Lately I’ve become preoccupied with being a comics creator. You know, writing and drawing cartoons and other funny stuff. Much of my time has been spent sketching and writing notes. Lately I’m concentrating on the digital side of art. I’ll scan my inked sketches and attempt to color them. They’re pretty crude but I’m learning.

The rest of my free time has been spent observing artists I admire. One of my biggest inspirations these days is writer and illustrator Roger Langridge. He’s best known as the man behind The Muppet Show and current Popeye series. Langridge has such a fun vibe to his work while also being technically precise. Some people say he reminds them of legend Carl Barks. I cannot disagree.

Recently Langridge posted this inked sketch on his blog. The individual who commissioned the work was not me but it easily could have been. The piece combines a favorite subject of mine, The Muppets, with the vintage Marvel Comics series I avidly collect, Marvel Team-Up.

Since I started collecting comic books in the early ’80s, I’ve been in love with Marvel Team-Up. I preferred the tidy, self-encapsulated storylines. There was no need to religiously follow each issue like you do with episodic series. The issues paired Spider-Man (usually) with another random hero in tights. It was a great way to sample the Marvel legion.
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For a big portion of my life I’ve called myself an “aspiring cartoonist.” Since I was very young I’ve had a fascination with comic strips and comic books. I’ve drawn cartoons for my family and friends over the years. I was even a cartoonist for my tiny college newspaper. Motivation and a plan of action are the only things that have kept the word “aspiring” in my self-appointed title.

The Kickstarter-funded documentary Stripped looks to have the game plan I’ve been searching for. Cartoonist and filmmaker Dave Kellett is directing this self-proclaimed “love letter to comic strips.” It steps inside the business of drawing pictures for an audience. The 8-bit infused trailer grabbed me hook, line, and sinker. Needless to say I contributed to this project as it enters its final push toward completion.
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On the last episode of Tank Girl…Rob didn’t especially like the titular, heavily-armed, cigarette-smoking female’s graphic novel, Carioca.  The story was a little light on everything: violence, character, and story.  It was an unusual, not entirely unwelcome sidestep from co-creator Alan C. Martin’s usual run with the character, but something was missing.

I’m happy to report that the Tank Girl of old is back in this latest outing from Titan Books, Everybody Loves Tank Girl.  Written by Martin with artwork by Jim Mahfood (Clerks, Grrl Scouts), ELTG is a return to the chaotic, cursing, non sequitur style of yore…kind of.
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I was in middle school during the golden age of Cartoon Network, when you could tune in for shows like Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Lab, and Samurai Jack in the evening and then pretend to go to sleep but really stay up so you could watch Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The awesome thing about most of those shows is how well they hold up. I can still watch them today and enjoy them just as much (if not more) than I did over a decade ago.

So that makes the announcement from IDW Publishing pretty exciting for geeks my age. This year they’re going to start publishing comics based on classic Cartoon Network shows. With the Adventure Time and Muppet comics, I’ve realized that cartoon-based comics can actually be a lot of fun and not feel as pretentious or faux-artsy as a lot of more adult comics these days, and these 90s Cartoon Network shows would make great little comics.

From the press release:

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IDW’s already killing it with their TMNT comics, and if their most recent micro-series wasn’t enough they’re launching one all about the villains in April. I think the villains have been super interesting and well done in IDW’s TMNT series, and I can’t wait to read more about them.

I’ve really enjoyed their re-imagining of Krang and Dimension X and I’m really looking forward to the Krang issue of this micro-series. I don’t know how excited I’ll be about issues dedicated to the new villains Old Hob and Alopex, but I’ll keep an open mind.

From the press release:
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