month of fart jokes instead, but that would likely get old fast.  Be sure to come back next week as we begin a new month with new fun.  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

IT'S A ROUND DOG'S LIFE!!!

What the?  Company?  Oh my!  I wasn't expecting visitors today!  What's that you say?  Loons?  You want...  LOONS?!?  Well then, you've certainly come to the right place because we are using good, old fashioned cartoon loons to fight bad inflation with good!  So pull up a chair and relax as I roll up some laughs for you!  Enjoy...

Oh dear!  When Mr. D said he wanted to do some lawn bowling, Jazz and the others should've been a little more cautious about just how extreme the notorious Dalmatian would take things!  A regular bocce ball simply wasn't enough for this daredevil dog, so he downed five canisters of compressed air to become one puffed pooch!  Hope he has some air left because it looks like Libby's in dire need of decompression herself!  And Jazz, y'all are cartoon dogs.  It's best not to question the logic here!  The pooches above belong to my dear friend Janet Gamble, creator of the webcomic Get A Dog's Life, the tale of the world as seen through the eyes of four dogs!  One of those dogs is a rascally Dalmatian named Mr. D, who lives at the firehouse with a bunch of bachelor firefighters and as such has taken on a rather carefree, and frankly dangerous, party lifestyle!  He even dates a similarly dotted racehorse named, wait for it...  DOTS!!!  I'm sure the next time Mr. D tries this stunt, he'll use hydrogen as regular air just isn't intense enough for him!

Well, one more week to go in our fight against inflation!  Will good prevail over evil or are we all doomed to be enveloped by the bloated bodies of our own excesses?!?  Come back next week and see!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

PARALOONING!!! CATCH THE BREEZE!!!

Back for more are we?  Well then, you've certainly come to the right place as we got MORE of EVERYTHING this month as we continue our Battle Against Inflation, which in and of itself is all about more to begin with!  Well then, now that I've grossly inflated this paragraph, let's say we float down and see what artistic masterpiece (HA!!!) is in store for us today, shall we?  Enjoy...

Bubble and his pals sure know how to have fun.  Why parasail when you can para-loon?!?  Willow may not get it, but Pepper and Charlie sure do!  They stayed puffed for hours, enjoying fun in the sun and even taking a bounce or two among the waves!  I think that shark and octopus might be a little jealous that they didn't get to have a few turns themselves!  Eventually, all that helium came to pass, leading to Pepper and Charlie having the squeakiest farting contest ever!  This piece is from another art collective that Jennifer Cuthbert and I hosted on Twitter last summer called the #CRAZYSummerBlowup!  In it, artists are challenged to draw their characters either inflated into beach/pool toys or just having some summer fun in general!  This piece was a lot of fun to draw and features a very rare shot of Bubble Fox front-facing!  Can't thank Jimmy Gownley enough for showing me how its done!

Well, another week down as we are already at the halfway mark for January, but our fight against inflation is far from over because next week, it's all going to the dogs!  So be sure to come back and check it out!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!! THE CRAZY INFLATION BATTLE RETURNS!!!

WE ARE BACK CRAZIES!!!  51 weeks to go in this year 2025, so we may as well get to the meat of the matter: INFLATION!!!  It's not a good thing in an economy that will likely get even more volatile in the coming years.  As a cartoonist though, it is among our best tricks at getting somebody to laugh, and starting today, the CRAZYVERSE's annual Fight Against Inflation returns in an effort to bring more smiles and fight bad bloating with good bloating in the coming weeks!  So let's quit chewing the fat and float in with the Helium Hijinks!  Enjoy...

Uh oh Bubble!  Head official Gully is on to your scheme to give your pole vaulters more of a lift at the CRAZY Summer Olympics!  Just a pity your methods worked a little TOO well!  Sap, Clover and Mooch floated all the way to the Alps before finally being rescued and deflated and returned to Paris to watch the rest of the games!  Today's art was part of the #CRAZYOlympics art collective that Jennifer Cuthbert and I hosted on Twitter last July!  A fun effort that saw cartoonists from all over the world draw their characters performing in popular (And not so popular) Olympic Events.  Here, Bubble Fox was hoping to coach the Ragtags to Olympic glory, but his use of Performance Enhancing Gasses (PEGs) led to disgrace!  In a funny turn of events, my good pal Shaylee Robson sketched a few quick revenge doodles that saw her character, Invisibella, rescue the Ragtags while also giving Bubble his just desserts!  Eventually I'll share these hilarious pieces with the CRAZY faithful, but for now, let this be evidence that cheaters never prosper, unless they're politicians of course!

