January 30 - OK, so now I'm not so depressed!  A kind WOMP-Blog reader (you may know him as the guy who won the original art a short while ago, I know him as "Aaron Uglum, Boy Genius") wrote to tell me that he, at least, does read these entries on a fairly regular basis.  He told me that he has his browser set to read text only, which is probably why the numbers in the little counter above don't mark his visits.  Perhaps, just perhaps, others...maybe hundreds...are also reading this in the same manner!  Aha!  My pessimism has reverted back to its more natural optimistic-pessimist state (you know, "I hope things won't be as bad as I know they will").  I haven't done a lot of artwork today, but I have listed several things on eBay, including a commemorative envelope featuring the Year of The Monkey USPS stamp, canceled here in WOMP's hometown.  If you are curious, you could check it out by following the link to WOMP's eBay Store
HERE!  Anyhoo, be sure to watch your local stations for my unwelcome appearance on the Prairie Telethon tomorrow (Saturday), or stop by and get your caricature drawn while supporting Heart Disease and Cancer research!  Bye!

January 29-30 - OK, so I'm depressed now.  No sooner had I written that I was feeling optimistic (January 22nd entry), when suddenly everyone stopped reading the WOMP-Blog.  I'm writing this knowing that, in over a week, not one person has read the last two entries.  Why do I bother?  In fact, I actually didn't bother, as you may notice from the seven day gap between this installment and last.  That's what I get for actually saying in public that I was feeling good about the future!  So, I write this today to say to that demon of ironic fate, "YOU WIN!"  I'm a full-blooded pessimist again.  So there.  SIGH.  Oh, well....  On the plus side of things, I'm almost done with my Oz assignment.  I think that I went a little overboard with the number of illustrations.  It's like I'm trying to compensate for the lack of quality with quantity!  Oh, and, should anyone actually read this, I will be drawing caricatures to raise money at the annual Prairie Telethon this Saturday.  I will be asking for a donation of $5.00 per person, all of which will go to the telethon.  Just show up at Bluff View Middle School between 5:00pm and 9:00pm, and bring your money!  See ya there (?).

January 23-24 - You there!  Looking for some cutting edge, topical commentary?  Thirsting for straight-shooting, from-the-hip opinion from a savvy (if unknown) observer of the American Experiment?  Hungry to feast on the meaty bits of hand-crafted, home-spun insight produced by one of the great thinkers of our time?  If this describes you, then I must be, like, psychic or something, huh?  Let me try another one.  Are you...using the internet AND a computer right now? 
You are?  WOW!  Amazing!  I, I have to find a way to market...er, I mean share this rare gift with others.  Oh, well, until that time I'll keep on drawing cartoons, I suppose.  Speaking of drawing cartoons and overly-inflated egos, I just read a very interesting article, in the January 19 - 26 issue of New York Magazine, about cartoonist Gary Baseman, of
Teacher's Pet fame.  It is quite revealing, if not premeditatedly skewed.  Although short, the article, on page 83, gets right to the point of, well, pointing out that Mr. Baseman is quite full of himself.  To the gills.  Without attribution, context, or specific citation, the reporter/interviewer (listed a "L.H." in the by-line - perhaps "Logan Hill" of the long list of the mag's contributors) claims that Baseman "compared himself to Walt Disney, Andy Warhol, and Ralph Lauren."  As a stand alone statement, this does seem pretty egotistical.  The entire feature, in fact, seems to key to these supposed assertions.  Now, I don't know Mr. Baseman, and he may very well be the biggest jerk who ever drew a cartoon (although he would have a lot of competition for that crown and sash), but I will now come to his defense....sorta.  You see, as a completely unknown cartoonist, I can see how this whole situation came up.  When talking to prospective buyers, clients, or other sorts of people who are unwilling to part with their money, I am often asked what my stuff looks like.  Of course, since, so far, each of these people has had functioning eyes, they could usually see for themselves.  They ask anyway, hoping to find some corelation in their minds between the unknown commodity of my artwork, and they recognized value of art created by anyone who was successful enough to be known.  Makes sense (like when a film pitchman says that his movie is a cross between The Matrix and The King and I, etc.).  However, this has led me to compare myself to people who I believe are vastly superior to me in virtually every way just so that I can be sure that the client has an idea of whom I am speaking.  I am loathe to admit that I have compared my artwork to Walter Simonson, Steve Ditko (I'm really sorry for that one), and even, oh lordy, Jack Kirby hisownbadself!  I've compared The Adventures of Monkey to the "SHAZAM" Captain Marvel, Winnie The Pooh, The Wizard of Oz, and even Star Wars (although I can't remember why...maybe it had something to do with all of the aliens, like Yoda).  If there was ever a New York Magazine article about me, these statements of mine would make Gary Baseman look as humble as Mother Theresa!  And, let's look at his supposed statement(s) again.  Walt Disney - the Teacher's Pet movie is not only animated, but a Disney Co. production at that.  Andy Warhol - anyone who has ever seen the pop-inspired, and reflective, art of both artists could see how they speak the same language.  Ralph Lauren - OK, you have me there.  I don't know why he said "Ralph Lauren," but, my feeling is that, for him to even select this rather unique figure to be compared to, there must be something to it.  Maybe in the whole "have a singular vision, stick to it, and create an empire based on it" thing.  Off hand, I think that Mr. Baseman was a lot closer in his comparisons than I ever was in mine.  I guess this just shows ta go ya that you gotta watch what you say, even if you think your drawing will talk for you! 

