Mick's news commentary on Ferguson.

A Koala Shirtfronts a Russian Bear.

The First Publication of Mick and Hoppa

My Uncle Des had his sign writing and art business located in Footscray at that time and he knew the editor of the Footscray Times. I was introduced to him and got my cartoon published. Naively, my second cartoon strip included puns on the local businesses. One called Forges I named Forgery on the shop sign. It probably did not go over well so that first cartoon was the last in that newspaper.

Self Portraits

It looks like I got grumpier and 'darker' as opposed to just crazy looking!
                                     
                                                                           1999

                                                                              2014

Mick and Hoppa in Nevada gun range

I actually visited this place and fired the sub-machine guns and Colt revolver. It was fun! I didn't buy anything though - wouldn't have fitted in my backpack!

Mick and Hoppa at Jamestown Virginia

Mick and Hopper get in hot water from a Hot Foot.

Mick and Hoppa Versus Mosquito

Mick and Hoppa Homesick

There was an episode of The Simpsons where Bart made prank calls to Australia collect and created a huge unpaid bill which caused a diplomatic incident between America and Australia. The Simpsons visited Australia to put things right and made things worse. Everything was ocker Hicksville. In the end the choppa came to rescue them and the Australians were throwing beer cans at it -reminiscent of Saigon.  Australians actually wrote to the papers complaining about the stereotypes and I thought given the stereotypes of Americans being loud and parochial 'You can give it but not take it'. Personally, I have no qualms about stereotyping ANYONE, including my countrymen, although in conversation I tend to qualify comments.

MICK THE GAZER

Believe it or not the idea for this came from some joker from Eastern Europe who got paid to just 'gaze' at an audience.

Mick and Hoppa and the Western Movie

Mick and Hoppa avoid a speeding ticket in Australia

Mick and Hoppa, Bar Flies in America

                                                 

Mick and Hoppa in Virginia Beach

Some 18 years ago when I travelled around the USA I spent some time at Virginia Beach. I had had my bike stolen in Western Samoa and then another one stolen in San Antonio. When I related this story to someone in the local health food shop I knocked over my smoothie. A woman who was not the waitress came and wiped it up, saying she had been listening to my story and felt sympathy. I asked her out that night and my stay in Virginia Beach became a much longer one than I expected! Anyway Kirsten, who loved Disney animated films -we went to see the premier of Pocahontas - showed me around. Of course, where I went Mick and Hoppa followed. Their mayhem was slightly worse than my own.

 

 

 

 

 

Little Lexie

Many of my cartoons are based on my own experiences. Mick and Hoppa, way out though they seem, are really based on my own overseas adventures and observations. Mick evolved out of caricatures of myself that I did in the 80s. He and Hoppa both express my thoughts and experiences.

My daughter, Alexi has provided the material for Lexie and I have frozen her at about age five or six in her favourite purple hat. Alexi always took - and takes- delight in disturbing other people and animals when they are at their most relaxed - and comfortable.

You can also see that her dad looks a lot like Mick, and a lot like me, but frozen before my hair turned grey! Poor Dad, all he wants to do is have his afternoon nap and perchance to dream!

Sheena the cat had a wild streak, more so when exposed to Alexi's over attentiveness. She got scratched hard on at least one occasion, but I think that here the cat is completely on the receiving end.

The parrot is a complete invention as we never had one but he looks like the sort of creature which would have a mobile phone if he could.

Well, this is a painting of Little Alexi who looks a lot like Little Lexie!

Mick and Hoppa at the Grand Canyon

When I visited the Grand Canyon I noticed some very large tourists being carried down the canyon by donkeys or mules. The cog in my brain turned and this is the result.

Mick and Hoppa at War

21/5/16

I started with the idea of Mick and Hoppa in the Australian air force and then changed it to them joining the SAS. I have been drawing it for a couple of years now. Some references to real events may become non-chronological as events in the world rapidly accumulate and sometimes I might refer to something more recent before the older event. For example, the shooting down of a Russian plane by Turkey might occur in the strip (yet to be drawn) before the siege of Kobane (also yet to be drawn). There is a strange combination of slapstick absurdity and references to some very grim events. As in all wars there are varying degrees of moral ambiguity but there is a consistent reference to the evil of IS/ISIS/ISIL. I think of the WW2 Buggs Bunny cartoons that featured Daffy and Buggs fighting the NAZIS. There was no hesitancy by Warner Bros to use ridicule and you will see no hesitancy here. There is a lot more that can be done to undermine ISIL by a variety of means.

There is also an excursion into the hypocrisy of Western feminism which could have gone in a separate section but for continuity I have included it here. It was fun to include myself in the strip, especially as Mick was originally a fantasy version of a much younger me.

The Mick and Hoppa At War will be regularly added to until I think the story is finished and it is my current main project which eventually I hope to gather into a book. New cartoons will mostly be going into this existing page.

The style, especially of the writing will vary as I began with hand written with gel pens and then changed to printing with the paint program. I also ddi my colouring with 'Paint'. I am now going back to using hand colouring with paint pens and paint and even coloured pencils. The end result is a little inconsistency but i think it makes it more interesting visually.