I ask fwooshmember questions.
They answer them.
Sidious – "Gotta support the lefties, you know?"
Where are you at?
The Pacific Northwest. Portland, OR. The City of Roses.
Where are you at: school? work? lover?
I’m fwooshing from work, usually. Which is a school (Reed College). It’s a college full of super-intellectual, rich, artistic kids. Sometimes I feel like I do much more fwooshing than actual work here. Reed has a comic book library room. It’s amazing. Basically every main back issue ever (I’m serious), all bound into hardback volumes that look like dusty old library books. I opened up the volume 1 X-Men book, and right there was a brittle copy of X-men #1. On my lunch breaks I go and read comics for an hour.
That library sounds incredible. Who set that up?
I think back in the 70’s or 80’s this one kid had a herculean collection of comics he simply donated to the college. And the student representatives of the comic library get funding for it every year and just build onto it. Its a real small room that is bursting at the seams with comics. They’re really running out of space in there. And they have tons of graphic novels and get weekly issues that eventually end up being bound and shelved.
Can you carve the fwoosh logo on the chair in there with a little heart around it?
I really wouldn’t want to touch any of the furniture in there, so sorry but no. All the couches look like curbside freebies. I sit on the floors. I’ll see what I can do as far as carving something into the wall, though. They did have me design the poster for the outside door. Its been up for close to six years. It’s a drawing of Lobo fighting Marv, while Marv is smashing Spider Jerusalem’s head through a window. I see it as eye-catching advertising. The more kids see the poster on the door, the more they will be attracted to the room’s contents, and end up voting for the room to get maximum funding at the end of the year. Which is neat.
Do you take advantage of the mountains with biking and hiking?
Not as much as I would like to. Portland is very city-like, but also has outstanding outdoor resources: waterfalls, Mt. Hood, lakes, rivers, all sorts of hiking. I play disc golf, and have been meaning to get a bike for years. Also, there’s a very small island in the middle of the river that separates the east and west sides of Portland, called Ross Island. It has nothing but trees and probably a few feral animals. Anyway, its always been a goal of mine to one night row out there on a little rubber raft, have a BBQ, and spend the night.
Does Portland have the smallest park? Have you ever been?
Portland has the smallest and the largest parks within city limits in the US, I think.
Yes, I forgot the name of it, but it (may be) the smallest park in the word. Its a little patch of grass like 3 ft x 3 ft. I haven’t "been to it", but I have drove past it many times and have seen it out my car window. Its right in the middle of a sidewalk.
Does Portland have a meth problem?
Three words – Faces of meth. These are all folks in Portland. Check them out; you would think they all sat in makeup chairs for George Romero’s next picture. So yeah, we have a slight meth problem. Its scary! I seriously think there’s a meth house at the corner of my block. I’m waiting for that tell-tale explosion one day…
Are you a lefty?
I certainly am. I do everything left-handed. My grandma (also a lefty) gave me a coffee mug as a small child that I’ll never forget. It read: "Everyone is born left-handed-only the greatest can overcome it!" In Seattle’s Pikes place market (where they throw frozen fish at each other) there is a left-handed store, not unlike Ned Flander’s. I bought a left handed spatula there. Gotta support the lefties, you know?
Do you snore when you sleep?
I think the best sleep is when you wake up all drooly.
I don’t snore, but my wife does after she drinks. And yes, drooly awakenings are the best. Especially on Saturday mornings. Or after naps.
Do you customize?
I really have ambitions of customizing. I have a feeling I can be a pretty badass painter if I gave it a try because I’m pretty artistic. I just don’t have the time or sometimes the money to buy lots of paints. Right now, I’m looking to do an old-school black and yellow X-men Longshot. I have all the pieces, I just need to find the courage and the time to get it going. I’ve done a few simple modifications, though.
Things TB/Hasbro neglected to do. I’m a stickler when it comes to comic-accuracy.
If Taskmaster has pupils in the comics, by god he’s getting some pupils. And I did a pretty nice Annihilus repaint thanks to lots of hand-held guidance from Left Field (thanks, Lefty!).
