IT'S TIME FOR THE FIRST EVER CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT!!!

 Before I start, I'd first like to say thanks the Bros. Oliver for an awesome experience doing their podcast!  We had a lot of fun and it's up on their site right now!  Click here to listen to it! (It can also be found on itunes as well, all for free!)

A few months back, I started this thing on Twitter called THE CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT. It's goal was simple: Take a single subject and see how many different artists would interpret said subject.  Would they all be the same?  Would they all be different?  Just how similar/unique would each entry be in relation to one another?  Well, the results are in and it's time to check 'em all out!  Because of the amount of submissions I got, I had to split it up into two parts!  So I now present to you Part 1 of the Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  Big thanks to all the awesome artists who took part in this wild idea of mine!

What was the theme you ask?  "A Helium-Filled Dog Floating Precariously Close To A Cactus!"  Why that?  Because it was the CRAZIEST thing I could think of!  Enjoy the show!

Our first entry comes from Jason Platt, creator of Mister and Me!  Love the child-like look of the Cactus, almost like it's more curious than mean!  One of the cooler things about Jason: In addition to cartooning, he's also an actor, director and playwright!

This is my splash into the Experiment!  I was trying to channel Gary Larson here, as singe-panel cartoons are not one of my strengths!  Still, I'm proud of the piece, although I do regret not doing a full page story.

Here we have Oskar van Velden's entry!  Oskar is the creator of Mojo, and the one that inspired the Experiment in the first place!  He was looking for requests for quick sketches, and this was the goofiest thing I could think of!  Next thing I know, I'm asking other artists to give it a try!  The dog's look is priceless!

Next up, Zorphbert and Fred creator (And great Twitter pal!) Dawn Griffin!  As luck would have it, Dawn wanted to do an inflated dog story for Z&F, and worked the Crazy Cartoon Experiment into her storyline! Talk about dedication!  I love how Fred's the Cactus!  He such an eager fella!

This entry comes from another great Twitter pal, CAAATS! creator Matt Gross!  I have reason to believe that Olive and Hazel might be responsible for the poor dog's predicament!  The steer's skull is a great touch too!

Picpak Dog creator Kim Belding is responsible for this beauty!  Kim let his very own creation, Picpak, try the Experiment himself!  I gotta admit, although this wasn't a contest, this really was among my favorites!  The timing between the panels and reactions are absolutely amazing!

Without question, Shawn Granger of Daddy's Girls, among many other titles, did the most unique entry.  When I said "Helium-Filled Dog," I never specifically said it had to be an actual inflated dog!  Shawn really thought outside the box, and hit a home run with this one!  He more than anybody got what I was trying to do with this Experiment!

This fun piece comes from the ever so awesome Crashsuit, founder of the Buns And Wieners Society (Of which I'm a member!)!  He not only drew it, he went the whole nine yards and animated it!  Even better, the Cactus is chasing the dog!  Now that's creative license! 

Max Overacts creator Caanan Grall is responsible for this dark take.  One of the more interesting things about this one is the angle of the dog.  Almost everybody else had the dog float in from the side.  I really dug the perspective he drew this at!  A very solid piece!

Sean Von Gorman did this quick sketch for the cause!  I feel a little bad, since I kinda duped him into it.  He too was looking for some quick-sketch ideas, and I shot it out to him!  Luckily, he was happy to take part!  I like how the dog doesn't seem to care that it's inflated!

Cody the Cavalier creator Jamie Cosley did this fun sketch.  Although the dog isn't helium-filled, it does contain the basic elements of the Experiment: A Dog, Helium, and a Cactus, so I does count!  And I must say this: That is the CRAZIEST Cactus of the entire Experiment!

Our last entry for now comes from a great twitter pal, Kat Daycare creator Michelle Hernandez!  Michelle took an approach similar to that of Shawn Granger in that it's more like a toy balloon than a full-on inflated dog.  Once again, the line read "Helium-Filled Dog."  I never said it had to be an actual dog, so kudos to Michelle and Shawn for paying close attention!

And so we come to the halfway mark of the Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  So far, every entry has not only been awesomely hilarious, but they have all been very different!  One of the few similarities really has been a lot of the artists giving the Cactus a personality!  It's something I really wish I'd done now!  Oh well.  There's always next time I suppose!

