THE BIG BAD BLOWHARD!!!

Welcome back!  We are smack dab in the middle of everything right now as we rapidly march towards the coming fall!  But enough about that.  It's still summer and things are really heating up, especially in Fairy Tale Land where it looks like a certain expandable wolf MAY have finally found an edge!  What am I talking about?  Scroll down and see for yourself!  Enjoy...

For centuries now, the Big Bad Wolf has tried numerous times to huff and puff and blow down the brick house of the Three Little Pigs, never once coming close to succeeding.  'Course, in all that time, ol' Big Bad was using common, garden variety oxygen, the same type that you and I breathe.  That huge tank of VERY combustible hydrogen, however, might level the playing field a bit for him.  That or blast everyone to kingdom come!  This was another theme from Animal Alphabets a few years back and a Part 2 of sorts as the Big Bad Wolf was the subject of Letter B while the Three Little Pigs were the theme for Letter T.  This piece got a pretty good reaction from the Twitter folks.  What can I say?  People seem to really like inflated cartoon characters!

That's all she wrote for now, but we'll be back next week with some art that subjectively speaking is kinda pretty!  Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!

TODAY'S POST IS A "BOAR"... AN ERYMANTHIAN BOAR!!!

Welcome to September CRAZIES!!!  Fall has finally come and with it, all the things I love the most, like pie!  Cooler weather!  Pie!  Turning leaves!  Pie!  Halloween!  Pie!  Thanksgiving!  And of course, pie!  Did I mention that pie season is here?  Not sure if I got that point across.  Anyway, there will be plenty of time for that stuff in the coming weeks.  You're here for art!  At least I hope you are. It's kind of the reason I do this ya know!  Anyway, we're delving deep into the world of mythological creatures again and we're starting with a biggie!  So let's get to it!  Enjoy...

The Erymanthian Boar was not the kind of pig to mess with.  These beasts were massive and quite the terrors in Ancient Greece.  As one of his acts of penance, Hercules was tasked with defeating one and did!  The Ancient Greeks ate for weeks off of this boar's tender meat!  Being a carnitas junky myself, this porker would make me pretty happy if I owned a taco shop!  This art, along with all of the art coming this month, was originally part of Animal Alphabets' mythology theme.  Earlier this year, I explored a few of these themes and people liked them so much, I decided to do it again!  Trust me, it has nothing to do with me being pressed for time and the art already being done and needing few corrections!

That's all for today.  We'll be back next week with a familiar friend from the land of Narnia, so be sure to come back and give it a look!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

BARNYARD BATTLE!!!

Welcome to February y'all!  Pretty exciting times ahead!  Black Panther comes out this month and the Oscars are just a few weeks away!  Not to mention, we're little over a month away from the first big con of the year, WonderCon!  But more on that as the weeks progress.  It's time for some art!  Enjoy...

Not sure why the Pig felt that a Penguin would be a noble steed, but that Rabbit's gone, porky!  This theme came about after I missed a couple of Daily Doodle themes that seemed to center around alliteration, one of which was "Rollerskating Rabbit" and the other being something about a pig and a penguin.  All I can really remember about it was that I combined the themes and for some reason I made the pig an antagonist riding the penguin.  I'm sure scientists are dying to study my brain someday after I kickoff to see just what the hell is going on in there!

And that's all for this week!  We'll be back next time for a special post as it also contains some special CRAZY fan art!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: PUFFED PALS PATHETICALLY PASS!!!

It's here!  Thanksgiving is here!  So excited right now!  Well, past me who's presently typing this is pretty excited, but present me has likely been up all morning getting a pecan pie baked while also prepping cornbread stuffing.  Future me is hopefully sleeping like a baby with visions of gravy boats dancing in my head!  Point is, I'm super stoked right now!  I'm talking Comic Con levels of happiness here!  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I, as well as most you, are probably pretty busy right now, so let's just jump into the conclusion of Mike & Mindy's return, shall we?  Enjoy...

Looks like Farmer Zeke's mind is blown, while the bodies of Tom Turkey and Sammy Swine are just plain blown up!  It just wouldn't be a Mike & Mindy return without the inclusion of helium, so I hope you fans that still remember these tykes are geeking out hardcore that I threw their trademark gag in for good measure!  All in all though, they're brief return was successful!  They fooled Farmer Zeke, saved the main courses and got to come out and play again!  All while not uttering a single word, keeping their silence streak intact for close to eight years now!  I hope y'all enjoyed Mike and Mindy's return.  I do miss drawing these two and am actually not opposed to putting them in occasional stories like these.  The silence thing, which admittedly isn't set in stone, is somewhat limiting.  A part of me feels them talking wouldn't be that big of a deal, while another part of me thinks it's integral to their character that they remain quiet.  Will they ever talk?  Will they ever appear again?  As Doc Brown might say, the future is unwritten, so stay "Tooned!"

