FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Hey folks!  Got a very special update today.  You see, my dear friend Chandra Connor is helping with a special charity function being put on by Chili's and St Jude's Hospitals.  She asked several artists, including me, Michelle Hernandez, Robert Deans and Jamie Cosley to decorate shirts for the occasion and now these shirts are currently up for auction to help raise money for cancer research.  More details on how you can help can be found here and here or by contacting Chandra directly on Twitter.

In the mean time, here's my efforts in the shirt drive!

 This shirt was actually custom made for Chandra.  She wanted to get the ball rolling on the donations.

I really liked the colors I chose for this shirt.  I wanted to give a good blend of both color schemes since the shirt featured both Mike and Mindy on it.

 The coolest part?  There was even space on the back for more fun!

Next up, the Mindy shirt!  Before I joined RedBubble, these were the only "Official" shirts featuring Mike and Mindy.  To a degree, these are still collector's items as they are in fact the only ones in existence.

A full on view of the Mindy shirt front.

 The back of the Mindy shirt, loaded with Mindy's favorite colors: Purple and Pink!

And finally, the Mike Shirt!  As you can see, Mike took up as much space as he could on that Chili Pepper!

A full on view of the Mike shirt front.

The back of the Mike shirt, with so much blue on it, you'd think some Smurfs got run over!  Actually, blue's my favorite color, hence the reason Mike wears three shades of it on his clothes.

And there you have it!  Thanks so much to Chandra for giving me the opportunity.  I had a lot of fun making these shirts and hope they fetch high in the auction.  You can count me in for next year!  I want to urge all my readers to please help out or donate.  You can make a huge difference by simply donating a little money.  Do the right thing.  Checkout Chili's or St. Jude's to see how you can help!

That's all for this week folks!  I'll be back next time with a New Mike and Mindy and some huge news on some guest strips I did recently!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

CRAZY AT 900 QUICK SKETCHES!!!

Welcome back gang!  Today we have a quick post celebrating a thing I did on Twitter last month when I reached 900 Followers!  I offered to do quick sketches for the first five people that asked, so here they are!  Of course, I'm actually closer to 1,000 Followers now and I don't even know what I'm gonna do to celebrate should I reach that feat!

But that's jumping ahead here.  So let's stay in the now and enjoy the CRAZY At 900 sketches...

 The first person to ask was Jim Haas from Nate The Robot who simply requested Nate the Robot.  Gotta love it when they keep it simple! 

 Next up, Darker Sho from Twitter asked me to sketch his cat Oliver.  The poor kitty lost his leg a while back and as an animal lover, I can't resist sketching something so fuzzy!

 Next, Twitter pal Rudy Trevizo asked me to sketch Goldar from Mighty Morphing Power Rangers!  Gotta say, this one really pushed me!  The point of this sketch session was to also practice quick sketches with Sharpie markers, so I can be better at Cons.  This one was a doozy, and I'm quite proud of it.

Lastly, Chris Gobbett of Midatlantic Cooking recommended ANYTHING involving Chuck Norris and the So-Bad-It's-Funny Sharknado movie.  So, I whipped up this beauty!  Personally, I could've done much better on the sharks, but practice makes perfect, and the Twittersphere seemed to like it OK.

At this point, you're no doubt saying to yourself "Hey!  Wait a minute!  You said the first FIVE followers who asked!  What a gip!"  It's true.  There was a fifth request.  You see Corey Davies of Cozworth Grind made such an awesome request, that I have something VERY special planned for it!  So stay 'tooned! 

Well folks, that's all for today.  I got a very special post planned for next week featuring some shirts I decorated for my good friend Chandra Connor.  You see, she helps run a charity auction to raise money for St. Jude's Hospitals by decorating and selling these shirts.  She got quite a few of us, including me, Jamie Cosley, Robert Deans and Michelle Hernandez to decorate these shirts and we're hoping they bring in lot of money to help out a very worthy cause.  So come back next week to see these one of a kind shirts and to find out how you can help.  In the meantime, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

FAN ART FUN!!!

Welcome back!  I just completed the most insane week of art ever!  In the past seven days I drew seven sketch cards, three guest comics, two guest splash pages, two jam pieces and a partridge in a pear tree!  OK, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea.  The point is, I'm creating and loving it!  And to celebrate all this guest art I've been doing, I thought I'd share some that I've recently received!  But first, some big news regarding recent Twitter announcements.

This week on Twitter, I announced a joint project between me and my very good friend Kim Belding, the mastermind of Picpak Dog.  Basically, we'd like to compile some of our best comics and have them turned into animated shorts!  An ambitious project no doubt and one that will require some outside help.  So the questions we're posing are: Should we create a Kickstarter campaign to fund this venture, would any of you be willing to support it?  Would any of you even WANT to see Mike and Mindy, Mushrooms and Picpak Dog animated?  

