Setting his expert pen to paper, Justin came up with the distinctive MythTickle, a comic strip featuring a fair but surprisingly tough maiden, an adorable young dragon, an equally lovable knight in short but shining armour and many other delightful characters in the cast. MythTickle is packed with traditional and modern humour, making readers smile with every strip. (Justin's work at the Schulz studio involves examining licensing proposals for the Peanuts characters, designing Peanuts merchandise, art projects and teaching occasional cartooning classes.)
Hello Justin. Thanks so much for taking time to do an interview with The Cartoonists about your comic strip, MythTickle. Your strip is a truly funny, creative cartoon and deserves attention. It is delightful.
Thank you so much. I'm honored.
Justin, when and where were you born?
I was born and raised in the desert, north of Phoenix, Arizona. I absolutely love the desert and nearly melt whenever I see it in on film. It's still very alive in my heart and I miss it very much.
Are other family members artistically talented also?
I was adopted, so I have no idea where my artistic abilities come from. My mom is pretty artistic though, and encouraged me a lot as a kid. She is more responsible than anyone else. I don't buy into the whole 'genetically handed-down talent' thing really because I remember all kids loving to draw and color as a kid. Some kids tried harder to get better as they went on and just never stopped drawing. Others pursued different abilities. And cultivated their own specialties. Talent is just such a subjective thing, anyway. It's really hard work, application, and selective focus that get you to the point where people call you 'talented'. And even then, very few people are 'talented' to everybody.
In what city do you live? Are you married and have kids? What does your wife do?
I live in Santa Rosa, California. I have a 3year old son and a brand new baby daughter who was born just last week.
My wife teaches High School English and Drama. We moved out here to California from the New York area in the summer of 2003. Yep, I was working in Manhattan on 9/11. What an awful day. Kim and I moved to the Jersey suburbs a few weeks after that. 9 months later, here came William, my son; the first person I ever met with whom I actually share blood. I cannot adequately relate to you how profound this is to me.
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