Grymm Ramblings
CK has Roy Orbison. I have Jhonen Vasquez. Thus Comic Grymm has Jhonen Vasquez. Whether Jhonen approves or not*. I've mentioned him before, but its really worth repeating. The man was a huge influence on me and I think if one was to look hard enough, you might still be able to see that influence in my work, be it my art or writing. I was a godawful little high school bastard when Invader ZIM premiered and blew 16 different fuses in my brain due to how awesomely different it was at a time. A time when everything animation wise had gone the route of bright, safe, primary colors, forced flat backgrounds that looked like someone scribbled on them, and character models that looked like someone designed them simply by taping together the most basic geometric shapes. Everything looked like Powerpuff Girls or Fairly Oddparents and I despised both styles. Then came ZIM. With its sharp little fingers. Ugly teeth. Garish unnatural colors. Spooky things. Cracks, debris, stains and decay everywhere. A futuristic, entropic, dystopian industrial; fever dream. Full of screaming and laughter and madness and slimy organs, and alien biology, and brute force ignorance versus brute force futile determination and arrogance. Its like Jhonen and his team of writers and animators walked into my still developing (and at that time, anime and mainstream comic polluted mind) and rewired everything. With machetes and blow torches and half of a cow carcass used in some horrifying, yet surprisingly efficient way. Kidney punches were probably also employed. Right to my arm control nerve. After catching the premiere of the very first ZIM episode and instantly believing someone had been watching and stealing ideas from the group of friends that CK and I kept around us, I scurried to my computer and dug my fingers deep into the glistening wisdom meats of the internet to plumb through our shared cultural knowledge in the hopes that I could discover more about dear Mr. Vasquez. To my joy, I discovered he was a crafter of fine and glorious comics and ordered everything I could from Slave Labor Grahpics' website. I devoured all I could, like a caterpillar devours all the plant matter it can to fuel its dread metamorphosis into some fragile and deadly murder machine of malignant, mayhem and mutiliation**. I fueled myself so that I might cause a metamorphosis in my own art style. The result was a very crude, though obviously Jhonen inspired style that I utilized in one of the first comic projects that was truly a joint CreepKnight and Grymm effort. CK working the script angle, me working just the art angle. We called it "Prophecy" and it centered around a disgruntled guardian angel getting his blender stolen by a banana daquiri addicted God and then charged with a mission to protect the reborn messiah. Who was an oblivious 5th grader and best friends with the anti-christ. Some parts were just downright embarrassing in their "homage-ness". Like the fact that the teacher was a blatant male version of Ms. Bitters from ZIM and Squee. But its okay, because we made the character male and called him Mr. Point***! Suffice to say, when we attempt to submit it to publishers, we never actually heard anything in response. Not even so much as a form letter. In retrospect, its not a surprise. But while CK's writing has advanced by leaps and bounds and my own art skills have evolved at a lovely pace, I've always been able to trace aspects of my style back to being inspired by Jhonen Vasquez. I salute your brainmeats sir, and you will always be one of my inspirations. While I miss your comic work and do wish you'd crank out something new in for my eyes to feast on, I'm more than happy seeing you direct music videos and rooting around in the design arena of the video game industry. While most people want to see a return of JTHM, and ZIM, I still hold out hope that he might one day revisit the Devi character. Doubtful, but it'd be awesome nontheless. *I tried to ask him nicely on The Twitters if he'd be my spirit guide, but he just kept tweeting about gnawing on his own stomach lining and how he just wouldn't stop bleeding no matter how much time he spent screaming at his neighbors. So I just took all of that as a sign of consent. **The Monarch has taught me to fear the fatal sting of the butterfly. Truly he is one of the best villains of the modern era. ***That's not okay at all. Its part of the reason that most "original" content created by folks on the internet is nothing but garbage they vomited back up after sucking down a few series' worth of their favorite bottom of the barrel quality TV show.
27 thoughts on “Academy Award Winning Epilogue 2: Wet Jimmy’s Gourmet Assmeats”
artbeast
Vasquez!! Good choice (Though as stated, not dead.)
I still gotta stick with Buscema, personally.
Grymm
That’s the great thing about spirit guides, they’re as different as the people who have bound them to eternal servitude!
