Welcome to the website. It was created with the desire to have an internet presence and avoid the practices of other social media. If you are interested in the work displayed or thoughts shared, you can check back every once in awhile to find new posts. And I can be reached at themythfits@gmail.com

While I plan to discuss various matters, many of the posts will focus on my work, comic art, and cartoon related collectibles.

I am the copyright holder of all my own intellectual property. The copyright on any other art or concepts, displayed for archival purposes or commentary, are the property of its creators or assigned copyright holders.

To give you a better insight into my background, I’ve attached an interview I did a few years ago about my tenure at Filmation Studios.

Did you always want to be an artist?

I always wanted to be a cartoonist. I had no desire to produce great paintings or sculptures or dabble in what my art school teachers considered the finer arts. Simply, I wanted to draw funny pictures because I had a certain knack for it and people responded positively. When you are young and people tell you that you do something really well,  that's what you want to do. Nothing motivates like positive reinforcement. 

Who were some of your earliest artistic influences?

Popeye is the greatest influence in my cartooning career. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and there, as in many cities, the local TV channels had daily blocks of children's programming that ran and re-ran old cartoons. I remember planting myself in front of the television, inches from the screen and watching the old Fleischer cartoons over and over. In addition, Popeye was in comic books and on the comics page. He was not only funny looking, but he represented the underdog that winds up winning the day. That's a theme that appealed to the shy child I was. The character not only captured my imagination, but awoke within me a keen interest in cartoon art. On my tenth birthday my brother bought me the book Comic Art in America, by Stephen Becker.  That book introduced me to the history of the comic art form, and in it I discovered George Herriman, T.S. Sullivant, the New Yorker cartoonists, and the genius of Popeye's creator, E.C. Segar.

There were many cartoonists who inspired me. Most of my "heroes" were comic strip artists whose drawing and storytelling touched something in me. Before his descent into right wing lunacy, Al Capp (Li'l Abner) was a masterful storyteller and cartoonist. Harold Gray (Orphan Annie) and Chester Gould (Dick Tracy) were my role models for graphic storytelling.

There's Walt Disney, of course. Disney was like a god to me.  Even as a child, I understood that he didn't personally draw his creations, but was the mastermind behind generating what I thought was a wonderful world of magic and imagination. I have, of course, a more jaded viewpoint today, but I still greatly admire what Walt Disney accomplished in advancing the art form: solid characters and storytelling, and technical advances that contributed to the whole industry.

Growing up, what comic books did you read?

I was a total comic book geek as a teenager, reading almost everything that came out. My dad stocked the magazine rack at a local drugstore and helped me build my collection by grabbing titles as they came out. I know all my Marvel first issues came from my dad's generosity.

Did you have a preference for Marvel or DC books?

Oh, I was definitely a DC fan. I still like their characters, though I don't care for the "New 52" incarnation. The new DC universe is rather convoluted and too hung up on continuity. 

As a teenager, I really enjoyed Marvel, too. Attracted as I was by the Kirby art and characters with more human qualities, by the time I stopped collecting in 1971, I had begun to feel that the Marvel heroes were a bunch of whiners.

And was there a particular character that inspired you?   

My favorite was (and still is) Superman. I love the character and identified with his creators, two boys who were also from Cleveland, Ohio. I even noted that I shared the same birthday as Joe Shuster. I had four huge chifferobes filled with comic books: Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four, Flash... I think as a result of my teenage angst, I focused more on the superhero genre during this time, with only a smattering of funny titles such as The Fox & The Crow, Bob Hope and Hot Stuff.

When I sold my comic book collection to help finance my move to California, I let go of thousands of comics that would be worth a sizable fortune in today's market.

Were there any artists in particular that really stood out for you?

It's a very subjective call. There were a lot of very talented artists whom I admired for their craftsmanship, but whose styles left me unmoved. I thought Curt Swan and Wayne Boring made  Superman look like a middle-aged business man, yet they both had solid layout and storytelling skills. My favorite artists were those who brought some quirky artistic flair to their pages like Joe Kubert, Dick Sprang, Jack Kirby, Carmine Infantino, and Ramona Fradon. I feel the same way about today's crop of artists. There's a lot of talent out there, but the realistic styles don't engage me the way the styles of Mike Mignola, Tim Sale or Darwyn Cooke do.

