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Frequently Asked Questions
There are a lot
of questions that come up with reading THE NORM. The strip is a bit like jazz
music, you have to give it a little while to understand it. But once you do, I
think you'll enjoy it. Here's a Q of the moment, and some other FAQs.
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Q of the moment
Where are the new strips?
- Mitchell S., Dallas TX
A: The latest strips are now a benefit of being a member of Jantze.com. Join today. You'll find all the answers about membership on the member page.
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FAQs about the strip
Q: I knew that
we were connecting with your work when we spent ten minutes discussing whether
Reine and Norm should get married . . . what exactly is their relationship
anyway???
A: The back story is Norm and Reine knew each other in college. Best of times,
best of friends. They may not be exactly alike, but most friends aren't. Just
look at Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Clinton and Lewinsky (okay, that
punchline is so old but I still chuckle at it. I wish I could laugh about Bush).
Q: How on Earth
do you pronounce Reine's name?
A: It's French for queen. Ask someone who's French.
Q: I'm late to
the strip. What's an X-GF?
A: It's Norm's shorthand for ex-girlfriend.
Q: Is the kid
that looks like Norm, well, uh, what IS he?
A: Norm has a fervent imagination. Sometimes he talks to his "inner child." He
also has an Old Guy Norm, a Crash-test Dummy Norm, an action figure Norm, a Smart Norm, etc. These
manifestations only show up when Norm is under stress.
FAQs about the author
Q: Who were your
influences?
A: Do you mean cartoonist influences? And why am I answering with a question?
Q: Where were
you born?
A: In New York State. I grew up in Illinois. I was educated in California. I think you can see the problem here.
Q: Is Norm
you?
A: No. Norm is a cartoon character. You should really know that by
now.
FAQs about process
Q: What is your
process?
A: I spend most of my time writing in a visual journal - setting aside "good ideas" until I have a better cartoon.
As for the process it's pretty much the same as any other cartoonist's. The
only difference might be that I keep the aforementioned journal of ideas and drawings
that I edit from.
Comics are unique to other media because of the blending of pictures and words
- so I find it important to draw while I write ... good things happen when I
do. Check out my Step-By-Step process for a
brief overview.
Q: Where do you
get your ideas?
A: THE NORM comes from everything. The humor starts as observational, but I
don't try to regurgitate what I've seen or heard as much as try to capture how Norm would feel about it.
The other 98 percent of the time I steal directly from BLONDIE.
Q: How did you
get syndicated?
A: The secret for me was to draw and write every day. For several years I
goofed around in my spare time and sent submissions to the syndicates. I got
some encouragement from syndicate editors and eventually with each new bland
submission, less and less attention. They had figured me out before I had. By
drawing and writing every day, I broke the choke-hold I'd put on myself and got
to the essence of what makes my work unique.
Q: Who
determines what the strip is going to be about, or the characters
involved?
A: That's totally my fault.
Q: What tools do
you use?
A: I work on preprinted grids because I hate to use a ruler. The paper is a
printer's card stock similar to the expensive stuff everyone else uses. I use Prismacolor Col-erase Blue pencil to pencil and finish up with a Pentel brush pen, inking and spotting blacks.
I use a Micron 05 technical pen for lettering. I shop at Minneapolis-based Wet Paint Art Store for many of these goodies.
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