Hi guys. I’m not sure how to start one of these, but let’s give it a go.

I would like to share a few thoughts of mine regarding the awful passing of Edd Gould, a brilliant mind and endlessly-vigilant person in the face of a horrible illness. Edd, who I consider a friend and wonderful ally in the world of internet entertainment, passed away on Sunday the 25th of March after a long battle with leukemia. I’d been aware that his disease had made a return and that he’d been struggling with it for the past few months, yet I also felt he was winning the fight. We all did. I didn’t think for one second that he’d ever be taken from us. It’s just all so sudden. It upsets me greatly.

Edd and I talked a good few times over the years- I first got in touch with him around 2004 through our old website, Sticksuicide.com. He was an enthusiastic young animator who would often ask me for tips and tricks in Flash animation, and I’d be happy to help out. He was a huge fan of the craft, and simply wanted nothing more than to entertain the world with his ideas, drawings and Flash movies. He possessed an endless dedication to his work. It was certainly a passion to him, not just a job. 

As the years went by we’d fall in and out of contact (such is life), but I’d always check in to see how he was doing. Sure enough, his work slowly began seeing millions and millions of views as he grinded away at perfecting his art, and his work blossomed into a hugely popular franchise. It was great to see.

He once told me that it was Sticksuicide.com that inspired him to start creating Flash cartoons. Looking back, I can’t stress how unbelievable and flattering I find that. Edd’s work was truly special -professional, zany, unique, and incredibly homely. The entire world he created through his cartoons (based chiefly around his close friends- attesting to the sort of bonds he held with people) held a humbleness and warmth that we could all hugely appreciate. It was an extension of his gentle character. His cartoons never derailed into anything insanely dark, and yet he was still able to have us all captivated and thrilled through the sheer passion and childlike-enthusiasm he would pour into every episode. 

Edd’s huge catalog of work inspired me a lot during his time on this earth, and now even in his passing, he continues to inspire in new ways. Edd worked endlessly and fearlessly on his art, even knowing in the back of his mind that he may not be here much longer. He could’ve taken a self-destructive route, he could’ve introverted and taken time to himself, but no- Edd worked right up until his sad departure on the very cartoons that we all know and love him for. He gave his entire life to entertaining us.

We thank you, Edd. You have inspired me in that I now know fully that any one of us could go at any time soon. Any of us could be taken from this earth at any time, and that there’s suddenly little point in worrying over trivial matters or waiting for your dreams to come along- we’ve got to make them happen now. We’ve got to go get them. I promise you Edd, I will never purely take another day for granted and I will make sure I use the most of my time on this earth to do what I love- creating cartoons, and entertaining other people. I promise you, that I will do my utmost to replicate and carry on the attitude and love of life that you exhibited so effortlessly. I will try my best to endlessly create. I will try my best to bring people happiness like you did.

No more wasting time on this planet. I will dedicate myself to our art.

You’ve changed me Edd. Your character was inspiring and humbling. You will live on through the people you’ve inspired and your influence on their work, not to mention your huge influence on their lives in general.

You made a lot of people very happy, Edd. Hopefully we can do you proud. Your legacy will carry on for a very long time.

We’ll miss you, mate.

I’d like to end this with one of my favourite comics by Edd. This one had me in stitches. Just the expressions alone. I’m glad he knew that I loved his stuff.

Again, thanks for everything Edd.

I get asked this question a lot in interviews; whilst I’m aware that it’s a mainstay question for the enthusiastic (if unimaginative) interviewer who wants to garner some personal thoughts from me regarding my own comic, it’s starting to become a little repetitive. Therefore, I am going to indulge fully in my own egotism and bring you my top 10 favourite self-made comics, selected chiefly from my own instinctive enthusiasm. Trust me, I haven’t thought long and hard about this, because just like you can choose your favourite offspring instantly (you know you can, don’t lie), you know instantly which comics by yourself you love and hate. This time- love, in no particular order;

#10. “Need An Ambulance” (#2581)  17th October 2011

This is quite a new one, actually. I came up with this concept as I was sitting in a restaurant in a London airport, waiting for my connecting flight to New York City. Sleep-deprivation had started to kick in by this stage, and the idea came to me organically as I sat brewing complete nonsense in my head. Ended up giggling alone in that restaurant pretty hard, actually. Must’ve looked odd.