January 22 - Happy Year of The Monkey!  How are you doing?  It has been fun here at WOMP Central today!  It's sorta corny, but we had a fun little celebration to mark the first day of the Lunar, or Chinese, New Year, which is also the dawning of the Year of The Monkey (as if you didn't already know).  One of the things that we did was produce a commemorative stamped envelope collectible with my help from my local Post Office.  It turned out pretty well, and I hope to list a couple on eBay later tonight (click HERE for a link to WOMP's eBay Page).  We had a special meal (no bananas, though), and sent out some e-messages.  Hmm....OK, so none of that seems too exciting, but it was!  I tell you, it's very strange to be me right now.  I have spent a great deal of my life as a dyed-in-the-wool optimistic pessimist (I hope that things won't suck as bad as I know they will).  Vickie says that I not only see the glass as half empty, but also that someone will soon drink the rest and throw the empty glass at my head! You can imagine my shock, then, at finding myself in a truly optimistic mood (or at least pessimistically optimistic - I now think that, although everything sucks, they will probably be better soon).  That this is The Year of The Monkey has added a sort of "oomph" to my plans for the upcoming year.  Look for lots more neat inspired stuff from me during the next 12 months (before I come back to my senses).  Interestingly, I launched WOMP itself in 1992, the last Year of The Monkey!  Neat, huh?

January 20-21 - Only a short few hours (less than 20) until The Year of The Monkey begins!  I've been working on artwork for the cool Oziana publication, and, believe it or not, on another Dorksters comic strip, but I have also spent time over the last two days creating a special commemorative collectible featuring Monkey and the USPS "Year of The Monkey" postage stamp.  I've even set up stuff already with my local Post Office (although we discovered today that the
official hand-cancel stamp mis-spells the name of our city....I mean, c'mon...."PRARIE?"  What's wrong with people?).  I may even have a version of the final product for sale there at the Post Office itself!  Plans are that, should that happen, those proceeds would go to our local annual Cancer and Heart Disease Telethon (it's the "highlight" of the Winter social season here in Prairie du Chien...well, that and the ceremonial dropping of a smoked carp at the stroke of midnight on New Year's.  No, really...I'm not kidding.  Check with CNN.  They cover it every year).  In fact, plans are for me to be set up at the Telethon broadcast this year.  For four or five hours, I will be drawing caricatures for $5.00 per person, every penny of which will go to the charity.  I'm looking forward to that (with an appropriate amount of dread).  Anyhoo, I will have the collectible Year of The Monkey cards printed up tomorrow...er, I mean today...this is the strangest aspect of my hours.  I'm just finishing today while everyone else is starting tomorrow.  Even more confusing, while others are starting
today, I'm still wrapping up yesterday!  Also, just by way of reporting useless information of no interest to anyone even if anyone actually read about it, I should probably mention that I've got two of those "side drawings" (handy little "warm-up" artworks meant to be thrown away unless they somehow look cool) going on along side the Dorksters and Oz works; one is of Katana of The Outsiders, the other is a Khund warrior (a DC alien race).  The only reason I talk about these is that I am pretty satisfied with how well they are turning out!  OK, OK, now I'm just rambling on because it's 4:30am and I have to get some sleep so that I can begin my day later on today while yours is half over...or something like that.  More later.  Bye!

