IT'S HERE!!! FORK IN THE ROAD IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!

After many, many, many delays (Some of which had me banging my head on the wall!) my book, Fork In The Road: The Crazy Collection Volume 1, is NOW AVAILABLE!!!  So why not be a sport and get a copy?!  After all, the holidays are here and this book makes a great Stocking Stuffer for the kids! What's that you say?  You don't know how?  Well fear not true believers!  You see that nice new tab at the right side of the page? That'll take y'all straight to the CreateSpace store where you can pick up YOUR copy now!  Go ahead!  I can wait.  Really I can!

Now that you're back, let me just say thanks for picking up a copy!  It really was a labor of love and I'm so excited that Fork In The Road is finally available!  I now feel like a real cartoonist!  I hope that you'll enjoy the book and pick up some of my future volumes!  Now that that's been said, on with the show!

Well, Thanksgiving's over, and that can mean only one thing: IT'S TIME FOR THE CRAZYVERSE'S ANNUAL CHRISTMAS OVERKILL!!!  So hang your stockings and pour the egg nog, because the Holidays are a comin'!  And I'd like to kick things off by saying...

IIIIIT'S CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISTMAAAAAAASSSSS!!!!!

Today, we've set the Wayback Machine to 1973 so we can party on with the English rock group Slade and their Yuletide smash Merry Christmas Everybody!  No real need for any backstory here.  Simply put, it's a hard rockin' Christmas song, and it kicks ass!  'Nough said!

My good pal Harry Rickard, also of England, was of the opinion that Americans HATE this song.  I assured Harry that this song is in no way hated by Americans, primarily because a vast majority of us had never even heard of it!  I myself heard it for the first time four years ago while still a Senior in College.  I was at the SDSU library while in between classes, hogging up a computer from somebody that no doubt needed it more.  As I trolled youtube for viral video Utopia, THIS song was among the most popular that day.  So I gave a listen and was hooked for life!  So here it is Harry: WE LOVE THIS SONG!!! Well... at least this American likes it.  And so does FT!

Well, that's all for this week.  I'll be back next time with a heartwarming new tale from Mike and Mindy and a very special piece I did for the San Diego Blood Bank's annual Chargers Blood Drive!  Plus, some more Christmas fun!  So check back next time and take it easy!  And please pick up a copy of my book!  The cover image near the top right side of this blog will take you right there!  Anyway, that's enough shilling for now.  Take care and I'll catch y'all later!

IT'S THE LONG BEACH COMMISSION SPECIAL!!! AND A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM SOME OLD PALS!

Happy Thanksgiving CRAZYVERSE!  Normally, I post on Thursdays, but given that Thursday's the big day, AND I got a bunch of work to do in between now and then, I decided to post a little early this week so I can focus on the tasks at hand!  With that being said, here's a VERY special post featuring some of the commissions I did at the Long Beach Comic and Horror Con a couple of weeks ago!  It's not many, but I still had a lot of fun doing them, so enjoy!

First up is a Jubilee sketch I did for a fan who's Sketchbook Theme was "Women of Marvel!"  I gotta admit, I was bit stunned to be asked to do this, given my cartoony style, but the guy said he wanted me to do it for THAT very reason!  I had a lot fun with this one and it was cool to do an action pose for a change.  In hindsight though, I probably shouldn't have given her such huge knockers.  They're a bit distracting!

Next we have "Schizo" Fran of Garbage Pail Kids fame!  Once again, this came about from a fan who made up custom sketch cards in the hopes of getting different artists to do their take on the only kids CRAZIER than Mike and Mindy!  A two-headed character was an interesting challenge, but I think I handled it pretty well.  I wish I'd gotten his e-mail.  I would've liked to have seen some of the other GPK interpretations.

Up next, Gir form Invader Zim!  I always do free sketches for kids at Cons.  No child should ever have to pay for a sketch, and I'm happy to do it!  This was done for a little girl who loved the show and specifically wanted a sketch of Zim's clinically retarded robot dog!  Glad I could make it happen!

This was a dream sketch for me!  Aside from being a HUGE Earthworm Jim fan, his creator, Doug TenNapel, is one of my Twitter followers!  So imagine my joy when someone asked my to sketch the Grooviest Worm in Gaming!  What made this even cooler was that as I sketched this piece, people took notice and started stopping by my booth and checking out my book, which led to more sales!  To quote Jim himself: GROOOOOOOVY!!!