Once I got to relay the idea to Kris in NYC, he laughed pretty hard, and agreed it’d make a great idea for a comic. This one didn’t do great as far as the ‘facebook likes’ goes,  but I don’t care. I love it.

#09. “I bought you a huge trophy!” (#2513)  10th August 2011

This is also a more recent one, taken from a few months back. I was on a bit of a success spree regarding the quality of my comics during this period, and the idea came to me simply whilst I was sitting in front of my computer eating lunch. I find that the best ideas are those that involve very little planning- ideas that materialise organically. Sometimes, funny ideas just appear on the spot.

I love how passive-aggressive the blue guy is in this comic. Some of our most popular comics involve people just being assholes to each other for no reason. I suspect that popularity reflects a lot of inner-desires of our readership.

#08. “Death Penalty Kick” (#2293)  11th January 2011

This one appeals to my particular sensibilities for straight out stupid shit. Not only is it a pretty harsh punishment, I enjoy the fact that the goalie tries to save the guy’s head as if it’s all part of the game. It’s got that old, Scottish, DC Thompson feel to it too- slapstick straight out of The Dandy or Beano. Yowp!

#07. “Want to see my ass?” (#427)  31st January 2006

Here’s an old one that I still enjoy. This to me was one of the first instances where I felt like I’d written a really decent, relatively clever (hah) joke. Thankfully, the art style has changed considerably over the years. I probably came up with this one whilst sitting around in my room, pondering and smoking a ton of cigarettes during a weekend off from college studies.

#06. “Stage Fright” (#1966)  2nd February 2010

This is another one of those instances where the comic didn’t reflect well regarding how many people liked it via Facebook, but I don’t care. I suspect that this is because few people in America know what I was referring to by “stage fright.” “Stage fright,” in the UK and Ireland can also refer to nervousness when taking a leak in front of someone else. The last panel in particular cracks me up every time. Who would go to a show like this?

My style was starting to evolve into what it is currently at this stage. I’d just moved to Texas for the first time, and I guess the art was evolving along with my personal life. 

#05. “The Scream” (#840)  21st March 2007

This is another old ‘un, and it’s one I’ve constantly mentioned when asked about my favourites in interviews. This is another of those comics where the idea just came to me out of the blue. I enjoy the fact that the comic somewhat defiles the mythos of the original painting, and rather crudely stomps all over it. It was one of the first that I considered when we were asked to collect comics for our first book collection.

#04. “Old Feller” (#1542)  30th January 2009

Ah yes! I can remember this comic coming to me as I was eating dinner with my parents. My mother and I were sharing a joke, and she jokingly held her steak knife up to me. Suddenly, the idea of the grandfather taking the suggestion of “using the knife” wrongly occurred to me, and I left the table instantly to go write it down lest I forgot. I shared the idea with Kris later on and he loved it- he also suggested the final panel with ‘green guy’ cutting off a bit of steak. I think it all turned out to splendid effect (if crudely drawn- I was so anxious to just get the idea done that I didn’t spend a huge amount of time on it), and fans seemed to respond to it very well. This was another definite for the first book collection.

#03. “Comedic Relief” (#1040)  4th October 2007

Another relative oldie. I’d just moved to Belfast around this stage, and my sleeping pattern was pretty terrible (read: non-existent, my insomnia was really bad around this period). I think that contributed to a lot of whacky ideas in general during this period- see the next comic for a more direct example. I just enjoy the dickishness and the dourness of this comic. It’s almost like that guy has been wheeled in to make the comic more enjoyable.

#02. “Insomnia” (#1118)  20th December 2007

Remember what I said about insomnia? Well, here you go. This comic is a pretty direct expression of a rather unfun struggle with insomnia I was having. I still suffer from it greatly today, but it is absolutely nothing compared to how it was back when this comic was made. I think this is one of the first comics where I decided to show off that I could draw more than a coupla stick figures talking side on; Not that this is any great example of artistic wonderment, mind you, but still. this comic is more of a personal expression than most of my comics tend to be (apart from that one with the filename “myexgirlfriendisawhore.png”, but let’s leave petty and immature old jibes out for now).