Your opinions and support, even if only morally, really do matter to us! The easiest way to show support is to either Fav, Retweet or Reply to any mention we make of this on Twitter.  Or, if you follow Kim on Facebook, LIKE his posts on the subject.  We have also set up voting poles on both of our sites to gauge interest, so feel free to use them.

We are in the very early stages of planning here and would rather know in advance if it's worth pursuing.  If you wanna see the Pink Pooch and the Silent Terrors make the animated leap, let us know today!

The next bit of news comes from a wave of art I've received from great artists inspired by previous themes from the Crazy Cartoon Experiment!  I'm so amazed by the quality of these pieces, not to mention the continued interest in the old CCE's as a whole, that I'm announcing the Crazy Cartoon Experiment Rewind! 

Basically, it's a free for all in terms of the themes.  It's open to any artist who didn't take part in one or any of the old ones, OR any artist who did that feels up to doing it again!  Anyone is welcome, regardless whether they follow me on Twitter, and the only rule is it HAS to be family friendly.  This is an all-ages site so let's keep it that way.

The themes were as follows:

1) "A Helium-Filled Dog Floating Precariously Close To A Cactus!"

2) "The Great Pumpkin"

3) "Realistic Reactions To Frosty The Snowman Coming To Life!"

4) "Exploding Underwear!"

The deadline is November 19th, 2013!  Hit me up on Twitter for further info and have fun with it!  Catch y'all in the Fall! 

And now, finally, onto with the show!

 This dandy comes from my pal Jimmy Purcell, the outrageous creator of the web comic Been Better!  Jimmy was cool enough to sketch this caricature of yours truly while dining at The Field Pub during our impromptu web comics mixer during Comic Con last month.  It's wild seeing myself drawn, especially in another's style.  This is only the second time somebody's caricatured me, and I gotta say, Jimmy nailed it.  He even made me handsome looking, which is no easy feat, and kept me company for a bit while I waited to do portfolio reviews that went nowhere really.  Jimmy's a great dude and a very funny cartoonist!  Be sure to check him out if you get the chance!

Next on the plate...

   

Rebecca Horn of the wonderful Penguin Capers comic, gave me this fun piece with her heroes, Meg and the Canine Kid, rescuing Mike and Mindy from certain doom!  According to Rebecca, the brave duo spotted what looked like two balloons deflating in the sky, but turned out to be Mike and Mindy!  Guess those "Airheads" were playing with helium again and bit off more than they could chew!  So big thanks to Meg and Canine Kid for rescuing them and bringing them home.  And even bigger thanks to Rebecca for doing this great Fan Art for me!  Rebecca's a class act and a wonderful person who recently learned she's gonna be a mom, so congrats again!  She's also one of the people I did a guest strip for, so stay 'tooned!

Well folks, that's all for today.  I'm sure I can dig up some fun for next week and don't forget to let us know if you wanna see Picpak and the CRAZYVERSE animated! Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later! :)  

WHEN DREAMS SHATTER...

Welcome back CRAZYVERSE!  Busy busy times here as I'm currently working on five guest pieces and two Jam pieces all at the same time!  I'm also working like mad at the day job and already planing out the rest of the comics for 2013!  Needless to say, today's post ain't gonna be very wordy.

So let's cut to the chase and dive right into the New Mushrooms, which I hope none of you will find "Wooden"!

Gepetto always did seem like a jerk to me.  Think about it: He's an old man.  A kid is gonna be far more convenient to him as help than as a companion!  You'd think a fairy would be more wise about who she grants wishes to!

Well folks, that's all for this week.  I'll be back next time with some wonderful Mike and Mindy fan art!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later! 

MIKE AND MINDY: ALL EARS!!!

Welcome to August!  I can't believe how quickly time is flying.  I can't believe it's been two weeks already since the start of that oh so awesome event known as Comic Con!  A lot has happened since then, some good and some bad as a lot of you on Twitter bore witness to.  Luckily, everything is fixed now or about to be, so I can get back to all the CRAZY happenings with an only slightly more sane mind!

As luck would have it, I DO have some pretty big news to share:  I'll be tabling at TWO shows this Fall,  San Diego Comic Fest in October and Long Beach Comic Con in November!  No table numbers have been assigned just yet, but I will be in the Artist Alley sections and do have some fun planned for both shows!  I'll have more info for y'all as the events draw nearer.

One thing I can share is that I'm looking for ideas for sketch cards so I can have them ready for sale at future Cons.  If you have any suggestions, drop a line at my Twitter feed @JonsCrazyTweets!  Which characters would YOU like to see get CRAZY?

