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Contact the Artist
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) of Kevin Fagan |
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 Q. When did you first start drawing cartoons?
A. Ever since I can remember. I drew a lot as a kid, but unfortunately, my drawing style never improved much after the age of 13!
Q. Who were the cartoonists who most influenced you?
A. Schulz, of course. I always loved PEANUTS and marveled at how much he contributed to our society. I also loved HERMAN by Jim Unger. I read a lot of MAD Magazine as a kid and enjoyed Don Martin and Sergio Aragones. Mell Lazarus, Bil Keane, Johnny Hart, and Hank Ketchum influenced me a lot too.
Q. How did you get your professional start?
A. I drew for my college newspaper at Saddleback College, and then Sacramento State. During that time, I sent out samples of my work to all the syndicates. To my surprise, United Feature Syndicate offered me a contract at age 21, making me the youngest syndicated cartoonist.
Q. How did you come up with your characters?
A. At age 21, I was exactly like Norman Drabble, so the strip was somewhat autobiographical. It still is because 20 years later, I've turned into his dad, Ralph!
Q. What materials do you use to draw your comics?
A. Do you use a computer? I draw DRABBLE in pen and ink. I don't use a computer at all.
Q. Why does Patrick always wear a bike helmet?
A. There is a kid in my neighborhood who always used to ride his bike over to play with my kids, but when he came inside, he never bothered to take his helmet off. In fact, I almost never saw him without it! (One day I did and didn't recognize him!) Anyway, I thought it was funny, and incorporated it into the strip.
Q. What is Norman's mother's first name?
A. June, but almost nobody knows that. The kids call her "Mom," and Ralph calls her "Honeybunch." 8. Will Norman and Wendy ever get married? I don't know. I toyed with the idea in a recent series where Norman and Wendy go to Las Vegas and accidentally get married. I was astonished at how many readers wanted the marriage to be for real, and were disappointed that it wasn't. It certainly would have opened up a whole new angle on the strip. Maybe someday.
Q. Are there any DRABBLE books available?
A. Yes! Son of Drabble, Mall Cops, Ducks, and Fenderheads and Drabblations are all available. Check out the link to Amazon.
Q. Why isn't DRABBLE in my local paper?
A. That's a tough one. I think newspaper editors rely a lot on reader input to guide their decisions on the comics page. If you'd like to see DRABBLE in your paper, please write, call, and/or e-mail your newspaper and politely ask for it. Usually, if a paper gets enough requests for a certain strip, they'll start running it. If you happen to contact them, let me know as well and maybe I can follow up.
Q. What's the deal with the duck?
A. Bob the duck is the least understood character in DRABBLE (at least by me, anyway). Bob stumbled into the strip several years ago, but Ralph hated ducks and wouldn't let the boys keep it as a pet. So the boys convinced their dad that Bob was really a rare and valuable South American parrot that takes on the characteristics of a duck for survival in the jungle. That's why Bob often sits on a perch. For more info on this, check out some of the strips in our book Mall Cops, Ducks and Fenderheads.
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