Category: Blog

The Origin of Coldwater Canyon

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Alex Hoffman

Over 10 years ago I came up with the idea for an Indiana Jones parody starring a moronic archeologist “Coldwater Canyon.”  I thought it would be hilarious to have all characters named after streets in the San Fernando Valley.  I decided to resurrect that idea for this week’s comic.  Below is the first comic I ever made with him.  I’ve come a long way from colored pencils.

cwc1

UCLA Comic Workshop on October 15

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Alex Hoffman

Hey guys! Sorry there’s no comic this Sunday.  But I do want to announce that I will be leading a Comic Strip Making Workshop at UCLA on Wednesday October 15, 2014!  I co-led a comic making workshop last November at UCLA in conjunction with a performance of Intergalactic Nemesis.  This year’s workshop will be in conjunction with Art Spiegelman and Philip Johnson’s WORDLESS!, a performance that combines music and comics.  I’m glad to be asked back and I’m excited to see Art Spiegelman, the Pulitzer award winning cartoonist known for the graphic novel, Maus.  I remember reading Maus for a history class at UCLA and being blown away by it’s symbolism, effective story telling and learning that comics could be taken seriously as a medium.  As you can see, I haven’t quite learned that lesson yet.

If anyone’s interested and in the Los Angeles area, come say hi at my workshop and enjoy a cool hybrid of music and art by Art Spiegelman and Philip Johnson!

Wednesday October 15, 2014

6:30 PM Royce Hall’s West Lobby

at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA 90095

The Absurdity of Names

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Alex Hoffman

This week’s comic explores the absurdity of names.  Names represent our identity, but what happens when you are stuck with an unfortunate name that results in snickers and ridicule?  I remember in middle school there was a girl in my gym class who had the unfortunate last name of “Zass.”  While by itself it’s perfectly fine, coupled with a first name, it becomes the butt of jokes (pun intended).  “Rita Zass?  Is Rita Zass here? Has anyone seen Rita Zass?”  Years later at the Price is Right, I met  number of people with names ranging from Free Spirit Joseph to Remington Steele.

What’s the most absurd name you’ve come across?