John Gormly deserves this:

Yep! He really said that.

For the record, I have not listened to even one nanosecond of Mr. Gormly's radio show.  Most of the radio I've listened to these days is Ballsy on The Wolf ranting about whatever crawled up his ass that day.  I'm also forced to intermittently hear CBC radio at my job but that's because I work with a bizarre little man.  So, as a result of that, I am not entirely familiar with how John Gormly conducts his show.  What I do know is that when I heard about that asinine thing he said directed at Muslims, I felt divinely inspired to make the comic you see above.  I know I'm not really "striking while the iron is hot" since he said this more than 2 weeks ago, but I felt it had to be done nonetheless.

I would also like to add that drawing him was a rather nauseating experience.  He looks like the 'love child' created by Rush Limbaugh and a salamander he met in Saskatchewan as he was travelling from Winnipeg to Vancouver in his double-wide Winnebago.  He's got a reptilian-ish presence is what I'm saying.

See?  Doesn't he look as though his diet consists of crickets and algae?

Anyway, that's it. John Gormly put his foot in his mouth and I wanted to have some fun pouring mustard on it, which I did.

Everyone can now go back to 'booking faces' or 'crushing candies' etc.

A fishing comic

Because I felt like it.

I'm in print again

Once again, a little comic of mine has appeared in the Dalhousie Gazette. This issue is all about

food, but my comic is not. Here's the comics page below. My comic has the bunnies in it.

You obviously can't read the speech balloons no matter how far you zoom in to the picture, so I will indeed post the original comic from my computer. Enjoy!

I find it rather interesting that they found the breast-feeding joke in the last comic too gruesome but they think the dying bunnies are just fine. Everyone has a different drummer to march to I guess.

Oh, hey, I guess now I'll post some book news. I'll be selling copies of Jesus Needs Help at a Flea Market this comic Sunday March 13. The address for this is 613 Main Street in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Anyone who lives in that or in any surrounding areas, come down and see me, maybe even buy a book from me. I'll even autograph it if you ask.

See ya there!

Vancouverites Rejoice...

....or .........something. However you're feeling, you should definitely get naked and run around the block a few times. Then, throw a blanket around yourself and come into one of these two comic book shops*:

Golden Age

852 Granville St.

Vancouver, B.C.

or

Lucky's Comics

3972 Main St.

Vancouver, B.C.

The main reason you should do that is because I have it on good authority that they are now places where you can purchase a copy of my comic book Jesus Needs Help. I have no idea what the price of them are. That'll be up to the owner of either of those stores, I guess. All I know is that it can still be puchased online here and here both for $9.15.

Have fun kids!

*No, I do not recommend entering a store naked for two big reasons: 1. You don't have your wallet with you (unless you keep it in a "super secret" place) and 2. There's a sexual predator roaming the streets of Vancouver right now. So, maybe replace "get naked" at the top with "bring a can of mace".

A youtube ad for my comic

Tell me what you think.

Now available in 'Toon Town

And by Toon Town, I of course am referring to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada. I was up in Saskatoon rather recently to attend a reunion of sorts with some of my animation school buds. While I was there I decided to shop my comic book around to any stores in the area. In a strong contrast to my reception in Regina, they were much more enthusiastic and encouraging. In Regina, I was told "this [independent] stuff just doesn't move". In Saskatoon, I was told, "this girl brought her comic in to us and it sold and sold and sold. People were constantly asking for it." Well, I guess that shows you, if you want to sell a comic book in Saskatchewan then Saskatoon is the better place to be.

Here are the stores I sold my comic to in Toon Town:

8th Street Comics and Books

1006 8th Street E.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Unreal City

139 2nd Ave. N

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

In fact, the guy who worked at Unreal City seemed very enthusiastic about seeing my work. He even said that he would welcome any other comics I make in the future. He's just one of the many individuals in Saskatoon who will do anything within his power to help local artists (even artists who used to be local). He told me his name is Theo. I couldn't find a picture of him, so this one will have to do.

If you see him at Unreal City or someone similar, tell him David Germain says "hi".

