Hello everyone! I am excited to announce the launch of my new webcomic, Blitz ‘n Bolts! But before I talk about the comic, I want to take a quick moment to discuss the journey that got me here.
When I was a kid in elementary school, I spent all my money buying Garfield, U.S. Acres, Herman, and Far Side books from Scholastic book fairs. As much as I loved the comics themselves, I was even more obsessed with their creators (Jim Unger, Jim Davis, and Gary Larson) and dreamed of becoming a famous cartoonist like them.
I was a Jim Davis superfan! Some of my happiest memories as a kid were reading my Garfield books and watching the Garfield cartoon on TV. In 1988, I watched “Happy Birthday Garfield,” a show that celebrated Garfield’s 10th anniversary. That show was instrumental in making me want to be a cartoonist. I was blown away by the idea that you could make a living just drawing cute cartoons and writing gag jokes. I loved to draw; in fact, that is all I did in elementary school. I wasted reams and reams of construction and copy paper drawing cartoons and writing gags, so it seemed like I had discovered my calling.
I was particularly mesmerized by one segment of the show where Jim Davis had a conversation with three other syndicated cartoonists in his backyard, which included Dick Brown (Hagar the Horrible), Lynn Johnston (For Better or For Worse), and Mike Peters (Mother Goose and Grimm). This was next-level stuff. I discovered that not only can you get paid to draw cartoons, but you can also get to hang out with other cartoonists and talk shop.
As only a naive child could, I was completely convinced that someday I was going to be invited to sit in Jim Davis’s backyard and get a chance to hang with these amazing creators. Obviously, that never happened, but I have been invited to sit in other people’s backyards and talk with non-syndicated cartoonists. It was nice, but probably not as nice as sitting with Dick, Lynn, and Mike.
Over the years, I pursued many different interests, but I never gave up on my dream of becoming a cartoonist. I started a few different online comics, toyed around with many different concepts, but I have finally settled on a comic that I believe has the elements needed to be witty, entertaining, and successful, and that people can relate to.
In this day and age of segmented audiences and an overflow of media content, it might make more sense to develop a comic that falls into a specific genre or speaks to a niche audience (such as video games, pop culture, or movies). However, I’ve always wanted my comics to speak to the widest possible audience, just like my old favorites Garfield, Herman, and the Far Side, and my new favorites Rhymes with Orange, Zits, Adam@Home, Tina’s Groove, and Pickles.
I’ve mapped out a long story arc that will take Mat, my protagonist, through a big, engaging, and funny adventure, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes and to share it with all of you. For the foreseeable future, the comic will be updated every Wednesday, but I am planning to post more often as the comic matures. I hope you enjoy the comic, and I encourage you to provide me with your feedback.
Phil