1 Feb
2012

Posted in: Blog, Comics, Pictures, Words
By Fanton    4 Comments

Mini-Strip Mayhem

IF YOU’VE bought the latest issue of The Dandy (and if not, why not? It’s out NOW!) then you’ll have seen a little preview of a new strip I’ve got starting next week called ‘Stupid Barrio Bros,’ (see left) a Mario Brothers parody, no less. Mama-mia!

It’s the latest in an ever-growing number of mini-strips I’ve been lucky enough to get commissioned by The Dandy, and I never cease to get a bit excited when I manage to get new ones picked up.

I really like doing these three-panel gag-strips, as they get you flexing a different part of your writing brain. You have three, short panels in which to set up and introduce a character and write a good gag based around them, so it’s always a challenge. I find a good starting point is to come up with a strong, simple (and funny) premise, which needs little explanation so you’re not wasting time setting everything up. For example, I’ve found success with ‘a geriatric vampire’, ‘a rude reindeer’, and a ‘Thor parody’. Simple, snappy ideas, but with enough room to sustain anything from four to twelve strips.

As well as Barrio Bros. starting next week, I’m also working on my tenth mini-strip, a six-strip series that was commissioned last month. To celebrate hitting double figures, I’ve decided to put up a small selection of my mini-strip so far, including this one from my first mini-strip series ‘Grampire’ :

Click here for more mini-strip mayhem!

Enjoy!

- Fanton.

The Dandy, issue 3570, is out now, and only £1.99!

23 Jan
2012

Posted in: Blog, Comics, Pictures
By Fanton    3 Comments

Year of the Dragon

TODAY is Chinese New Year, and this year it’s the Year of the Dragon, so I thought I’d celebrate by pulling out a couple of my Dandy comic ‘George vs Dragon’ strips from the archive, and sharing them with you all! HOORAY!

George comes up against some Dragon-loving protesters…

George hires some help…

You’ll find more dragon-sized chuckles here, and of course in The Dandy every Wednesday! Yahoo!

Happy New Year!

- Fanton.

‘George vs Dragon’  strips are © DC Thomson and Co.

22 Jan
2012

Posted in: Blog, Pictures, Words
By Fanton    24 Comments

A Change Is As Good As A Rest

LIKE MY underpants, I like to change my website every ten months or so, and with 2012 now well under way, what better time to have a little bit of a revamp than now? THERE IS NO BETTER TIME!

So yes, welcome to Andy Fanton Dot Com 3.0, which is much like version 2.0 was (above), but has a lighter colour scheme, a new header image, and looks less like a website run by Virgin Media. HOORAY!

You’ll find everything in its right place, including all the comic strips, I was just bored of the old design so decided to freshen it up a bit. I hope you all like it, do let me know in the comments below!

Meanwhile, in other news, 2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year already. In The Dandy, I’ve got two new mini-strips coming up, as well as a brand-new full page strip starring an all-new character, which I’ve really enjoyed working on.

And of course, in the meantime, there’s still more George vs Dragon to enjoy! As a bonus, Revamp Day treat, here’s a sneaky preview of this week’s upcoming episode, where George has to face up against a rival! Egad!

As well as all that, I’ve got a couple of other projects buzzing away in the background here, which I’ll hopefully be able to share with you before too long. It’s all going on here, but then again while it’s nice to stand and just enjoy the view, sometimes you need to dash forth and forge ahead, or you’ll never get anywhere. So that’s the plan for this year!

But first I must change these pants…

- Fanton.