This last sketch was done for a little girl that specifically wanted to see something funny happen to Mindy!  Needless to say, I was more than happy to send her "Flying!"  It's funny, but this is only the second time anybody's asked me to draw my own characters.  For some reason, that was an even bigger thrill than the other requests!  Perhaps it's a sign that Mike and Mindy are starting to get an audience!

And now, a very special Thanksgiving treat to the faithful fans of the CRAZYVERSE! (And any new visitors to these CRAZY reaches!)  Enjoy!

Anybody who knows me knows that I was a HUGE fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 when I was a kid!  I watched it every Saturday night from the time I was six, when my Aunt Marisa introduced me to this brilliant show, 'til around 1993, when original host Joel Hodgson left the program (It was such a thrill to meet Joel at Comic Con a few years back!).  Anyway, between 1990 and 1996, Comedy Central used to run a Marathon of MST3K during Thanksgiving weekend called the "Turkey Day Marathon."  It varied over the years, with 1993 being 34-hours straight! (This was back when Comedy Central was still cool) I remember being so angry at my Mom for making me miss the last one because she wanted to see the Macy's Parade!  Alas, it's just a memory now, with youtube being all that keeps these old promos alive.  Luckily, quite a few episodes are available on DVD as well as streaming sites!  I hope some of my younger readers will be inspired to seek out this show and discover it's awesomeness!

Well folks, that's all for now!  I'll be back next time with the start of the annual HOLIDAY OVERKILL!!!  Until then, take care, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving, and PLEASE don't go too CRAZY on Black Friday!  No present is worth fighting over!  Anyway, catch y'all next time!

THERE AND BACK AGAIN: A WEEKEND AT LONG BEACH COMIC AND HORROR CON!!!

Well folks, I'm back!  Sorry about missing last week.  I'm afraid some sad times fell upon me recently, and I needed some time to recover and reflect.  But, life must continue and I must move forward.  So now, I present a belated report on my trip to the Long Beach Comic and Horror Con!  Enjoy the pics!

My humble abode for the weekend!  I even got a new Booth Sign made up for the occasion!  All in all, not bad for a second try.  I sold nine copies, up from my Wondercon totals, and got to walk around a little more, thanks to a more relaxed atmosphere.  Unfortunately, I was next to the guy who did Superman: Doomsday, and the line for his booth blocked me out most of the weekend.  He wasn't a very neighborly chap either I'm sorry to say.

 A rare look at Artist Alley as it's being put together!

 Doctor Who, A wildly popular show that I've never even seen!  Seriously, is it about time travel or something?

 Casey Jones, the Boba Fett of the Ninja Turtles Universe!

Nintendo Man!  It's like my early childhood glued to a bulletproof vest!  This dude is an Awesome Cosplayer!  I've seen him at a few SoCal Cons in recent years, and he's always got something new and totally random!  And yes!  That IS the infamous POWER GLOVE on his right hand!

 Peter Solo and Giant Chicken Fett!  It was bound to happen sooner or later at a Con!

 I don't think I need to tell y'all just how popular she was during the weekend!

These folks really "Brightened" my weekend!  Not only did they buy a book from me, they came back the next day to tell me how much they enjoyed it and how they couldn't wait for book two to come out!  I tell y'all, it really made me feel good to hear that.  As an indy cartoonist, this really is a labor of love, so to get a compliment like that, it really warms the heart!   The WHOLE family dressed as Rainbow Brite characters, and the little girl was absolutely adorable.  She kept thumbing threw all my books and got a big kick out of them!

 If this guy offers you gum, DON'T take it!

Never underestimate da power of da SCHWARTZ!!!  Lord Helmet is back!  And no, I didn't catch him playing with his dolls again!  Photos don't do this costume justice, because his helmet had a built-in megaphone so his voice could project!  Somewhere, Rick Moranis is smiling!

"Hello my baby!  Hello my darlin'!  Hello my ragtime gal..."  Oh God I was laughing so hard when I saw this!  Without question, the most creative cosplay of the Con!  Cosplayers of America, here my plea: WE NEED MORE SPACEBALLS COSPLAY!!!

 I'll tell y'all, it was refreshing to see a Wolverine MINUS the moobs for a change!  It gets kinda gross after a while!

 Just in time for Atari's 40th Anniversary, Lego Batman, meet Lego Pacman!  This booth was pretty cool.  They had a BUNCH of Lego models set up, include a replica of Magic Mountain's "Superman The Escape" ride!

