comics

Funny Comics - The Addams and Far Side Effect

Another new Primordial Syrup comic. I’m going to try and post a new every Monday. Once a week should be manageable. I have a ton written. The art can take some time, especially when the style is developing. You can probably tell two of my biggest influences were Charles Addams and Gary Larson.

Addams, aside from creating the “Addams Family”, generated some of the best and weirdest single panel comics at a time when weird wasn’t exactly mainstream. My dad had a hardcover collection of New Yorker comics. I was six or seven when I stumbled upon it. I loved any book filled with cartoons, however, most of them, aside from the art, didn’t intrigue me. They were dated, although I wasn’t aware at the time that that was the reason. However, every so many pages would be a single panel that stood out. Kind of like “One of these things doesn’t belong” on Sesame Street.

On those particular comics, I noted the signature, “Addams”, and scoured the book for more. From that moment on Charles Addams was my Odin of cartooning. “The Far Side” came along a bit later, but had a similar effect. When most of your thoughts and ideas are strange, a bit dark and off kilter, or fall into the “I don’t get it” category, seeing the works of Addams and Larson were a beacon in a field that can sometimes drag you down a conventional path just to make a living.

That said, Primordial Syrup has no endgame. They are simply the ideas that make me laugh. They are the cartoons that, if I opened up a hardcover collection of comics, would be the ones I would read.

Single Panel Cartoons

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Where the weird things are. I’ve always done single panel comics. The earliest ones I remember were in fourth grade. It was always the best way to get the weird images in my head out. They also made me infamous in high school. First time I got called to the headmaster’s office was over a single panel comic.

The comic, like most of my single panels, was only a fleeting, strange thought. No deeper meaning, just something that struck me as funny. This comic featured an average tree-lined street in an average neighborhood. Except an enormous soap on a rope had smashed one car parked on the road.

Long story short, they called me to the headmaster’s office after the comic ran in the school paper. I spent half an hour reassuring him that there was no deep religious connotations implying that god had dropped his soap-on-a-rope. 

Despite the momentary apprehension of a week’s worth of detention, I realized why I had always loved off-beat, bizarre comics. The sheer fun of seeing the hundreds of different interpretations over a bit of nonsense. With no effort of creating something that contained a profound statement or some worldly truth, it could inspire deeper thought unique to every reader. 

So ya, Primordial Syrup is the ongoing stream of strange that runs through my brain. I have notebooks full of ideas. I plan on rendering them into reality once a week. Let me know what you think in the comments. I’m always interested in what people think they mean. 


A New Collection of Puppy and Baby Comics

Dog eat Doug Volume six

Click here to get "Dog eat Doug Volume 6".

It's here! The sixth collection of "Dog eat Doug" strips. Again, I can't thank everyone enough for supporting my self-publishing endeavor. I do have to ask for one quick favor: I need your reviews! It would appear, and thankfully so, that in this world of SEO, spambots and automated everything, word of mouth still caries the most weight.

So if you've picked up any of my family and kid friendly collections, I would be eternally grateful if you took a minute and gave them a rating on Amazon. Even say a few words. Thanks!

Also wanted to thank Amazon user TSOJ for their flattering review of the new collection:

Brian has one of the best contemporary children's cartoon strips on the market. You want Tim Burton? You want Clive Barker? You want a funny smell coming from a diaper? (well, maybe not that last one) You want cute babies and puppies living in a household that occasionally gets visited by sweet, huggable demon cats? Then you want Dog Eat Doug 6 (you probably want all of the previous 5 books, too). But, ya, get this book.

Not sure who you are, but thank you. Especially love how you snuck Clive Barker in there.

Click here to get "Dog eat Doug Volume 6".

Dog eat Doug Volume 4 is out!

dog eat doug volume 4Indeed, I have self published another volume. You can get the kindle or print version by visiting the "My Books" page.  As you can tell, I went with a Bruce Lee tribute theme this time.  Also, you may have noticed the newsletter signup field over there on the right. I've decided to have a special little list that will offer news and some special deals and giveaways as opposed to just casting things off into the social media winds. Sign up, and no worries, I won't be sending them often.

A Few Reviews for "Dog eat Doug" Volume 2

It Came from the Diaper Pail, Dog eat Doug Volume 2 - Kindle edition by Brian Anderson. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.sample comics from Dog eat Doug volume 2My first ebook journey is off to a good start. Thanks to everyone who has checked it out so far. And thanks for the reviews! This one is from Rene R.:

Really loved reading It Came from the Diaper Pail. Look forward to re-reading it. Sophie is adorable and Doug is so cute. Thanks Brian for writing Dog eat Doug.

