MIKE AND MINDY, UNRAVELLING AT THE SEEMS!!!

JULY!!!  Can it already be?  It sure is, which means, fireworks, BBQ's and that oh so awesome event known as Comic Con!  Yep, we are finally here!  It is also the first week of the month, which means Mike and Mindy can come out of hiding for a bit!  Now that they've learned the dangers of playing with fireworks (And sporting some rather patriotic undies in the process), the destructive duo have dusted off the ashes and are ready to entertain the masses! Enjoy...

Talk about falling apart at the seems?  Poor Mindy.  Who knew one little thread could be such a big problem?  And poor Mike.  He really was just trying to be helpful.  Oh well.  At least he's fast!

I'm afraid I gotta cut it short this week folks.  Busy times are ahead, hence the reason no Comic Con pics.  But I promise to deliver a HUGE update next week with a special Comic Con Splash, a Con-themed Mushrooms and LOADS of Con pics!  So tune in next week for more CRAZY fun!  In the meantime, take care, have a safe and fun 4th of July and I'll catch y'all later!

COVER YOUR EARS!!! PART 2 OF THE CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT 4 HAS DETONATED!!!

Here we are, a day late but better than never!  We wrap up the Crazy cartoon Experiment this week with the second part of our fourth installment.  We still got a little bit of "Explosive" action left, so let's get to it!

 CAAATS! creator Matt Gross has returned for another go, and he certainly dropped a "Bomb" here!  What in Heaven's name has that thing been eating?  Looks like he could use some "Thunderwear" himself!

Casey At The Bat  creator Bob Glasscock enters the CCE with this look at how the Boxer Rebellion REALLY went down.  Next up, Bob plans to give the accurate treatment to the battle of Waterloo!

Matt Gajdos of the hilarious and often sweet Mister G Kids has provide this hilarious strip for his rookie effort!  Talk about getting a "Bang" for your buck!  Who knew big and tall stores could be so cruel?

Stephen McGee of the outrageous Rain Dogs comic makes his CCE debut (and scores some huge points with me) by giving Mike and Mindy a guest spot in his entry!  Leave it to Mike to overcomplicate things!  His butt's gonna be really sore when he gets back down... Provided he ever does!

 The always hilarious Crashsuit of the Robot Cake Tank returns to the CRAZYVERSE with this re-imagining of the destruction of Alderaan.  I wonder if the crew on the Millennium Falcon could smell anything when they came out of Light Speed?

Brendan "Jim" Boughen of Cartoons By Jim sent in this Dandy.  Apparently 007 needs to be a bit kinder to M in the future!  On a side note, I had no idea the flap at the front of briefs was called a "Y-front."  You see?  The CCE CAN be educational when given the chance!

Finally, Corey Davies of Cosworth Grind enters the world of the CCE and "Drops" quite a strip on all of us!  Let that be a lesson to all current and future henchmen: Your job is to follow orders, not question them.  Regardless of how doomed your leader's plans appear to be.

And thus concludes the Crazy cartoon Experiment 4!  I hope you readers enjoyed these wild entries.  I think I speak for all my fellow creators when I say we had a great time drawing these.  And yes, there will be a Fifth one!  So if you want in, follow me on Twitter for updates and rules!  The next theme will be announced next month so stay "Tooned"!

Finally this week, the lovely Michelle Hernandez of Pen Hits The Pad sent in yet another piece of Fan Art featuring the one and only and ever so cut MINDY!  So sit back and enjoy as Mindy smells the roses...

Mindy ought to get some sort of sponsorship deal.  She is clearly making bloomers fashionable again!  And what a sweet message.  I love ya too Mindy!  And the necktie, such a great touch!  Mere words don't do Michelle's art any justice.  She makes everything look so whimsical and sweet.  I especially love it when she draws my characters.  She makes them look like real kids.  It's a skill I wish I had.  Thanks again Michelle my Belle.

Well, that's all this week folks.  I'll be back next time with a NEW Mike and Mindy that'll really "String" you along.  There's also an "Explosive" New Splash Page celebrating the 4th Of July and loads of pics taking a look back at a past Comic Con (Yup. It's that time of year already!).  So "Toon" in next time!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

TIME TO FEEL THE BANG!!! WITH THE CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT!!!