Well, that's all for now, but be sure to come back next week for even more puffed posteriors as our fight against Inflation continues!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

TOM TURKEY AND THE SWEET SMELL OF VICTORY!!!

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING CRAZIES!!!  I'll keep it short today as y'all are no doubt already prepping.  I know I am! (Today is stuffing and pie day traditionally!) So let's dive on in and see if Tom Turkey's plan worked this year, shall we?  Enjoy...

Welp, looks like Billy and Dorothy did in fact meet their new friend in that cave, and as expected, he delivered a smelly greeting from the dark chasm!  Turns out Tom's Cackle Corner only makes HIM cackle! And he certainly has reason to!  But what of the Brat Twins?  Well...

...They are certainly feeling it.  They should be thankful Tom ain't a rabbit!  For those wondering why Tom ain't running away, well, he doesn't really need to.  The Brats know when they are defeated.  Plus, I've had two dogs that were spayed by a skunk.  They had no energy at all for days after, and those pooches were a boxer and pitbull, nothing BUT energy!  Tom can merely stroll away while Billy and Dorothy look for a bathtub!  (Contrary to popular belief, tomato juice has ZERO effect on skunk smell.  A solution of vinegar and dish soap helps with the initial smell as it is somewhat oil-based while dusting the affected areas with baby powder also helps absorb the skunk spray.  It just takes time to wear off.)

And so ends another tale of that Tricky Tom Turkey!  Will he be back next year?  Hard to say really.  As much as I have enjoyed coming up with these tales, it's getting tougher.  You can only do so much with a turkey and two incredibly dumb kids.  The Looney Tunes school of gags only goes so far folks!  But it would be nice to tie up any loose ends with these characters, so we'll see.

And with that, we close the book on November 2024!  Don't be too sad though.  The holiday y'all are REALLY looking forward too is already underway having usurped the throne of the turkey ages ago,  but next week it becomes more official as we kick off our CRAZY Christmas celebration, so be sure to come back and check it out!  In the meantime have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and please be mindful if you're braving the Black Friday shopping crowds.  No gift is worth getting hurt over!  And while you are out, donate to any of food/clothing/toy drives currently open!  Spread kindness in this rude world when you can!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and Happy Thanksgiving! 

TOM TURKEY AND THE CACKLING QUEST FOR FREEDOM!!!

ONE!!!  ONE WEEK TO GO!!!  I'm already doing a lot of Turkey Day prep work, including buying my supplies for the big day itself and watching unearthly levels of Mystery Science Theater 3000 so I can be ready come eight days from now!  You know who's also making preparations?  O'l Tom Turkey!  But those preparations might actually be funeral arrangements as the Brat Twins finally caught him!  But there was a glimmer of hope last week as Tom finally seems to have spotted his Cackle Corner!  Is the wily old bird gonna get his final chuckle or will Billy and Dorothy have the last laugh?  For the answer, you'll have to scroll down and see for yourself!  Enjoy...

Well, Ol' Tom's certainly cackling!  Maybe he really did find his Cackle Corner?  Billy and Dorothy certainly seem interested, but will they really buy it?

If you've been following along these last few years, you'd know by now that the Brat Twins have a combined IQ lower than an Amish electricity bill!  They're making a beeline for that cave and a smelly new pal just waiting to greet them!  How will it all end?  Come back next week for the grand finale!

And now dear CRAZIES, the moment you've all been waiting for!  Presenting this year's "Float" for the CRAZIES Day Parade!  Enjoy...

Pepper flies high above the CRAZY streets as his pals Lollipop, Picpak and Sunny follow behind!  With 2024 being the Year Of The Dragon, Pepper volunteered himself to be this year's float and he did not disappoint!  Also, it was a chance for him to fly, so of course he was eager to loon up!  The parade itself is an annual art collective that takes place on what's left of Twitter tomorrow as well as BlueSky, a place I'll likely be hanging out at more often in the coming year unless karma quits dragging its feet on Voldemusk!  Be sure to give it a look with the hashtag #CRAZIESDayParade!