Oh, hey, speaking of local artists. I discovered one when I was up there in toon town. Theo was showing me the independent comic section of his store and pulled out a comic done by Elaine Will. It was volume 1 of her graphic novel of sorts called Look Straight Ahead. It is so close to professional you'd swear Elaine lives on a big pile of money right now. Here's the front cover:

You can learn more about this comic and future issues here at her blog : lookstraightahead.blogspot.com

Hooray for free enterprise!!!

WOW! What a deal!!

My comic book can now be found in another book store as of today. Just this afternoon I sold some copies to Phoenix Comics & Books located on 2105 Broad St. in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

They'll be selling it for quite a bargain too. As you can see, online Jesus Needs Help is on sale for a whole $9.15. But, over there at Phoenix Comics & Books, they will be selling it for just $1. That's a whopping 90.85% off the regular price. However, it's probably only a good bargain for you if you happen to live in Regina. If you live anywhere else in the world, the price of gas and/or air fare would ruin an otherwise fine bargain. So, I put it to any Reginians reading this blog, head on down to Phoenix to take advantage of this deal.

Before you ask, yes I did try to get my comics into both Tramps and Comic Readers in Regina as well. However, they have a policy of not accepting comics from the public.

Well la-de-frickin'-da!

Oh well, like I've mentioned above, if you want to purchase my comic at below rock bottom prices and have plenty of money left over for other Christmas shopping AND you're fortunate enough to live in Regina, then by all means, head on over to Phoenix and do so. Also, if you are at all apprehensive about this purchase because you are unsure about its contents, well then you should definitely read this review that James E. Daniels did first.

Hurry, while supplies last.

Now sold in stores

Yes, just today I sold the first copies of my comic to stores where they are now

available for sale. That's good news only if you live in Halifax and anyother surrounding areas. For the rest of you, if you want to buy my comic in a store near you, you'll have to demand it from the clerks themselves. "Hey, where are the issues of Jesus Needs Help?" you could ask. Try asking that question multiple times, getting louder and louder each time. Try banging your fist on the counter several times and then make your face turn blue. Aw, heck, go ahead and do a full Sam Kinison. Anything it takes to get my comic in your local establishment, that's all I ask.

If you are lucky enough to live in (or near) Halifax, here are the stores where my comic is available for purchase:

Strange Adventures

5262 Sackville Dr.

Quantum Frontier

Games and Comics

3087-A Robie St.

Monster Comic Lounge

In addition to that, I am hosting a Comic Book Launch Party on December 1.

It will be at the Economy Shoe Shop at 1663 Argyle St. in downtown Halifax. I'll be selling copies of my comic book there as well. If you live in the Halifax area and would like to attend, it would be a good idea to find the event on Facebook. Just search for "Jesus Needs Help" in the search bar and you should find it easily. (Hey, I found it just by typing "je").

And, of course, if you don't live in Halifax and my comic is not available in your local store, there is still the option of buying it online right here.

Thanks, everyone.

COMIC FOR SALE

We've got a comic for sale.

A really good comic for sale.

Won't you buy it.

Take it home and try it.

A comic for sale.

See in the window a really good comic

full of charm and appeal.

Handsome, elegant, intelligent, sweet.

It's really ideal.

Don't you want a little comic you can call your own?

A comic that'll be with you when you're all alone.

"How much is that comic in the window?"

Take our advice at any price

a comic like this comic is mighty nice.

A comic. A real good comic for SAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE!!!

Yes, my comic entitled Jesus Needs Help is FINALLY available to the public. It looked touch and go there for a while. I was indeed getting worried. But, those fears have turned to sweet sweet relief now that my comic is here.

You can look for my comic on Amazon.com or you can very easily purchase it at my eStore. Enjoy yourselves everyone.

Something WICKED this way comes

That right there is the front cover for the comic book I'm working on. I'm hoping to have it done and on sale sometime next month. You'll most likely find it on Amazon.

(Oh, by the way, in the title of this blog post, the word 'wicked' is pronounced like a California surfer, as in the phrase "Whoa! That's wicked!!")

Tell me what you think so far.

Getting Cocky

A few months ago, I introduced my Uncle Bernard to the blogosphere.  Now, here's a little comic I slapped together starring him:

This is a true story.

A Christmas Comic

I did this comic for Valueable Comics last year for their Christmas edition. Bassically, it's a continuation of the original Grinch tale with a similar holiday message. I'm not entirely proud of some of the Whoo or HKHHHHoo drawings (I drew and inked them rather small) but I think I did a splendid job on the Grinch, especially his facial expressions (and when dealing with Chuck Jones' version of the Grinch you've GOT to get the facial expressions right).

