Michael Jantze: And the land of Norm

Posted on October 27, 2011 by David Hurley

Michael Jantze (left) With SCAD Professor David Allen Duncan (and Garfield) at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Research Center at Ohio State University

Michael Jantze is an absolute amazing comic strip writer. You may know him from his comic “The Norm” and what a great and beautifully drawn piece of art. Michael now teaches as a professor at SCAD (SavannahCollegeof art and Design), owner of Jantze Studios and of course there are rumors of a new comic. Michaels work is something we all aspire to and with great pleasure I’m thrilled to feature him here at “Don’t Pick the Flowers”.

David: Michael you have quite an amazing career, and a very busy one. The first place to start would be your comic “The Norm”. Visually it’s amazing and the story telling is great. Initially when did you decide to become a cartoonist and where did the whole idea for “The Norm” come from?

Michael: I got serious about syndication sometime in the late 1980s. I was studying for the GRE to return to college for a masters and spent most of my evenings either studying or avoiding studying. The product of the avoidance was doodling some new strips with the characters from my college comic strip “NormalState”. When the pile of strips hit 30 or so, I decided I’d try to submit to syndication…but first I decided I wanted to draw at least 100 to make sure I could do it “forever”. When I got to about 100 I decided to self-publish a book, so I renamed the strip “Normalu.s.a.” and printed a limited edition of 1000. Somewhere on that timeline I quit studying for the GRE and started Harvest Moon Publications. I printed the one book, sent out some samples to syndicates, got interest from United Media and King Features and a contract from DC Comics. So that’s where that all started. “Normalu.s.a.” eventually got a development deal from United Media in, I think, 1991. By then I was under contract with DC for an original 180-page graphic novel. By 1993, my development deal was over and I was negotiating with DC to stop work on the book and regain my copyright.

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So “The Norm” started as a daily journal. I was frustrated with the way editors were trying to push me away from my strengths. I decided I would draw a strip a day in a journal about my life…my thoughts…whatever…the conceit of Norm talking to the reader grew out of that exercise and Woody Allen’s film “Annie Hall”. By this time I was working as a journalist and needed a way to talk about the ordinary things in life instead of all the crime, corruption and garbage I was seeing. I needed a way to make sure I didn’t become just another misanthropic reporter.

I wanted it to be like stand-up comedy on paper.

David: “The Norm” was syndicated by King Features (and pulled by you), and now is on “gocomics”. Do you miss doing it? I’ve heard you may start another comic, or is that half way top secret?

I miss Norm. He’s fun to draw and a riot to write for. I think if I wrote new stories they’d need to be graphic novels or animated features. I think Norm grew out of the gag-a-day format but the concept of being normal is still very alive. I think probably more so in this economic poop-fest than during the bubbles of the past 15 years. I have worked on two new ideas…one about 8 years ago titled “Ages 2 and Up”…but Richard Thompson’s “Cul de Sac” showed up and was the prettier sister of my idea. I really enjoy the way he handled the same topic I wanted to approach, so I moved on to another idea. The current comic I’m writing is titled “Family Theater” and it’s about us four Jantzes…a little simpler concept but a lot of fun to draw when I have time. I have no idea when it’ll be ready. I keep not working on it.

David: You are the owner of Jantze Studios; can you give a little insight into your company and what your company does?

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Michael: I set up an animation studio in 2007 to contribute to an art form that was being abandoned by the animation corporations: hand-drawn animation. Our first work was for corporate clients like Blackstone Real Estate, Hilton Hotels, YouTube and some other dot-com companies. We created characters to help tell brand stories. I think the most successful of those is Mr. Lux (the short is on my jantzestudios page on YouTube).

Then I got a call from some cartoonists wondering what I was up to, so we worked on some cartoon brands to help them figure out cost-effective content solutions to new media platforms. The outcome of that was something I call Audio Comics…like an audio book. We created 30 motion comics for “Zits” as well as some low-cost animations for “Cul de Sac”, “Baby Blues” and others.

David: You are also a professor at SCAD in Savannah Georgia, what’s it like for a student to be in your class? What are some of the things you teach?

Michael: I have no idea what it’s like for them, to be honest. They probably go home and either try to figure out how to get their money back or cry. Just kidding, of course. I hope my students see my passion for storytelling across all mediums. I work diligently to make the theory lessons of each class relevant to the practical applications in the current job market. We talk a lot about how each of the assignments and projects will apply to “real life” when their working for a company or themselves.