Well, one week to go with Tom Turkey, the Brat Twins and Thanksgiving in general, but that's still a whole week away, so be sure to come back next Wednesday and give it a look!  Be sure to think of others this holiday season and donate to local food/clothing/toy drives.  Be a beacon of kindness and light as these dark times hopefully start to dissipate.  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

TOM TURKEY AND THE SEARCH FOR THE CACKLE CORNER!!!

We are back and halfway to Thanksgiving already!  Time seems to move faster when you're older.  Moves especially faster after you hit 40!  But there's no time for that now!  Tom Turkey is in trouble!  DEEP trouble!  Billy and Dorothy, the Brat Twins, have finally caught their prize poultry, but in a surprise act of humanity, have allowed him to go to his Cackle Corner one last time to enjoy a good laugh.  Will Tom go out on a happy note?  Scroll down to get the answer!  Enjoy...

Well, they're out for a stroll, but so far no Cackle Corner.  I'm starting to think the Cackle Corner is something he made up to buy himself some time!  Perhaps that bee might know?  They certainly know a thing or two about places of laughter!

Or, perhaps Ol' Tom Turkey just spotted exactly where his Cackle Corner just might be!  And it looks like he's not the only one aware of it!  Will Tom Turkey get the last laugh?  You'll have to come back next week and see!

Well, another week down as we march towards Turkey Day, but we have a BIG post ready for next week as the CRAZY faithful get the very first look at this year's CRAZIES Day Parade entry, along with the continuing tale of that Tricky Tom Turkey!  So be sure to come back and check it out!  As I mentioned last week, holiday donation centers have begun to open up, so please think of those less fortunate and donate.  A little bit of kindness goes a long way.  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

TOM TURKEY IS BACK!!! AND HIS GOOSE IS... COOKED?!?

Welcome to November CRAZIES!!!  And y'all know what that means right?  Christmas is next month?!?  NO!!!  I mean, yes, it is, but aren't you forgetting something first?  That's right folks, THANKSGIVING IS HERE!!!  My favorite holiday of the year is coming up and I'm already eagerly prepping for the big meal!  But that is still a few weeks away.  We are in the here and now and right now, an old pal has come back and is ready to tell his most harrowing tale yet!  That's right dear readers, Ol' Tom Turkey is back and boy is he in for it now!  Don't believe me?  Scroll down and see for yourself!  Enjoy...

What the?!?  Tom Turkey's been caught?!?  This can't be?  He's ALWAYS five steps ahead of those dastardly Brat Twins!  How could this have happened?  Wait, maybe this is just a dream or something?  I'm sure the next page will solve everything...

...Or maybe it won't, but hey!  At least Billy and Dorothy are somewhat merciful in letting Tom have a last request.  Given his history of quick thinking, most folks would've just done him in already.  Will Tom get to enjoy his Cackle Corner one last time before heading to the dinner table?  You'll have to come back next week and see!

Well, that's it for Week 1 of November as we go on an extended ride with Tom Turkey and the Brat Twins!  Be sure to come back next week and see how the story unfolds!  In the meant time, with the holidays rapidly approaching, Food Banks, clothing and toy donation centers are starting to pop up again so please consider donating this year.  Not everybody is as fortunate as others and every little bit helps.  Through kindness, we can heal our world.  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY... LOONY FOR LIFE!!!

Welcome back CRAZIES!!!  Well, we've reached the end of another month...  In a few days at least!  But for all intents, August and Summer is just about over.  Believe me the abundance of early pumpkins is making that VERY clear!  But there's still a little time for some fun in the Sun, so how's about we see what guest fun has been floated our way this time?  Enjoy...

