1. What initially drew you to comics?
The daily comics in the newspaper. I'd read the pictures before I could read the words. I learned to read because I wanted to read the comics.
It was a Fat Freddy's Cat comic (I was in about 4th grade) - he watched a black dot in the ground get bigger. Last panel shows a bag of trash landing on his head. That's when you have to re-read the first panels and realize the growing black dot is the shadow getting bigger. The magic of that comic made me want to make comics. That the last panel made me want to reread the first panels and that it all made sense.
I have another memory from about that same time, watching Charles Shultz on 60 minutes. He was interviewed and then he wrote and drew a comic in real-time. He started at the first panel with snoopy laying on his doghouse. It started snowing. The last panel has Snoopy covered in snow thinking 'drats.' I loved it so much. And seeing the process of writing and drawing open up for me like that... it made me want to do it myself.
2. What do comics allow you to do creatively?
I like the creativity. They are little puzzles. I also like that they can communicate very abstract ideas about life.
3. Please tell us about Too Much Coffee Man and any other titles/work you'd like to share about.
Too Much Coffee Man has been great for me. I never thought I would be able to write a comic after that first one but once he was released inside my head he became a voice for a part of my soul.
I have a few books collecting my New Yorker cartoons too.
I love working with other people. The Bible that I did with Mark Russell, the kids' book with Simon Max Hill, and the Mueller Report with Steve Duin.
4. Where can we learn more about your work?
I have a pretty robust etsy shop where I sell original art at reasonable prices - along with shirts, mugs, and other oddball products. TeePublic hosts some shirt designs of mine too.
Follow me on the various bullshit social media places.
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