The Birth of THWAK!

Back in early 2000 after a showing of my artwork at a local comic store I met a fellow named Buddy Finethy (Mellow Mushroom Art Director) who would not only be a great source of encouragement but also a terrific friend. Buddy had an idea to put together a compilation of local cartoonists and I was invited to be a part of the project. At one of our brainstorming (hanging out) sessions at my game room, aptly named "The MAD Pad" because of the wall to wall (and ceiling too!) artwork and posters etc. we came up with the name THWAK after a DON MARTIN sound effect. It would also be at one of these sessions that our "lovable" mascot Stupid Cupid was born. A little later that year we launched THWAK as a comic book and sold it locally in the Atlanta market and Florida.

I enjoyed the comic book version but my own aspirations were to turn this into a humor magazine, so in 2001 I revamped the title into magazine format, solicited contributors from all over the country (and a few from other countries), started promoting at big shows like Dragon Con and secured distribution through Diamond Comics as well as 3 or 4 others.

Initially in our first issue I wanted to imitate MAD down to the page headings (a direction that I decided to change by the next issue) but unlike other humor magazines I embraced the fact that we were also fans honoring those publications that had come before us like a fanzine in a way. John Hett of The Journal of MADness was certainly an influence in this area as well as my mini interviews/editorials (A Little O' This And A Little O' That") that appeared in all but one issue.

THWAK has been an amazing experience for me. It has opened some doors but most importantly to me it has afforded me the opportunity to meet many wonderful artists, writers and fans alike. Many of whom I have come to call my friend. What a great life!