Cartoons as alter ego, part two.

Okay, so it was 1985 when several factors aligned into a sort of harmonic convergence, and believe me, everything in my life changed for the better:

1. My wife of ten years divorced me.
2. I realized that baldness was stalking me.
3. I found out that a heterosexual man who had been locked up in a ten year monogamous relationship,
once single, was a very HOT property indeed! (relax dude, I'm talking about me).

Other kooky things were also happening like:

I quit my job at a small graphic arts house in Grand Rapids (Michigan) called Acraforms to go back to Michigan State University to finish up my degree after a 13 year absence. You can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to learn that I had only 13 credits to achieve for my BA in history.

- I discovered the artistry of Frank Sinatra (everyone's entitled to a theme song)

- I was meeting and wooing beautiful women (the most beautiful of which I'm married to to this very day).

- I decided to become a teacher.

- I began a regular comic strip in On-The-Town Magazine entitled "Pembroke"

Here is an early character study of Art Pembroke and his on-again-off-again (mostly off) lover, Angela.

I knocked this off while still working second shift at Acraforms. I had been with "Downtown" later "On-The-Town" (hereafter referred to as OTT) for about four years and was antsy to get a regular strip going.

By this time the editorial reins at OTT were held by two great gals; Julie Christiansen and Melissa Medura.

I think that they were somewhat charmed by my naiveté regarding me being a new bachelor in Grand Rapids. So when I pitched this idea about a cartoon character who was a bookishly nerdy, but really nice, man on a journey of self-discovery they jumped at it. Clearly they saw this as some pretty cheap entertainment vis-à-vis what was happening in my life. So I was off and running.

Every month, starting sometime in '84 or '85 I'd ink up a Pembroke strip. Nine times out of ten it reflected something that was going on in my own life, and the only one who wasn't hip to that fact seemed to be...me.

Here's the inaugural Pembroke strip (though, belive me, I'm definately not as fem as Art):


..."Mime", man, that killed me. Note how crude the characters are and how skanky Angela is. Ironically, they are both smoking in this first strip. In subsequent strips, Art is a non-smoker but Angela continues to partake. Her smoking will continue even as her appearance improves...this is a real sore spot with Art Pembroke.

As you'll see in subsequent postings, I hadn't found the stylistic groove yet. The strip had a very crude look and I still didn't know how to draw women. I guess I just needed more exposure to both, as you'll see things will get markedly better.

In addition to the Pembroke strip, I continued to do regular one panel, and sight-gag cartoons for OTT.

Here's one that came on the heels of the Vanessa Williams Miss America sex photo scandal (remember?).


Apparently our first African-American Miss America got busted for doing a Playboy pictorial or some such thing. Imagine, punishing Miss America for participating in something as American as Playboy Magazine. Anyhoo, Ms. Williams overcame the flap and went on to a semi-successful acting career and I got a got a nice cat cartoon out of the deal. By the way, If that's your cat in my yard...'nuff said amigo.

So here we go. More cartoons and backstory next posting.

We've all got a story to tell....some of us can add pictures.

Mannie