The Home of the Creative Mind

Welcome to PooBahSpiel, the online voice and home of the creative mind of Mark Monlux, Illustrator Extraordinaire. Prepare yourself for an endless regaling of art directly from the hand of this stellar artist. And brace yourself against his mighty wind of pontification. Updates are kinda weekly and show daily sketches, current projects, and other really nifty stuff.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1317



My friend Larry Erhardt asked on his Facebook page today whether if it's ethical to euthanize a dying insect? First I remembered that Larry is an atheist and a vegetarian. Next I briefly thought about euthanasia, then about a commonly reported dying experience, and lastly I thought about the ironically named Circle of Life. And that, that right there, is the moment when today's strip completely formed in my head.

Monday, August 29, 2011

The Comic Critic Reviews Skyline


My friend Chuck Messinger, comic book writer, owner of Comic Evolution, co-founder of Creator’s Edge Press, likes Skyline. I can’t tell you why he likes this movie because that would be a spoiler. I go out of my way not to drop spoilers. I’d love to describe this alien invasion movie by referring to other movies, but even those hints would be spoilers. The plot is so thin that if it were paint being applied to a wall, it would need a second coat. Let’s just say that this is meant to be a good movie and ended up being one of those bad movies that’s fun—that’s how bad it is. I finally found a few obscure, yet more-or-less accurate references to use. Oh, and I hear that Skyline 2 is in development.

My friends Gordon and Paul are part of the Norman Tweeter Productions. When they hit the movies they are merciless with their raw spewing of spoiler-filled comments - usually done in the back of their car in the theater parking lot while emotions (or other things) are high. Here is their video review of Skyline. By the way, Paul and Gordon are puppets.


Friday, August 26, 2011

The Return of Stickman $1216


Here is the news story that inspired this strip. What I want to know is what nine-year-old walks around with $300 dollars on them? I’m a full-grown man and whenever I have that much money on me it’s in a money belt. This kid needs a bank account. Of course the last time I lost my wallet it had $86, and if you factor in inflation it would probably be around $300.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1315


The news story that inspired this strip had a wealth of gags within it. I went with the the gag that made me gag.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1314


I hate riding buses. When I was a teenager I'd rather mooch a ride or ride my bicycle than take public transit. It might be one of the reasons I enjoy taxis. It might also be one of the reasons I've always worked from home.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1313


Today's guest strip was done by Sam Day. My friendship with Sam goes back a couple of decades. Like me he is an freelance illustrator, and there have been many times when we've operated as a team on projects. One of his specialties is doing live wedding and event paintings. You should check out some of his work.

Monday, August 22, 2011

The Comic Critic Reviews Rise of the Planet of the Apes


It took me over an hour and looked like a rough draft of a college thesis, “Why I’m So Completely Fascinated with The Planet of the Apes Franchise.” I got so wrapped up describing my deep Ape-Man love that I totally forgot my goal was to write a movie review. There wasn’t one word about the movie. That was when I realized I needed to step away from my fanaticism to find a way to address one of its core messages without getting overly mushy. Then I remembered a conversation I had with my friend John Draper about Rise of the Planet of the Apes and wrote a much shorter review: thus, this strip.

Friday, August 19, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1312


Here is the news story that inspired today's strip. I made up the bit about the wallet.

You might recall that I did the poster for the Ellensburg Film Festival. Well, they liked the poster so much that we decided to use elements from it for passes, tickets, and the like. You can see those designs on their festivals Facebook page. I finally got part of their movie list and am drawing up some reviews for shorts as well as full length features. I'm trying to decide whether or not to go with a single panel, or a three panel for my reviews of the shorts. Your thoughts?

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1311



Today's strip was inspired by this news story.

I want to thank the recent wave of new subscribers for following my blog, strips and cartoons. My goal each week is to have a freshly drawn movie review for you each Monday. Whether or not the movie is fresh is a different matter. Tuesday through Friday I post new Stickman strips. Sometimes I don't achieve this goal due to an increased work schedule, travel or sick day. Please forgive the lapses when they do occur. In the meantime, feel free to send in your movie review requests and interesting news stories that you run across as fodder for my strips. They are a big help.

Monday, August 15, 2011

The Comic Critic Reviews Captain America: The First Avenger


I’ve been dismally disappointed with previous Captain America movies. The 1990 version I referred to in the strip wasn’t even the worst of the lot. The 1979 made-for-TV version and the even more atrocious sequel, Captain America II: Death Too Soon, didn’t die quickly enough. That year, I was a foreign exchange student in Japan and might have forever been spared the agony of watching such hackneyed bilge. But some television programmer had the bright idea to use them for a double feature in 1980, and this little fan-boy was completely blindsided by the awful treatments. (Steve Rogers as a Commercial Artist? That’s just salt in the wound.) Thinking back on that evening still makes me a little nauseous. So, while I was excited to see what Marvel would come up with for this part of their carefully constructed Avengers franchise, my expectations were less than high, having received the scorched-earth treatment of disappointment once before. Thus, as I watched Captain America: The First Avenger, I felt grateful, pleasant relief. It’s a respectful treatment complete with top-of-the-line set designs, special effects, choreographed fight sequences, and Easter Eggs up the wazoo that will lure me back again and again to see what I missed.

Friday, August 5, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1310



I should have known that stress can cause amnesia. That would explain why I can never find my checkbook, wallet, keys, hat, shoes or file my taxes on time. I find short term memory loss very annoying. The thought of waking up and loosing a few decades is frightening. I think I should make a contribution to the Alzheimer's Association. Now were did I put my checkbook? My inspiration for this strip was this news story.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1309



The mother was not mentioned in the new story, but I'm sure she made her presence felt. That's why I wanted to put her in the strip.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1308



Today's strip is a continuation of one from last week. There are several news articles floating around about it. I thought one of them said this was a pet kangaroo that got out. Now I can't find that story.

Monday, August 1, 2011

The Comic Critic Reviews Rubber


My editor John and I get into arguments over the use of the words “film” and “movie.” I want to use the word film very liberally. He wants me to use it very literally. Sometimes I have a hard time following his arguments or logic. When I do I create simple rules for myself, their sole function is not to follow understandable logic, but just keep me in John’s good graces. Thus, I only use the word ”film” if the viewing material involved is shorter than 90 minutes or could be considered art-housey. I’m going to call Rubber, the story of a rubber tire going on a rampage in the Southwest, a film. If all of this sounds slightly confusing, just roll with it.