Canadian Web Comic Interviews

Ryan Smith Author of "Funny Farm"

I was born in Calgary, Alberta, but now I live in Manitoba. We moved a long time ago, but I was still old enough to remember most of it. I have a pet dalmatian named Pongo and a persian cat named Nermal.
I enjoy most juvenile guy things, such as cartoons, toys, comics. the non-juvenile guy things I enjoy I don't think will be listed here. Currently I'm in college for a medical course, and I guess it's obvious I went through the mandatory highschool and elementary stuff to get here. Oddly enough, my specialty during those days was business.

What was the first online comic you ever read?
Not being too familiar with online comics, and the fact it was just a fledgling presence on the internet at the time, I didn't know about them until I was doing some research on drawing something and found The Class Menagerie by Vince Suzukawa. Also, on a chat I had a friend named David Willis who just put his college paper printed comics online, which was called Roomies. Either of those two were the first.

What were your favorite comics growing up?
Bloom County, Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, Garfield, US Acres....some other misc.

Tell us how you landed began working on your web comic.
I became friends with Vince Suzukawa and David Willis and decided if they could do online comics, I could too.

What other writing or comics have you worked on?
Nothing much. I did do a temporary printed comic series called "Ront and Mewn" for L33T. It was basically a spin off of the strip I do (Funny Farm).

For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about this web comic?
I don't want to be too wordy, but describing Funny Farm sure requires a lot of ... description. It's everything I want to read in a comic, essentially. It has a variety of characters who play off each other in daily one-a-day strips and sweeping story arcs. I enjoy twisted plots and fun villains, so they're in the comic as well. Really, it's a comic that tells a story and tries to either be humorous, or maybe a bit surprising at least.
Oh, and the fact that there are animal characters mixed with human characters doesn't mean much. Just something I wanted to do, for apparently no reason.

Tell us how you acquired your artistic skills.
Practice. That's about it, since I didn't really take lessons.

What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles?
I don't think my art is influenced by anyone. I'm told it's pretty unique on its own. I certainly don't recall trying to mimick anyone. I read a lot and watch a lot of story based things. Too many to list off as an influence, writing wise. I'm attuned to many facets of media for inspiration.

Where do you get your ideas for story archs or comedic relief in your comic?
If you make good characters, they generally write themselves.

Your thoughts on the online comic community?
It's too big, darnit. I feel I'm only part of a small clique of online comics, when I want to be part of the whole crowd. Unfortunately school work and life prevents me from managing this, so I'm generally just a loner these days. If anything though, I'd say there's some elitism among the popular and not-so-popular online comics out there that isn't very cool.
But generally the community is very welcoming, friendly, and weird.

Being non-american, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream web comics?
Not at all. In fact, I don't even think this is much of an issue. I think this could only be a problem if the comic dealt hardcore with Canadian topics and events, which would then make it news...and boring.
Funny Farm doesn't deal with many Canadian topics. In fact, I've never disclosed where Funny Farm takes place, even.

Does anything set you appart, being a Canadian comic artist, from other American web comics?
I suppose spelling "color" and "colour" might set me apart, but that's about it.

How, if at all, does being 'Canadian' factor into the creative process?
I'm afraid that doesn't factor in at all, unless I need inspiration for winter related comic strips.

Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic Conventions?
Nope. It's always been bad timing on my part (ie. school)

Do you believe that popular cultures preoccupation with the Anime-style of art has diluted the overall quality of web comics, or improved it?
It's always good to have diversity, so I guess it's an improvement. The only disadvantage would be if you come across someone drawing anime-style badly.

How do you feel about the vast increase in web comics sporting the 'Sprite Comic' (or 'Cookie-Cutter') style?
In that case, it really depends on the humor/writing. Sure it's a novelty to see Mega Man and Mario sprites doing things you normally wouldn't see them doing in video games, like getting drunk and finding Princess hookers, but novelties die off (for me, at least). I don't read any of these genre of comics religiously, but I've seen a select few that have kept my interest enough to visit again, based on the humorous writing styles.
The others are just boring "Look at me! I'm Mario with a bong! Isn't that wild?!" kinda' things.

What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites?
Dear gawd...too many to list...
Do you really want me to list off 5 decade's worth of cartoons and movies? Let's say I'm generally into pop culture stuff, whether it be from 80s, 90s, 2000, etc.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you?
A stick to draw on the endless sand canvass (and to write rescue messages), a Transformer toy of some sort to occupy myself with, and someone to look at what I drew and play Transformer(s) with.

What books do you read?
Anything with a good adventure to it.

How can somebody contact you?
Email: dal2003@mts.net and by my comic's forum.

That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom?
I guesss just that if you're an aspiring cartoonist, make sure you create characters you love and have a good imagination for causing mayhem with them. Drawing helps too, but there's always sprites if you don't know how.

-Ryan Smith
http://www.funnyfarmcomics.com

Strips:

"Halloween Special - With Optimus!"
"Cool! Mystery Package!"
"It's called improvising!"

