It's… ALIVE!

A little while ago, I was working on ideas for a webcomic, after previously doing a lot of work on pinups.  One of the ideas I had was for a comic based around a hamster called Marvin, and his friends – the comic ran out of steam after a few episodes, but Marvin stayed lodged in my sketchbook, and reminded me he was there every so often.

Fast forward 6 months, and I’m looking into some more webcomic ideas, when I come across a cartoon I created for the CCGB caption competition…

The idea of a webcomic based around a mad scientist appealed to me, so after a few false starts, I decided that the mad scientist should be 10 years old – enter Melville, stage left.

If Melville was a mad scientist, he’d need an assistant – from my sketchbook, there came the sound of soft, maniacal laughter – and with a few modifications, Melvin the hamster became Frankie the – well, whatever he is.

So far, I’m surprised by how quickly this webcomic has come together, and hopefully, “IT’S…ALIVE!” will have a long run to come.

The Artist:

Name: Shaun Raven

Age: Don’t want to remember – old enough to know that you young whipper snappers don’t know when you’re well off

Location: Essex, England.

How long have you been cartooning?: About 2 years – I’m a late starter!

Why did you start?: I wanted to do something that didn’t involve a computer!

Main influences: Garfield/Jim Davis, Charles Scultz, Warner Bros, Bill Stott, Tim Harris, most of the Cartoonist Club of Great Britain, who are all much more talented than I.

What is your dream?:  To make Jim Davis laugh