Friday, October 15, 2010

ipad cartoon of JUGHEAD JONES from "THE RIVERDALE HIGH" project by Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling

Jughead is my favorite character. Out of all the characters in the ARCHIE COMICS universe, JUGHEAD is the most "self actualized" . Jug is in total control of his emotions. He Never gets upset, and has almost a spiritual air about him.  As the Drummer for the band, he's literally the one who "keeps the beat" that others follow to. Although known most for his voracious appetite, he is also very artistic, having done in the comics, performance art, and painting. In his interactions with the other characters,Jug  is always unruffled, and not in a hurry. Even Reggie when he tries to harass him with his trademark cruel  practical jokes, they all somehow end  up backfiring. Jug just has a cool vibe.
As with all of my Riverdale make overs, on the ipad, as Im painting/drawing I make up little "back stories" to get into the character, so here's JUGS Backstory...

If you've ever read the  Little Archie series where the Riverdale gang are depicted as children, you'll notice that JUGHEAD has this enormous size HEAD and the ever present crown.  Reggie Mantle, being the pain in the butt that he is one day Young Forsythe (Jughead's Real name) and says, "Look at the size of your WATER HEAD!! It's like a JUG!" Reggie laughs at his own joke, and proceeds to tease him all day with the new insult, "JUGHEAD" Now Jughead, being the cool character that he is, turns insult into victory by NOT reacting negatively to the name, but by not only answering to it unemotionally, but also introducing himself to others as JUGHEAD JONES.  Reggie  storms off angry that he did not succeed in ruffling Jughead's feathers, and the nickname sticks.
JUGHEAD also can stand for the ever present hat that he wears. In my "RIVERDALE UNIVERSE" Jughead is NEVER with out a hat, or a "JUG" on his head, and in additions to the crown, which is his favorite wears several others.

once again, this seems like a LOT of excessive thinking, to "just draw a picture" but as creators, we have to "breathe life" into our creations, and one way to do that is through the use of "back story" as talked about here. This is just another of my winning methods to help bring my cartoons to life.

Dont worry, Im saving the gurls for LAST! there's still Veronica, Betty, Miss Grundy, Midge, and my favorite, BIG ETHEL to do!   For my next project, I think I'll draw DILTON DOILEY, Riverdales official "Nerd"

Glad you folks are enjoying this series, I initially thought it up as a way to practice my digital Ipad Painting, but like most art it has taken on a life of its own!

ipad cartoon of REGGIE MANTLE from "THE RIVERDALE HIGH" project by Elgin Subwaysurfer Bolling

The way I see it, in the ARCHIE COMICS universe, REGGIE MANTLE is the coolest character. Reggie stands out from the rest of The Riverdale cast of characters because we know so little about him. I'm not a "die hard" ARCHIE COMICS historian, but I've read the series enough to never recall EVER seeing Reggie's parents or any other family member for that matter. Why is that? I think because the original writers of the ARCHIE COMICS series wanted to pen him as the "villain" Archie's nemesis, and as such, we couldn't make him as "human" as Archie. To give Reggie brothers and sisters, not to mention loving mom and dad, would definitely turn the barometer down on the Reggie Mantle "hate " factor. But we DONT hate Reggie, do we? Reggie is a kind of lovable rouge. He's not rich, but always seems to have money. He drives a fancy car, has no problem with the ladies, and gives Archie a run for his money with Veronica, who I feel , is Reggies natural "soul mate". She knows it too, which is why she cant stop dating him occasionally.

In my depiction of Reggie, I chose to give him "devilishly good looks" Reggie doesn't have a big ego for no reason. He KNOWS he's Hot! The Reggie In my cartoon universe, also has shorted his name to REG after all, he was called "REGGIE" when he was a kid, but now that he's a suave hunk of riverdale beefcake , he needs a name to fit his suave persona.