Where does Helium come from? Do they mine it? Is there a limited
supply? Should I start hoarding it? Is it from Texas?
I think Helium comes from… party supply stores. And if you do hoard some Helium, make sure you give it out to some kids.
What’s your main action figure? Marvel Legends? Star wars?
Right now its all Street Fighter. I really teeter back and forth from Marvel Legends to SF. It kind of depends on what’s on the shelves at the time. And at the moment, I can’t seem to find HML2 around here, so I’m trying to bolster up my SF variants. Also, I’m a huge fan of Mezco’s Hellboy and Goon figures. And old-school MOTU and Alex Ross Justice stuff.
Who is your favorite ML?
Yikes, that’s always a toughie! ML Colossus.
Did you collect all the Goon figures?
Lord yes! Although I only have the Goon right now. They are hard to come across! I know a lot of places have them online, but I’m a cheapskate when it comes to shipping charges. I’d like to find the rest of the Goon figures in a trade. I’m hoping the somewhat obscurity of the book will make someone say (about the action figures) "Why do I have these?", and trade them to me! Seriously, I’ve said it many times here on fwoosh – The Goon is an OUTSTANDING book! Check it out by all means. Especially if you love great art, great stories, great humor, and zombies.
Do you visit any other sites?
I visit Action-figure.com, OAFE, and sometimes RTM. And Waiting’s site, when he updates it. Seeing his updates are sometimes almost better than actually getting the figures, you know? I determine who I will and will not be getting after looking at his pics. Also, on a side note, before I discovered Fwoosh, and right after I discovered his site, I realized he was also based in Portland. So my buddy (who got me into MLs) and I always had talked about e-mailing him and begging him if we could take a tour of his toyroom. We realized that it might have been a little imposing, or come off as too "fan-boyish". Nowadays Waiting emails me daily, begging to have a tour of my toy room. True story.
Does your friend who got you into marvel legends fwoosh?
No. I’ve always tried to get him to… but he has no interest. I went to his house long ago and all it took was seeing his ML Colossus, Thor, and SMC Scorpion to have me drooling and addicted to the line. And the next month or so, we went to the Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle and I went on a ML buying crazy spree. He kind of stopped collecting and is working on the new Henry Selick (of The Nightmare Before Christmas) movie. Everyone he works with (in the model department) has either worked on the Spiderman, Star Wars, or LOTR films. Lucky bastard! I did get another friend into fwoosh, though. Robert Danner. He’s good people.
Is Robert Danner related to ARNOLDRIMMER?
Not that I am aware of.
Which forum do you spend most of your time? Do you chat?
The SOTA thread, The Bar, Trade thread, and the Marvel thread. I’m always looking for a good trade. I never got into chatting and I know I never will. Just not interested, I guess.
What about your wardrobe? Is it important to you?
My T-shirts. I design a lot of them, so it’s important that I represent myself on what I’m wearing. Just kidding. But I do design t-shirts.
Does everyone dress like gas station attendants in Portland?
Its true. There’s a LOT of cool kids here. It gets ridiculous.
Do you belong to a kickball league?
No way, Jose.
Do you sport a mustache?
I’m close to 30 years old, and all I can grow on my face is a tiny bit of a molester moustache. Its horrible looking. All I want in life is to be able to grow a mountain man beard. I make up for it by having a vast collection of fake moustaches. I always wear one to a party.
What confuses you?
"Animal lovers" who eat meat. Grown men who buy the new 5 inch Spiderman movie line. The lack of colorful, diverse birds who visit my feeders. I provide high-end, "no waste" feed! What the hell else do they want from me?
Do you play a musical instrument?
I have played the drums for 13 years. I like to play surf style drums. Lots of rolls, fills, and some quick solos. I haven’t been able to play them for 5 years or so, due to impatient neighbors. And I used to have a 1970’s Moog synthesizer that I loaned to a fool who completely busted it. I’m still VERY much fuming over it. It’s unlikely I will come across another in my lifetime.
