Dinosaur Comics for All!

A terrific interview recently done with the excellent creator of the hilarious "Dinosaur Comics," writer Ryan North. Enjoy!

"North is known for his witty comics, which are freshly written approximately five days a week. (He knows where to draw the line - weekends are off limit!) North writes on any topic that comes to mind, which often translates to  cutting and witty satires on pop culture, social norms and expectations, and ideas which seem sensible until he briefly exposes their illogical undercurrents, in a most humorous and at-times absurdist manner. His social burlesque is not to be missed.

Each installment of "Dinosaur Comics" is composed of six panels: three panels across two rows. The recurring characters include main hero/jester T-Rex, who usually comes up with some humorous proposition or idea, which is then discussed or disproved by his counterparts Utahraptor and Dromiceiomimus, his regular sidekicks who generally play the straight-man to T-Rex's dreamer but who also support and encourage T-Rex in his hilariously shallow pursuits, madcap dreams and sometimes even deeply philosophical moments). Part of the brilliance of this comic is that North has successfully placed the focus on language. The running joke is that the illustrations roughly never change. Sometimes a slight tweak is made to a panel, such as the drawn-in addition of a thought bubble to signify the end of a dream sequence or the inclusion of an object relevant to that particular comic (such as a fish in one day's comic).

The well-educated North, with breathless and playful ease, incorporates questions and thoughts we've all chewed over (who hasn't mused about the correct role of Wikipedia or how to best approach that person at work or that friend  and so forth), strips the issues to their cores, and turns the mirror on us. He does this all while entertaining his readers and illustrating a remarkable pizazz and adroit ability to meld words

Even the titles of the comics are wickedly unique and quite enjoyable (and yet they do not give away that comic's plot!). Some whimsical and humorous titles include "it's the thing i say after discovering i wasted another half-hour on reddit," "SOMETIMES I DECIDE ON VEGGIE PIZZAS BECAUSE I LIKE TO MIX IT UP AND GET KRA-ZEE," "anyway! who wants a massive hug??," "who was the third person? let's say it was... queen victoria??" and "this comic inspired by actual justin bieber rubber bands i saw, and also by a moment seconds later in which i did manage to improve on reality, simply by closing my eyes." 

Also to watch for: comic entries which discuss philosophical greats such as Plato, proper language usage, religious and ethical discussions and numerous "web cards" which readers are encouraged to use to get important and perhaps stressful or embarrassing messages across in a simple manner. Some of these messages include telling someone they have food in their mouth, delivering a succinct apology, telling a friend you have a crush on them, and thanking an acquaintance.

Again, North does a bang-up job of tapping into the collective conscious, mining for gold, and delivering humorous solutions to real-life situations.

In an interview, the handsome North delved into his background and his process.

Q: Have you always been interested in writing/cartooning/satirical art?

A: Writing yes, comics no!  I bought my first comics with my very first paycheque, so that was just after I finished high school.  I remember thinking they were cool but I never really read comics in a serious way before. Turns out they're awesome!

Q: When did you first start to write cartoons?

A: The first Dinosaur Comic up on the site is just about the first comic I ever wrote.  There was one comic before that - a comic I'd attempted with a different template - and it was terrible.    So if you read the comics in order you can see a writer get, you know, less terrible as he practices.


Q: The format of your comic is absolutely brilliant: you do not vary the actual background art too much, and yet each comic feels entirely fresh. What is your secret?

A: The secret is trying to do exactly that!  I'm really aware of the danger in becoming repetitive, for obvious reasons.  I try to surprise myself when writing, and don't put something up until it's made me laugh.


Q: You are a fantastic satirist and your comics contain such relevant and entertaining topics. How do you decide what to write upon each day?

A: Oh gosh, it's rarely a "what will I write about today" decision.  I'm thinking about stuff 24/7 and comic ideas come all the time - you'll think of something you don't know the answer to, or a joke, or your friends will spark a thought - the trick is to remember those moments so when it is time to write, you've got ideas you can play with.


Q: Do you aim to write a new comic every single day or do you like to take at least one day off per week?

A: I take the weekends off!  There are other cartoonists who don't. I am the LAZY one.