As you can see, we're off to as great start here!  Next week, we'll have the rest of the Experiment along with the first ever Mike and Mindy guest strip by the truly amazing (and fellow Crazy Cartoon Experiment Participant) Francesca Testen!  Brace yourselves for the Crazy Cartoon Experiment Part 2!  And do mind your cacti!  Until next time, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: ROMANCE, JEALOUSY AND EGGS CREAMS!!!

It seems like it's been an eternity, but comics are back in business here at the CRAZYVERSE!  There's so much going on right now, my head's a total blur right now!  Yesterday, I recorded the Twxxd.com Podcast with the Bros. Oliver and it also looks like the finishing touches are about to be put on my book!  Needless to say, it is a very busy but fun time here in the 'VERSE!

But enough talk!  It's Comics Week!  So let's dive right in!  Up first, Mike and Mindy!

Jealous?  Who said Mindy's jealous?  Let that be a lesson girls: Mindy will not tolerate ANYBODY makin' a move on her man!  I hope this will also serve as a reminder of the dangers of mixing Mentos with soda.  It's a very combustable combination!  I also hope that this will finally put to rest any rumors about Mike and Mindy's true relationship.  They are definitely NOT related!

And now, enjoy a serving of Mushrooms!

   

There are several stories behind this comic.  The inspiration came from Twitter pal (And fellow Union Member) Karen Gownley, whose husband is Cartoonist Jimmy Gownley.  Jimmy just ended his brilliant Amelia Rules! series, and I wanted to do a little something to show my appreciation for his creation.  One day on Twitter, I blindly asked what an Egg Cream was, and got quite the lecture from Karen about it!  It made me laugh and I thought to myself "This could work as a story!"  And so here we are.  What makes Amelia such a great character is that even though she's just a kid, she tell's it as it is.  She keeps it real!  The last unique aspect of this comic is that it's only the fifth time I've ever appeared in one of my stories.  Even in drawn form, I'm a pretty low-key guy, but the image of trying to scientifically make an Egg Cream was too funny to pass up! 

Well, that's all for now, I'll be back next time with the results of my first big Twitter project, THE CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT!!!  "What is it?" You say? Tune in next time and you'll find out!  Also be on the look out for my podcast interview with the TWXXD Dudes!  It was a very fun chat and it should be up soon!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

JERRY AND THE COUNT

Well, I took the Journeyman's Test yesterday.  I won't know what I got for a few more days, but I feel pretty good about it.  Guess we'll just have to wait and see.  It's been four weeks since my last post.  I was looking forward to coming back until I received word that yet another childhood idol had passed away, longtime Muppet Performer Jerry Nelson.  Nelson performed numerous characters over the years, most notably Floyd Pepper, Gobo Fraggle and, of course, the Count!  I always felt Jerry Nelson was somewhat underrated as far as "Muppeteers" went.  Us fans certainly respected him, but it always seemed that when came to the media, Jim Henson and Frank Oz got most of the attention.  Most of his characters on The Muppet Show were often in the background, which could explain it.  It was on shows like Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street, though, that Nelson's star really got to shine.  Let's face it, even after growing up, we all still love the Count!  And yes, I do like to sing the Fraggle Rock theme every now and again!

Jerry Nelson was probably the longest served of all the Muppet performers, having started in the late 1960s and continuing until recently (He retired in 2004, but still continued to perform the Count).  Below is a video from the first season of The Muppet Show.  Enjoy...

This number, from the Rita Moreno episode if memory serves, is quite unique in that it features Muppet caricatures of Jerry Nelson, along with Jim Henson and Frank Oz.  The Muppets were a big part of my childhood.  I grew up dirt poor and had little to look forward to as a kid.  But when the Muppets came on, things were different.  Life all of a sudden didn't seem so bad.  The Muppets gave me dreams, hopes and things to look forward to.  If it weren't for people like Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt and many, MANY others, Lord only knows what I'd be doing right now.  It's because of the Muppets I wanted to tell stories and make people laugh.  I openly admit that the giant eyes and spindly limbs that all my characters possess comes from the Muppets.