Anyway, I hope this comic helps put you all into the holiday spirit. (Click to enlarge if you have to). Enjoy!

It's Chuck Jones' birthday

Yes, once again it's Chuck Jones' birthday. He'd be 95 years young had he not succumbed to pneumonia on that sad winter morning.

What great things can be said about Chuck Jones that haven't been said already? Should go on about his impressive body of work? Or maybe I should mention how his own style of drawing and timing influences artists since his heyday and continues to do so today. But a long sequence of paragraphs here would be quite dry and rather dull. So instead I'll embed on of his masterpieces. Enjoy:



Oh, and if you're curious about that Bob Clampett interview in 1969, you can read it here.

It's Bob Clampett's birthday

That's right, today is Bob Clampett's birthday. He'd be 94 today had he survived that heart attack in Detroit 23 years ago.

First, a quick bio:
Bob Clampett showed an interest in both drawing and puppetry at a very young age. All throughout his childhood and adolescence he'd constantly draw many comic strips. While still in high school he even got a job drawing for William Randolph Hearst.
But then in 1928, he like most of the world fell in love with a little film called Steamboat Willie.He was even inspired to make a small statue of Mickey. He'd attend as many showings of Steamboat Willie as he could in order to get a good idea of Mickey's construction. Once completed, he said that he would like to make many more of these statues and maybe try to sell them. His aunt heard this and said, "you can't just up and do that, you need permission from whomever owns the character first." So, since he lived in San Diego, it was only a short drive to Los Angeles for him and his aunt and then to the Disney studios. When Walt took a look at that statue, he was not only inspired to start the Disney merchandising division (which of course still exists today) but also grant the 16 year old Bob a job. "Right now we're in the middle of moving to a bigger facility," Walt said. "But, when everything is finally up and running, you're guaranteed a job there, young man."
However, the rambunctious Bob Clampett couldn't wait that long. He wanted an animation job NOW!!!! Luckily, the Leon Schlesinger studio had a position open so Bob took that one instead. Since he was new and quite young, he was under thumb of Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising, Friz Freleng, and a few hack directors Leon had hired from Disney. Thankfully though, Bob along with Chuck Jones and several other disgruntled underlings were reassigned to Termite Terrace when Tex Avery joined the studio. It was there that these men would revolutionize animator for the better forever. Some of Bob's accomplishments at Warner Bros. were the creation of Tweety, the co-creation of Daffy Duck, and the refinement of both Porky Pig's and Bugs Bunny's designs.
There is some speculation as to why Bob Clampett wasn't at Warner Bros. after 1946. Some say he just quit while some say he was fired. Based on what I've read and/or heard on the subject, I suspect it was a bit of both. Either way, he was out on his own in the late '40's. He experimented with several projects at this time. He even did some animated films for Republic studios.
But, Bob Clampett truly hit the big time when his own puppet show Time For Beany debuted in 1949. This show would win several Emmys and create a huge following to boot (even attracting such high profile fans as Groucho Marx and Albert Einstein). Not only that, it introduced some puppeteering techniques that would be incorporated into the Muppets a few years later. I have no information as to Jim Henson's opinion of Bob Clampett's work, but I do know that muppeteer Dave Goelz (best known as the voice of Gonzo) cites Time For Beany as an influence. Time For Beany would become an animated series called Beany & Cecil in 1962.

Well, that's enough about the man's life for now. I'm not A&E y'know. Now lets talk about his work.

Besides the amazing elasticity, relentless energy, captivating yet seemingly disjointed stry-telling ability, there's also one other element of his work that I enjoy partly because it really helps him stand out from the rest: the playful imp that can't be killed. That's the way he approached Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. He'd likewise pit Porky Pig or Elmer Fudd against such a character. You can see that element quite plainly in this cartoon below:

Daffy Duck - The Wise Quacking Duck
Uploaded by Necopodalex

All this merely scrathces the surface of what makes Bob great. I think it would take at least three lifetimes to fully experience everything Bob Clampett has to offer. We should count ourselves lucky to even have one lifetime exposed to his work.

In short, Happy Birthday Bob.