Posted by B.Scott
Return to The Main Page - Canadian Web Comic Ezine



	Canadian Web Comic Interviews Ryan Smith Author of "Funny Farm" I was born in Calgary, Alberta, but now I live in Manitoba. We moved a long time ago, but I was still old enough to remember most of it. I have a pet dalmatian named Pongo and a persian cat named Nermal. I enjoy most juvenile guy things, such as cartoons, toys, comics. the non-juvenile guy things I enjoy I don't think will be listed here. Currently I'm in college for a medical course, and I guess it's obvious I went through the mandatory highschool and elementary stuff to get here. Oddly enough, my specialty during those days was business. What was the first online comic you ever read? Not being too familiar with online comics, and the fact it was just a fledgling presence on the internet at the time, I didn't know about them until I was doing some research on drawing something and found The Class Menagerie by Vince Suzukawa. Also, on a chat I had a friend named David Willis who just put his college paper printed comics online, which was called Roomies. Either of those two were the first. What were your favorite comics growing up? Bloom County, Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, Garfield, US Acres....some other misc. Tell us how you landed began working on your web comic. I became friends with Vince Suzukawa and David Willis and decided if they could do online comics, I could too. What other writing or comics have you worked on? Nothing much. I did do a temporary printed comic series called "Ront and Mewn" for L33T. It was basically a spin off of the strip I do (Funny Farm). For readers not familiar with your work, can you tell us something about this web comic? I don't want to be too wordy, but describing Funny Farm sure requires a lot of ... description. It's everything I want to read in a comic, essentially. It has a variety of characters who play off each other in daily one-a-day strips and sweeping story arcs. I enjoy twisted plots and fun villains, so they're in the comic as well. Really, it's a comic that tells a story and tries to either be humorous, or maybe a bit surprising at least. Oh, and the fact that there are animal characters mixed with human characters doesn't mean much. Just something I wanted to do, for apparently no reason. Tell us how you acquired your artistic skills. Practice. That's about it, since I didn't really take lessons. What artists have inspired/influenced your artistic and writing styles? I don't think my art is influenced by anyone. I'm told it's pretty unique on its own. I certainly don't recall trying to mimick anyone. I read a lot and watch a lot of story based things. Too many to list off as an influence, writing wise. I'm attuned to many facets of media for inspiration. Where do you get your ideas for story archs or comedic relief in your comic? If you make good characters, they generally write themselves. Your thoughts on the online comic community? It's too big, darnit. I feel I'm only part of a small clique of online comics, when I want to be part of the whole crowd. Unfortunately school work and life prevents me from managing this, so I'm generally just a loner these days. If anything though, I'd say there's some elitism among the popular and not-so-popular online comics out there that isn't very cool. But generally the community is very welcoming, friendly, and weird. Being non-american, do you feel somewhat removed from many of the more mainstream web comics? Not at all. In fact, I don't even think this is much of an issue. I think this could only be a problem if the comic dealt hardcore with Canadian topics and events, which would then make it news...and boring. Funny Farm doesn't deal with many Canadian topics. In fact, I've never disclosed where Funny Farm takes place, even. Does anything set you appart, being a Canadian comic artist, from other American web comics? I suppose spelling "color" and "colour" might set me apart, but that's about it. How, if at all, does being 'Canadian' factor into the creative process? I'm afraid that doesn't factor in at all, unless I need inspiration for winter related comic strips. Have you ever attended any Canadian or American Comic Conventions? Nope. It's always been bad timing on my part (ie. school) Do you believe that popular cultures preoccupation with the Anime-style of art has diluted the overall quality of web comics, or improved it? It's always good to have diversity, so I guess it's an improvement. The only disadvantage would be if you come across someone drawing anime-style badly. How do you feel about the vast increase in web comics sporting the 'Sprite Comic' (or 'Cookie-Cutter') style? In that case, it really depends on the humor/writing. Sure it's a novelty to see Mega Man and Mario sprites doing things you normally wouldn't see them doing in video games, like getting drunk and finding Princess hookers, but novelties die off (for me, at least). I don't read any of these genre of comics religiously, but I've seen a select few that have kept my interest enough to visit again, based on the humorous writing styles. The others are just boring "Look at me! I'm Mario with a bong! Isn't that wild?!" kinda' things. What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites? Dear gawd...too many to list... Do you really want me to list off 5 decade's worth of cartoons and movies? Let's say I'm generally into pop culture stuff, whether it be from 80s, 90s, 2000, etc. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you? A stick to draw on the endless sand canvass (and to write rescue messages), a Transformer toy of some sort to occupy myself with, and someone to look at what I drew and play Transformer(s) with. What books do you read? Anything with a good adventure to it. How can somebody contact you? Email: dal2003@mts.net and by my comic's forum. That ends the interview, any last words of wisdom? I guesss just that if you're an aspiring cartoonist, make sure you create characters you love and have a good imagination for causing mayhem with them. Drawing helps too, but there's always sprites if you don't know how. -Ryan Smith http://www.funnyfarmcomics.com Strips: "Halloween Special - With Optimus!" "Cool! Mystery Package!" "It's called improvising!" Posted by B.Scott Return to The Main Page - Canadian Web Comic Ezine