One of the lasting memories I have of Jerry Nelson comes from The Great Muppet Caper.  In it, Jerry has a cameo with his daughter.  She had an illness and wanted to be an actress.  So Jim Henson gave her a speaking part in the film so she could get a SAG Card.  She sadly passed away not long after, and I've often thought of how proud he must have been to do that scene with her.  I can only imagine she was the first to greet him in Heaven.  (For those of you curious, it's the scene where a girl in the park confuses Kermit for a bear, only to be corrected because, as her father put's it "Bears wear hats!")

Jerry Nelson had been in failing health for a while now, and was by no means young, but it's still a tough blow.  There really aren't too many left from the original core group of Muppet performers.  I suppose it's just a part of life.  You take the good with the bad, and when it comes to Jerry Nelson, there was an awful lot of good to go around.  So thank you Jerry Nelson.  Try not to make the angels laugh too hard up there!

That's all for this week folks.  It's great to be back and it'll be even better next time as it's once again comics week!  With new adventures coming from Mike and Mindy and Mushrooms, I think we'll all be a little happier!  Take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: EXPLOSIVELY FUN!!!

Well, here we are...  Comics Week again!  I've been so busy with work and studying that I almost didn't have time to get these done!  So much to do and so little time...  One of these days I'll get it right.

Before I start, I'd like to announce that it is now official, I WILL be exhibiting at the Long Beach Comic and Horror Con this November!  I'm pretty excited about it and have much to prepare for.  I've decided to reissue Fork In The Road: The Crazy Collection Vol. 1 using CreateSpace.  My next book will also be done through this site.  I feel bad, because my original publisher made my books look absolutely beautiful.  But they don't distribute, and I need a better avenue.  Several friends have preached the good word of CreateSpace, and I'm willing to roll the dice!  More info as it comes!

Anyway, enough Jibber Jabber for now.  Enjoy the comics!

 Yeah, that old saying about blowing out your ear drums while holding in a sneeze is totally bogus!  Unfortunately for Mindy, that doesn't hold true for farts!  Still a pretty impressive blast though.  Who knew bloomers could hold so much gas!

This is based on the best of the "Yo Mama" jokes!  I'm ashamed to admit that some of the colors were done using Photoshop.  I pride myself on hand-coloring everything, but I was running short on time and, sadly, it's tough to get an even look with markers while coloring large spaces.  Still looks halfway decent though.  And yes, that's the Heat Miser making a cameo at the end!

Well that's all for now.  As stated last week, I'll be taking a three-week break from the CRAZYVERSE! here so I can prepare for my Journeyman's Test and get starting in prepping my books for Fall releases.  You can still catch up with me on Twitter, and when I come back, I'll make sure to have plenty of fun in store for all my Crazy fans!  So take care and I'll catch y'all in three weeks!

MID 90'S WWF: HOME OF THE DREADED YELLOW JOCKSTRAP!!!

Hey folks!  Just a quick update today as I got a double dose of work this afternoon and a full weekend slate up ahead.  I'm creeping ever so closer to my Journeyman's Test, so after next week, I'll be taking a brief hiatus from my blog.  Never fear though, it shouldn't be no longer than two or three weeks at the most.  Anyway, it's time for some wrestling! And I got a great gimmick lined up for you today!

P.J. Walker was fairly talented worker on the Indy Circuit who had a couple of friends in high places, namely WWF stars Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon (Scott Hall).  By late 1993, Walker got a tryout with the WWF, and impressed enough that they decided to give him an expanded role.  Unfortunately, the WWF was also trying to expand globally at the time, and felt that ol' P.J. would be a great candidate for an experiment.  And thus, Aldo Montoya, the "Portuguese Man O' War," was born!


Much can be said about this debacle.  The WWF wanted to expand into South America at the time, with Brazil being it's primary focus.  With most Brazilians being of Portuguese origin, they felt a Portuguese character would be a hit.  But let's face it, when you name a guy after a jellyfish and then put him in a mask that looks for all the world like a filthy jockstrap, failure is inevitable!  It didn't help that poor Aldo was primarily a jobber during his entire run, the above match being an exception.