Well, it's the first Thursday of the month, and that can mean only one thing...  Those silent but deadly tykes have come out of hiding for another round of cartoony mayhem!  Get ready folks, because the New Mike And Mindy is really something to "Chew" on!

Now THAT'S talent!  And isn't Mindy a great sport?  She can really appreciate good competition.  I gotta be honest.  I had my good pal Warren Frantz (Off Season) in mind when I came up with this one.  He always says my comics remind him of bubble gum.  So I thought I'd actually incorporate it into a strip for him!  Warren, buddy, it's a good thing they weren't chewing Gubble Bum!  That bubble could've appeared from a far worse place had that been the case!

Well folks, that's all for this week.  I'll be back next time with a New Mushrooms that'll have you "Wishing" for a simpler existence!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later! 

AN INSANELY CRAZY COMIC CON!!!

Another Comic Con has come and gone, and this one was totally insane!  It had it's ups and downs, as it always does, but I still had a blast attending it!  Made many new friends while catching up with old ones.  I also decided to take the plunge and go to portfolio reviews with Cartoon Network and Hasbro. And while I came away with no job, I know that at least my work is appreciated, and that I am now more determined than ever to make a good run as a cartoonist.  I also had the thrill of a lifetime taking part in The Blank Page Project (More on that later) and meeting legendary VO artist Jim Cummings, who told me I definitely had a future in cartoons!

It was one of the best weeks of my life and rather than just tell y'all about it, allow me to show you...

 Azog the Defiler was there and I gotta say, he's much shorter in real life!

 For two years now, religious (and non-religious) zealots have been showing up and ruining the Con for people, telling us we're evil for liking comics and fantasy.  Luckily, these kids showed up and reminded everybody the REAL reason we're there: To have fun!

 Jenkies!  Anybody else wanna solve a groovy mystery right now?

Bo Peep and Woody stopped by to make sure all the toys were safe and accounted for. 

 The scene across the street at the Gaslamp Quarter, where even MORE wild free fun could be found!

 And here's the now traditional obligatory Luchadore Mask pic, this time with my new Teal Ultimo Dragon mask!  Also decided to give Lego's bastard stepbrother a little bit of publicity!

Master Yoda is so generous.  He used the Force to conjure up some lunch money for me. 

Earlier I mentioned the Blank Page Project and here it is!  The premise was simple: The Hero Initiative and Comixology brought in a huge 8' x 12' canvas and invited a bunch of artists to fill it up!  Imagine my shock when I came back later on to see that Kevin Eastman himself drew Rafael right next to Mike and Mindy!  If I died tomorrow I'd feel somewhat fulfilled!  A huge thanks goes out to the wonderful folks at My Comic Rocket for getting me on this!  You guys are the best! 

 High Five Ghost is in the house!  Given the awesome Regular Show Experience taking place at the Children's Museum across the street, I'm surprised there wasn't more Regular Show cosplay.

 Any other week of the year, these two would be rivals.  Sadly, Grimace and Col. Sanders couldn't make it this year.  They were attending the Burger king's funeral.

 NYC's greatest vigilante madman, Casey Jones!

 This Lemongrab costume was, surprisingly enough, ACCEPTABLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!!!

Loveboat The Next Generation!  This isn't the first time I've seen this at Comic Con and, not surprisingly, they said I was the only one figured it out.  Kids today! 

The Sharknado appeared! 

Uh oh!  The Swedish Chef has been caught and added to the collective!  Now his slogan is "BORG BORG BORG!!!"  

The Ice Queen!  Still trolling for dudes! 

KITT was spotted patrolling through the East Village.  Good thing too.  That place gets creepy at night! 

Not sure what this was part of, but the Dragon being led around 5th Avenue was freakin' awesome! 

They will seriously pony-fy ANYTHING these days!  And yet, it really does work style-wise.  Her proton pack even lit up!  

The week ended with a heartwarming reunion between Beetlejuice and Lydia.  It's nice to see that she could forgive him for attempting to kill her parents, destroy her home and force her to marry him!

And thus concludes the journey for Comic Con 2013.  It's only been over for a few days, but I'm already making my plans for next year's show!  Maybe then I'll finally earn enough to just stay at a hotel for the week and quit bumming rides off people!  Only time will tell...

That's all for this week folks.  I'll be back next time with a brand new Mike and Mindy that is simply "Bubbling" with laughs!  Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

IT'S HERE!!! GET READY FOR COMIC CON 2013!!!

IT'S HERE!!! The most glorious week there is for those of us in the creative field!  I'm really excited about this year's Comic Con!  I got so many friends from Twitter that will be attending, many of whom I'll be meeting for the first time ever, not to mention many new friends that are just waiting to be made!  And of course, there's LOADS of books and toys I'll get to add to my collection due to numerous impulse buys that'll likely set me back for months!  Yup, it's gonna be a great week!  But until then, I got some pre-Comic Con fun planned out for you.  So sit back and enjoy the newest Mushrooms comic...

