When I was 12 I took a Greyhound bus trip with family friend and Minister Dexter. He had conducted my parents wedding only a couple of years earlier and many years later conducted my Dad's funeral. A couple of months ago he conducted my brother Perry's wedding. It was there that he gave me back a sketch book full of my drawings: a sketch book that I had originally given him on that bus trip. I honestly have no memory of this sketchbook but it survived a few of Dexter's moves across Canada and he was thoughtful enough to give it back to me as a gift that shows where I was at then and where I am now. Drawing hands and feet are still a problem and many of the characters that I create today still don't really totally catch the zeitgeist. For example, The Burner, whose sole power is the ability to himself rather horrifically, he's remained in this sketchbook until now, ready for the world to see. Same with a rather pastoral unicorn scene just for all you fantasizing indie rockers.
9 comments:
FUCKING BRILLIANT!
Ah, still taking digs at those poor naive indie rockers Robert. They really make wonderful straw-men for all.
Though, nowadays It is really more in vogue to applaud the "genius" of top 40 dreck, I suppose.
Don't stop believing,
- Lester
Letser! I miss you! You are the brilliant man who designed the Canned Hamm and July Fourth Toilet album covers! MISS YOU!
The unicorn joke was funnier 4 years ago but, hey man, I was way ahead of that curve as a little boy! So much so that I put the drawing up here twice. Twice!
Is it Top 40 dreck now? I was just given some Pavement so I can pay attention now to what I had previously intentionally avoided before. I'll let you know how it goes now that I am learn to judge others less.
Glad you posted these for posterity. I recognize some of the these characters from the early 80s.
On a side note, last time I was babysitting Felix Mclean I told him if he was well behaved he could watch the Smurfs but when he didn't up behaving I made him watch The Snorks as punishment.
Robert,
These are amazing. You are lucky to have such a tenacious friend.
Danke!
Shay, most of the characters were of my own creation (The Burner! Man Cat!) with one or two exceptions such as the blue thing- that's a STAR LORD , I think. I had the toys, very neato. It had a faux-crystal chest plate and contorted arms.
Snorks? That's some tuff turf right there. What was their damage anyways? Underwater Smurf ripoff that could dwell a couple feet below the surface due to the lengths of the snorkels on top of their heads?
the snorks we're a poor boys Smurfs, I don't remember any accompanying soundtrack LP's either, although the theme song ripped pretty hard.
Last time I was with the Maclean clan I subjected Felix to multiple episodes of the live action swamp thing series. Almost no plot. Just a guy in the leftover suit from the movies walking around a swamp. Perhaps even worse than littlest Hobo. Then we watched a couple episdoes of the swamp thing cartoon was from the early 90s?? The theme song is Wild Thing by the Troggs with the lyrics changed...
"Swamp thing
you are amazing
you fight everthing...nasty!
Swamp thing
earth really needs you
etc. etc."
Did you read many Star Comics when you were a kid?
Animax, Fraggle rock, Madballs, the popples??
God, horror! Paperrad made a career out of that shit
Ha ha ha! The Paper Rad influence.
I thankfully missed those Star Comics. What year was that? By 1989 I was getting into Neat Stuff and Jim. High school. Before that Watchmen and...SWAMP THING!!!!
I just got an amazing Bollings ' Little Archie with a tale told from the perspective of Lil Bettey's cat Caramel...incredible and moving!
And at that store where I bought thso ecomics was set 2 of the Swamp Thing TV show...I want to at least see the movie again. Didn't even know about the cartoon! That's so....odd.
oh man, what a sweet find.. dexter rules for hauling those around for... 25 years?
almost like getting these tattooed!
"Last time I was with the Maclean clan I subjected Felix to multiple episodes of the live action swamp thing series. Almost no plot."
Will you, gulp, marry me? Either way say hello to the Mcleans from me.
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