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I teach in both the Sequential Arts department and Animation. My animation classes are on digicell pipeline production…that’s hand-drawn animation paired with Adobe or ToonBoom software for production tools.

I also teach the history of comic art, comic book writing, webcomics, new media comics, character design and storyboarding for animation as well as a host of other classes.

And I’m using SCAD students and graduates for current projects, to help them get the experience they need to land on both feet and be relevant in this contracting job market.

I’m teaching my first online class this quarter and it’s been fun working with student from all over theU.S.and even one fromHong Kong. SCAD has amazingly talented students and it’s my job and honor to hook them up to the “creative cart”.

David: There are different styles of comics, but in your opinion what makes a great comic?

Clarity. Period. Everything else is debatable.

David: What advice do you give to anyone who wants to become a cartoonist?

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Michael: Go for it! But I’d suggest getting some small business classes and computer/software experience to work in this new media market. I tell my students who want to be freelancers that the Graphic Artist Guild’s Pricing and Ethical Guidelines book is your father and the Writers & Graphic Designers Market book is your mother. One helps you with contracts and billing, the other sets up your play dates with editors and publishers. If you desire to work for a company, you better be a genius at computers and 2D and 3D programs…and you’re best bet for an entry job is in gaming or app development…huge growth for artists and writers right now. Remember, all roads lead to the bigger companies.

David: Thank you Michael for taking the time to be featured at “Don’t Pick the Flowers”. Thank you for sharing insights into your world and your work is fantastic all the way around. I’m in absolute awe!

For more of Michael Jantze, check out these links!

Michael Jantze Studio: jantze.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jantzestudios

Twitter: twitter.com/#!/michaeljantze

Animation:  www.youtube.com/jantzestudios

 

 

 

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Dan Thompson: And the adventures of Rip Haywire

Posted on October 20, 2011 by David Hurley

Dan Thompson is the creator of the absolute amazing adventure comic “Rip Haywire”. Dan started his career for FunnyBone Interactive doing character design and animation, and moving on to gag cartoons and freelance illustration. With a clients list that includes Mad Magazine and DC Comics plus being a member of the National Cartoonist Society, he is a rare talent and down right hard working force to be reckoned with. With great pleasure I am thrilled to have Dan Thompson on “Don’t Pick the Flowers”.

David: Hey Dan, what a pleasure to feature you at Don’t Pick the Flowers. First and foremost can you give a little insight about Rip Haywire and how the strip came about?

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Dan: Rip Haywire is an awesome humorous adventure strip about a soldier of fortune (Rip) his venomous ex-girlfriend Cobra, and his cowardly yet come through in a pinch collie sidekick TNT. They globe-trot from adventure to adventure looking for danger, romance and laughs. The strip was created because it was a strip I really wanted to create. I had loved the adventure comic strips of the 30’s-40’s and 50’s and wanted to create something similar, but with humor as a traditional adventure/soap opera type strip would have a slim chance at syndication.

David: Rip Haywire is your baby, how do you feel you identify with Rip Haywire and the characters, or is it all the adventure you are secretly desiring to have?

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Dan: When writing you have to identify with the characters you’ve created. Over time you get to know them better, and they will start answering your questions to the troubles you are putting them in. Rip tows the hardline and wants the outcome of situations to be as dangerous as possible. TNT on the other hand would rather be slurping down a frozen margarita while watching dancing with the stars. So the characters always show their true colors in the situations they’re in. I personally would never want to be in the scrapes Rip and co. gets themselves into…the fun for me is trying to get them out alive and keep fighting to take down the bad guys.

David: What’s it like for you on a daily basis, hectic work schedule and all? How do you go about writing for the script and then getting everything ready for the finished product?

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Dan: Rip Haywire is a full time job that pays slave wages, so in order to keep it up and running I have to fit it in between my other freelance work. I usually write 6 dailies in one day, sit on them for another day to see if I can play with or fix some wording.  Then I send ’em over to my hilariously awesome editor Reed and then I ink them by the end of the week in between the rest of my jobs. It’s an iron man decathlon of cartooning every week for me, but I love the Rip Haywire strip so I continue it.  Thanks by the way for buying my books! It helps! (David: Yes! A definite pleasure!)