Dr.Ulltross
How does one go about acquiring a Spirit Guide? Just as long as it isn’t something like Fluffmodeous from Something Positive.
Ticker
I LIKE Grymm’s spirit guide. Also, since you’re obviously on an Invader Zim kick today, Grymm’s spirit guide looks like that kid who was obsessed with proving that Zim was an alien. I forget his name. Also, does this mean we will also see Creepknight’s spirit guide?
Akonite
Dib
Mirth
Ticker, there would be a very good reason for that.
Ticker
And what, pray tell, is this very good reason of which you speak? Also, thanks Akonite. It’s been years since I saw any of the episodes. The only characters whose names I can remember is Zim and Gir.
Mirth
The reason would be, in the commentary of the Zim DVDs, on what I believe was the first episode, one of the creators confesses that Dib was initially drawn to look like Jhonen.
Ticker
Thanks. That actually makes perfect sense. Which is….. Strange to say the least when regarding either of those two.
Akonite
I like the idea of summoning spirit guides through hellfire-y explosions… sweeping up your spirit guides remains is much less icky than ectoplasm on the ceiling (or worse… the inside of the freezer)
Grymm
Ecto-plasm never did nuthin’ fer nobody. ECTO-COOLER is where its at: Praise be to the Chicago Ghostbusters! http://www.ghostbusterschicagodivision.com/p/ecto-cooler-recipe.html
Akonite
You are so awesome. I have been permitted lewd behavior with you. My primary was just bemoaning the loss of his favorite childhood drink.
Lance
I am afraid. Very afraid.
Grymm
Pap. Pap pap. Shoooooooooooosh. Pap pap pap. Shooooooooooooooo- pap. Papa papa pap. Shoooooooooooooosh.
Pap.
Grymm
Oh man… I’ve been awake for like 20 hours and its starting to show. And by it, I mean my laser dorsal fin. I should probably get sleep before this hurricane attacks.
Akonite
I wish you luck. Grew up in Mississippi. I’ve delivered pizzas in up to a category 3.
Will B
So now we know what was on the other side of Ni’s bloody wall that he had to keep feeding.
Raron
that… that actually makes sense… because the only thing more (Sometimes) horrible ((Shmeer in drag… GAH)) and weird then what was on Ni’s side of the wall… is what is on the Walrus’s side. IT ALL MAKES SENSE!
Grymm
So…. what you’re telling me is that I need to draw a cross between Shmeerm, his sister and the behind the wall beast… while its wearing lacy lingerie? Well we can’t really work it in to the comic, but if you’re like to commission such a piece, I’m currently running a sale on full color digital commissions!
Will B
MIRTH!!! He threatening madness again. Get him to go to bed before he breaks minds again. HELP!!!!
Mirth
…but I like when Grymm draws mad things!
Mr. Ticky
Get him to draw another hobo apocalypse!
Also, to whom it make concern, I am temporarily changeing the name I use on here from Ticker, to Mr. Ticky. Why? Because Rook! once called me that and I liked it. And I’m getting bored with Ticker. Kinda like when there was nothing good on T.V. so I set my hand on fire. And if someone sends me a video camera and $5 I’d gladly re-enact the event, record it, and post it on youTube for your viewing pleasure.
Vensik
Very good homage to everything that was… our high school experience? Sitting in class with textbooks in the locker and a backpack full of Squee and Johnny.
Grymm
Yep, you with a bag full of Dirge’s Lenoire stuff, me with the Vasquez works and us trading off while munching on ill gotten goods. I still can’t do higher math to save my life, but I can cook the fuck out of chicken and draw funny lookin’ skinny guys screaming and bellowing pained profanities.
samanthajay7
with extra burny sauce. i like that
Dr.Ulltross
Now that you mention it I can see Jhonen Vasquez’s influence. Possibly why the art felt somehow familiar despite never having seen Grymm’s work before I found the comic. Also let me assure you that under the proper circumstances dead men can still feel pain, many of my past enemies could attest to that, but you’ll need to find a good necromancer to ask them.
Raron
… today I learned my actions of consequenses. Like giving an artist ideas means he might be tempted to draw them. Or just mention them… and you might find the idea oddly sexy which just makes things worse.
Now I know, and knowing is half the battle. The other half is overwhelming overkill.