And that's all for today my friends.  We'll be back next time to get Christmas off on the right fox, er, foot!  I wanna wish you all a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with all your friends and family.  Be kind to and forgiving of your loved ones.  There will be an empty spot at the Esparza table this year that will remind me I truly have much to be thankful for.  And think of others this holiday season.  Help those who need it by donating to a food bank.  Take care, Happy Thanksgiving and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: THE BARE NECESSITIES OF LIFE!!!

One week to go until Turkey Day!  So far I got my food supplies, my pants with the elastic waistband and extra baggy legs and enough Joel-era episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 to hold my own custom classic Turkey Day Marathon!  All in all, I'm good to go!  And now you will be too, because Mike and Mindy are still at it and still keeping the critters out of the clutches of Farmer Zeke!  Have they succeeded today?  See for yourself!  Enjoy...

Not sure what's dumber here: That Mike and Mindy actually thought putting there clothes on Tom Turkey and Sammy Swine would work or that Farmer Zeke actually fell for it?  This dumbass don't deserve a turkey and ham for Thanksgiving if he keeps missing the obvious!

So ends another week in November.  We'll be back next time to see if Mike and Mindy were successfully able to float another ruse past Farmer Zeke.  The holidays are approaching fast folks, with Thanksgiving itself next week.  Food banks are open and we can all spare a can or two.  Please donate and help today!  Anyway, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: HIDING THE OBVIOUS!!!

And we are back!  Usually this is about the time I start collecting supplies for my contributions to Thanksgiving Dinner.  Common sense states the longer you wait, the more scarce supplies will be, but in recent years, stores have been well stalked.  I've been to Vons on Thanksgiving morning before.  I've been in bee swarms that were more merciful!  So yeah, I always get my stuff early.  Why risk it?  Anyway, you don't wanna hear about that!  You wanna see Mike & Mindy!  So here they are in living color!  Enjoy...

Uh oh!  Farmer Zeke is here, and he don't look too happy!  Taking a play out of ET's playbook, Mike and Mindy's mountain of stuffed animals are a decent cover up, but is it enough to fool this grizzled farmer?  Only time will tell!

And that's all on the docket for this week's post.  Next week, we strip down to the heart of this epic struggle between farmer and kids and see if Mike and Mindy can pull off another miracle!  Once again, think of others this season.  Donate to a local food/toy/clothing drive today!  Until next time, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY ARE BACK AND ON THE DEFENSIVE!!!

HELLOOOOOOOOOO CRAZIES!!!  November is here, and with it, THANKSGIVING!!!  Okay, I have to settle down.  But how can I?  It's my favorite holiday!  The cooking!  The eating!  Extended time with loved ones!  A parade featuring more bags of hot air than the Oval Office!  It's hard not to get excited about all of this!  But, a post is a post and I am your host, so it's time to make the most!  And boy have I got a surprise for you all!  Two old pals have decided to step in for a few weeks and have some cartoony fun in the spirit of the coming holidays!  Just who you may ask?  Well, scroll down and find out!  That is if the title at the top of the page wasn't a big enough hint!  Enjoy...

Well look who it is!  Mike and Mindy have returned!  And haven't aged a bit!  Being a cartoon character sure does have some big advantages!  No aging, no pain and no bills...  Sign me up for toondom!  Poor Tom Turkey and Sammy Swine have escaped from Farmer Zeke's farm and must be pretty desperate if they went to those two for help!  Can M&M save these bolting barn animals?  Come back next week to see how it goes!

And that's all for this week.  We'll be back next time to see how well the kids are hiding the live stock!  As is tradition here at the CRAZYVERSE, I want to urge all the CRAZIES out there to think of others this holiday season.  Toy, food and clothing drives are already underway in many towns and every little bit helps.  Even something as simple as a dollar in a Salvation Army bucket can make a difference.  Not everyone is fortunate and we should all do our part during the season of giving, so please help.  Anyway, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

TURKEY V PORK: DAWN OF SANDWICHES!!!

Hello my CRAZIES!!!  Do you know what month it officially is?  Why, it's now November which can mean only one thing!  What?  No it ain't Christmas time yet!  You tell Santa to take his chubby butt back to the North Pole and stay there until December rolls around!  Tis the time for Tom Turkey to have his day and make a mad dash from the hungry masses because it's Turkey Day!  Or Thanksgiving for those that didn't grow up watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 like I did.  It's a time for food, family, friends, football and fat bellies after eating all those gut-busting dishes!  But since we got a few weeks until the big day arrives, why not enjoy some festive art while we wait for the feast to start?  Enjoy...

Turkey and Ham.  Two essential pieces to ANY holiday feast when you get right down to it.  Both are simply delicious and can be made in a variety of ways, but is either truly better than the other?  I honestly feel they are as equal as it gets and that both swine AND fowl deserve their respective places on the dinner table come the fourth Thursday of November.  And if you're reading this Austin, don't even THINK of bringing up fish!