David: You have a great resume working for Mad Magazine to DC Comics, to name a couple. How tough is it for you to balance everything plus do your own comic strip? How does Rip Haywire fit into such a busy schedule?

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Dan:  I’m pretty lucky that my schedule is very flexible with the projects I work on, and I work pretty fast so I can make time here and there if I need to. Projects like MAD Mag are the projects every cartoonist wants, but I try to put in 110% on every job. Rip Haywire is always on my mind, so when I’m not working on other things Rip is always my focus.

David: Last question Dan, like I said previously with a great list of Clients that you have, what advice do you give anyone trying to break into the field of comics?

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Dan: Never give your work away for free for exposure. Learn what things you do best and stick with that. Being in the right place at the right time always helps. Learn the history of comic’s field you love. Always give 110%. Stephan Pastis told me once “Quality will always succeed.”

David: Thank you Dan, what quality work you produce, absolutely amazing. And thank you for sharing a little “behind the scenes” of Rip Haywire and your life.

Now it’s time for you to check out Dan and Rip Haywire if you aren’t already familiar:

riphaywire.com

www.gocomics.com/riphaywire

twitter.com/#!/RipHaywire

www.facebook.com/groups/159298289992

www.amazon.com/Rip-Haywire-Dan-Thompson/dp/1613770707/

www.amazon.com/Rip-Haywire-Dan-Thompson/dp/1466345683/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316858207&sr=8-1

www.amazon.com/Rip-Haywire-Blows-Dan-Thompson/dp/1466375817/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_2

 

 

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Mark Parisi: Off the Mark

Posted on October 13, 2011 by David Hurley

Mark Parisi has described himself as having two marketable skills, cartooning and grocery bagging. And having taken the path of the cartoonist, he’s been making people laugh for almost 25 years with his comics. Mark is the man behind the extremely humorous comic called “Off the Mark”. But that’s not all his Clients have included: Del Monte, the US Military (anti-binge drinking campaign), Billboard Magazine, Glamour Magazine, The National Enquirer, Recycled Paper Greetings, Dixie Chicks and Chicken Soup for the Soul. I was privileged to have Mark answer some questions about his life as a cartoonist and I’m thrilled to share them with you here.

David: What’s it like in the day in the life of Mark Parisi? Do you have a routine to get you started for the day?

Mark: I work from home but manage not to do so in pajamas. I shower, shave and dress even though my commute is only walking down the stairs. Most days I skim the newspaper, get distracted by my computer and then roll over to the drawing table. What I do on any given day depends on how the previous day went. I hopefully already have my ideas. I might have some ideas penciled that need to be inked or maybe the ideas are taunting me from the sketchbook and have yet to be fully developed. Sometimes I prefer quiet and other times I’ll listen to music or podcasts. After dinner and family time, I’ll continue work at night. The TV goes on and I generally work on things that don’t require as much thinking. Maybe I’ll color a greeting card, scan some drawings, ink, things like that. While “off the mark” is my main focus, I also have side projects. For instance, I do concepts and sketches for Topps’ Wacky Packages and have done anti-binge drinking cartoons for the military. One of my favorite side jobs was making a Christmas Card for The Dixie Chicks.

David: When you are writing a gag for “Off the Mark”, are these ideas that have been rolling around in your head, maybe scribbled on pieces of paper or do you sit down and say “ok, the work day begins”?

Mark: I hate sitting down without an idea. Monday is my day for writing. I spend all day in a coffee shop with a sketchbook and an iPod and try to come up with ideas. If I have a decent day, I’m all set with ideas for at least the week. I appreciate those spontaneous ideas that pop into my head due to various circumstances during life, but I can’t count on those.

David: You’ve been syndicating your work since 1987, do you consider it easier to create comics now or do you have a few days where you want to bang your head against the drawing tables?

Mark: Yes to both parts of the question. I’ve had many stressful days when coming up with ideas seems incredibly difficult. Sometimes I feel like I’ve already tread so much ground that I have to keep digging deeper and deeper. The difference now is I don’t stress about it like I used to. I know I will eventually come out of it no matter how dire it seems. I’ve been doing this for almost 25 years and I always come out of the funk. It’s comforting to realize that so my stress level is a lot less these days. Generally, things come a little easier now, including the drawing, but another case of writer’s block is always looming.

David: What do you consider the most challenging thing about creating comics?

Mark: The ideas, either coming up with them or figuring out how to best present them.