After six long months, the CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT is back!  For those of you new to the blog or merely forgot, the premise is simple: A theme or subject is given, and numerous artists draw their interpretations of it.  We've had some wild themes in the past, but this time around may very well be the CRAZIEST: "Exploding Underwear"...  Needless to say, we got some very "Combustible" entries!  So sit back and enjoy as we kick off the first part of the Fourth installment of this wild project!

 First up, infamous Pepsi hater and Picpak Dog creator Kim Belding who actually helped inspire the theme!  You see, Kim loved the exploding bloomers gag from Mike And Mindy #32 (August 2012), and said I should put 'em in every comic!  I laughed but noted that I just couldn't come up with that many ways to explode underwear, but it would make a good CCE theme down the road.  Kim eagerly volunteered so here we are!  And just like always, Kim "Blasted" a winner!

 Up next, my CRAZY "Brother" from the Great White North, Off Season creator Warren Frantz!  Here he took his character Hardy and gave him the ultimate in underwear protection: THUNDERWEAR!!! Finally!  A product us dudes can really benefit from!  I'd patent that one Warren.  Those could really "Explode" onto the scene!

 And here we have my entry!  I remember hearing a while back about two eight-year-olds that invented underwear with a tear-away strap that were supposedly wedgie-proof.  Not a bad idea, but can't we do better than that?  Here, I present underwear that's not only wedgie proof, but will REALLY give bullies something to think about!  I'm already working on a newer version that hunts down friends and relatives of the bullies, just to drive the point across further!

Here we have CCE newcomer Jim Haas, creator of Nate The Robot.  In this entry, the bots take exploding "Boxers" a bit too literally and, well... You know that's gonna sting tomorrow!  Let's just hope they don't try "Combing the Desert" next!

Vinnie The Vampire creator and very good friend Tim Green is responsible for this brilliant homage to to the legendary Spy Vs. Spy and the not-so-legendary (Yet!) Mike And Mindy.  Mike knows just how much Mindy likes her bloomers!  Too bad she's a few steps ahead of him, much like their pointy nosed forbearers!  I gotta be honest folks, this is my personal favorite so far!  Tim really "Set it Off" here!

Crass Fed Comics mastermind Robert Deans sure knows how to get a party started!  Once again, Mike and Mindy get to do a guest spot as Mike reveals he too has a trick or two up his sleeve!  Or pocket in this case!  I can already see Rob face palming with this right up! 

Next up is another CCE newcomer and very good friend, By The Fingernails creator Dave Schubert!  Big "Schooby" Cool teaches us a very valuable lesson when it comes to spy gear: ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION!!!  That and cats make rotten secret agents!

 The Canadian invasion continues with another CCE rookie, Lunarbaboon Comics creator Chris Grady!  Here, he took the simply approach, and one that will no doubt make a lot of us gag if we saw this in real life!  (Seriously, have you ever seen your grandparents make out! *Shivers*)

The newbies just keep rolling out here!  Zombie Oaks creator Axton Kahler decided to add a really personal touch in this one.  You see, some pals of ours are constantly harassed by the internet trolls that frequent a certain website.  Axton is no doubt stirring up a hornet's nest here, but kudos to him for having the guts to stand up for some very cool creators. 

I think it might be easier to just say from here on out that the rest of today's participants are CCE rookies!  Up next, Benjamin Pernick of Turbo Sloth!  Here, he teaches us that even undies have feelings.  Let that be a lesson to you all: Free and easy ain't what it's cracked up to be!

 Up next is Mark Glavin of Adorable Crap. 70 years later and it's still fun to rip on Nazis!  This one might have been a bit adult for this site, but since it bashes Hitler, I'll let slide.  As Jon Lovitz says in Rat Race: "Well, Hitler had it coming!  What goes around comes around!"  Indeed.

Here we have artist Drake Tigerclaw of Victor 70, who shows that "Thunderwear" definitely seems to have some legs to it!  As the Tiger suggests, that is indeed a very cruel prank.  Kids today sure take things far!  Gotta love the payoff though.  Very original!

