Today we’d like to introduce you to Davy Jones.
Davy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I was four or five years old, my grandmother would read the Sunday Funnies to me every weekend. I knew from the moment she shared those classic comic strips that I wanted to create my own comic strip. I recall telling my first grade teacher that I could not wait to read because I was going to use that knowledge to read daily every comic strip published in the newspaper. I did just that, wanting to one day have my own comic strip running in newspapers across the country.
After a lot of failed attempts creating my own comic strip, I decided to get all the bad mojo released from my system. I figured if I would just focus on making the worst comic strip ever created, I would expel all those bad ideas, leaving only good ideas. I began working on the worst idea ever, a bunch of bugs who tell jokes that make no sense. After careful consideration, I settled on a troop of army ants. To make it even dumber, I added a monkey who would talk gibberish, so the audience had no idea what was going on. I made sure the drawing style was rough and looked terrible. I put a ton of effort into making the worst comic strip ever. Within a few months, I had a huge following online.
I decided to roll with success. I tweaked the drawing style, so it looked professional. I developed my own unique style of lettering. I developed a bond between Frenchy and Flimp the Chimp so that her interactions would let the readers know what Flimp was saying. Then I began writing funny jokes. I added a few more characters to round out the story. The success kept growing and I landed my first newspaper, who has now been running my comic strip for four years. Later, I landed a few more newspapers across the country, making my dream come true… But I am nowhere near done. My goal is to get into enough newspapers so I can be a full time cartoonist.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In order to have your comic strip ran in daily newspapers across the country, you must be represented by a syndicate. I am in a handful of weekly newspapers that just run a couple of comic strips. Major newspapers want one source for their comic strips and syndicate services that need it.
The problem is that syndicates have a full client list and they are never looking to add new comic strips. The same comic strips have been running in the newspapers for 50 years. The only way a new comic strip can get picked up is if another comic strip ceases publication. Even when a cartoonist who created a comic strip passes away, the reigns of the comic strip is just handed to a new cartoonist. It has been decades since a new comic strip has been added to a syndicate for newspaper publication. I will never say the word “never”. One day, I will get syndicated.
Please tell us about Charmy’s Army – the comic strip.
My comic strip is unique in this day and age of digital art. I refuse to produce my comic strip digitally. Nearly all cartoonists now have abandoned the art of lettering by hand. I went too far as to develop my own style of lettering. I feel that comic strips using fonts look tight and too perfect. When your letter by hand, the letters become a part of the art and compliment your drawing style.
I also pride myself on the fact that I draw every panel differently. Even if the difference is ever so slight. I love making sure each panel act as a scene. I see my comic strip as a mini movie. By changing each panel up, you are keeping the reader intrigued. This is why movies and television shows keep changing the camera angles. The changing angles keep the viewer interested, I make appearances at comic conventions across Texas to meet my fans. At these shows, I have become known as “The Mash-Up Guy”. I draw a lot of original art for the readers of my characters mashed up with other pop culture characters. I draw a ton of Deadpool Charmy and Harley Quinn, Frenchy. My favorite mash-up was a Thanos Charmy because of all the detail in the ANT-finity Gauntlet.
I also released my first treasury collection two years ago. I released the collection in the form of a comic book. The release was a huge success. The comic book featured all the comic strips from my first two years in the newspapers. I just completed my fourth year in the newspapers, so I will have my second collection ready in time for Houston’s Comicpalooza. I cannot wait to see how well the second issue is received.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I could start all over, I really would not have done anything differently. Having all the failed comic strips in the past is why I am where I am with this amazing comic strip. I would never have created Charmy’s Army if I did not have the failures.
If I had to give an answer for this, I would say I would have been born four years earlier, lol. Then I would have had a chance to get into a syndicate. I would be in my early 90’s now though, so I am good with being born when I was, lol… I would not change anything. I have had a blessed life and would not want to risk changing anything.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.charmysarmy.com
- Email: fugcheese@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/charmysarmy
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/charmysarmy
- Twitter: www,twitter.com/charmysarmy
- Other: www.patreon.com/charmysarmy
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