Q: What is your educational background? Your comic subject matter is sometimes quite elevated and reflects someone with a solid and impressive knowledge on a wide breadth of topics.

A: I did an undergrad in Computer Science and a Masters degree in Computational Linguistics, but really a lot of my education in the comics comes from the School of Advanced Google and Wikipedia.


Q: Who are some of your influences and inspirations?

A: Other cartoonists (Anthony "Nedroid" Clark, Joey and Emily of "A Softer World", John Campbell of "Pictures for Sad Children") but I also really love Vonnegut (books!) and Herzog (documentaries!).

Q: How would you describe your sense of humor?

A: AWESOME.  And - and funny?


Q: Roughly what is your audience size for Dinosaur Comics?

A: About 70,000 people a day read the comics, which is INSANE.  I try to imagine those people in real life crowding outside my house, and it makes me feel funny, so I don't do that so much anymore.


Q: What words of advice would you give to aspiring comics/writers/artists?

A: Keep at it. Don't put up work you're not happy with. You should be online, even if you're not publishing online. Don't be afraid to email people who make stuff you like.

I think that's it!  My friend Jeph wrote a good thing for webcartoonists here:
http://jephjacques.com/post/596723785/so-you-want-to-start-a-webcomic
and I agree with all that he's written.

Q: I showed a friend of mine your comics, and she was so delighted. She noted that your comics bring "so much joy and laughter to my day." Do you often receive positive feedback like this? (I hope so!)

A: Oh yeah, it's great!  I start my day and there's emails from strangers telling me that they love my comics and by extension me.  It's - kinda the best way to start your day in the world?  It's definitely the most flattering.

See the excellent full interview here: http://www.canyon-news.com/artman2/publish/Entertainment_1150/Dinosaur_Comics_Author_Ryan_North_Exclusive_Interview.php

 

What's The Truth Behind Katie Holmes's Decision to Divorce Childhood Crush Tom Cruise? 

Katie Holmes famously told an interviewer prior to her nuptials that Tom Cruise was her childhood crush. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would go on to marry him.

But in her wildest nightmares, could she imagine what marriage to him would be like, and how precisely she would need to choreograph her separation?

Many were shocked over the last week as news unfolded about Katie Holmes's request to divorce Cruise, her first husband and the father of her only child, Suri, 6.

Holmes, 33, and Cruise (who just turned 50 days after the divorce papers were file), appeared to be living a dream life, completely in love, living in absolute luxury, and constantly hob-knobbing with the hottest and most powerful fellow celebrities, such as Will and Jada Smith and Victoria and David Beckham.

Now, however, an entirely different pictures is coming out, in shocking fragments at a time. Reports are now surfacing that Holmes's decision to divorce Cruise was not entirely based on a desire to take Suri away from the influence of Scientology, seen by some as a mystical religion, and by others, as a cult.

Initially, it was speculated that Holmes brought force divorce papers in New York in a bid to win sole custody of Suri and to avoid the option of Cruise putting the child into a youth Scientology program that is said to indoctrinate children heavily with additional Scientology beliefs.

This move was initially seen as an almost selfless act of Holmes; clearly she was divorcing her love and sacrificing her bliss so as to save her child... or was she?

Now, sources who have been eyes on the ground have been sharing odd insights into Holmes's relationship with Cruise and the alleged control he exercised over her constantly, from the beginnings of their love affair.

The whole thing was a whirlwind: Holmes had been together with fellow actor Chris Klein for years. The couple broke up and formally ended their engagement in the early part of 2005. Very shortly after that long-term relationship ended, Holmes and Cruise began to see one another, and later that year, became engaged. Daughter Suri was born in the first half of 2006, and the couple officially married at the end of the same year.

According to reports, things were already a bit off in 2005, as Holmes filmed "Thank You for Smoking" and was allegedly restricted in terms of the how provocative she could seem in her role and in publicity materials. According to outlets such as TMZ, Holmes was further restricted in 2006 while filming "Batman Begins," where Cruise allegedly went so far as to restrict her from flying with other cast members and only being allowed to travel via his private plane.

Perhaps it was only time before the reportedly very intelligent Holmes called it quits with Cruise, who has been married and divorced now three times.