The idea of taking the final panel and making it somewhat big and disturbing was inspired by a comic Kris had drawn a couple of months before. This comic, to be exact.

#01. “Dad And Son- Why Is Mommy No Longer With Us” (#2159)  3rd September 2010

I made a plethora of comics featuring the negligent dad and son around mid-2010, and I’m very fond of a lot of them. This one, however, just ticks my little personal smugness box for being (in my opinion) a bit clever. Around this period I was waiting for news on my US Visa, and I’d spend a lot of my day stressing and worrying over that. When it came to make a comic, I’d often sit down and ponder upon this sort of scenario;

“What sort of things do children ask their parents?”

“If I was an avoidant parent, what would be the most roundabout way to answer these questions?”

Generally, I’d come up with something equally as passively destructive as it is relevent, and it’d really make me laugh. A lot of the negligent dad/son comics came to me using this train of thought, and they seem to be pretty popular. As far as a longstanding ‘series’ of comics featuring recurring characters goes, this collection is probably my longest and definitely my favourite. By the by, I say ‘characters’ in the sense that they’re probably some of the closest that I’ve come to fully fleshed characters in the strip- they’re defined by their personality traits, such as the father’s obliviousness and passive-aggressiveness, and the child’s naivete.

My ego is sufficiently inflated now, I think, so it’s probably time to stop before I find myself fellating myself under the computer desk. In Explosm-y Dave news, I’ve just released a new print featuring another close favourite of mine. You can check that bad boy out here.

Love, as always,

-Dave

I, along with the other Explosm fellas, star in today’s Five Second Films. You can find it here; 

http://5secondfilms.com/watch/standard_operating_procedure/

Enjoy. Michael Rousselet and the gang were kind enough to host some drinkin’ time for us at their house when we were all in LA a couple of weeks ago, during which we shot this. What you don’t know is that I was pretty drunk at the time. I’m a regular Hasselhoff. Also note the weird-ass tufts of hair I’ve got poking out under my surgical cap. No idea what’s going on there. It’s all good.

I’d just like to make a quick note of this here- there’s a downside to being a ‘professional’ cartoonist in that it attracts the worst kind of people; those that seem to forget that I am a human being, and that I don’t solely exist to appease the sensibilities of others.

Sure, that’s my job. Unlike most jobs however, my job requires me being able to laugh and to want to make other people laugh.

That’s not always going to be the case in my life.

Sometimes- like everyone else out there- my day ain’t going so well.

I don’t mean stupid little things- I mean, really aren’t going well.

I still do what I can, though- like everyone else does. Which is why it pisses me off when I get occasionally get people on Twitter telling me stuff like this, sent today;

“I think you do owe readers an apology for yesterday’s comic.”

I would like to address this person directly, right now;

Fuck you, you self-righteous, indignant little shitbeard. Any other day this would fly, but not today. Regardless of how cushy you think my life is or how shitty you think my comics are, I do not solely exist to pander to your particular whimsical tastes and needs irrespective of what is going on in my personal life. I am not typing this to whine about my day, but I am here to tell you to go fuck yourself- because you’ve caught me at the wrong time to be condescending and snivelly about my attempts at giving you a (free) laugh when you have no idea of who I am or what is going on in my life right now.

Eat a fucking dick. I am sick of trying to appeal to people like you.

Here’s a couple of background stills I thought I’d share with you from our animated cartoons;

One of the more colourful pieces from Ted Bear, this is taken from the ‘remembrance’ montage at the end. Gotta say, those lifesavers look pretty delicious, if I do say so myself.

Another from the end montage of Ted Bear. Note Ted’s teeth are sharp like a lion’s here, yet I changed that to something more normal at the last minute. This took a good couple of hours to draw, largely because I drew all of it straight out of my own brain and half of that time was spent trying to make the lions look as least retarded as possible. Did alright, I think?

One more from Ted Bear. This is an interstitial used between scenes, kinda portraying Ted in a different light to what his conduct in the cartoon suggests. This one was fun to draw. Had the other guys looking over my shoulder and going “oooooh” as it trundled towards completion. That’s a good feeling.

Here’s the opening shot of the suicide scene in Waiting For The Bus. I was working on this around April/May 2009. Although you can’t really see it since it’s so small, those puddles actually reflect the sky and you can see the clouds in parts of them. A lot of this short makes me think of Sammy Davis Jr, since I was listening to a lot of the Rat Pack around the latter period of working on it. “Love me or leave me or let me be lonely!”