Growing up, what cartoons did you watch, and which ones were your favorite? Did you have a preference for wacky cartoons or more action/adventure cartoons?

There weren't a lot of action/adventure cartoons around when I was growing up. This was before shows like Super Friends and Space Ghost. The only action/adventure show available was Clutch Cargo, a barely animated show that was popular in syndication. I watched it, and in retrospect, probably gleaned a bit of knowledge about economic storytelling. As I mentioned previously, the Fleisher Popeye cartoons had the most impact on me, but I also liked the Warner Bros. cartoons for their unabashed zaniness. 

When Hanna-Barbera began to dominate the television cartoon scene in the late 50's, I was an ardent fan. Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, and Pixie & Dixie were among my favorites. They were simply designed and easy for me to learn to draw. I always had a deep affection and unbridled sense of awe for Disney animation. Back then, however, seeing a Disney cartoon was a rare and special event.

At what point did you realize that you wanted to work in animation?

It had always been in my mind. I knew I wanted to move to Los Angeles, so the prospect of working in animation was always an option as an alternate route to  cartooning. After I graduated from art school as an illustration major (because in 1971 cartooning was considered too lowbrow), I moved to where I believed there would be more job opportunities and certainly warmer weather.

At what point did you decide to become a storyboard artist?

It got decided for me. I was a cartoonist looking for work. I showed my portfolio to a producer at Filmation and he put me in the storyboard department.

And when did you first discover the role of the storyboard?

Oh, I knew what a storyboard was from my studies and had seen photographs of storyboard sessions. It was all a little glamorized in my mind, but I knew the concepts behind it. I thought it would be more of a group brainstorming session to visually depict the story. The reality was more isolating and ego-driven.

What aspects of the storyboarding process most appealed to you?

I liked the concept of picturing a story in my mind and translating that mental movie into drawings. Oh, and the pay was good.

How did you break into the animation industry, and what was the first show you worked on?

Well, arriving in L.A. with portfolio in hand, I made the rounds of the various studios I found listed in the phone book. I landed a few short-term jobs, doing paste-up and such. Eventually, I got hired to do ink and paint on a project for Steven Bosustow Productions, a small educational film studio. Steven Bosustow was the one-time head of UPA Studios, home of Mister Magoo and Gerald McBoingBoing.

And that's when I knew my career in animation had begun. I don't remember the name of that first project.

I wound up being at the Bosustow studios for about four years. In that time I learned, hands on, the range of duties that are involved in producing an animated cartoon from start to finish. I think it was only natural that my passion for comic strips steered me toward storyboarding, which I regarded as a comic strip version of the script.

When Bosustow Studios downsized, I once again hit the streets with my portfolio and was soon hired by Filmation Studios as an apprentice storyboard artist. Bosustow's was a small operation, sort of a "boutique" animation studio. Filmation was a major studio and quite a different experience.

What was it like seeing your storyboards come to life?

My first boards were 100% stock, pieced together using scenes recycled from previously created material to cover musical numbers. I remember thinking that all my weeks of effort went by in the blink of an eye.

What restrictions did you immediately find in storyboarding for animation?

The stock system at Filmation was limiting. A board artist had to adjust staging to suit the stock. But I fully understood the need. Other studios had their own particular demands, but none were as restrictive in terms of content.

How did you first hear about the possibility of working at Filmation?

I worked at Filmation two times in my career. The first time I was hired was from just making the rounds of all the studios. When I returned years later, it was on the recommendation of my friend, Tom Tataranowicz, who was already on staff.

What was it like working at Filmation?

As I mentioned, my first time at Filmation was as an apprentice storyboard artist. I was teamed with Paul Fennell, a veteran of the industry, who had once had his own studio. Paul was a terrific mentor and helped me navigate through the maze of the studio system. Hal Mason and Mario Piluso were also on the storyboard crew and provided a supportive environment for me to learn the craft. I worked on the Archie/Sabrina Hour, Space Sentinels, and some Tarzan episodes. Filmation was my first exposure to using a "stock system." I created the Archie/Sabrina musical interstitials using this method. Understanding the stock system was invaluable to me when I returned to Filmation many years later to work on He-Man.

