Bored Panda reached out to Adam, who kindly answered our questions. First of all, the artist replied to us by telling us a bit more about himself and his background.
“Literally or personally? Literally… *Looks at himself* I’m wearing a large poncho dressing gown that my mum got me for Christmas and my background *looks around* is a framed illustration inspired by The Shining that has a typewriter that says ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. Kind of fitting when I work on comics a lot. Personally, I’m an author/artist for children's graphic novels. Before this, I spent many years in game development as a game artist/graphic designer/illustrator. I also worked with children as a playworker, they inspired me to make comics for children,” wrote Adam.
We were curious to know what sparked Adam’s fascination with marshmallows as a subject for his artwork, and how it evolved into the "Slice of Mallow" webcomic series. Adam shared his story: “When I was in art college back in the early 2000’s a big pack of Mr Mallo marshmallows (also known as Flumps in the UK) would only cost about 25p. I loved them and would always have a pack on me so I could have a cheeky one while working on my graphic design projects. I think that’s when I became the marshmallow guy, the personality trait just stuck with me through life as classmates, friends, and even family members would gift them to me.
When I spent some time creating art on Twitch a few years ago, a marshmallow character was the natural choice for my channel's mascot. This sparked a lot of creativity, and during lockdown when I was looking after my newborn son I created a simple comic strip featuring marshmallows in funny slice-of-life situations. It helped keep me sane during lockdown and people seemed to relate to it, which kept me making more.”
Adam also walked us through his creative process for conceptualizing and bringing these marshmallows and other food characters to life.
“Similar to a stand-up comedian, everyday experiences inspire my work. I’m a quiet introvert, though, so my humor is through the comic page and not standing in front of people with a mic. I have a Google document ready on my phone for when inspiration strikes when I’m out and about. I enjoy the slice-of-life aspect but as it’s cartoony I can get silly and surreal with it,” explained Adam.
As the followers’ number grew, Adam started to get more feedback and interaction from his newfound audience. Therefore, we were curious if the reception to "Slice of Mallow" surprised the artist in any way.
“It really did! Once I stopped drawing what I thought others would want to see, and just created what I enjoy, I noticed a shift in followers and engagement on social media. The highlight is recognizing the names of those who like the work and leave comments, connecting with them, and seeing them stick around to see more. It’s a very rewarding craft. Some characters such as the Grim Reaper and the Bee have become regulars due to the reaction from readers,” shared Adam.
The artist also shared what he would like people to take away from his comics.
“Someone once commented on the webcomic ‘This got a sharp exhale through my nose. Kudos.’ This feedback not only made my day, but I remembered it. So, if it’s just something funny they read and share while on the toilet, that’s fine by me. As a kid, I loved The Beano and Asterix and they definitely still inspire my comics now. So for my upcoming work with Andrews McMeel Publishing, it would be great to inspire kids to want to read or even become a cartoonist themselves, like it did with me,” wrote Adam.
And lastly, Adam added: “Hi, Bored Panda readers! If you enjoy what you’ve seen here, come and say hi on my socials. I have that BIG announcement too about working with Andrews McMeel to bring the Slice of Mallow world to children's comics. Wait, I just announced it here by mistake. Come follow my personal socials or Slice of Mallow socials and pretend to be surprised when I share the news, like you’ve never heard it before!”
So, if you feel that “Slice of Mallow” humor is up your alley, feel free to check out the pre-orders for the book that are already live!
