I had the good fortune to kick off the new year by doing this interview for Beliefnet and talking about Jimmy O’Hair. Here’s the article. Enjoy!
https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/faithmediaandculture/2021/01/the-creative-mind-behind-jimmy-ohair-three-wise-animals-and-other-future-hits.html
San Diego Comic Con turns 50 this year! What once started out as a niche event to attract comic book fans and creators in a single location has morphed into one of the biggest conventions on the planet. As someone who has been attending the event for much of the last decade, I can tell you that it is an incredible experience … but you have to like crowds! There are 125,000 people (the number keeps going up) that flock to the San Diego Convention Center and the surrounding Gaslamp District for the event. In its 50th year, SDCC has evolved from its origins and “gone Hollywood”, with movie studios and film companies advertising their films and TV shows. Creating some “buzz” at Comic Con can help to market a film or TV show by getting bloggers, vloggers, and fans excited about upcoming Hollywood projects, especially with TV and movie stars in attendance to tout their vehicles and attend key events. Highly anticipated panels in Hall H, such as HBO’s Game of Thrones or Marvel’s upcoming film slate, will attract the headlines, but there are many other TV show panels, artist seminars, exhibition areas, autograph stands, etc. throughout the convention center and surrounding neighborhood. Part of the fun of Comic Con has also been the rise of “cosplay” where people dress up as characters from movies, TV shows and video games (and the subject of today’s Jimmy O’Hair comic strip). Wherever you go around the city during Comic Con, you will see people dressed up in costume like it is Halloween in July. Some of the costumes are traditional (like Spider-Man or Wonder Woman), but some of the more creative costumes stand out (particularly this one I have seen of a “Chef” Darth Vader with the head of Jar Jar Binks on a platter – dark humor, I know). Of course there are still the comic book creators and fans, and at this 50th anniversary, let’s not forget how they helped to launch the event that has made many people all of the world excited to attend the event. So yes, over the next few days of the conference you will probably hear complaints about the crowds, the long lines, the difficulty in getting a hotel room or a restaurant reservation, the lotteries for certain events or items, etc. Yet, if you ask most of the people attending SDCC, they’ll say it is tons of fun and they can’t wait to go again next year … like me! Happy Anniversary, SDCC!
It’s been a surreal period over the past several days watching a tropical depression become a major hurricane that causes major damage to the 4th largest city in the U.S., as well as other towns along the Texas Gulf coast and up into Louisiana. As this writer-cartoonist is from Houston, it especially hit home hard watching all the devastation and 50 inches of rain strike the area. Trying to keep tabs with everyone I know back in Houston as their homes were threatened by rising flood waters was a reminder just how precarious life is. Some people lost their lives to this awful storm, and it has become one of the most costly disasters ever in America. Houston and other communities will take a long time to rebuild, but one thing I know is that the people of Houston (and America) are resilient. Even through this terrible tragedy, I’ve been watching on the news and talking to friends and family about the heroic rescues and the great cooperation between everyone. No matter what race, creed, gender, income level, or age, people have come together to help one another, save lives and aid those in need. That is the great thing about the people of Texas and America, and it really should hearten us all and strengthen our faith in these divisive times. With that in mind, a Jimmy O’Hair comic strip was created to help in any way possible with the relief effort. Of course, being a Jimmy O’Hair strip with Jimmy, Brooke and Hootie, there’s also going to be some humor, but the main thing is to get people to donate and help those in need. After all, that’s what we all must do … come together and help those who need help!
The Jimmy O’Hair Spider-Man comic strip brings light to the popularity of superhero films at the cinematic box office today. Whether Marvel or DC, the popularity of superhero films based off of legendary comics does not seem to be slowing down. Not only have we seen several reboots of the Spider-Man films, which Hootie pokes fun at, we are also seeing several incarnations of the Dark Knight, aka Batman, and new films with Superman, Wonder Woman and Captain America. There are also “super” superhero films, with All-Star gangs assembled to save the universe like the Justice League and the Avengers. Jimmy works in a bookstore and he and his friends have a fascination with comic books, so it is no wonder that a topical theme like Spider-Man makes its way into a Jimmy comic strip. You can bet Jimmy is waiting for the developments on all the new superhero films set to hit the box office … much to Hootie’s chagrin!
It’s Christmas Eve, that celebrated time of year when we are almost to Christmas after weeks of decorating, shopping and waiting for the day to arrive! Today’s Jimmy comic strip refers to that day and the classic story, “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, or “A Visit from St. Nick.” How many children lay awake dreaming of that visit from Santa Claus and his eight reindeer (well Rudolph too)? The original poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” has been told for generations, and leave it to Brooke to come up with her own rendition and the humor for today’s comic strip. In any case, Jimmy O’Hair and friends would like to extend best wishes this Christmas holiday season, however you spend it. And once more for good measure … “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
