Some ideas come from the strangest of circumstances. Fish & Chimps 4 Kids—the kiddie companion to my larger Fish & Chimps comic—started with a conversation at a comic convention and came to life at a six-hour session in the twilight hours at a local coffee shop with a friend while I sketched away.
So where did Fish ‘n’ Chimps 4 Kids come from?
So—Fish ‘n’ Chimps 4 Kids. It seems so obvious to me now, but back when I drew Fish & Chimps in the early 2000s and sold my books at conventions galore, a woman told me that independent artists needed to make more books for children, as our tales filled with violence, misery and woe were ignoring an important demographic. And I didn’t really appreciate it at the time, but that comment stayed with me, and I eventually found myself sketching a concept in class of my characters as hand puppets, giving them a stage to teach kids life lessons with all sorts of results. Swords replaced with toilet paper rolls, battles replaced with slapstick humour. It’s a project I’ve put down for entirely too long, and I’d love to give it some life again!
Here’s a look at how it all came together:
Hopefully, you’ll see it sometime in the near future!
Peace y’all,