 No, that's NOT Gangrel!  It's one of the Ghost Twins from the Matrix Reloaded, a perfect example of how NOT to continue a franchise!  Such a pity.  These guys could have been great villains too.

Rocksteady tries to get some last minute shopping done before the Con ended.  Would it've KILLED him to stop by MY booth?!

All in all, it was good weekend.  I finally got to meet Joshua Hauke, creator of Tales of the Brothers Three.  At San Diego Comic Con this year, we just kept missing each other, but luckily, his booth was near mine, so we finally met up!  Also got to catch up with other friends like Sheika Lugtu, Mike Collins, Batton Lash and my Wondercon neighbors, Dawn and Clint Wolf!  I'm heading back to Wondercon in the Spring, so maybe we can all hang out again! 

And that does it for this one folks!  I'll be back next time with a special post featuring some of the Commissions I did up at Long Beach, including two that have become personal favorites of mine!  And I'll try and get it up a bit earlier this time since Thanksgiving is next week.  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: READY FOR LONG BEACH!!!

 Alright folks!  You read that top image right!  I'll be at the Long Beach Comic and Horror Con THIS weekend, November 3-4, 2012!  I'll be selling copies of my book, Fork In The Road: The Crazy Collection Vol. 1, doing sketches and just plain having fun!  So stop by, say hello and (SHILL ALERT) help me pay my bills!  I should also note that I'll be doing FREE sketches for kids 12 and under and will give out some FREE prints to those who buy a copy of my book (While supplies last of course)!  And if you catch me with one of my Prized Masks on, take a pic!  It's a Con after all!  It's gonna be an awesome weekend folks, I hope to see y'all there!

And with that being said, a quick look at the calendar shows me that it's the first Thursday of the month.  And as we all know by now, that means only one thing: COMICS WEEK!!!  So sit back and relax, as Mike and Mindy "Reveal" their latest adventure!  Enjoy...

 Talk about having a "Trick" up your sleeve!  That Mike is one good magician!  He's certainly brought new meaning to the term "Comic Strip!"  Just hope his legs are as fast as his magic!  And don't feel so bad Mindy.  At least your undies don't have any hearts or goofy-looking polkadots on them!

Well, that's all for this week folks.  I'll be back next time with a recap of the Long Beach Comic and Horror Con!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

JEEPERS CREEPERS!!! THE GREAT PUMPKIN'S BACK FOR MORE!!!

Welcome back to Round 2 of the Crazy Cartoon Experiment 2!  We're wrapping it up today with some more great takes on a figure more mysterious than Dr. Claw even: The Great Pumpkin!  So sit back and relax as we finish up yet another successful experiment!  Enjoy!

 First up, we have CCE newcomer Frank Haba of Jailhouse Comics.  Frank did this delightful take showing that blockhead Linus sleeping through his big chance to finally see the Great Pumpkin!  Oh well.  Guess there's always next year.

Next up, my little "brother" from England, Harry Rickard, delivered this piece!  The Wizzo founder never ceases to amaze me with his awesome talent and humor,  skills I sorely lacked when I was his age!  Even more amazing, Harry didn't even know who the Great Pumpkin was!  Apparently in Europe, Snoopy is the Icon, NOT the rest of the Peanuts gang.

 Next up, The Code Crimson co-creator Elizabeth debuts in the Crazy Cartoon Experiment with this ultra creepy take on the beloved Gourd!  I really love the colors on this one.  And the Spiders and Ants in the background add so much more to the creep factor!  Simply brilliant!

 Next is another CCE newcomer, The Wizzo Comic's Hannes Smit!  A simple approach, Hannes is a good friend of Harry's who wanted in on the CRAZY fun.  I firmly believe in the "More the Merrier" theory, so we brought him on board!  Between this kid, Harry and FT, we got a pretty good youth movement coming up through the Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  Maybe one of these days, one these kids can take it over for me!

 One of the favorites from the first CCE, Austin Verburg is back and putting his characters through even more insane lunacy!  I really do love the Austin's Inferno comics and this one follows the usual stories to a tee! (For those of you unfamiliar, Tori, the girl getting strangled, is usually suffering one mishap after another in the strips!  Even in the CRAZYVERSE, she can't catch a break!)  A fun fact about Austin: He's the only person on the Planet that likes Doritos Locos Tacos more than me!  

