Bored Panda reached out to Tom Zilis to ask him a few questions about his comic strip. We were curious to learn what inspired him to start creating the series. He told us: “I have been a huge fan of comics in every form for as long as I can remember. I've been creating comics for just as long. My inspiration came from all over including the daily comics in the newspapers and the great cartoonists who created them, comic books like MAD magazine, Hanna and Barbara animated cartoons. I submitted an idea I had for a cartoon to them when I was 9 years old and received a very nice personal and encouraging letter from William Hanna. My dad, who was an art director at the Leo Burnett ad agency for 28 years, helped create and bring to life iconic characters like Charlie the Tuna for Starkest, Tony the Tiger for Kellogg cereals, and the Keebler Cookie elves. But mostly creating cartoons gave me an outlet to express myself and my feelings. In a way, creating comics is therapeutic. So, thank you all for being part of my therapy."
Next, we asked Tom how he comes up with ideas for his new strips, and here’s what we learned: “My ideas come from everywhere. Sometimes it's something someone says or something I read about. And other times it's something I've experienced.”
When asked about his personal favorite storyline among his comics, one that he particularly enjoyed creating, Zilis responded: “The comics I create that I really enjoy either make a point in a humorous way or how the joke is constructed. One of the recent comics I created that I thought was constructed well took place at a funeral and how the deceased died. Dark humor, but I liked the challenge of writing and editing the setup and final punchline to fit the four-frame format.”
Lastly, Tom shared with us which comic artist’s style he particularly admires: “There have been and are many comics and comedians I admire. I've always admired the comics of Walt Kelly (Pogo), Gary Larson (The Far Side), Bill Waterson (Calvin and Hobbes), and Gary Trudeau (Doonesbury) and many more including Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim), Ricard Stark and Darwyn Cooke's Parker series, and Jakamon and Matz's The Killer series. And for the comedians I have to say, Richard Pryor, Monty Python, Dana Gould, George Carlin, Steve Martin, and Martin Mull, to name a few. There are so many more I could name including so many online cartoonists and new comedians that I really admire and am inspired by but it would be an endless list.”