Do you read a lot? Non-comics?
I try to, but nothing substantial. I read a lot of shark books. Right now I’m reading a tremendous book called "The Devil’s Teeth" about the Farallon Islands. Not many people know about them. They are a super small, volcanic group of islands located 30 miles due west of the city of San Francisco. Every fall, the islands become host to the largest great whites in the world, who come there to feed on the island’s huge seal population. It is considered one of the purest and most undisturbed places for one to study/view the sharks and their predatory habits.
What hobbies do you have outside of the usual ones?
Sharks are a huge hobby/fascination. So are birds. Drawing. Yard work. Staring at my action figures.
How much weight can you lift over your head? multiple times?
I’m somewhat close to super-human class 10 status.
Have you ever broken an arm?
Never broke a bone. I don’t live dangerously. I’m a very cautious person.
Nay pets?
Nay. I want a cat, but the wife’s dad is severely allergic. So he would never be able to visit us if we had one. I used to keep fish, but it became very difficult to keep the community’s environs well maintained and clean. The citizens kept dying.
Your future plans?
To be a somewhat widely recognized artist. Maybe in the comic field. Maybe in the illustration field in general. I’m working REALLY hard these days to get peoples attention. Having shows, illustrating things. Its a slow process. But Portland is a great place to be for what I’m trying to do. Wish me luck, and for god’s sakes- anyone who is interested in original artwork, PLEASE see my trade thread! I’ll trade you a drawing of anything you want. ANYTHING!
You are a boxing fan? Hockey?
I watched boxing growing up with my dad, then got married to a woman who hates it, so I don’t watch it much anymore. And I grew up playing a lot of street hockey. So I do love it. Don’t get to watch much though. Big Sharks fan. They were the closest team to root for, growing up in northern California. Plus I love sharks.
Are you an art student?
I was an art student. I dropped out because I felt I wasn’t learning much. I was at a community college with sub-par art teachers. Didn’t learn a damn thing in high school, either. Loved my art teacher to death. Funniest, nicest guy in the world, but I still have no idea how he got a job as an art teacher. Whenever anyone needed help, the only thing he would do is come and take your seat and work on your drawing for you, while you watched over his shoulder while standing behind him. He never explained what he was doing or why. It was hilarious. I’m nearly 100% self taught.
I don’t know anything about color theory, and it kind of embarrassing, being an illustrator. I definitely need to take a class on the subject.
The wife – color theory expert. She helps me a lot when I’m drawing – tells me which colors would look better together. But I am responsible for choosing colorways (both ink and fabric) for the shirts I design. I know green and orange are compliments. And blue and red.
Is your wife a student?
She was as well. She was a photo major. I met her when she was in college and I was dropped out. She was going to the University of Oregon. We worked in an art supply store together. We had tons in common and hit it off right away. On our first date I took her to a George Carlin concert, which she didn’t totally understand. Cut to 8 years later – we’ve been married for a year and a half. If I can just brag about her for a minute, she’s incredibly artistic, and is a super-photographer. I’m a lucky guy.
Do you take turns kickin’ each other to get some art done?
My wife kicks my ass, both mentally and physically on a regular basis. No, in all seriousness, she is the fire under my bottom when it comes to my art. I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without her. She is always pushing me, and getting me to get my stuff out there. She’s VERY resourceful, and she’s the smartest person I know. Like I said, I’m very lucky… She’s behind my scenes, but making it all happen.
The bootleg Fantastic Four figs you found! What a score! What can you do with those?
I really cant do anything with those! they wont even stand on their own. The only good I got out of them are the fwoosher’s hilarious responses. Other than that, every time I place them in front of my Galactus, he laughs. And the worst thing is I got OVER-charged for those sons of bitches! They were supposed to ring up at .75 each, and I think I got charged $1.60.
To see Sidious’s newest t-shirt designs (hot off the t-shirt press), please visit
www.monsieurt.net (designs by Ryan Berkley).