Would ya look at that?  It's our old pals Mike & Mindy drawn by the amazing Sean Foley Hall!  Sean is the amazing artist behind such fun titles as Dirk Brody and Agnes From S.P.A.CE.!  He's also a good friend and amazing guy.  When a fellow friend needed help last fall, Sean did not hesitate to offer commissions as a means of raising funds.  Well, I just couldn't pass up getting some original art from Sean, not to mention helping a dear friend, so I ordered two pieces: One for me and one for our friend as a birthday present.  The top piece is obviously mine and with Sean having already taken Bubble Fox to new heights in last year's guest month (And believe me he raised the stakes further this year!), I just had to get his take on Mike and Mindy in one of their funniest moments!  And, not surprisingly, Sean delivered big!  Sean reminds me a lot of Jack Davis in that he can draw these really detailed and realistic characters and yet still make them feel lighthearted and cartoony.  It's an amazing skill and I get lost in his art constantly!  As for that other drawing?  Do some snooping around Twitter or BlueSky and you'll catch a glimpse at one of the funniest cartoons ever drawn!

And that's a wrap for the month of August and the season of Summer!  And yes I'm aware Fall doesn't actually start until late September, but when there's already Halloween decorations out and the smell of pumpkin spice permeates the air, it's kinda hard to think about beaches and BBQ's at this point!  Luckily, I do have some cool, colorful art coming next month to bridge the seasons, so be sure to come back next week and see how it all starts!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

BUBBLES AND TROUBLES!!!

We are back!  Hard to believe the spooking season is literally knocking on our door already!  Granted, it's already been Halloween at most arts and crafts stores since before the 4th of July even, but that's neither here nor there.  It's still summer dammit and as such, it is the time for summertime fun!  Childhood fun!  And what's more childhood than blowing bubbles?  Popping balloons you say?  According to Professor Google balloon popping is indeed considered a tradition of sorts, albeit an old one, but it still counts!  Can the two pastimes be combined with Bubble Fox fan art?  Scroll down and find out!

Uh oh!  Looks like that darn silly Bubble Fox has gotten some more of his friends into some danger involving helium and sharp objects!  Given his reputation, you'd think more pals within the realm of webcomics would be very wary of hanging out with Bubble, but I suppose some lessons must be learned firsthand!  Those claws look sharp too!  Might be time to start thinking about burping or farting boys because those are the only other options for escape!  Geoff Munn's been a pal for years, having first connected on Twitter and thankfully keeping things going on BlueSky (Geoff's the one who gave me an invite code!).  His comic, #Parenting, has long been a favorite, highlighting the silly, often surreal things one encounters while raising children.  From yard peeing to kazoo irritants, the comic covers it all!  Geoff's boys were all little dudes when he started, with his youngest not even being born yet!  Now they are all maturing into slightly bigger dudes with personalities as wacky as their old man's!  I should also note that my favorite trope of this comic is how each boy starts out with dot pupils that grow into full-on eyeballs as the characters age!  It's small touches like that that add to the humor and sweetness of Geoff's work.  When Geoff began offering commissions earlier this year, I knew I had to get a piece with Bubble interacting with his characters, and he delivered BIG!!!  Thanks again Geoff!  You, Bubble and the boys have never looked so buoyant!

Well, another week down as we march towards Fall.  But I promise we'll end the Summer on a high note, so come back next week for a DOUBLE dose of fun as Bubble PUMPS up the laughs!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

AND THE FOX ROLLS ON!!!

Well, after ten weeks, we've finally returned to normal here at the CRAZYVERSE.  Returning from the insanity that is Comic Con is never easy, but much like Christmas, we'll love it even more when it comes back next year.  Besides, we're still celebrating the 10th Anniversary of BUBBLE FOX!!!  Amazingly enough, I'm still getting fan art of that wily old critter all these months later, so I figured I'd take some time this month and share a few more pieces with you fine CRAZIES!  Not a bad way to close out the summer eh?  Enjoy...

Would ya look at that!  Our old pal Kim Belding is back yet again to give Bubble some more of his fun brand of cartoony love!  I could obviously (And have!) go on for hours about how wonderful Kim is and how much I love his comics and art, but frankly I'm running out of synonyms!  Kim, you know I love ya buddy, and I hope the married life is proving to be a fun one so far!  I also love that longtime Bubble Fox costar, Mr. Gully, appears alongside Bubble!  Mr. Gully is based off of another longtime friend in the cartooning world, teacher and Off Season creator Warren Frantz.  Warren's been a dear pal to both me and Kim all these years with lots of cartoon play between all of our characters.  Who could ever forget the infamous Root Beer Wars of 2012?!?  And as far as Bubble lasting longer than Calvin & Hobbes?  I'd obviously never put myself at THAT level, as C&H's output still dwarfs mine, but it's pretty incredible to consider the mileage I've actually gotten out of BF.  I never thought I'd have so many stories to tell when I first came up with Bubble.  It was all pretty much on a lark even!  That he's lasted this long and has so many fans...  It's very humbling.  I only hope someday that people will look back on Bubble and pals and put them in the same league as Calvin and his best bud.  Thanks again Kim.  You are the Hobbes this Calvin badly needed!

