Laura Howell
Please enjoy this batch of anthropomorphic offerings, with the added bonus of a load of Pink Panthers drawn from memory. We’re open to suggestions for next issues’ featured funny animal – drop us a line. Also, a big thankyou to all our regular contributors, plus new kids Ryan Taylor and Gemma Correll.
Don’t forget that the first 5 issues are available FREE to download HERE, and that our sponsor Blank Slate Books publishes the best new British and foreign comics there is.
A is for Ski Slope Antelope
B is for Global Economic Downturn Bittern
C is for Football Coach Cockroach
continued next issue…
(tap tap tap) “…I swear that the best thing about that Pink Panther TV animation show was the theme and the credits sequence with the car and the kid driving it and the pink panther getting out with Clouseau etc. That was wonderfully Kool and exciting and promised so much. The cartoons and the characters personalities were a let down, they are basically depressing, mean spirited, bitter stories about failure and frustration. The panther is a vain creep without the rogueish charm of Bugs Bunny, Clouseau should have just shot himself in the head with his service revolver to put us all out of our misery. The only reason we really watched them (like all the other wet-winter-in-the-seventies/
ppanther62@hotmail.com to zeel@comicalanimal.com -
(by Zeel, Orson and Jim Medway)
It may seem like magic when Comical Animal drops heavily into your mailbox, full of cartoony goodness, but it’s worth noting that all these pretty, pretty pictures and all these wonderful stories, jokes and characters don’t just magically appear. There is not a Create Comical Animal App. Comical Animal is created by real life human beings with emotions and feelings and pet dogs.
Fred Blunt or, to give the full, unabbreviated Victorian Gentleman, version of his name Frederick Albert Blunt, is a children’s book illustrator who has been lured into creating beautifully-crafted short comic strips for Comical Animal because, as he says, “doing them is fun”. They don’t pay, but they are fun. Taking The Day Job into account first, Fred told me that he “really enjoyed illustrating “Stop That Cow”, which had a lot of slapstick humour in it”. Also, a version of Old Mother Hubbard for an early reading series was “nice because old ladies and dogs are always fun to draw”. I can’t speak for the old ladies, but Fred has already given us some memorable strips featuring our four-legged friends.
Topically enough, when asked, Fred tells us that the animal he most resembles is, “Maybe one of those shaggy coated lurcher dogs, a bit greying”. Pressed on the pressing question that we press on all our talented crew, Dogs or Cats? He answers immediately, “Dogs 100%”. He looks a bit guilty then carries on, “Don’t get me wrong, I like cats… to look at, but I can’t be doing with all that claws in the legs malarkey when you’re trying to watch TV!”
I decide to steer the conversation away from dogs and ask him what his favourite comic was when he was a kid. It turns out to be Groo The Wanderer, Sergio Aragones hilarious tale of a mendicant barbarian and his … dog! … Rufferto. Have you ever hidden secret messages in your strips or illustrations like Sergio Aragones used to do in Groo?
“Not as such… although I’ve added family members and my old dog, Rusty (RIP old chum) in several of my books.”
Back to the art questions. Do you prefer a pen or a brush?
“Pen every time. I’m not skilled enough for brush. I also use a Wacom tablet ( a pretty old one now) which I tend to use for the colouring in really… I can’t quite get the line I like right, so I still scan the line”.
What’s the one thing you find the most difficult to draw?
“Perspective. I just don’t even bother trying now!”
What do your family think about you being a cartoonist?
“Largely approving I think? Mum’s ultra proud!”
The wallet-busting wages and public adoration aside, what’s the best thing about being a cartoonist?
“Not having to grow up”.
Which comic strip character would you most like to be?
“Snoopy… that cool!”
That’s not entirely unexpected. Okay, let’s pretend I’m Stan Lee. hat is your secret super power?
“The ability to make the perfect cup of tea. Based on 30 or so yrs of experience… secret tip is never put the milk in first, always last so you can see if it needs more. You can always add, but you can’t take it out. My wife would totally disagree with me here, but I believe this is the Queen’s preferred method!”
Excelsior!
Which comics publisher do you buy the most stuff from?
“None in particular, although I’ve been most impressed with the Blank Slate stuff recently”.
Do you hoard or do you collect comics?
“Not really, I do hoard children’s books though”.
Can you recommend any lost classics or hidden gems?
“Too many to mention! Russell Hoban and Quentin Blake’s Ace Dragon Limited is a favourite, and probably my fave book of all time is Marcelin Caillou by the genius French cartoonist Sempé. There’s a really great new English translation called Martin Pebble. It’s a graphic story of two boys friendship which manages to be both touching and funny. It’s also beautifully drawn in a deceptively simple way.”
Thanks, Fred! Time to walk the dog, I think.
-And thanks to Anonymouse for conducting the interview.
Everyone here at Team Comical Animal is thrilled that we’ve made it this far; an achievement only made possible by our talentful squad of artists and writers trading their hours on Earth for a handful of your smiles.
NOW UP AND TROTTING – COMICAL ANIMAL vol. 1 downableloadable digital Comical Animal – issues zero to 4, totalling 100 pages – for FREE! Took me a while but I managed it.
On with the fresh batch of funnies – please show your appreciation to our okapi calf sponsor Blank Slate, and our warm and generous contributors – thanks to y’all X
illustration Woodrow Phoenix
The UK has it’s own breed of robin, which is a little shorter and
rounder than it’s European cousin – much as humans from the UK often
are when compared to people from mainland Europe. There are also
American robins, which are actually a completely different type of
bird with a darker head and bigger body, who just happen to share the
same red breast feathers. But it is the UK robin that is most famous,
and most associated with Christmas, because of it’s pleasant song and
vibrant red chest.
The robin was voted Britain’s national bird fifty years ago, in 1961,
and it seems that every Christmas we are flooded with pictures of it
looking cute. The robin’s distinctive red chest markings may have
given it a festive appearance, but the species is not known to
celebrate christmas in the wild. In fact, the distinctive red markings
are a warning to other birds – including other robins! – that they
should stay away.
It’s probably fair to say that a robin’s favourite meal is a fresh
earthworm, just pulled out of the ground. This is one of the reasons
that they have become so familiar, as they will patiently watch
gardeners digging in their back yard so they can then get first pick
of the worms that are dug up without the effort of hunting for them.
This that is important when the robin is feeding a family back at the
nest. In fact, robins have been known to eat out of the hands of
people, such is their drive to find food.
This is because robins do not care about anything other than making
more robins. This can lead them to fight other birds, scare off any
other robins, and hang out near humans, all in search of more food for
their family. While they might have a reputation as a grumpy little
bird that is always up for a fight, life isn’t easy for a small bird.
It’s hard for them to find enough calories to eat during the winter,
when the frozen ground makes their main food source hard to catch, and
they are a convenient size snack for a lot of animals, such owls and
cats.
Pete Hindle
illustration Jim Medway
Red is his tummy,
Open is his beak,
Belting out his song until he gets quite weak.
Into his tummy red
Nice insects get munched,
Scoff peck peck, yum yum – the robin has lunched.
Amy-Louise Cheddar