Although I quite liked this succinct write up from John Cuellar:

This is a pretty good comic strip.

If you download a copy, I truly appreciate the reviews. Click here to buy "It Came from the Diaper Pail, Dog eat Doug Volume 2" - Kindle edition

Hints of Houdini in this weeks Conjurers Comic

Head on over to gocomics.com to read the latest episode of the Conjurers comic. I'm trying to get another page up by Friday. There's a lot going on in this sequence and I'd rather not make everyone wait a week between scenes. So, I'll kick in a little over drive and pump out some pages. It'll help me get a better handle on this "quick" style. It's odd attempting to produce pages rapidly and still make them look cool. The Conjurers Comic Strip on GoComics.com

New Conjurers Comic

Little time jump here. Now, the script called for Savachia turning the cup over to the old couple and all, but I felt the story needed a breath. Mostly from the real-time plotting so far. Just a bit of space. Also, you'll notice the art has lightened up a lot. Again, I'm still experimenting and am pushing the art in a slightly different direction. I want to keep it painterly, but I need to focus on better rendering of the characters and such. We'll see how that progresses.And, if you can't tell by this week's episode, things are about to get battle-licious. Things were moving slow in the original script. So I'm editing a lot as I re-write the pages and thumbnail 'em. I have a habit of trying to explain too much in too little space. Makes things drag. Simple solution: add more conflict, ramp up the stakes.Also, we're not far off from Savachia's journey into the Conjurian. Which will be the end of this comic arc. His story picks up in the novel. I'll have more on what story will be next soon. It'll be quite different in many ways.Thanks for reading!

New Conjurers Comic

This one was brutish from an art perspective. Like I've mentioned before, this is a new style for me, so I'm constantly in search of new mistakes and hoping for happy accidents. And I was trying to push this one towards more of a painterly feel and it got away from me a bit. Still, learned a ton for the next page, which I am off to finalize the script for now.

The Inner Circle

Welcome to a meeting of the inner circle. This is the ruling body of the Conjurian. And while you won't see a lot of them in this episode, you'll see them all in different capacities in the novel.For now I have only mentioned a few names. You know Ray, Eugene, Aggler and now a mention of Xavier. They are key players in the overall arc for the comic and the novels. So much fun ahead.Next episode, you'll see what happens when Savachia tries to take charge. Also, an honest offer from an evil man.

An ace up the sleeve.

What? Savachia's dad? Yep. And the nasty Shadow Conjurer's got him. And the poor little Watcher. His old crush on Savachia's Mom made him drop the ball, and his "redemption" will really put several trains on a collision course.The fun bit is that I am working on the novel whilst working on this arc of the comic. So many things start to tie together. At first it seems like a jumbled mess. You just keep chiselling away and little surprises appear like diamond flecks in a rock wall.Next week, Savachia will try and get his head to stop spinning and get some answers. Sadly, some of those answers will whip his head around faster than the teacups at Disney World. 

New Conjurers Comic

Seems to me someone knows a lot more than they have let on. And who is this Christopher fellow? You will find out. He's a major player in the world of magicians. Can't give away too much. Suffice it to say, he has a large role in the novel.  was happy he popped up in this comic series. Kind of a little meet and greet before the book.Now, what about Savachia's father? Oh my, there's lots. You'll see.

New Conjurers Comic

And wham! Something has popped out of the Conjurian. Ya, I know we're not heading directly into the Conjurian for a good while, but I wanted elements from that world to crossover into Savachia's story.  Things are picking up some steam, and there's more complications to come for the poor street hustler. He's stepped into a dandy of a wasps' nest.Also, I have some ultra cool news coming about the webcomic's future. Should be able to announce it very soon.

New Conjurers Comic

And he's back! Remember? The creepy dude, sitting in the tree outside the magic shop? Eating doughnuts? Well, I hadn't forgotten him and goodness knows he was dieing to get back in the action.This is where the fun of writing happens. In my outline, I had a few notes for this page. Firstly, bring back the doughnut eating Watcher (and his crow). Second, I knew the scene was going to be creepy, him standing over Savachia's Mom and all. What I didn't know, till he started talking, was that he has a history with dear Mrs. Savachia. Well, that threw me. So, I still have my outline. I know where all this ends because of Savachia's role in the novel. However, some of the stuff coming will be as much a surprise to me as for you.  Kinda cool.What I do know is that things are going to escalate faster and faster. There be some battlin' a comin'. Nothing is ever what it seems when dealing with magicians.