January 18-19 - OK, OK... so a few days have gone by, and I still haven't been able to draw anything, or really do much of anything else except the drearisome "real job."  Monday, however...ah, MONDAY will be different!  Oh yes it will!  I have the day off from the depressing "real job," so I plan to draw ALL DAY!!  Honestly, "finding the time" is the biggest challenge to any of my cartooning plans.  At workshops and lectures, I often get the question, "How long does it take for you to draw a comic?"  The truth is that, if I could do nothing else but draw (and eat and sleep, I suppose), it would probably take me about 60 days or so.  However, because of the whole "finding the time" factor, it takes me about 4 to 6 MONTHS!!  Now, four months is not too bad.  Since I write, draw, letter, ink, advertise, publish, AND ship the comic myself, that's really not many more actual hours than a Marvel or DC staff takes to do the same work.  Six months, though, is not so cool.  It is difficult (in fact, recently, prohibitive) to spend half a year on a single project.  The only solutions are to A) quit everything else, starve, and live in a cardboard box (divorced, I imagine), but get the comic done in two months - OR - B) as long as it will take 6 months, I might as well make it 8 or 12 so that I can also work on other
paying projects and a desolate "real job."  Guess which choice I've made?  Hee hee!  THAT ALL HAVING BEEN SAID, this Thursday, the 22nd, will mark the first day of The Year of The Monkey in the Chinese Zodiac.  I take this as an omen; I must publish the next issue of The Adventures of Monkey during this year!  It is still my plan to have the completed comic for sale at WizardWorld Chicago in August.  I further hope to have a preview version of #6 ready for the Minnesota Fallcon in October!  Degrading "real job" be darned!  Well, better get some sleep so I can draw, draw, draw!

January 17-18 - Hey there, special on-line buddy!  Thanks for reading the WOMP-Blog!  You are so nice!  And very
smart, too!  Oh, and have I mentioned recently just how good-looking you are?  Well, I should, because you are probably the best looking person who ever used a computer!  You are just the type of special, special person whom I can tell a little secret to, knowing in my heart that you would never think less of me for what I might reveal.  For example, I could tell you, in a hushed whisper, "I didn't draw a darn thing since Thursday," and you'd say "Hey, man, don't sweat it!  It's cool with me!"  Now some people, some sad, angry, maladjusted people (let's call them jerks) might try to make me feel bad by chiding me about my lack of production.  "Way to go, loser" they might say.  "You call yourself a cartoonist when you didn't even draw a stick-figure for almost three days?"  Ah...thank goodness I have you, my special, wonderful,
genius friend!  You make me feel like so much less of a loser when you're around!  That's why I love you!

January 15 - More Oz again today.  I'm taking a break right now so that I can check on my eBay auctions, update this WOMP-Blog, and watch a little of Big O on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.  OK, so now I'm somewhat interested in another Anime program.  It's nowhere near as good as Fooly Cooly, but it does have a certain charm.  It reminds me of Frank Miller/Geoff Darrow's Big Guy somewhat.  That also made a good animated cartoon (which is probably why it was axed).  Anyhoo, I don't really have much more to add tonight, so I'll end my break and get back to work.  See ya!

January 13-14 - Not much to report today.  Besides the dreaded "real job," the only thing I did today was list a couple more items on eBay.  Some days, it's a struggle just to pick out socks in the morning!  Seems like a lot of those days recently.  Oh, well...I guess that's part of the deal.  Tomorrow, Wednesday, I should be able to get some work done.  When I have a project in the works, it nearly itches my skin until I can get back to it.  About 15 years ago, I was asked to draw a few illustrations for a story written by an elderly retired lawyer.  The story was unfinished, but it was based on stories of his father's thrilling, nearly superhuman youthful exploits (a little bit like that Tim Burton "Big Fish" movie from what I can tell).  I met with the gentleman for almost 4 hours, heard the funny and fantastic story, and went home, full of ideas and aching to get started.  About a month passed, and I hadn't had the time to do more than sketch out a couple of little prelims.  I then found out that the gentleman had actually passed away, never having finished writing down the story.  After a few more months passed (maybe even half a year) I sheepishly contacted the family to see whether they'd like for me to finish the drawings anyway for a posthumous tribute.  I was surprised to find out that they were happy to hear from me, not because they wanted the artwork, but because I'd been mentioned in the old lawyer's will!  I met with the gentleman's son, who handed me a fat manilla envelope with my name on it.  "We weren't really sure who you were, Mr. Mundt, or even how to find you.  None of us knew what Dad's relationship with you was, and we were curious to see why he'd added you to his will so shortly before he'd died."  As I explained that I, too, was shocked, and that I was just going to draw some illustrations for him, I opened the envelope.  Inside was a note and about 12 neck ties (I must have mentioned that I collect vintage ties).  The note was a "Thank You" which explained that he knew that he'd never live long enough to see my illustrations, nor even to finish writing the story.  All he had left was to tell the story, as he'd imagined it for years, to someone (outside of his family) who'd enjoy it.  I was (and still am) dumbstruck by this amazing act.  I still have an itch to finish those drawings some day!  Since that event, I've tried to remember two things; first, that if I had gotten right to those drawings, he could have seen at least some early rough sketches; second, that someday, who really knows when, I may be that man, hoping to tell one more fantastic story to anybody who'll listen before I die.  That may have been why I decided to draw a comic about Monkey, rather than something else.  I had so many stories about Monkey in my head that I felt like I just HAD to tell some of them to whoever will listen!  The whole thing seems so melodramatic, but sometimes life is.  Just not recently.  Oh, well...gotta go!