   

Last up, we have V. Barker of Chalky Hearts, who no doubt has given everyone a lot of ideas right now!  I guess that's one way to get around that.  Can't say I'd take this approach at airport security.  Quite frankly, I gave up on flying altogether. Too much of a hassle!

And thus we come to the halfway mark of the latest experiment.  But never fear!  We have even more coming next week as well as a some special Mindy fan art from the lovely Michelle Hernandez!  So get ready for even more "Explosive" comics heading your way!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

THE CRAZY THINGS WE SAY!!!

Hello CRAZY faithful!  You see that image above?  It's part of the Fan Art Challenge that my good pal Dawn Griffin hosted for her hilarious comic strip Zorphbert and Fred!  And right now, YOU can help me win this deal by voting for ZORPHIE PUFFS right now!  Click here to bring the CRAZY trophy home!  There are other great entries too by the way, so no peer pressure here!  And be sure to have a bowl afterwards!

 *Caution: The CRAZYVERSE is NOT responsible for any inflating that may occur from eating "Zorphie Puffs" cereal*

And while the CRAZY train's still rolling, checkout the Guest Strip I did for Jack Slade's awesomely funny Scaredemy strip!  If you haven't read it yet, your missing out an a great comic about a boy named Simon and his misadventures at a school for monsters, ghouls and assorted weirdos!  If only this place had existed when I was a kid! Click here and explore the comedy beyond!

Well, it's Mushrooms week and we have a very special edition today!  Last year, I did a strip called "Euphemisms" that got quite a response among readers.  It's time to get literal folks!  Enjoy the new 'toon...

Darn taffy pullers!  You just can't be too careful around those things!  And technically, that kid's more cubed than square, but then the joke wouldn't work so I decided to take some cartoon liberties with it!  And I have seen it rain cats and dogs before.  Spilled a bag of Snausages once.  The neighborhood strays went nuts!  Those fuzzy projectiles are all stars from the Web Comics realm by the way.  Among those featured are Olive and Hazel (From Matt Gross' CAAATS!), Puck and Lanny (From Warren Frantz's Off Season), Cody (From Jamie Cosley's Cody the Cavalier) and Gorr (Mark Stokes' Zombie Boy)!  I've sung the praises of these strips and their creators before, and I'm gonna do it again!  Click those links!  Your lives will be richer for it!

And now, it's time for some Fan Art!  This gem came to me from Dutch artist Nathalie Kokke!  Enjoy...

I'd had a rough few days a couple of months ago and Nathalie was kind enough to send me this piece to cheer me up.  Needless to say, it worked!  I really love how this looks.  Nathalie's got such a beautiful style.  Mindy looks like a Disney princess even!  Thanks again Nathalie.  You got a great talent!  If you'd like to see more of her amazing work, click here!

Well folks, that's all for today.  We'll be back next time with something very EXPLOSIVE...  The return of the CRAZY CARTOON EXPERIMENT!!!  It's been six long months since the last one and we got a great line-up planned for the fourth installment, so be ready.  Part one goes up next week!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY "LEAP" TO INTO JUNE!!!

Welcome to June!  Time sure flies fast here in the CRAZYVERSE!  Seriously, we're already approaching the halfway point of 2013!  CRAZY, no?  Anyway, it's the first week of the month and that can mean only one thing: NEW Mike and Mindy!

After an epic struggle to get to school on time (only to learn it was a whole lot of effort for nothing), Mike and Mindy are happy to be taking it easy at the start of Summer vacation.  And there's nothing better than a nice little game of leapfrog to start things right.  Enjoy the comic...

OUCH!!! Guess this game wasn't a "Smash" hit... Or was it?!  Poor Mike.  He just seems to have the worst luck when it comes to strategically placed poles!  I suppose that's the price you pay when leapfrogging with your eyes closed!

Well, that's all for this week!  We'll be back next week with a special edition of Mushrooms and perhaps even some Fan Art!  In the meantime, take care and I'll catch y'all next time!

IN THE BEGINNING...

