David Jones and I go back a bit, thanks to us both being in the “Cartoonist Studio” Contest. We know each other through various cartoonist circles and are familiar with one another’s work. He was also featured here on the blog this past March. I absolutely love his comic “Just Say Cheese” and his new endeavor “Charmy’s Army”. I consider David Jones a friend and I am absolutely thrilled to catch up with him and see what’s going on with his new comic and life.
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David Hurley: Hey David, it’s a pleasure to be featuring you here again at “Don’t Pick the Flowers”. Last time you were showcasing your comic strip “Just Say Cheese”. That’s a good place to start. What is happening with Fug, Billy, and Just Say Cheese?
David Jones: Thanks David for asking me back! This is an honor to be asked to do another interview. I cannot begin to tell you the valuable significance of marketing for any comic strip. It is so hard to get an audience with the huge number of web comics out here.
Here is an update on my comic strip Just Say Cheese. Fug and Billy are anxiously awaiting their relaunch in January. They will be back with their first strip in 6 months when I release the episode “Oatmeal Sandwiches”. I needed a break from the town ofOkrapolisso I could explore other concepts I had.
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I have been writing new parody songs so Billy’s dad is still releasing albums with his band the Okra Pods. Their latest CD, “The Smack Album”, will be released this Tuesday. These fake albums are all in good fun and keep my twisted brain constantly creating. If I am not writing a strip, I am working on parody songs.
I’ve spent over 30 years developing the comic strip Just Say Cheese and have no plans to ever stop working on it.
David Hurley: Now you have a newer comic called Charmy’s Army. Can you tell me about the comic strip?
David Jones: I was working on a new concept called “Soap on a Rope” which is about a wrongly convicted man facing a hanging. I developed a ten year plan for the strip one day and started doing character studies. I took a break and when I returned to my sketchpad, I doodled this bug that popped into my head. I decided it looked like an ant so I put an army hat on him because he is an Army Ant. Then I laughed and said, “Wow, I just created my next strip… Charmy’s Army”. It happened that quickly.
I went to bed that night… well I “tried” to go to bed. I got up six times because every time I would lie down and get comfortable, I would have an idea for a strip pop into my head. I wrote the first week’s episode “Love is blind… DRUNK” in about 20 minutes and knew I had a hit.
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I spent the next two weeks drawing ants. Sarge took about 75 drawings to get what I liked. Frenchy and Weaver, as with Charmy, just happened. I sat down to drawn them and loved the first character that I sketched.
The strip revolves around Charmen “Charmy” Packy. This ant just waltzes into camp one day and joins the troop under orders of General Payne. Charmy loves his country and he loves his booze. I wrestled with his character for a month but I finally decided that I could tastefully portray the loveable, partying Charmy as long as I made sure his character remains a caring and honorable.
I have a ten year plan for this strip which involves a few plot changes and LOTS of surprises. This strip has all sorts of possibilities. This strip may be about a bunch of army ants, but their stories are not tied down to the military base. Currently, I am running a western storyline in Charmy’s Army which is a parody of the movie True Grit. I call this episode “True Twit”. It is a seven week long story that I believe is my best work to date.
David Hurley: How do you feel things have changed starting a new comic, Charmy’s Army, in comparison to writing “Just Say Cheese”?
David Jones: Nothing has changed. I sit down and draw four squares at the top of the page. After the squares are drawn, I stare at the squares and a story plays out in my head and I write down what I hear. Does that sound crazy or what? It is just that easy.
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The difference in approach for this new strip comes revolves around the visuals. I have completely changed the way I draw my strips. Drawing Charmy’s Army has taught me how to incorporate backgrounds better. I feel that now my strips create environments. With Just Say Cheese, I did a horrible job of incorporating scenes. Each panel was just a square with some characters talking to each other.
When I first drew these ants, I wanted to give the feeling that they were small so I made sure to leave a lot of open space in the background which I filled with scenes to fit the current story. When Just Say Cheese returns, you will see a much more professionally drawn comic strip.
David Hurley: Both of us entered a contest at “Cartoonist Studio”. Do you plan to enter the new contest and what are your thoughts on that?
David Jones: First off, I hope you choose to enter again David. I am entering both Just say Cheese and Charmy’s Army. I have three stories written that I want to submit for Charmy’s Army. I have to pick one soon so I can start drawing the submissions.
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I may also enter Soap on a Rope. I haven’t finished writing any strips yet on that one.
As for the contest, I think this is a HUGE deal. The last contest was fun. I did not like begging for votes though. I hope the Cartoonist Studio does away with the voting part. I feel that gives off the impression that the contest is a popularity contest when in fact it was anything but. The votes did not mean anything but the impression was that they did count. I would rather have a panel of professionals voting and eliminating the strips each week.
One thing I would love see added is a weekly top pick from the professional judges with some words of encouragement or with words of constructive criticism. Also, a judge with some crude, crazy input might be fun too. I am so looking forward to this next contest.
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I made a lot of great friends last year. I even wreaked havoc with two strips when I did mashups of my strip and a few of the strips from the contest. I hope everyone returns for this contest. This could be an awesome opportunity for one of us.
David Hurley: We are both aware that the comics industry is changing in how that distribute daily comics. There are many new sites taking in these comics. What are your future plans? Do you still plan for syndication or want to go it on your own?
David Jones: Yes, and change is good. I see new opportunities through the use of Kindles, the ever booming interest in animation, and then you have this large group of super-talented, new cartoonists popping up. The future is very bright.
My ultimate goal is still syndication. That has been my dream since I was seven years old. I am planning on submitting Charmy’s Army to all the syndicates after the conclusion of the Cartoonist Studio’s contest should I not win.
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If syndication is not in the future for Charmy’s Army, I will go to Plane B and release a treasury of my strips. This treasury will include a lot of unreleased strips as well as the ones you see on Comics Sherpa.
I would also to actually release an Okra Pods album one day instead of just pretending I am a rock star.
David Hurley: The future looks bright for you David. You have two great comics and great enthusiasm. I wish you the best of luck with your comics, the contest, and would love to have a treasury of your work. I’m truly glad to have you featured again.
And Check out Charmy’s Army at:
Go Comics: www.gocomics.com/charmy-s-army
Facebook: www.facebook.com/charmysarmy
Comics Showcase.com: comicsshowcase.com/Charmy_s_Army.html
