Bored Panda reached out to Mark to catch up with the artist.
As a creator whose first comic was published back in 1987, he definitely stuck with his craft. Therefore, we were curious if the artist would call comics his calling. Mark responded: “If there's such thing as a "calling" then I consider cartooning my calling. I wanted to make cartoons from an early age. I didn't just want to draw, I wanted to be funny. It seemed like the best job ever. And I'm not sure I have the skills for anything else.”
Mark creates all sorts of popular comics with a fun twist. One really hilarious idea of Mark’s was to imagine what horror movies for animals and things would be like. This time, we collected a series where animals, vampires, and other characters interact and conduct research on the internet. We asked Mark to share how he came up with this idea.
“Technology is always growing and changing and that's helpful when you constantly need cartoon ideas. The inspiration is never-ending. Combining the motivations of cats, dogs, penguins, monsters, etc. with advances in technology often leads down unexpected avenues” wrote Mark.
We noticed that Mark's cartoons have a wide appeal across different age groups. We were wondering how the artist ensures that his humor resonates with both younger and older audiences.
“When I noticed my following was across age groups, it made me happy. I don't want my humor to just appeal to my generation. I'm sure it helps to draw cute characters in relatable (and sometimes edgy) situations, but I think if you do funny right, then funny is funny. If I want to go darker or racier, I'll post those ideas on my Patreon page” explained Mark.
And lastly, Mark added: "I think we're in a golden age of cartooning. The internet is the great equalizer and there are many brilliant cartoonists out there who might not have had an outlet otherwise. I've been cartooning for a while and you'd think I'd be burnt out but I find it all so inspiring.”