Welcome everybody to the last post in May!  Time sure does fly doesn't it?  Why, it seems like only yesterday I was doodling around in my sketchbook, working on concepts to send to MAD Magazine hoping to score some work.  Truth be told, I don't look at old sketches very often but recently, my good friend Mark Stokes (Zombie Boy) posted one of his early sketches of the demon dog Gorr.  It got me thinking that maybe it was time I sift through the CRAZY archives (no easy task) and post the very first drawings of those super stretchy tykes, Mike and Mindy! 

These next few drawings were quite a jolt for me.  I'm still not exactly sure what led to the creation of Mike and Mindy other than desperation maybe.  They started off in solo comics after all as anonymous characters in Mushrooms.  I guess I thought more about "Tom and Jerry" and the "Road Runner and Coyote" and remembered my favorite 'toons were always done as duos.  A bunch of random sketches later, I had my duo!

 Here we see the VERY first sketch I did of Mindy.  If you look close enough, you can see where I erased the polkadots off her dress.  Not too much else has changed since.  The most noticeable differences are that her forehead didn't dip in back then and her eyes did not touch, a problem I remedied relatively soon after.  The bulgy, overlapping eyes are a characteristic I absolutely love!  It reminds me so much of the Muppets.  Jim Henson was my idol as a kid.  Not surprising I'd want to pay homage somehow.

 Next up, we got the birth of Mike!  Here, he was known as "Mike the Gentleman" because he was gonna be more of a goody two-shoes originally.  Given that his forehead dips in and his eyes overlap, I must've had my "AH HA!" moment with my style by then.  Very little has actually changed on Mike physically, although his spikes tended to droop a bit more early on.  His hair has varied over the years, as it's tough to keep track of exactly how long those spikes really are!  You'll also notice his shirt had WAY more stripes back then.  Why make the change?  Because sometimes less is more.  That and drawing that many stripes was a pain in the ass!  I should also note the the stipe on his actual shirt has gotten bigger over time, while the stripes on his sleeves remain small.  You'll also notice that even back then, Mike's always had issues remembering to tie that one shoe!  (Very astute readers will also note that each month, the untied shoe switches feet!)

Here we see the very first color study of Mike and Mindy including hand-written notes so I'd remember what colors to use!  It's odd, but colors are something I've always felt comfortable with despite having no formal art training (Shows don't it?).  I didn't try to experiment with them.  When I looked through my markers, I just knew what I wanted.  Blue's my favorite color, so I knew right away I wanted to incorporate that into Mike's look.  With Mindy, I wanted colors that were obviously feminine but would really play well off of each other.  Purple's a fairly neutral color among genders so I picked a lighter shade for Mindy.  That particular shade of pink really jumped off the color swatch, so I picked it for her bow and shoes.  Needless to say, I'm glad I did!

 Here, we see Mike and Mindy today!  The colors haven't changed at all, but the look certainly has!  As you noticed in the previous images, Mike and Mindy were a lot more stiff-looking in their original appearance.  Now, they have a far more fluid, more loose look.  That came with time more than anything.  The only real style change I knowingly made was in the way I drew their feet.  I used to draw them at an odd looking angle.  Now I draw their feet from a front view which I feel looks much better.  As I got more comfortable as an artist, I learned to just let my pencil and pens do the thinking for me.  

  

And thus concludes our look at (VERY) early Mike and Mindy!  Why show these early sketches you ask?  Aside from being inspired by a friend and mentor, I also wanted to show you, dear reader, that practice does in fact make perfect!  In December of 2009, I had no idea where my career (if you could even call it that back then) was going.  But I kept at it.  I got feedback.  I worked hard.  Now, I have a following, two books out and a T-Shirt line.  The point is, good things can come if you work for it.  There are no shortcuts.  If you wanna achieve your goals, be ready to give it your all and don't quit.  

That's all for now folks.  I'll be back next time with a New Mike and Mindy comic that'll have you "Leaping" for joy!  And if you're heading to the Calgary Stampede in July, or just plain like Rodeos, than click here to get your EXCLUSIVE MIKE AND MINDY STAMPEDE SHIRT!  It's a "Bucking" good ride!  Anyway, take care, and I'll catch y'all later! 

