Overtly Punk: Comics and Tags with @skidtheskunk
Like a lot of street art, I came across a tag of an abstract little creature shouting and had no idea who made it. With the expectation that I probably wouldn’t find the artist, I put out some feelers. Eventually a kind person passed me the Instagram handle @skidtheskunk. I was initially surprised to find a page not dedicated to tagging, but a comic featuring the titular character skid and a wild cast. Jon, the artist behind the character has a decidedly punk approach to his comic and work. Check out his account, or visit your nearest power box to catch some of his work.
Who is Skid the Skunk and where did he come from?
Skid the Skunk is a cartoon skunk on the internet. He's an embodiment of anxiety, serving as my answer to the trend of on-line comic strips being about mental health. Skid is this, but in a way that speaks more to me personally, in that it's drenched in cynicism and irony.
What came first, the tag or the comic? What made you think, yeah I should put this character on all the dumpsters in the city?
The comic character pre-dates the tag by over a decade. I started this recent reboot as a comic in 2020, with an aim of making something overtly 'punk'. And I love street art! I think it's very punk! A spikey little guy screaming at you in an alleyway really pairs well with the mood of the comic. Not to mention that tagging is crazy fun! So I do it pretty often.
In reading through the comic, there’s a band of pretty deranged characters. Can you tell us about who’s a part of the skunk cinematic universe?
The main cast are people (cartoon animals) in Skid's life: There's Dr. Batschitz, Skid's mad scientist boss. There's Nancy the anglerfish, the depression to Skid's anxiety. There's Skid's angry penguin landlord. There's Skid's enabling elephant seal therapist. And various others, in a growing ensemble, gradually fleshing out the world. I really love character driven comedy and I'm aiming to do it as well as I can with this project. Hopefully who the characters are, and their interactions can also serve as vehicles for social commentary.
What’s your tool of choice for tagging?
I've pretty much only used Posca paint markers. I'd love to get into cans and experiment with other stuff soon. But the Poscas are quick and easy. I'm always out biking around anyway. May as well throw up some skidmarks whenever the coast is clear.
What project would you do with unlimited resources?
I have this idea for a dark fantasy comic series that's kind of my current 'dream project'. It would be a much more spiritual and existentialist kind of deal. Not that I don't think Skid has a potential for that. Outside of comics I'd love to try my hand at sci-fi short stories. I also work in 2D animation professionally, so on the job I often fantasize about personal film projects. But regardless of everything I'd love to make someday, I still have a lot of ideas for Skid the Skunk. Pushing my current cartoon projects to new heights would be sick. And it's all bound to have similar themes.