Ah, we are now into our third installment of Comic Con's Most Wanted!  So many types to get to, and all of them very much real!  And who better to help me deal with these Con blowhards than some of my pals from the Web Comics realm!  In panel one we have Brandon and Collin Oliver from the Twxxd Podcast dealing with a more recent Con menace.  Next up, Goober and Cindy from Daniel Barton's Goober and Cindy encounter a con type I actually came across myself at Wondercon this year!  Panel three sees the whole Golz family from Warren Frantz's Off Season come across a Con regular I don't really mind too much.  Up to panel four now, where Rich Clabaugh's Graveyard Gang come across another Con regular who's numbers have grown rather steadily in recent years.  Furries are a unique bunch to say the least, but one must question the logic of wearing a heavy fur costume in the middle of Summer!  In panel five, Vinnie and Sunny from Tim Green's Vinnie the Vampire encounter an old school Con goer, one who has annoyed many a casual fan!  Lastly, a double dose of comic pals!  Noah Carolan's Nerdy Wilkinson and the Rebecca Horn's Canine Kid both deal with the most common jerk you will find at Comic Con!

And now, because I love posting old Con pics so much, here's a look back at least year's Comic Con!  Enjoy!

"Dawn of the Con" was a total bust.  However this pic in front of the Munster's car while wearing my sweet Ultimo Dragon mask sure wasn't!

A very rare sight: Comic Con being put together!  This is from the DC booth staring towards the Marvel booth.

Another behind the scenes look, this time from the Cartoon Network booth.

The Walking Dead booth.  I hung all the lights for this one!

Dr. Henry Jones, Sr.  Apparently the Holy Grail was spotted in the Sails Pavilion.

Poor Gambit.  As if his underuse in X-Men Origins wasn't bad enough, now he's being hassled by the infamous Con Security!

They're on a Mission from God with a Briefcase Full of Blues.  Best stay outta their way!

The really cool Sega Pavilion, held at a hotel across the street.  One of many cool freebies for people who couldn't get Con badges.

Never thought I'd live to see David the Gnome cosplay!  Who knew people still remembered that show?

All though it was a huge letdown, "Dawn of the Con did have some cool things, like the stilted Demon walkers!

Alex Ross-style Joker!  Such a classy look for such an evil clown!

Careful now.  I think we're being watched!

Sailer Scouts.  Wouldn't be Con without 'em!

The REAL Batmobile!  Another freebie for all to enjoy at the Hilton park.  The Schumacher Batmobiles had quite a few noticeable loogies plastered on them.  Wouldn't have surprised me if someone peed on the tires too!

QUAILMAN!!!  Doug cosplay has become quite the rage at cons recently.  Still hoping to see Skeeter and Roger one of these days.

Wonder how much roaming charges in Middle Earth are?

Gettin' down and funky with the Just Dance Girls over at the Nintendo Pavilion!  In case you haven't figured it out yet, there are a LOT of free things in Downtown San Diego during Comic Con for those who can't get badges, this being another.  Quite frankly, some of the freebies are even better than the stuff in the exhibit hall!

Straight outta Sesame Street!  The Yip-Yaps have invaded!

My niece Kristen sports a mask she got from the Kaijudo Riders booth while sampling the Big Boy's burger!

Who ya gonna call?

Elvis was spotted!  He was waiting for Jimmy Hoffa and Bigfoot to arrive on their Unicorn!

COOKIE MONSTER!!! He was later found passed out with a cup full of dollars resting in his hand.

The good folks at ShiftyLook set up a retro arcade for all to enjoy at the Hilton Gaslamp during the weekend.  And since it was Dig Dug's 30th Anniversary, we all decided to celebrate by inflating a bunch of hapless monsters until they popped!

Ursella the Sea Witch.  She is on my Top 5 list for best Disney Villains.

Moltar!  I love me some old school Space Ghost cosplay!

BY THE POWER OF GREYSKULL INDEED!!!

Nice to see these two could put their differences aside long enough to sign for the fans.  Sadly, Reptile couldn't make it out that weekend.

Last but not least, my favorite booth to shop at, provided you can get in line quick enough!  I'd mention my shock that My Little Pony and JEM! were the top sellers, but Karen Gownley's daughters still have an open hit on me, so I best keep my mouth shut.  Plus, I forked out $86 just to get a Star Wars set because it had a Jar Jar in carbonite figure.  Who am I to judge?!

And so we reach the end of our post.  Due to an overloaded schedule, no post next week, but follow me on Twitter as I will be doing live tweets throughout Comic Con and might even have some freebies to pass out!  So keep a watch on my Twitter feed for updates!

Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all at Comic Con!