THE SECRETS OF THE CRAZYVERSE REVEALED!!!

Welcome!  Welcome!  Welcome!  It's time for another round of CRAZY here at the 'Stuff!  You see that image above?  It's from the rack at Phone Booth Comics in Lebanon, OR!  That's right!  My books are now available at an honest-to-God comics shop!  This is one of the greatest feelings ever.  After five years, three Cons and two books, I finally feel like a real cartoonist!  Big thanks to Jeremy Rowan, one of the shop's owners, for making it happen.  He's given a lot of indie artists a chance to shine at his store, and we're all in debt to him.  So if you're in Oregon, take a trek over to Lebanon and get CRAZY at Phone Booth Comics!

It's Fan Art week here, and I got a pair of 'toons from a couple of young fans from across the globe!  So let's kick this show into high gear!

 First up is Noah Carolan from England!  Looks like he's strip hopping.  Good thing he got out of there before those two grabbed their infamous helium tank!  Noah does his own comic series called Nerdy Cartoons and is quite the talent!  He's no doubt somebody we'll all be keeping an eye out for in the future!  Thanks again Noah!

 Next up, my little buddy Alex Connor from West Virginia!  Alex has sent in Fan Art before and has become one of Mike and Mindy's biggest fans!  According to his mom, Chandra, he even decorated his Easter Eggs as Mike and Mindy and drew a shot-for-shot remake of M&M's first comic!  Nice work Alex!  keep 'em coming!

And now for something very special.  In recent months, many of you have asked about my creative process and how I go about doing my comics.  Truth be told, there's really nothing special that I do as opposed to others.  I have no secret techniques or methods.  But I do have a process and here it is, courtesy of the art I'm doing for an upcoming kids story by my good pal Warren Frantz called The Green Three...

STEP 1: THE BLANK PAGE

 Here's where it all begins.  As an artist, there's really nothing more exciting or scary as a blank page as it can go in ANY direction.  I tend to write my stories out in a composition book and then move onto a rough drawing to get an idea of what I want.  Lately I've been free-handing a lot of comics as I feel the roughs are more fluid than the final pieces.  This is one of those cases.

STEP 2: PENCILS 

 Next up is the penciling of the piece.  While I didn't do a rough of this, I had a really good idea based off of Warren's script. (This is why writing the stories out is such an important step!)  Here, I have a lot of freedom and can add or subtract as I please.  I use a light Non-Photo Blue Sketcher pencil because it erases well and won't show up on scans even if colored over.

STEP 3: INKS

Now here's the tricky part.  Inking can be a lot of fun but requires a LOT of patience and this is where mistakes tend to happen the most.  Even the best cartoonists make mistakes, so try to be relaxed when reaching this stage.  If you need a break, TAKE ONE!!!  I used to use Sharpie pens but switched last year to PITT Pens by Faber-Castell.  My pen sizes vary but I tend to use "S" and "XS" the most.  Bear in mind those are just the pens I use.  There are MANY different types and varieties.  Feel free to experiment!

 STEP 4: COLORS

My favorite part!  Like inks, this one requires patience as mistakes are inevitable.  I use PrismaColor Markers simply because I had a coupon and that was all that Michaels carried!  Be wary though because they do spread!  I usually pinpoint it while coloring, which is very carefully and softly coloring in the characters/objects.  Copic and Sharpie also make good art markers with many color varieties.  Copics aren't cheap though so be ready to pay.  If a surface is large and needs an even color or a piece requires touch-ups and corrections, I simply use Photoshop.  In fact, you can color the whole thing digitally if you want to, but that's kinda cheating!

And there you have it!  The CRAZY Creative Process!  I hope you all enjoyed some insight into what goes into putting out comics like Mike and Mindy and Mushrooms.  It's not always easy, but it's still some the most fun I have!  Be on the look out for me and Warren's Green Three collaboration sometime in early Fall!

And that's all for now folks!  I'll be back next time with more CRAZY fun! Until then, have a fun and safe Memorial Day and I'll catch y'all later!