Gorch But Not Forgotten (a comic strip)

[lowercasegods]

Thank you so much for the kind support! There's more to come! Hopefully at least one new strip her week! Spread the word!

 

[RedPiggy]

I DIED laughing. It was hilarious -- all three!

 

[lowercasegods]

Thanks so much! Keep checking back for new ones at least once a week (hopefully)!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I just found this thread. Awesome work, man! I posted how I like that you stayed true to the design of the characters without stylizing away from them. Something as stylistic as Muppets can't be re-stylized too much or they lose their flavor--you maintained the essence of them. Power to you!

 

[lowercasegods]

I just found this thread. Awesome work, man! I posted how I like that you stayed true to the design of the characters without stylizing away from them. Something as stylistic as Muppets can't be re-stylized too much or they lose their flavor--you maintained the essence of them. Power to you!

Thank you so much! It's true, I tried to stay true to the source material. That's why I ended up re-drawing the first Gorch comic (based off my old Gorch comic from '06) so I could be far more faithful to the designs. Plus, after seeing the Gorch sketches on DVD, I felt I had a far better handle on their personalities. But I've also strived to interpret them in my style as well, so I'm glad that's worked thus far!

Man, I can't wait to draw a strip with Vazh!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

With all the different work Henson did in his life, what was your main inspiring force to work with Gorch?
Is there a character you associate with the most (without meaning that you are that character)?
I like the cameos of other characters from the Henson Legacy, and also your caricature of Sarah Jessica Parker--hilarious! Do you think you're going to do any flashbacks for the characters behind the scenes of SNL including the stars of the show at that time?
Paper or plastic?
Do you feel like I've accidentally switched into Muley's "Mule on the Street" mode with all these questions?

 

[lowercasegods]

These are great questions!

I'd been fascinated with the idea of the Gorch characters since I read about them when I was ten. Back then (1984) there wasn't much information or visual references for the characters besides them being very ornate creatures and considerably more adult in theme and humor. So to a kid, that sounded fascinating.

When I finally got the see the characters (In Jim Henson: The Works) when I was 18, I fell in love with the designs. And when I began seeing the sketches in recent years the whole thing just came together for me.

I guess because the Gorch characters seem so far removed from anything else Jim had done, and because they're very much in my humor sensibility, I felt very inspired. It's not like anyone else was rushing to use these characters for anything, and only old guys like me or big, BIG Muppet nerds (again, like me) know of these characters, so I figured I should dust them off and breath fresh life into them.

I love King Ploobis. I really do identify with him as a personality. He is the brash and obnoxious partier I was in my mid 20's, but he's also a misunderstood ox of a guy who never seems to get it right no matter how hard he tries. That's who I am today, who I was then and who I'll always be, albeit hopefully a tad more successful in my efforts. Ploobis is the Kermit of this strip, the glue that holds it all together. He'll always have a hand in every adventure that comes out of this cartoon, no matter what cameos I bring in or how disconnected they seem to me (They're all Muppets, afterall).

I DO intend to do flashbacks! I have a Sam and Friends flashback in the works, plus I want to do a couple SNL flashbacks. There's a gag I'm working on where Ploobis, as seen in the first strip, kinda likes the idea of going out in a blaze of glory (i.e. party hard and leave a bloated corpse). Eventually he's going to start riffing on Belushi, saying how Belushi stole his act (they were similar personalities, after all), and he'll work on his own tell all biography similar to the one written by Bob Woodward just after to Belushi's death.

Anyhow, I have a great many ideas I'd like to try, all for the simple love of the Muppets, and particularly The Gorch characters. Thanks for the great questions!

 

[Redsonga]

Is it bad that I don't know who he is?

 

[lowercasegods]

Is it bad that I don't know who he is?

Who WHO is? King Ploobis? If so, you shouldn't feel ashamed at all. The Gorch Muppets were only featured in a handful of Season 1 Saturday Night Live episodes, then dropped into obscurity. I feel like now, with SNL season 1 finally being released on DVD that people will get to know these characters. So no, you shouldn't feel bad. I'm not as up to speed on some of the more recent Muppets, like the elephant from Muppets Tonight (which I know was a few years back, but still, I'm more of an old school Muppets fan).

 

[lowercasegods]

Episode 4 in my ongoing Gorch comic strip!

http://fourpanelhero.deviantart.com/art/GORCH-BUT-NOT-FORGOTTEN-4-99460932