David: We all have different tastes in humor and each cartoonist has their own style. But what do you think makes a great cartoon or comic?

Mark: What I like to see in a panel cartoons is the writing and the drawing both being essential to the gag. The reader could just read the text and not get the joke. The reader could just look at the drawing and not understand it. But, once the reader combines the text with the drawing, the gag is revealed. What is said (or shown) and what isn’t said (or shown) can make so much difference. As far as strip cartooning is concerned, just look at Richard Thompson’s “Cul De Sac” for what makes a great comic. It has strong characters, timing, a unique voice, great writing, great art, unexpected turns, imagination, everything. He pisses me off.

David: HaHa…I’ll agree with you on that, he is one of the greats! And you my friend, I’m going to put up there with him…but you don’t piss me off! Thank you for being featured, Mark. You are truly a great cartoonist!

So head on over to Mark’s website “Off the Mark” and be prepared for a laugh! www.offthemark.com

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Cayetano Garza Jr: and the Infinite Canvas

Posted on October 6, 2011 by David Hurley

Cayetano Garza Jr. is a graphic designer, cartoonist, musician, painter, and pioneer. He started making webcomics in 1996 to avoid sending out expensive submission packets to comic publishers and started “magicinkwell.com” in 1998 so he could publish his work exclusively on the web. Something that was unheard of at the time and now has become what all cartoonists do to show their work.  In his 15 years working on the “infinite canvas” (Scott McCloud, Reinventing Comics) he has taken web comics into territories few have only dreamed of.

David: Hello Cayetano, it’s a definite pleasure to be featuring you here on “Don’t Pick the Flowers”. You are an incredible artist. I guess the first place to start talking about your work is “Magic Inkwell”. You were one of the first people to get a hold of the idea of putting your work on the internet as a means of showing your web comics and a pioneer. Can you give a little insight into Inkwell and how you got started?

Cayetano: Magic Inkwell started out in my sketchbook during the spring semester of my senior year in college back in 1996. I had come to appreciate the comics of George Herriman during the last few years of
college and had always loved early animation as well (Felix, early Mickey, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the Fleischer Studios stuff.. pretty much anything black and white). So I began to simplify my drawing style and emulate that “ball and rubber hose” style of drawing. At the time Chris Ware was still doing his Sparky stories as well, so that was also a very big influence. Dingbat the Cat (and the rest of the Inkwell cast) was born.

David: What’s your favorite story or character you’ve worked on over the years?

Cayetano: I think my favorite would have to be the Year of the Rat version of Dingbat. He has been the most fun to work with. Being able to work in the manga style was a real blast for me.

David: One of the things I love about your work is that you are not afraid to experiment. What would you consider the greatest influences on your art?

Cayetano: There are too many to mention here. Many of my influences come from movies, literature, fine art and music, and other sources outside of comics. I guess one of the biggest influences come from Texas cartooning history/tradition (esp. the early 90’s comics’ scene in Austin, TX) and the work of innovative cartoonists that aren’t afraid to push the boundaries of the art form.

David: You have also taught at The Center for Cartoon Studies. I would love to be in one of those classes. What are some of the things you teach and have your students focus on?

Cayetano: The classes I got to teach mainly focused on showing students how to put their work up on the web, a class on webcomics history, and computer coloring. I actually enjoyed being thesis advisor a bit more. I only got to do it twice in the five years I lived in White River Junction, but it was the most rewarding experience I’ve ever as far as teaching goes. Basically I helped a student throughout their senior year, step by step, as they worked on their thesis. It was amazing to watch the development and jump in ability that would happen in the span of that year. It helps spur me on with my own work. Very inspiring and rewarding!

David: There have been many changes within the comic world over recent years. Newspapers are dwindling away. Cartoonists are taking to the internet. This question may sound a bit trite, but where do you see the evolution of comics and the internet going? That includes syndicated cartoonist to those working in the graphic novel arena. And what do you hope to see?

Cayetano: Well, what we’re seeing now is the fulfillment of all the things we said would probably happen to comics and the comic’s industry way back in the beginning of this webcomics thing. Some of the wishes we had (like micropayments) have been slow in coming, but change is still in the air as more and more people ditch print for digital. I really don’t talk about what I want to see in the future anymore because that kind of talk got me in trouble in the past, but if there was one thing it would be to see more people experiment with the format of online comics again. A return to exploring the possibilities of the infinite canvas and interactivity instead of just a million more comicpress sites. Now THAT really would be something. 🙂

David: Thank you Cayetan for sharing a little about the man behind the highly creative and skilled “Magic Inkwell”. Truly a pleasure to feature you here.