My first tenure at Filmation was not a happy one. I enjoyed learning and made a number of friends, but the producer who hired me was a son-of-a-bitch. He had no people skills and bullied most of the crew. He trolled the halls at night and wrote red penciled corrections over everybody's work. I used to fear that Paul Fennell would have a heart attack when he saw what was done to his work. And it didn't do much for my self- esteem either. It got too depressing for me and I quit.

I went on to do storyboards for Ruby/Spears, Hanna/Barbera and other studios. 

By the time I returned to Filmation in 1983, the dreaded producer was long gone and I found myself working with a wonderful group of congenial and talented colleagues. 

I became one of the lead storyboard artists at Filmation during this period. I was not the best artist, but all my boards came in on time and on budget, utilized a lot of stock material and generally went through the production pipeline with little revision. 

The biggest challenge in storyboarding, of course, is interpreting the script. While there were some fine writers at Filmation, most did not understand the limitations of that style of animation. All too often scripts contained action that left storyboard artists scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to stage complicated situations. For example, it wasn't uncommon to get a script containing a directive such as "a battle ensues."  Those few words had to be translated into a lot of screen time. Creating an effective battle scene required logistical planning, a very time consuming effort. In my opinion, the best scripts were written by Rob Lamb and Bob Forward because they were former storyboard artists, knowledgeable about what could and couldn't be done successfully in the Filmation system.

How often did you visit other departments in the studio?

Not too often in the beginning when I was just focused on producing a storyboard. But there was an "open door" policy. If questions arose about character design, layout, or whatever, I just had to visit the other departments to work out a solution. When I became assistant storyboard supervisor, then supervisor, my interaction with other department heads increased considerably as I wanted to have as much information for my crew as possible.

Some Filmation board artists branched out into writing episodes or directing. Was this something that interested you?

As I mentioned, Rob Lamb and Bob Forward went into writing. Tom Tataranowicz and Tom Sito became directors. I was really much more interested in the business management of the studio. The Vice President in charge of production, Joe Mazzuca, was very supportive of my ambition, but, unfortunately, the studio closed down before any opportunities came up.

During your time at Filmation do you feel that you learned a great deal?

In addition to all that I learned about the craft of animation, my time at Filmation exposed me to the workings of a major animation studio and a variety of personalities and talents. The lessons learned in that context have lasted me a lifetime. 

You storyboarded for many different studios and shows over the years. How did they differ from one another in the way they operated?

Every studio had its own culture and quirks. The biggest difference was in management style. Some studios gave you lots of support and made you feel really invested in the project and others made you feel like a cog in a machine. For me, all storyboards carried the same mandate: interpret the script to the best of your ability. Add to that the need to consider time frame, style and budget —and you had a recipe that varied from studio to studio, project to project. 

How did working with Filmation's stock system compare to working on a show with  "free reign?"

I liked working with the stock system. It was important because it cut production costs. It let the board artist reuse scenes that were proven to work, tried and true. It set a style that was easy to follow. 

The "free reign" boards certainly gave the artist more latitude to use their imagination, but also left the work more open to interpretations that might or might not match what the studio envisioned. In the end, the stock system was a business decision, not an artistic choice.

Did your style of illustration change with the type of show you worked on?

Back then, it was less important that drawings were "on model." Every board artist I knew drew their own stylized versions of whatever show they were on. My style leaned towards "cartoony" even with He-Man, She-Ra, BraveStarr, etc. Though I certainly felt looser drawing comedy, my style was pretty consistent throughout my career. 

How much were the storyboard artists around you (from studio to studio) an influence.

I never stopped being influenced by artists I admire. If I saw something that impressed me, I tried to absorb the thought and reasoning that went into it.

In your opinion, how important is the role of a storyboard artist?

I feel storyboarding is one of the basic key elements of any production. It's like an instruction manual or schematic: an absolutely necessary guideline for putting a project together. 

Looking back, what was your favorite show that you worked on?

Surprisingly, I'd have to say Filmation's Ghostbusters. I liked the cartoony, silly nature of the show. My second tenure at Filmation was certainly one of the best parts of my career. The people I worked with and the studio environment made going to work a pleasure. I'm certainly glad to have contributed to He-Man, She-Ra, and BraveStarr and I'm pleased they continue to find an audience.