John Martz

What’s in a Name?

My father has an uncanny ability to get the names of celebrities and movie characters’ names wrong.  For the longest time he called that show about nothing ”Steinfeld.”

He visited this weekend, and Futurama was on the tv.

“I can’t stand the Simpsons,” he said.  When I explained that it was a different show altogether, he said, “But isn’t that Bart and Burly, or whatever his name is?”

Then he went on to tell me how he rented Bringing Down the House starring Steve Martin and Queen Fajita.

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At the Beer Store

Man (noticing my iPod): Can I see that?
Me: Uh… sure.
Man: I’ve got one just like that.
Me: Oh?
Man: I didn’t think you could get them in Canada.
Me: Oh sure you can.
Man: No, I don’t think you can.
Me: I bought this one here.
Man: No, they’re only available in the States.
Me: This is 2 years old.  I bought it here in Toronto.
Man: (giving me a funny look) Well, you never know…

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The Sketchbook Journal

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The Sketchbook Journal

Weeks ago I purchased volumes 1 and 2 of James Kochalka’s daily Sketchbook Diaries.  Like many of his readers I imagine, I not only fell in love with the earnest glimpse into his life’s playful banality, but I decided it was something I’d like to try myself.

At the risk of looking like a good old fashioned copycat I knew I at least had to do something differently than him (aside from not drawing myself as an Elf and having no intent to publish them).  So I decided to limit myself to a single panel.  Limiting myself like this turned out to be a fun little challenge—without multiple panels and the sense of time passing that such a narrative provides I am forced to find one single moment of my day to capture.

On their own, each mini comic isn’t necessarily always interesting and/or humourous, but I’m hoping that the final product is greater than the sum of its parts and that when completed (whenever that may be) the collection as a whole might serve as interesting look at a moment of my life.

If anything this new little project is turning out to be a great experiment in discipline and expedition.  Doing a daily panel forces me to uphold a constant level of creativity—and so far that’s been the most rewarding aspect.

Now and then I’ll share some of them with you.  Like this one:

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Seeing Red

I just returned from the laundromat where I discovered that due to a mischievous burgundy sweater, the little rouge rogue that it is, 5 of my favourite shirts are now a nice dull shade of pink.

Take this piece of advice now if you will—don’t be an idiot.  Don’t be like Robot Johnny.  Don’t have your mind on matters other than the cleansing of garments when it’s time to sort that laundry.  Stick to the task at hand for the love of all that’s not naturally pink!

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