If you aren’t already familiar with Magic Inkwell check this site out: magicinkwell.com












 

							

	
			

									
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Norman Feuti: And the Chronicles of “Retail”


			

				Posted on September 29, 2011 by David Hurley			


					

				
Where do you begin when talking about a highly talented individual like Norman Feuti? He is a cartoonist, author, and freelance illustrator. He started out as a manager in Retail and has turned that experience into a highly successful comic called “Retail”. He also turned “Gil” a rejected syndicate submission into a successful web comic, then pulled the plug on it, but now is launching that same comic into his second comic strip to be syndicated simultaneously. The man is a trooper and let’s hope he gets a little rest as he embarks on this fantastic new journey.


David: Hi Norman, you have an array of talents from Syndicated Cartoonist, Author and Illustrator. Your very funny daily comic “Retail” features four main characters as they deal with the day to day life in a Retail store with customers and coworkers. You personally have worked in retail, obviously this has helped you develop your comic. What is some of the background that lead up to you writing the comic strip, when did you decide to become a cartoonist?


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Norman: I’ve had a pipe dream of being a cartoonist ever since I got a copy of “Loose Tails” for my 13th birthday.  It was the first Bloom County collection, and it really captured my imagination, and changed my perception of what a newspaper comic could be.  Soon after, Calvin & Hobbes would similarly blow my mind.


But the first time I actually tried to turn that dream into a reality was in 2000.  I had been working in retail management for 15 years, and was burnt out on it.  I submitted comic strip ideas to all the major syndicates regularly for five years before getting signed by King Features to produce RETAIL in 2005.  RETAIL resonated with the syndicate because they felt my actual retail experience lent a great deal of legitimacy to the writing. 


David: You also have a comic strip called “Gil”. Can you share a little history and what is next with that?


Norman: In 2008, I came up with an idea for a comic strip called GIL about a chubby 8-year-old boy with divorced parents.  The strip wasn’t autobiographical, but was strongly based on my own experiences growing up.  I pitched it to the major syndicates, but they all turned it down at the time for various reasons.


After that I put the samples on my blog to get feedback and was encouraged by the strong response it got from my my fan base and fellow cartoonists.  I turned it into a web comic and developed it further online for about a year before pulling the plug to focus on other projects.


What’s next for GIL is big news for me actually.  Last year, I resubmitted GIL with the new strips I developed online, and this time my editor at King Features said yes.  GIL will launch in newspapers in January 2012.  I’m very excited!


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David: I enjoy your comic “Nelson” designed for the iPhone, do have any plans to continue working with those characters and in that format?


Thank you.  A lot of people enjoyed the characters in that strip, as well as the format experimentation.  It really wasn’t something the syndicates felt they could do anything with at the time, and frankly I’m not technically savvy enough to do something with it on my own, so I kind of shelved the idea for the time being.  I don’t have any immediate plans to move forward with it.


David: Having worked in retail management and now being a Syndicated Cartoonist (both can be demanding with management of time and resources). What do you consider to be the greatest reward of being a cartoonist even with a grueling schedule at times?


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Norman: The best part is being able to work from home and make my own schedule.  Yes, the deadlines are never-ending, but drawing funny pictures for a living in the comfort of my own home is a pretty awesome way to make a living no matter how you slice it.   


David: What are some of the future plans for Norm Feuti, Retail and your other creative works?


Norman: Well, as I mentioned, GIL is the next big thing I’ve got going on.  But, potential projects for RETAIL keep cropping up as well.  An agency in Hollywood is pitching it as a live-action TV sitcom.  No takers on that yet, but the hook is out there.  I’m working with a publisher to make a long overdue RETAIL treasury book a reality.  I’m fairly busy these days.  Which is a great thing!


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David: And it sounds like the planets are aligning! What a pleasure to feature you here on Don’t Pick the Flowers and have you answer a few questions. You have incredible work and I’m looking forward to seeing all that’s in store for us with “Retail” and “Gil”.


 


Find more of Norman Feuti and his work at:


 www.retailcomic.com


www.normfeuticartoons.com


gilcomics.com

							

	
			

									
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