The trophy scene in Waiting For The Bus. this is one of the first scenes I properly started on during the second leg of the cartoon’s production (we actually started work on this cartoon around June 2008, but stopped in August and didn’t come back to it again until February the following year). Pleased with the lighting here.

The outside of “50 mph man“‘s house in Waiting For The Bus, complete with dealmaker driving up the driveway to offer our intrepid hero a chance to run in the Indy 500. This scene only appears for around 2 seconds in the cartoon— and most of it is covered by a curtain— but I think it shows off the effort I put into each scene either way. This cartoon was definitely a ‘showcase’ cartoon for us- it was the first proper collaborative cartoon between Rob and I, so we really wanted to flex ourselves and see how far we could go as a team. I think, looking at it now, it also reflects my purely Irish sense of “grandiose.” Rob asked for a big ol’ rich man’s house, so I gave him a planatation-era mansion with some old-ass walls, a gatehouse and a nice view of the Glens. Grand, eh?

The jailhouse scene from Waiting For The Bus. Particularly happy with the shadows here.

This is from… now hold on a minute, what is this from? That’s right, this is a screenshot from the opening scene of a BRAND NEW short. Consider it a little exclusive from my blog, as we’re hoping to get the shorts train moving in full gear again very soon. This is the first cartoon where I will be collaborating on backgrounds with the incredibly-talented Shawn Coss, who produced the piece you can see above. I think we’re going for a more streamlined, cartoonish and irregular look for the backgrounds this time, and I think you’ll agree it looks fantastic. I ain’t going to be giving away anything else right now, so I’ll leave it to you guys to ponder amongst yourselves what this cartoon’s about. I don’t think it’s too hard! I know you guys are going to love it.

More to come soon, 

Love,

-Dave

I recently watched a film called Mickybo And Me, a 2004 Irish comedy-drama about the lives of two nine-year-old friends from opposite sides of the political divide in Belfast in the 1970s; a period when a civil conflict known (rather unassumingly) as The Troubles was in full swing.

The Troubles was easily the most prolonged period of open warfare in modern Irish history. Spanning nearly 30 years, and with it’s venom backed up by centuries of ethno-political resentment, it lay claim to some of the most gritty, horrific and macabre scenes of human atrocity committed in western Europe. Bombings, massacres, gunfights and knee-cappings were a daily fixture of the Belfast landscape during this time, earning the city the rather dubious reputation of being one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

Which is maybe why, after watching this film, I can maybe understand why the young protagonists were… absolute wee fuckin’ shites, as they’d say back home. Watching these young children swear at their elders, spit on complete strangers and threaten each other with penknives had me wondering exactly what sort of country I’d come from. Do they not teach these wains (wee ‘uns) anything? 

I mean, can you imagine a nine-year-old coming out with stuff like this, verbatim;

“What the fuck you lookin’ at? You lookin’ decked, fuckhead?”

“You’re such a fuckin’ wee girl! Fuck off, pishy knickers, go fuck yerself!”

“You fuckin’ startin’? I’ll FUCKIN’ KILL YE.”

I couldn’t either, but then I had a startling revelation…

When I was a child, I found this sort of behaviour normal myself!!

It’s true! I can remember being surrounded by exactly the same sort of debauchery when I was a young’un.

So, what does that say about northern Irish society? 

To answer that question, let’s take a quick history lesson, so we can put it all into context…

A Troubled Birth

Northern Ireland, as a political entity, is one built upon apprehension and suspicion. The very context of the it’s birth — a reactionary measure on the part of Ireland’s northern Protestants to keep the north of Ireland under British control in a time when Irish independence was sweeping the rest of the island— ensured that it came into the world snarling and gnashing like a rat trapped into a corner. 

As a state, Northern Ireland was born with it’s back inherently against the wall. It was controlled by a Protestant government who, above all else, sought to defend the province at all costs from the influence and grasp of the largely Catholic South. To northern Irish Protestants, the severing and subsequent protection of the north from the rest of the island was their last stand in the fight for what they saw as their freedom to practice British values. 