The Aldo Montoya character hung around for a few years, disappearing when Walker left the WWF in early 1997.  He traveled to Memphis, joining the tag team PG13 in the USWA as PG Walker.  After that, he traveled to the "Land of Extreme" where he was rechristened Justin Credible (Clever, no?) and later became ECW World Champion.  It was move that turned off most ECW fans as it came at the expense of ECW mainstay Tommy Dreamer loosing the belt a mere minutes after winning it.  In all fairness, Dreamer never wanted to be champion, but he was a far better candidate than Justin Credible.  As fans, we all respected PJ Walker and new he was a great performer.  But nobody bought him as a legitimate main event star.  It was steady decline for ECW afterwards.  Today, Walker still performs on the Indy Circuit and event promotes from time to time!

Well, that's all for this week.  I'll be back next time with some new comic adventures featuring Mike and Mindy and Mushrooms!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

COMIC CON 2012: ONE FOR THE AGES!!!

My God how fast it went!  Comic Con 2012 has come and gone.  And while I'm still suffering from post-Con depression, I'm already looking forward to next year's Comic Con!  It'll be the last one in my 20's, so I better make it count!  My main goal: To be on a Panel at next year's show!  It won't be easy, but I've made the impossible happen before!

Anyway, it's time to cut the Jibber Jabber!  You all came to see some pics, so let's get to it!

The Hover Board is now available!  It doesn't fly, but we're getting closer at least!  I swear, you would not believe the amount of Marty McFly's that came to this year's Con!  By far the most popular costume.

Chef Vader presenting roast Jar Jar!  Now if only they'd done this in Episode I!

COBRA!!! I think this might be the first time ever that someone dressed as Serpentor!

Sesame Street was there filming a segment.  Kinda bummed to see it isn't Frank Oz doing Grover.  I know he's old now, but still...

Probably not the best way to get weed legalized!  Just saying...

Rob Zombie's DAWN OF THE CON party.  Sadly, the party was a huge bust as security bag checks angered a lot of people into leaving.

The Beast getting ready to do some bowling!

Disney cosplay!  Can't help but admire the girl dressed as Mary Poppins.  It was pretty hot to be wearing such a stuffy costume!

Barf!  Lot's of Spaceballs cosplay this year!  And I love it!

The most awesome costume of the Con!  Talk about thinking outside the box!

Casey Jones!  Looking to dish out some street justice on Twilight fans!

More Spaceballs cosplay!  Luckily, he didn't go above anybody's helmet!

DOCTOR Evil!  He didn't spend six years at Evil Medical School to be called MISTER!

Man At Arms!  Sporting the trademark orange armor and porn star 'stache!

El Chapulin Colorado!  Sadly, only people from So Cal can truly appreciate this costume!

Some Nephew/Uncle bonding in the exhibit hall!  That's my nephew Dante under the Rey Mysterio mask.  I'm wearing El Volante's mask!

Steampunk Buzz Lightyear!  Talk about creativity!  Only the Freddy Mercury costume was cooler!

This guy was amazing!  A group of us spent a half hour quoting the movie with him!  And yes, we did do the "A-hole" lines!  At one point, I yelled that the radar had been jammed and without missing a beat, he busted the line!  When he left, he told us to "Work on your puts!"

Ted and Socrates!  Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever, Bill and Ted cosplay!

Well, living proof that they do in fact exist!  I present to you a Brony!

A dream come true!  Meeting Professor Ellis D. Trails himself, Mr. Tom Kenny!  Okay, he's the voice of Spongebob and the Ice King too!  But it was still a thrill!  He really liked my postcard, proving that everybody loves a good fart joke (See July 2011 comics post)!

Silver Surfer and Son!  Go ahead, you know you want to!  All together now: AWWWWWWWW!!!

Sinestro Corps Scarecrow!  I really want to like the Darkest Night/Brightest Day saga, but there's just too many colors involved!

And to cap it all off, we get a visit from the Lumpy Space Princess!  Oh my glob!  She is so lumpin' awesome!  The best character on Adventure Time by far!

Well, that's all for now!  A huge thanks to all who made Comic Con 2012 such an awesome experience!  To Phil Yeh, Matt Lorentz and Wardell Brown for being such a good friends and always being happy to talk!  To Red's Planet creator Eddie Pittman for taking the time to meet me and give me a copy of his book!  It's an awesome story folks, so be sure to check it out!  To Jimmy Gownley for taking time to talk with me and check out my work!  Amelia Rules! is an awesome series!  Anybody who loves humor comics should read it.  I'm sad it's ending, but looking forward to more of Mr. Gownley's work.  To Karyl Miller and the SCCS for giving me another free meal at Buster's!  You guys rock!  And last but not least, a huge thanks to my old pals Riki and Eddy!  We go way back and it was great to hang out at the Con with you guys again!