January 12-13 - Hey there!  Another long night in Oz, topped off with a sprinkle of eBay listing (see the Neat Links page, if interested)!  I have finished all of the smaller illustrations that I'd hoped to do for the Oziana book (although I may do more later), so I began work on the first of two full-page illustrations I've imagined.  I've been pretty happy with the drawings I've done so far (even Vickie likes them!), and I'm pretty optimistic that the big pieces will turn out well, too.  I expect that I'll be finished with everything before the Super Bowl (not that I'll care about that "game" too much anyway since my Green Bay Packers won't be there).  I think that I'll be sad to see the Oz project come to an end.  Well, I guess I will have other projects to take my mind off of it.  I have to draw a second episode of the "Dorksters" comic strip, so I've been thinking about that, too.  I know where future episodes will go, but I haven't yet come up with a funny one-page second installment to bridge the gap.  Oh, and of course I'm planning the schedule for completing the next issue of The Adventures of Monkey.  Also, I imagine that some other stuff will come along to occupy my time and imagination.  Never a dull moment around WOMP HQ (OK, actually there are MANY dull moments, but they are usually caused by bad TV, not lack of work).  Gotta get some ZZZs!  See ya!

January 12 - HOLY SMOKES!!  It has been a VERY busy few days for us here at WOMP Central!  I apologize for not up-dating the WOMP-Blog until now.  We've had the usual assortment of illnesses, family stuff, and general "busy" days, of course, but I also have been pretty busy with the dreaded "real job" and the Oziana commission.  My friend, Bill, was also home from New York, visiting family and friends.  We went to have a visit with our former mentor and Art teacher, Loretta Grellner.  It was a good visit, but it did sort of eat up yet another day.  If you have a special teacher in your past, maybe you, too, might consider calling him or her to say "Hello."  You'll be glad you did, believe me.  I am always a little nervous about seeing Loretta becase I don't want to disappoint her with how little I've done with what she has given me.  That all goes out the window when I actually get to talk to her again.  I feel just like an optimistic 15 year old kid again, happy to be "at the knee" of someone whom I respect so much.  That is one of the reasons that I talk to school groups and through library lectures and workshops; it's the only way that I can try to honor, and perpetuate, the special lessons that I was given by such a great teacher (and person).  Well, gotta go.  More tomorrow...I PROMISE!

January 3-4 - Well, I've already gotten a reply to yesterday's request for ideas for the WOMP-Site.  It was a pretty good one, too.  An anonymous WOMP-Blog reader (thank you, mystery web-surfer) suggested that I have a contest where the winner gets to appear in the next issue of The Adventures of Monkey!  I actually have been thinking of a lot of nifty contests for the next year, and I believe that that will definitely be one of them!  I don't have much else to talk about tonight, so I'll ask again for any ideas or requests that you may have for this site.  Click HERE to e-mail your thoughts to me at WOMP-HQ!  Thanks!  Toodles!

January 2-3 - Hey, I just had an idea!  Since you are reading this, you must have some sort of passing interest in it, so I thought that I might ask you what new feature you'd like to see here at the WOMP-Site in 2004!  We already have plans to add some new features this year, like character bios, regularly updated free screensavers, and scheduled live Q&A Chats in the WOMP Chat Room (maybe featuring friends of WOMP, too).  Of course, I'll be adding little things here and there as we go, but, if there is something that you wish I'd include here on the site, let me know by e-mailing me HERE!  It would be pretty cool to see what kind of nifty ideas you have.  Oh!  I just remembered!  One feature that I will be adding soon is a page-by-page comic book story!  There are several short Monkey stories laying around, so I might as well put them on the WOMP-Site!  They will each have short "behind the scenes" introductions so you'll know how they fit into the Monkey Timeline, etc..  I've even rounded up some of the "vintage" Monkey stories that I drew as a kid, so look for those, too!  Thanks in advance!  See ya!

January 1 - Hey there!  It's 2004, so I suppose I should be making resolutions or something, but I'm lazy, and my resolutions are generally pretty attainable anyway (you know, like "I won't eat baby seal meat in 2004" or "I resolve to speak English this year").  I've spent most of this new year drawing already!  I started to draw Glinda for the Oziana project, but I got myself stumped for a bit, but, at about 4:00am, I got past that.  It's 5:00am right now, and I think that I will call it a day.  Besides all of these Oz drawings, I also have a deadline for the next instalment of my Dorksters comic strip due this month, so I'd better get my sleep!  Oh, by the way, thanks to all of you who entered the "Win Free Original Art" Contest last month.  The winner was Aaron Uglum, a fellow cartoonist!