Ironically, in the northern Protestant pursuit to avoid becoming a minority in an independent Irish state, a sizable minority was formed in the native Catholics that found themselves living within the boundaries of the new Protestant-controlled state. These Catholics, who affiliated more with the culture and values of the South, suddenly found themselves isolated in a province where the governing body treated them with immediate suspicion and hostility. As a result, tensions rose between the two polarised communities and, combined with increasingly militant tactics on both sides, eventually culminated in the 30 years of open warfare we know now as The Troubles.

These are the very bare bones of the conflict, and it would take books upon books of writing to explain it fully and fairly. However, it is within this context that I again put forward my original question; in such a society, is it hard to imagine a nine year old child spewing some of the verbal depravity I listed earlier?

Does it really become surprising anymore?

In a province where grown adults have been hurling not just insults, but bombs and gunfire for generations, is it surprising that such deeply-embedded hostility trickles down to the next generation?

Suddenly, the answer seems to be a resounding “no.”

A Cold Exterior

Whilst the cold days of The Troubles are now over, a lot of the residue from those times is still hugely prevalent. Viewing Northern Ireland from my newly-external perspective, it now surprises me to see how deeply embedded a sense of headstrong vigilance is within every facet of northern Irish society. The northern Irish sense of humour, for example, is more dark and blunt than that generally found in the US. Likewise, the attitude towards life’s intricacies is more bull-headed and workmanlike and a lot of things perhaps considered shocking elsewhere are considered quite trivial. These are differences that I have personally had to learn hands-on as I adjust to life in the US- I’m pretty sure I’ve offended a few people more than once with my “sleggin’!”

Heck, even the facial features of your average northern Irishman seem to reflect an ingrained toughness. Any native reading this post will be able to testify to the northern Irishman’s natural ability to pull off a truly intimidating, piercing scowl; something that seems to hold a purpose similar to the horns of a bull, or the stripes of a wasp. It is there to warn you. It’s there to warn you not to fuck with this person, because this person’s lineage has seen enough violence throughout the years to become completely accustomed to it.

Case Study: Belfast Dad

I tend to make these sorts of wee observations when I’m in the middle of travelling between Ireland and the US; usually during a layover at Newark airport. There, I find I have the uncanny ability to point out a Belfast dad long before he confirms it with his accent, and it’s become a little game I like to play with myself. I’ve already listed most of the giveaways above, with the only addition generally being a a bright-red, livid sunburn-face that suggests both a lack of ability to tan and too many years of Ulster frys. It’s something I personally find quite endearing.

Heck, even Dublin dad, usually found sitting nearby, is more passive looking- often entertaining himself with a pack of Dunkin’ Donuts whilst sharing small talk with his son. Belfast dad does not. Belfast dad is often too busy blaring loudly at his wife about which US coin is which;

“Dat DUR is a frickin’ quartur, and dat DUR is a diiieeeme. SEE NOW!?”

And you know what? I find this bluntness charming as hell.

A Warm Interior

If it has all sounded like I’m creating a negative, sincere tough-guy view of Northern Ireland so far, please be assured that I’m not. This is all just a basis for my concluding point.

You see, there is another strain of resilience within northern Irish society that I’ve failed to mention thus far. One that contradicts the hard-headed exterior I’ve described up till now- it is an optimism and warmth that attests to a staunch refusal to stop looking towards the light, even in the darkest times of The Troubles.

Through this stubborn determination to enjoy life even when things have seemed at their worst, the northern Irish have developed an ability to express an empathy and compassion for others that —to this day in my travels— has yet to be bettered. Whilst Northern Ireland’s society is pluralised, both communities share a unity in having taken their bloody history of conflict and created a delightfully unique and interesting view of the world that resonates wonderfully in their humour, their art, their uncanny ability to empathise and, above all, make you feel like you’re in good company. 

In closing, if you ever meet someone from the north of Ireland/Nothern Ireland/whatever-you-want-to-call-it on your worldly travels, don’t worry if they initially seem alarming. We don’t mean to bite!

As a people, we’ve just had it a little tough in the past.

Give us a chance, and you’ll quickly find we’re the greatest people in the world.

Watch Mickybo And Me online via Megavideo;

http://www.megavideomovies.net/2010/05/watch-mickybo-and-me-2004-megavideo.html