That's all she wrote for this week, but we'll be back next time for some very well-rounded laughs from another longtime friend of the CRAZYVERSE who wanted to help celebrate Bubble's big milestone, so be sure to come back and check it out!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

COMIC CON 2024... CAME, SAW, CONQUERED!!!

Well, we've come to it at last.  The conclusion of the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown 2024...  It's never easy to type up this particular post because it more or less means that Con Season is over for me, especially now that Long Beach Comic Con has officially been cancelled (Yeah, I was still mulling over whether I should go or not).  But not all hope is lost.  The holidays will be here soon enough to keep me and many others preoccupied while we wait for WonderCon, which is less than eight months away!  But enough about that.  Y'all came for the biggie!  The pride of San Diego!  The time has come for us to take one last trip back to the San Diego Convention Center for a final lap around the exhibit hall and surrounding offsites.  We went big with this post, so hold on to your Batman Underoos and Code Red Mountain Dews, because the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown is set to launch!  Enjoy... 

I don't know Apollo. You couldn't even take on Ivan Drago!

The DragonBall World Tour returned to the the Marriott Marquee for the fifth straight year!  I actually spent the bulk of Preview Night there, collecting swag and taking pics!  The lines moves fast at this one and the giveaways are always worth it.  Easily among the best run offsites at SDCC.  Hopefully they'll keep coming back.

Ultraman had a VERY large presence in the exhibit hall this year with two dedicated booths and several panels on the schedule as the very first Tokusatsu hero has returned to pop culture in grand fashion!

Spongebob is celebrating his 25th Anniversary this year while Nickelodeon celebrates 20 years of bleeding the franchise dry!  This sculpture/fountain, which looked for all the world like poor Spongebob is receiving the enema to end all enemas, also doubled as a refill station for water bottles.  Incidentally, Nickelodeon itself turns 45 this year.

Speaking of anniversaries, Rainbow Brite turned 40 this year and is still rocking her colors as vibrant as ever!  She even gave me some Star Sprinkles!  Which I promptly wasted while trying to add color to some old Three Stooges shorts!

The Petco Park Interactive Zone returned with its usual fair of food trucks and fun free experiences!  Although I did get to walk around it for a little bit, I sadly didn't have time to try any of the experiences being offered.  Was a busy year to say the least.

Abbott Elementary returned to Comic Con this year with a truly fun and efficient offsite that left many smiling!  Ava Fest was a carnival complete with a big ass slide, ball pit and swing ride!  I was impressed with the line management of this one as they simply let people in (After signing a liability waiver of course) and left everyone to their own device.  And wouldn't;t you know it?  Crowds moved through fairly quick!  Imagine that?

Nice to see Chilindrina and Chavo hanging out again!  I'm sure Don Ramon would approve!

The Lounge!!!  Paramount+'s infamous offsite that's nearly impossible to get into without a reservation and wasting an entire day away in the standby line.  I was determined to try it anyway, so I got there early Friday morning and was shocked to see the standby line so small.  As the hours wore on and the line got longer, I remember being thankful I was among the first 15 people in line that day.  Even more surprising, the line for people with actual reservations never got any longer than 20 people the entire time I was there.  As it came time to open, a lady named Katya walked by and informed the standby line that her friend couldn't make it and she had an extra ticket.  One is indeed the loneliest number, but in this case, it served me well because I was the only loner in the standby line and she got me in early!  And even better?  Within ten minutes, all the people that had been waiting with me in standby were let in too as folks missed their reservations!  So we all won!  The experience itself was pretty cool with activations from Star Trek, Spongebob and Ninja Turtles among others.  I did get some cool swag and some delicious lemonade.  Overall though, it's hard to justify missing out on a day in the exhibit hall for an experience that lasted less than an hour.  Always weigh the risks and rewards when choosing offsites.

