Your comic strip Buffalo Gals - in a few words, what is it
about?
The comic strip Buffalo Gals is a cartoon about two
cowgirls who own a ranch in Buffalo County. They deal with cattle, ranch
hands and town folk. At the local watering hole is a dancehall gal named
Rose who is a major part of the feature. What were your sources of inspiration when coming
up with Buffalo Gals? As a working fiddle player in
Texas, I threw in with a cowgirl music group called The Hays County
Gals and Pals. We toured the states and went as far as Nevada. It
was in Elko, Nevada that I decided to create a western comic about
cowgirls. Do talk about your drawing
style for a bit! My style is "old school". No
stick figures for me. I take pride in having a comic that is funny and
pleasing to the eye with a lot of detail. I have been at it a long time
and feel I have learned something about cartooning.
What can you tell us about Buffalo
Gals' brand of humour? Buffalo Gals is a change
from today's "political correct" cartoons. It takes place in the
old west before any of that nonsense was brought to light and allowed. It
is not editorial in its humour. It is meant to give someone a laugh in
their stress-filled day. No hidden messages in the gags. Do take us through the whole
process of creating one of your strips! A basic strip
starts with the idea or "gag". That is the hardest part.
Drawing is easy once a credible idea has been established. Once the
idea is in place, I choose which characters will be involved. Since I have
been drawing it since 1995, I have had plenty of time to establish
personalities and quirks with different characters and how each would
probably react to a situation. What can you
tell us about some of the lead characters of Buffalo Gals, and to
what extent can you identify with any of them? The lead
character is Bess Winchester. She is a no nonsense tough-as-nails cowgirl
and is quite strong for a woman. She does have a softer side but
rarely shows it. Her co-owner of the ranch is Connie Cheyenne. She
is a bit naive and sometimes Bess has to get her out of a jam. I ran into
several "Bess Winchesters" on the western music circuit and one
was very much revered by ranch we performed at. The comic strip
touches on situations anyone can relate to. You've
been doing Buffalo Gals since 1995, right? So how has the strip
evolved over the years, both stylistically and narratively? The
characters have gotten more polished through time. Features and
personalities have become more defined.
What
are your future plans for Buffalo Gals? I will
continue to pursue syndication through the print media or online. I am in
the process of publishing my first collection through Book Baby and should
be completed this summer. The
$64-question of course, where can Buffalo Gals be found? Buffalo
Gals can be found on Facebook at
http://facebook.com/BuffaloCowgals/
and as a feature in the old west newspaper The Tombstone Epitaph out of
Tombstone, Arizona. I am also published in The Son of a Gap Gazette out of
Waxahachie, Texas. What
got you into doing comic strips in the first place, and did you receive
any formal training on the subject? I had no formal
training, just a passion for drawing cartoons at a very young age. I
believe I was in 1st grade when my sister came home with a comic strip art
project she had done and it impressed me very much. I was hooked from that
first comic. What can you tell us
about your cartoon work prior to/besides Buffalo Gals? I
was hired by different papers to do editorial cartoons and some comics. I
drew for my high school paper and college paper. Many of my early comics
ran their course after a few strips. Buffalo Gals was different. I
now have over 1000 comic strips created, more than any feature I
attempted. How
would you describe yourself as a cartoonist? I am not the
best but not the worst.
Comic
strips, comic books, comic artists that inspire you? Robert
Crumb. Many other underground cartoonists like Denis Kitchen and Jay
Lynch. Mad Magazine and early DC
Comics. Popeye the
Sailor cartoons
crafted by Elzie Segar. ...
and since this is a movie site first and foremost, some of your favourite
and least favourite movies?
I love anything by Clint
Eastwood, either starring in or directing. Coneheads, early Popeye
cartoons, Robert Duvall movies, and westerns. Your/your comic strip's
website, Facebook, whatever else?
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I listed my Facebook page
earlier and my website for my comics and my music is
www.badbobrohan.com
Anything else you're
dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I am
grateful for the interview and for the detailed list of questions. You ask
really good questions probably because you are a cartoonist yourself.
Thank you. Thanks
for the interview!
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