Article and Review by Larry Stanley

http://www.drabble.com/

I first found Drabble in the comic section years ago. It must have been in the mid 1980’s or so and I felt a connection to the character of Norman almost from the start. Shy, frightened around women, a trying to be an over-achiever but in reality most of the time not even being an achiever, Norman is in many ways the ‘Everyman’ that exists in all of us from time to time.

He is the great fear a lot of us have that the world around us sees us in a vastly different manner than we see ourselves. Where we see the things we do as important, intellectual or even stimulating, we also fear that the rest of humanity sees those same things in us as silly, goofy or downright dumb.

And like many of us, Norman just blasts on through, not thinking of what others might see.

The Drabble family is not unique in comic strips. There is a father (Ralph), Mom (Honeybunch) and the three kids, Norman the oldest, Patrick the middle child who seems to be the smartest of the whole group and the only daughter Penny.

Ralph is a pretty down to earth type guy. His interests include food, game shows, food and anything to do with food. While he tries to be a good role model and decent father figure, he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. His biggest claim to fame is that he once quit after the first question on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."

But it is Norman that the strip usually revolves around. Norman, who has a mind like a defective steel trap, usually snapping shut just before the prey steps into it. Norman is not really dumb or stupid. He is just sort of, well actually dumb and stupid do fit, but not in a mean way. He just tends to make the wrong choices and judgments.

His great love is Wendy, an attractive young woman who likes Norman as a friend but that is all.

And of course like all good comic strip families it would not be complete without the family pets. From Oogie the cat who is the bane of Ralph’s life to Bob the Duck to Wally the Wiener dog, their antics sometime outshine the rest of the family and are often more intelligent then their human ‘family’.

That is the main bunch. The neighbors drop by now and then, as does the staff at the doughnut shop and frozen yogurt shop that Ralph helps to keep in business. Once in a while Ralph’s best friend No Neck comes over for a visit, and other sundry folks make an appearance at time.

The creator of the strip, Kevin Fagan is one of the most approachable men in the industry.

He is filled with a humility that others could do well to emulate. His self depreciating humor and his own wit make Drabble what it is. Fagan developed the idea for Drabble while in college and, at age 21, became the nation's youngest syndicated cartoonist when his comic strip debuted in 1979.

Fagan worried about the strip when he was younger and just getting started. "When I signed the Drabble contract 20 years ago, I worried that I'd run out of ideas. Keeping the strip fresh and funny while remaining true to the personalities of the characters is my greatest challenge, and finding new ways to do it is what makes this job so much fun. It has also been fun to incorporate the changes in my life into the strip," he says. "When I started Drabble, I was Norman: insecure, awkward, and always embarrassing myself. Now I find I identify more with Ralph. He's also insecure, awkward and always embarrassing himself, but he's older and doesn't care so much anymore."

Fagan was nominated by the National Cartoonists Society for Best Greeting Cards of 1996, for the line of Drabble cards he creates for Recycled Paper Greetings.

We had the chance to ask Kevin some questions and get his answers about some things in Drabble.

PCU: Tell us about yourself, what sort of training did you get to become a cartoonist?
Kevin Fagan: I had no training to become a cartoonist. In high school, I created a mad magazine-style humor book, which got a lot of attention. The following year in college, a friend from high school mentioned that his sister, the editor of the college paper, was looking for a cartoonist.  Would I be interested?  I figured why not, and submitted a few single panel cartoons. They loved them, I joined the staff for 2 years. I transferred from Saddleback College in Orange county to Sacramento State for my final two years. I showed my work to the newspaper editor there who also liked them, and I joined the staff there. The Sacramento Union saw my work and asked if they could run an occasional cartoon on a freelance basis. You bet! I submitted samples of my work to the major syndicates. United signed me to a contract at age 21, making me (as far as anyone knows), the youngest syndicated cartoonist. Drabble made its debut in March 1979.

PCU: Is the Drabble family based on anyone you have ever known?
Kevin Fagan: Norman Drabble was based on myself in college. Complete nerd, hopeless with the women. As I have gotten older, I've turned into Ralph (or vice versa).

PCU: How did the original idea come about? What did you want to accomplish?

Kevin Fagan: Originally in college, I wanted to do a strip that students could relate to.  I wanted to avoid political stuff, because that what every other college cartoonist does.  

PCU: Who do you think influenced you the most in your style?

Kevin Fagan: I was influenced by (Charles) Schulz, (Hal) Ketcham, (Mel) Lazarus, (Bill) Keane, (Sergio) Aragonés, (Jim) Unger and Mad magazine.  (Johnny) Hart, too!

PCU: You can see many of those influences. The whimsy of Schultz, the love of family of Keane and the oddness of Unger. Tell us about the collections? How many Drabble books have there been and are there plans for another anytime soon?

Kevin Fagan: There have been 8 Drabble books published. The most recent book, “Drabblations” (NBM, 1999), is a selection of some of Norman's funniest "drabblations," sudden flashbacks to his most embarrassing moments from past years. Other collections include “Mall Cops, Ducks and Fenderheads” (1998) and “Son of Drabble” (1997) from NBM; “The First Book of Drabble” (1981), “Basic Drabble” (1983) and “Drabble in the Fast Lane” (1985) from Fawcett; and “Dad, I'm an Elvis Impersonator” (1991) from Pharos/Topper Books. There is not a 9th on the horizon yet.

PCU: What is Honeybunch’s name?

Kevin Fagan: Honeybunch's real name is June, but no one ever calls her that.  The kids call her mom and Ralph calls her Honeybunch.

PCU: ) How old were you when you decided to become a cartoonist?

Kevin Fagan:  I was 37. Drabble had been running for 15 years and I figured it was going to make it.

PCU: Can you tell us how Bob the Duck came to be?

Kevin Fagan:  The Bob the duck story: My mother lived on a lake in 1982. One day, I walked downstairs and there was a duck sitting in the living room.  Someone had left the sliding door open, and a duck decided to make himself at home. It generated a series of cartoons where a flock of ducks migrate into Normans open bedroom window one night. All but one leaves. Norman decided to adopt it. Ralph says no. Norman and Patrick tell Ralph that Bob isn't a duck, but a rare, south American parrot that takes on the characteristics of a duck for survival in the jungle.

PCU: If you were not a cartoonist, what would you like to be doing now?

Kevin Fagan:  I'm not qualified to do anything else. I'm not even qualified to do this!

PCU: How can someone get the strip in their local paper?

Kevin Fagan:  Editors never know which strips to put on their comics page.  They do rely a lot on reader input.  If someone wants Drabble (or whatever) in their paper, they should write, call, and / or e-mail the editor with a polite request. If editors get a few requests for a particular strip, they'll usually add it.