Cliff Vandercave and Sharon Stone!  Easily my favorite cosplay of Comic Con this year!  I'm a big fan of obscure character cosplay and these two nailed it, choosing the villains of The Flinstones live action movie!  They said I was the only person to get it, though I'm sure others figured it out as well as the day went on.

Another huge waste of time on my Comic Con Friday was Hulu's Animayhem activation!  Was there cool swag?  Yeah.  Were the photo ops fun?  Yeah.  Should it take three hours or more to wait and experience this?  HELL NO!!!  Flat and simple, there is no reason at all this offsite should take as long as it does, especially considering that several of the shows are either no longer relevant or just plain not popular (Seriously, NOBODY wanted the Solar Opposites swag!).  Even worse, my group was never given the donuts we were promised!  If it comes back next year, I'll likely skip it.

Batman always come prepared when out surfing with his Batboard, Bat-Trunks and Bat-Shark Repellant!

The FX Lawn.  Some loved it, some hated it.  Easily the most coveted swag of SDCC this year came from The Bear activation within, with the What We Do In The Shadows umbrellas being a close second.  While the experiences inside were fun and immersive, I feel line management could've been much better for this one as well.  In the past, they just let people in at their leisure and it all worked out.  This year, not so much.  I waited two hours just to get in then waited another hour just to get my umbrella!  Why was the wait so long?  Because some dudes were scribbling your name and a stick figure drawing on the umbrellas with Sharpies!  A friggin' kindergartener could done the same deal quicker and just as sloppy (Believe me, these guys aren't gonna be in Artists' Alley anytime soon!)!  Still, I made some friends while waiting in line, so it all worked out.  

A Tiger and his Boy, out on another adventure!

The Adult Swim lawn was back and bringing the fun as always!  I had hoped to get in, but it took so long to get through the FX Lawn that AS became another casualty of my swag hunt.  By the time I got there, the line stretched towards the boardwalk.  There's always next year...

Strawberry Shortcake loves her some Godzilla!

The cast of Jurassic Park had a heartfelt reunion with their biggest costar!

Another offsite oddity at Comic Con this year, The Penguin Slushy Truck!  This pic was taken on Preview Night before it opened, but every time I walked by this thing during the show, there'd be an insanely long line and workers standing inside the truck just looking confused by it all.  All they had to do was hand out eight ounce cups of knockoff Slurpees.  How friggin' hard is that?

Doctor Who and Star Trek teamed up for a fun little offsite featuring costumes and props from both legendary SciFi series!  Nothing too immersive, but still a nice break from the blazing weather outside!

Peanuts returned to their usual spot with a fun museum/shop that looked at the history of their holiday specials and even had a fun photo op in Charlie Brown's kitchen as Snoopy and Woodstock attempt to make Thanksgiving dinner out of toast and popcorn!  Just outside the museum, guests could sit in a shaded spot and watch the latest special before being locked away for AppleTV subscribers only!

The very fun and VERY immersive Planet Of The Apes offsite!  The line rarely went longer than 20 minutes and the staff just straight had their crap together!  I even got to have my picture taken with a live hawk!  Easily among the best run offsites at SDCC this year!

Can't really post this without talking about the elephant in the room: The Gaslamp Fire!  One of the buildings on 5th Avenue near J Street, where several offsite activations were in full swing, caught on fire.  Exactly how it happened is still under investigation as of this writing, but thankfully it was contained fairly quickly, though the staff at the Penguin Lounge offsite did have to be evacuated and the actual show was postponed for several hours.  Anything really can happen at Comic Con!

These fine young men came to Comic Con to learn about AI!

Lastly, we'll end the post on a happy note with some folks dressed as happy characters: The Flintstones!  Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty were there to promote their amazing new alternative fuel source: FEET!!!