Well, now it's time to say goodbye.  But don't fret!  I'll catch y'all next time with a new wrestling post.  Until then, take it easy, and I'll catch y'all later!

IN TIME FOR COMIC CON, IT'S COMICS WEEK!!!

 We are now a week away from Comic Con 2012!  So much excitement... Good God I can't even speak!  Last year was a tough year for me.  I won't go into details, but I will say that it was next to impossible for me to enjoy the show, and a lot happened at last year's Con too!  So this year, I'm making a clean slate and going to kick it the way I used to and just straight up have fun!

Anyway, it's the first weekend of the month, and that can mean only one thing...  What's that?  No! Not laundry day goofus!  It's comics week!  So let's start the show with the favorite tykes of the CRAZYVERSE!, Mike and Mindy!...

 I think this is why they say look before you leap!  Poor Mike.  And Mindy tried to warn him even!  What can I say?  Some dudes just can't take direction!

This was one of the toughest comics I've ever drawn!  Aside from the detail, there are also some cameos from a few of my webcomic pals! In the first panel, it's Jason Platt's Mister and Me!  The second panel is a "Who's who" of webcomic stars featuring Dawn Griffin's Zorphbert and Fred, Mark Stokes' Zombie Boy, Eddie Pittman's Red's Planet and Mook from Joshua Hauke's Tales of the Brothers Three! (The Brothers themselves can be seen in panel 5!  Stephen McCranie's Mal and Chad can be in in the last panel! 

 Quailman!  A very popular costume in recent years.  Now if only some others would dress up as Skeeter, Roger and Mr. Dink!

 Y-Y-Y-YEAH!!! DR. ROXXO'S IN THE HOUSE BABY!!! Y-Y-YEAH!!!  I LIKE CO- Hey hold on there!  This is family site  you sicko!

 The most creative video game cosplay ever!  A Tetris block!  It could actually change from a "Z" to a "T," as she painstakingly show me!

 I'm sorry, but as much I enjoyed the film, Edward Scissorhands doesn't really make for good cosplay.  It's not that it's bad.  It just comes across as being really really creepy!

 Li'l Naruto!  This kid was cute!  His mom was quite proud that so many people wanted to take his picture!  

 Futurama at it's best!  The guy did a spot on Fry when I asked how he could drink Slurm, despite being made out of slug poo!

 Storm Shadow!  Slicing and dicing at the HUB Pavilion!

 A PG-version of the Na-Vi hanging out in front of the Convention Center.  A few people dared to paint themselves that year!

 Believe me, you did not want to see their faces when the Harry Potter/Green Lantern panel filled up!  It's because of that fiasco that I refuse to go into anymore Hall H panels.  It's just too much of a hassle to see two-minutes worth of footage and get a T-shirt that won't fit for a movie that might not be good!  I actually took it as a bad sign when nobody was buzzing about Green Lantern afterwards.  Guess my hunch was right on that one!

 This one's for my good friend, the always funny host of Got Game's Controller Throwers, Riki Medina!  A lifelong G.I. Joe fan, the Baroness is his favorite character.  I think she's everybody's favorite character!

WAR MACHINE!  It never ceases to amaze me the kinds of things people can do with costuming these days!  Simply astonishing!

Fill in your own joke here.  This one's too easy!

A Foot Clan Ninja searching for Leonardo #10.  Best TMNT issue ever!

Just what is in the tea anyway?  I guess all the Mad Hatter cosplay was to be expected after Alice In Wonderland came out.

You know it's a good show when even Oscar the Grouch gets in on the action!  I tried to get my picture taken with him, but he told me to "SCRAM!"  I guess if lived in a trash can, I'd be grouchy too!

To close out the weekend, the Pope came by to give his blessing!

Well, that's all for this week!  I hope you enjoyed the new comics and pics!  Next week's gonna be pretty busy, so I can't promise anything, but I'll try to get a post up of last year's Comic Con, and maybe some info on where I'll be if any of you wanna meet.  As always, take care and I'll catch y'all later!