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Bored Panda reached out to Jimmy Craig, a Massachusetts-based cartoonist known for his popular Instagram account, "jimmytried" as well as @theycantalkcomics. Jimmy's newest book, "Are You Gonna Eat That", is available for pre-order now.
Regarding the inspiration behind "jimmytried", Craig explained, "I started @jimmytried as an outlet for ideas that didn't fit my animal-themed series, They Can Talk. That series is also somewhat based in reality, and it's been fun to write some absurd/surreal jokes. I love single-panel comics like The Far Side and New Yorker cartoons and this new series has really felt like a natural extension of what I've already been doing."
When asked about how he comes up with new ideas for his comics, the comic artist stated, "I think most of my comics in the past have been grounded, observational jokes, and this series attempts to run in the opposite direction. Instead of being about a pet cat, it's a comic about a vampire at the gym. It's been really fun to write ideas without any rules or parameters - sometimes I just feel like drawing Godzilla. Despite the random, non-sequitur nature of this series, I think readers will recognize my humor in anything that I write."
Regarding his minimalist drawing style, Jimmy revealed, "My minimalist style is likely a result of the fact that I try to get an idea finished as quickly as possible. I'm admittedly incredibly impatient and spending a lot of time on a drawing would just give me more opportunity to second-guess it. I also try to distill a joke into its simplest form, both in dialogue and drawing."
Jimmy often features animals in his comics and said, "I really love coming up with animal jokes. It's fun to think of them in situations that we've only seen portrayed with humans - like imagining a gang of chimps robbing a bank and expecting it to be full of bananas. That idea would never fit in a They Can Talk comic, so it's been satisfying to have a place to share it."
Regarding the impact of his social media following on his career as a comic creator and the future of "jimmytried", Craig shared, "The response to @jimmytried has been awesome and I hope it continues to grow and find new readers. I could never have predicted the opportunities that They Can Talk has led to, and I hope this series is full of surprises too."
Finally, when asked about the message he hopes to convey to his audience through his work, the artist said, "I don't know if there's a specific message, but if my comics make someone laugh or brighten their day a little bit, that's all I can hope for."
With that being said, make sure to pre-order Jimmy’s newest book, Are You Gonna Eat That? on Amazon. And follow @jimmytried Instagram / Twitter!