And that was Comic Con 2024!  It was a wild time for sure, packed with swag and a few exclusives.  I still can't believe I did all the things I did this year!  I was pretty exhausted heading into the show.  I'd had little rest between SDCC and the show before it, ESRI, while also dealing with a home renovation that was complicated by a sinus infection.  By the time Comic Con ended, I was past my physical limits.  It ain't easy coming to grips with the fact that I'm not a young man anymore.  The day job's taken a toll over the years, and it's really starting to show now.  What does this mean for next year?  Well, we'll have to wait and see as it's time to re-verify again.  It's a process that always rattles me, even more so now as it's all online now, and I'm just not good with tech.  I have other ways in, but I'd rather not be that guy, the type that takes advantage of connections.  It just doesn't feel right.  The form's been submitted, so it's all up to fate now.  One way or another, I'll be back and it'll be great!

And thus wraps up the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown 2024!!!  I hope you all enjoyed these last ten weeks of looking back at the Cons of recent past!  I do enjoy looking back and seeing how things have changed over the years and I promise no matter what happens with my pro status, I will be back next year with another edition of the Countdown, two of them even as WonderCon's not too far off!  Be sure to come back next week as Bubble Fox takes center stage with more art celebrating his 10th Anniversary!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

COMIC CON 2024... IN MORNING FROM 2023...

*Sighs*  Well, another Comic Con has come and gone.  How was it?  I honestly don't know.  As long time readers will note, I write these posts weeks in advance!  It could've been the greatest show ever, or it totally could've sucked.  We'll find out next week!  For now, let's just move on to the pics because even though Past Jon is writing this, he knows very well that Future Jon will still be VERY tired from the recent show.  Even in younger years, I didn't bounce back too quickly from SDCC.

So let's strap on our Airwalks and pound another Code Red Mountain Dew as the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown reaches its penultimate edition for 2024!  Enjoy...

After finally making it off the island, Gilligan and Mary Ann hooked up and have been living happily off of the Little Buddy's bartending earnings from Daddio's Beach Bar!  (Bonus points for whoever gets THAT reference!)

Despite the insanely humid weather, Willy Wonka, Charlie Bucket and the Ooompa Loompa all found ways to keep cool.  They also decided to skip any Scottish convention appearances in the near future!

Aye aye Cap'n!

After a weak year of photo ops, NBC came back in grand style with their offsite at Tin Fish Square in 2023!  I'm pretty sure they just cancelled all the shows they were promoting, but hey!  Hindsight and such!

The Empire is VERY shagadelic baby, yeah!

The massive Hulu offsite stands tall as FX's Shogun mightily wraps the front of the Hilton Bayfront!  Hulu gave out some pretty sweet swag, but it really wasn't worth the three hour wait for what was essentially photo ops that could easily been sped up. 

After a light post-pandemic return in 2022, the Petco Park Interactive Zone expanded things a bit in 2023.  More food trucks returned and the activations got a bit more immersive.

A lot of people say what's that?

It's PAT!!!

Weird Al has transcended everything to the point now that he's being cosplayed at conventions!

The Rocketeer is on patrol, keeping things safe on the boardwalk along the bay!

The Donut Bar had a popup shop at the Pendry Hotel on 5th Ave and J St!  A picture just isn't enough to convey how huge these things were in real life!  Both the Spider-man and Superman donuts were larger than my hand!  I gave the former to my brother because I knew he'd been stuck in the Marvel booth all day with no breakfast, and he wound up splitting it with the rest of the crew because it was just too big for one person!  

The Adult Swim booth was back in full force and ready to bombard would-be rodeo heroes with foam hotdogs as the rode the giant hot link!  As you can see, this rider didn't get too far!

The Voodoo Ranger dropped anchor again and provided lots of fun and liquid courage to con goers and passers-by alike!  This isn't a free activity as alcohol is served, but it does seem worth it!

We'll end things this week with a little nightmare fuel and a friendly reminder of why crystal meth is a very bad idea!

And that was Comic Con 2023!  After a soft return the year prior, SDCC hoped to make things big and loud again in 2023!  Unfortunately, they suffered a double whammy in the form of two Hollywood strikes from the Writers and Screen Actors Guilds.  Although stars could appear, none could promote and movies or TV shows while there.  In the end, only a handful of celebrities were able to fully take part as toys, books and comics were still fair game to promote, but few stars are involved in such deals.  With the strikes since settled, the future looks bright for now!

Well folks, that's a wrap on the month of July, but not a wrap on the CRAZY Comic Con Countdown!  That sad but necessary honor kicks off August, so be sure to come back next week and give SDCC the yearly sendoff it deserves!  Until then, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!