 Jamie Cosley came back to play again with this fun little piece, introducing Cody The Cavalier into the Crazy Cartoon Experiment.  Cody's a very fun comic and Jamie's a remarkable artist and writer.  His work never fails to bring a smile to my face.

 Another favorite from CCE1 has come back, Crosstown Comic's Adam Pilkington!  As you can see, his dog survived the cactus encounter and has now deflated back to his normal size, only for the group to encounter another CRAZY plant!  I assure all of you the next CCE will have NO vegetation in it!

 Back from the CCE1 is Brendan Boughen from Cartoons By Jim.  It seems the Great Pumpkin's not only great in stature but great in taste!  Shawn Granger also devoured the prized gourd as well!  I just feel bad for poor Linus.  I get the feeling he witnessed the GP's capture!

 Australian cartoonist Caanan Grall of Max Overacts, the undisputed MVP of the CCE1, delivers yet again on this one, proving that not all great things need to be huge.  Naomi Jardine had a very similar piece last week as many of you may recall.  Caanan's pretty amazing.  The poor guy threw out his back, and still found time to work on this!  We all owe you one dude!

Shawn Granger of Daddy's Girls is back again with an updated version of last week's entry!  Shawn wanted another crack at hand-coloring and delivered this piece to me this morning!  The Great Pumpkin sure looks delicious, doesn't he!  The tones on the pie are perfect, almost as if light is actually bouncing off of the surface.  Another solid effort!

And there we have it!  Another Crazy Cartoon Experiment has come and gone!  A big thanks to all the artists who took part in this CRAZY idea.  You guys are awesome and your support of these "Experiments" is overwhelming!  I'm proud to have you all as friends and would go to bat for any of you!  I hope you all had a great time and I look forward to working with you all in the Crazy Christmas Experiment!  Stay 'tooned!

Well folks, that's all for this week!  We'll be back next time with an all new Mike and Mindy and a very special Mushrooms featuring The History Twins' creator, Francesca Testin!  She wanted a prize for fininshing the CCE2 first, and Mike and Mindy promised to deliver!  Anyway, take care and I'll catch y'all later!  Oh, and have a fun and safe Halloween!

IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CRAZYVERSE!!!

Halloween is around the corner y'all!  And what better way to celebrate than to offer up another round of the Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  We got some awesome pieces to show here!  So many in fact that we are once again splitting it up in two!  So sit back and grab some popcorn, because the show's about to begin!

The subject this time around was "The Great Pumpkin!"  That oh-so-mysterious Gourd that's been talked about for so long but never seen!  Ol' Linus has been hoping for nearly 50 years now that he'll show up, so we here at the CRAZYVERSE! decided to finally let "Blanket Boy's" dream come true!  Or perhaps... HIS NIGHTMARE!!!  Let the CRAZINESS commence!

To kick things off, my good pal (and CCE veteran) Matt Gross from CAAATS! did this wicked piece!  Gotta love that shape-shifting shadows pouring out of the Great Pumpkins mouth and eyes!  Begs the question: "Would you really wanna encounter this guy in a pumpkin patch on a dark night?"

We have yet another CCE veteran and very good friend up on deck, the wonderfully talented and openly Canadian Warren Frantz of OFF SEASON!  Warren, like me, is a wrestling fan and decided to give the Great Pumpkin a more heroic look!  I can see him now, wrestling in Mexico, forming a tag team with La Parka!  They can both come out dancing to thriller! 

Next up is Canadian artist Naomi Jardine, a newcomer to the CCE and the creator of Flatland!  Naomi did this wonderful spin showing that sometimes, great things come in small sizes.  Try telling that to kids still irked over the "Fun-Size" candies they get every Halloween!  Love the look on Linus' face!  It's like his whole belief system's been shot!

And now we get to my entry!  I have to admit, I'm a little embarrassed I didn't finish this quicker.  I'm the one running this thing for crying out loud!  Clearly, I need to get my priorities in order!  Anyway, my inspiration was Ichigo's initial Hallow form from the manga Bleach!  I'm very proud of this piece!  I don't think I've ever put this much detail into the design of a character.  I'm particularly proud of the vines growing off of the Great Pumpkin!  I wanted to give him an organic and fluid feel!

Next up, we come to England's Simon McLaren, yet another good friend doing his second CCE tour!  I love this bit, depicting the Great Pumpkin as a rotten, destructive kid!  I also love how he uses the word "Mum!"  You Brits get all the cool words!  I feel so darn uncultured!

