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.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1307



Do me a favor and don't do a search for this news item yet. I've got another strip that follows this one up.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1306



Why is it that so many men think they can solve problems with a muscle, and a butter knife? Here is the story which inspired this strip.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1305



This strip was inspired by this news story. Part of me can't help but wonder if this is an accident, or an extremely well thought out murder.

Monday, July 25, 2011

The Comic Critic Reviews A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum



I hope the musical makes a comeback. I grew up at the tail end of movie musicals’ popularity and was lucky enough to see them cycle through on television. It was disheartening when the airwaves were taken over by newer films, and then (gag) reality television. The small resurgence of musicals in the late seventies and again in the nineties wasn’t enough to return them to their former lofty heights. It’s my hope that with the increasing popularity of Bollywood (lots of spontaneous singing and dancing there), the success of Chicago and the Producers, along with Glee, musicals will be again produced on a regular basis. Naturally, this would mean remakes of those that showed success in the past. I’d be a little sad to see the original A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum remade, but very happy to see a larger audience discover what I’ve always considered to be some magically entertaining material.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Return of Stickman #1303



The news article that inspired this strip had a photo with it that had me laughing. I had to resist using the same imagery as the final scene gag.

Monday, July 18, 2011

The Comic Critic Reviews The Towering Inferno



The Towering Inferno wasn’t the first disaster movie ever made, but it became an icon representing that tsunami of ‘70s disaster films. I loved how the studio used not just a couple of big names for this film, but an avalanche of them. Because the actors were so well known, audiences immediately felt empathy for them. A small part of me wonders if an audience completely unfamiliar with the actors would have the same reaction. A big part of me doesn’t care because watching The Towering Inferno is like taking a familiar roller coaster ride with an old friend.

I'm sorry that I've not posted a review in a while. I took a much needed vacation one week, and the next week I found myself in Cedar Rapids on a project. You will be happy to know that I'm well on my way to getting the next one completed. Thank you for your patience.