Howdy, everyone! I was asked to chalk up some type of word party to fill a bit of space. So here goes.

My name is James Bunnell, and I’m a cartoonist and illustrator. Soon, I'll have my comic strip "Pretty Stump Bunny: Testing Strips" up for the public to view. I love to draw, doodle, sketch and generally ruin miles of rain forest in my quest for the perfect ‘angry penguin’ pose. Yep, I’m that guy. I’m the type that in a social function of any sort, will generally be thinking about the shadowing in a cartoon I saw the night before, instead of telling the bride she looks simply lovely. So when a friend of mine posed this question to me a few days ago, my brain had a field day with it. So, I’m giving it to all of you. Here.

“What five creative moguls would you like/have liked to work on a creative project of some sort with?”

Any kind of creative person, in any kind medium; music, film, comics, whatever. I have particularly soft spot in my heart (and some think in my head) for ‘top five’ questions. They generally lead to decent conversation, and conversation is where I mine most of my decent strip ideas. So, I decided my list would look something like this…

1. Gary Larson. If you’ve never heard of him, or of his amazing creation “Far Side”, I must commend you for finding such a comfortable rock to live under. This gem appeared in 1980, and helped shape the part of my brain that makes people look at me strangely when I talk. A wonderful mixture of bovines, beehive and cat’s-eye glasses clad ladies, and ducks. Oh, those wonderful ducks.

2. Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery.“In a cartoon, you can do anything.” This man did more for the world of western animation than most. He set a large number of the big animation greats in motion, abet in a previously unexplored direction. The wild-take alone is a national treasure. I mean, the man created the “Frito Bandito” for crap’s sake! Forget about the resume, I’d put something like that on my tombstone, you know? From Droopy Dog to creating ‘What’s up, Doc?’, this man was the Nikola Tesla of animation.

3. Eric Powell. This gent is a recent addition, but has held his own amongst the greats, so far. He has a style that’s a roller coaster to read, interesting as heck to look at, and damn quotable when your done. All of this, compounded with a wonderfully twisted way of telling a story, makes him a favorite. Read “The Goon” if you don’t believe me. Seriously. Frankie slays me.

4. Joss Whedon. I’ve enjoyed almost everything I’ve ever experienced that he’s had a hand in. I’d also probably sell certain parts of my anatomy to be part of furthering the world of Firefly. Then again, I’m a mega-geek.

5. Grant Morrison. With a Lewis Carroll-like ability to create readable nonsense (his work on Doom Patrol comes to mind), or forge/reforge a more “conventional” story (the Invisibles or his work on the New X-Men), this guy deserves his career. I recently had a discussion with a friend about trying to break into the comic business, and his wish list of great names to someday be compared to. This guy was on the list then too.

Well, right now, those are my top five. Of course, a ‘top ten’ list now nags at my brain, and I can see a ‘top twenty’ list standing in the hall behind it. My hope is that this sparks at least one conversation. Talking and thinking never hurt anyone, and it’s better for you than “So You Think You Can Warble” or whatever the most recent fan fave thing is. “Americans Idle”. Heh.

more later,
James “the Other James” Bunnell