Well folks, that's all for this week.  We'll be back next time with some art that'll definitely keep you full until Thanksgiving arrives.  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

TURKEY VS. HAM: BLIMP WARFARE!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  TOMORROW'S THE BIG DAY!!!  THANKSGIVING IS HERE AND GIVING NOTHING TO SANTA DAMMIT!!!

Sorry for the outburst, but I'm tired of Christmas stealing all of the Fall holidays' thunder!  You have your month Chris Kringle!  Let the ghouls and turkeys have theirs!  Anyway, tomorrow's the big day and you know what that means: The Macy's Day Parade!  Well, for me it's the revamped MST3K Turkey Day Marathon, but for others, it's marching bands, Broadway show numbers and giant cartoony bags full of more hot gas than the NFL Commissioner!  So sit back and enjoy this week's art offering!  Hit the button Frank...

Tom Turkey and his pig pal have found a new way to escape: Helium!  I'm sure they'll blend right in with the balloon versions of Kermit, Snoopy and Spongebob, despite being rather small and enveloped!  It has long been debated amongst Thanksgiving purists for many years what the better main course is: Turkey or Ham?  Both have many delicious qualities and work well with all side dishes, both sweet and savory.  I've always been of the opinion that both are necessary to make a Thanksgiving meal complete!

And that'll do it for the month of November!  Tom Turkey made it safely through another meal without being eaten and all are happy!  Next week, the Christmas spirit descends upon the CRAZYVERSE spreading joy like a wildfire, so be sure to come back and see the festive fun!  Until then, have a wonderful, safe and tasty Thanksgiving and Godspeed to the those braving the crowds at the Pre-Christmas Slaughter, aka Black Friday!  Until we meet again, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

NEW YEAR, NEW FORMAT, NEW FANS!!!

WELCOME TO 2015!!!  And the new format!  No, the CRAZY Stuff ain't going anywhere!  It's just gonna be without a few familiar faces for a while is all!  so let's dive right in and start the new year off right with some new art for all to enjoy!  Or hate!  Totally your call!

First though, a little backstory here.  There are two wonderful groups on Twitter called Daily Doodle and Sketch Dailies.  Each weekday, they give out a topic for all to draw and post back for Twitter users to enjoy!  Well, I've amassed a rather large amount of rough pencil drawings over the past year, and many pals have asked me if I'd ever ink and color them.  Well wonder no more, because this week starts the beginning of the fruits of my labor!  Each week, unless otherwise noted, I'll be presenting a different inked and colored sketch of my various Daily Doodle and Sketch Dailies efforts!  Note that I didn't do every topic that they've posted nor will I be posting the original pencil drawings.  Those can be seen on my Twitter page and frankly, I liked them so much, I simply traced over them on my lightbox with a pen!  Sometimes you just can't beat the original!  With that said, let's get started and I hope you enjoy!

The very first one I got to do was the "Three Little Pigs" theme for the Daily Doodle.  No rhyme or reason here.  Just trying to be my silly self is all.  I do remember drawing the original maybe an hour or so before I had to head up to Anaheim to start setting up for WonderCon.  All I know is, the Big Bad Wolf will likely think twice before messing with any other pigs!

And now for some REALY cool news!  My ever so awesome pal Warren Frantz (Off Season), has introduced Bubble Fox to his students at the school he teaches at!  He took the infamous Dragon's Tale storyline and broke it up into story time for several classes!  All the kids loved the tale but felt bad for the poor dragon as he had no name.  Well, Warren and me cooked up a plan and held a Name The Dragon Contest for the kids!  I was stunned at the amount of entries I got (Over 100!), all of them amazing!  But alas, there could only be one winner, and I'm proud to say a 3rd grader by the name of Kaleb took top honors with the powerful name of Malfor!

(Here's Kaleb with his prize pack and Gully himself, Warren Frantz, celebrating Kaleb's prize pack as my video image rambles on in the background!)

I gotta tell ya, I've never been prouder as a cartoonist!  To have all those kids love the comic really filled my heart with joy and could not have come at a better time for me!  I was especially pleased that the kids were all tickled over Malfor being a blue dragon! (Bubble's a black and white toon, so the imagination's gotta be used heavily there!)  And then the news got even better when Warren sent me these from the kids:  

FAN ART!!!

Bubble Fox in the Hot Tub yelling "Hot Bubbles!"  This was from one of Warren's 1st Graders! 

This piece of M&M fan art is from a little Girl named Kaylee!  See? Those two will never truly be gone from here! 

Kaylee also did this homage to a sketch card one of the runners-up received in the contest!  I tell ya, Warren's got some very talented kids at his school!

I'm still beaming from all this fanfare!  Thank you so much Warren for organizing this and for being such a great friend!  And thank you kids for being such good students!  Bubble loves all of you and has LOTS more in store in the coming year!

Well, that's all for this week folks.  We'll be back next time with a new doodle for your art appetite!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!