Canadian Superstar Kim Belding, the genius behind Picpak Dog, makes a return to the CCE with this hilarious take on the Great Pumpkin!  Kim was one of the artists that really stole the CCE1!  Everybody loved his hilarious take on it, and he shows he hasn't lost his form after delivering another winner with this one!  Everybody loves a poop joke after all!

And now for a little sentiment.  Jason Platt of Mister and Me, as well as an actor, director, writer, chef, juggler and all around good guy, delivers this beautiful piece paying tribute to the wonderful man that made it all happen in the first place, Peanuts creator Charles Schultz.  Jason's another CCE veteran and a very good friend.  As a veteran stagehand, I was thrilled to have an actor become a fan and friend!  While working, you'd be amazed out how rarely the two worlds actually interact on stage!

  

And now, another CCE veteran!  The lovely and talented Michelle Hernandez of Kat Daycare!  Michelle went the scary route with this one, and I love it!  She's got such a great style.  Almost like Bill Waterson!  I mean, look at Linus' hair in that last panel.  I think he and Sally are gonna need a fresh pair after this night!  It seems many people feel that if Linus ever actually met the Great Pumpkin, he should probably regret it immediately!

Next up, some new blood!  Spud Comics creator Lonnie Easterling presented this piece which he dubbed: "Pumpkin the Great!"  Now this was outside the box! While most of us took the scary route, Lonnie went the extra mile and literally made the Great Pumpkin GREAT!  I'd take orders from that Gourd!

It's a family affair this time as Alpha Ballistic cartoonist Miguel Hernandez, brother of the aforementioned Michelle, makes his CCE debut with this brilliant entry!  His Pumpkin is Great in size and is now being contested by a squatter who's lost his Peach!  I grew up on Roald Dahl, so this rose pretty quickly as being among my personal favorites! 

Next up we get another CCE rookie, Catbeard The Pirate creator Matt Nelson!  Looks like poor Charlie Brown had a rough landing after Lucy pulled the football away from him last time!  Either that or he's been screwing with Linus all this time!  I have long believed that Lucy Van Pelt is not a child, but a wicked demon that has taken human form!  I really wished he could've kicked the damn ball at least once!  Charlie Brown's whole life has just been one disappointment after another!

We conclude Part 1 of the CCE2 with Shawn Granger's Sophomore effort.  The Daddy's Girls creator shows the aftermath of the Great Pumpkin after he no doubt tangled with the Kite Eating Tree!  Anybody for a slice of some "Great" Pumpkin Pie?  This is an early coloring effort for Shawn and I say great job!  My first go around at coloring my panels ranged from disastrous to just plain starting over!  Like I said on Twitter, it really is trial and error.  You just gotta keep at it!

Well, that's it for Part 1 of the Crazy Cartoon Experiment 2!  Many thanks to the phenomenal artists that took part in this CRAZY deal!  Be sure to come back next week for more GOURD-geous fun with Part 2!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later and somebody please hand me a slice of that "Great" Pumpkin Pie!

IT'S CALLED THE MASH!!!

Hello boys and "Ghouls!"  With Halloween around the corner, I thought I'd hand out a quick little treat to get everyone in the mood!  I've been unimaginably busy this week with the day job, hence the reason  I'm doing a short post, but I've got some cool things coming up very soon, so stay "Tooned!"

In the meantime enjoy this video!


It wouldn't be Halloween without the" Monster Mash," and this dude takes it to a whole new level!  Lord only knows what his power bill must look like come November, but when you do something this cool, I'd say it's worth it!  I can only imagine what he does during Christmas!

And because I'm in a good mood, a bonus treat!


This week, I got to work the Peter Gabriel Concert at the San Diego Sports Arena!  And when I say work, I mean BE A PART OF THE SHOW!  When my boss asked me if I wanted to work the show, I just assumed I'd be running a spotlight or something.  I never imagined I'd become the talent!  It was an amazing experience folks.  I idolized Peter Gabriel as a kid, so to not only work his show but be also on  be stage with him... WOW!  It was a dream come true.  We even got to meet him before the show and I can say he's a really nice fella!  I'd go into greater detail but time is short.  Hopefully, I'll have some pics soon of the costumes we had to wear!

Well, that's all for this week.  Next time, I hope to have something very CRAZY up and running!  Hopefully, the stars will align.  Until then, take care and I'll y'all later!