FCBD13 Interview: Scott Shaw! Shouts About Annoying Orange

Scott Shaw! and Mike Kazaleh together have 70 years combined of working with comics and cartoons. When these two collaborate on their newest project, ANNOYING ORANGE, they plan to put a new spin on comedy within the comic world. While ANNOYING ORANGE is originally a web series, Shaw! does his best to mimic the shows approach, but creates his own material that he believes will compliment the series. With Papercutz new addition of ANNOYING ORANGE within the Smurfs comic, they plan to distribute large amounts of their comic on Free Comic Book Day and if not, “We’ll give Broccoli Alien Overlord their home address and we’ll sic his invasion of troops on ‘em.”

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FCBD: For those who might be new to your comic book, give a quick rundown. What can we expect to see in terms of story and art?

SCOTT SHAW! – Mike Kazaleh and I have over 70 combined years of professional work on comic books and animated cartoons, and we've applied our experiences to deliver funny characters, ridiculous storylines, outrageous gags and some of the best/worst puns in comics! Since we both also do storyboards and gags for Cartoon Network's ANNOYING ORANGE program, we try to match the show's approach while adding material that we feel works best on the comics page.

FCBD: What has been your favorite part of book or character to tackle?

SS! – I enjoy coming up with page layouts that imply humor, action, and comedic timing, even though ANNOYING ORANGE's stars would probably be more at home in a still-life painting of a bowl of fruit.

FCBD: Tell FCBD fans why they should pick your book first on Free Comic Book Day!

SS! – Because if they don't, we'll give Broccoli Alien Overlord their home address and he'll sic his invasion of troops on 'em!

FCBD: What other titles would you associate with your FCBD book?

SS! – If a comic reader likes Bongo's SIMPSONS COMICS, they should also pick up the Papercutz ANNOYING ORANGE graphic novels. Mike and I also work for Bongo and we both bring the same sort of irreverent, subversive fun to Annoying Orange's outrageous exploits – but even sillier!

FCBD: What’s your favorite part about working in comics?

Find the Annoying Orange in this FCBD Gold book.

SS! – I like the fact that, since Mike and I each write, pencil and ink our own stories, that we're able to give the material our distinctly different points-of-view and senses of humor, something that's very difficult to pull off when working on animated cartoons, which by necessity have large crews of creative people.

FCBD: Many newcomers will pick up comics for the first time on FCBD—what was the first comic you remember reading?

SS! – I was “reading” comic books when I was under 3 years old – I even taught myself to read with what were then called “funnybooks” – but the first comic book I distinctly remember reading was a 1956 issue of SUPERBOY that featured a cover-story titled  “The One-Man Baseball Team!”

FCBD: Where will you be for this year’s FCBD? Do you have any annual FCBD traditions?

SS! – I've enjoyed a long relationship with Ryan Liebowitz and his family, who own Golden Apple Comics in Hollywood and who always put together an awesome, star-studded event for Free Comic Book Day. Every year, I show up there to draw complimentary sketches of cartoon and comic book characters I've worked on. (Hey, it's a great way to get first pick of all the free funnybooks!) This May, I'll be adding the ANNOYING ORANGE cast to my repertoire for the first time!

FCBD: Looking to the future of the book, is there anything you can tease about what's upcoming?

SS! – My next 25-page story for the third  ANNOYING ORANGE graphic novel will bear the title “Annoying Orange – Now With Extra Pulp!” When a pair of urban hipster criminals – Big Cheese and Royale Pain – bring their crime wave to Daneboe's supermarket, two highly-competitive old-school crime-fighters – Doc Cabbage and Phantom Phroot -- arrive to protect the store's helpless inhabitants. Annoying Orange (who's anything but helpless) can't resist joining the pulp-ish action – and completely screwing up things -- in the form of a brand-new crime-fighting identity: The Twisted Peel!

FCBD: Tell us why everyone should read comic books?

SS! – Because comic books are every bit as entertaining as television, movies, and video games and like those popular forms of entertainment, there's a comic book out there for every age and taste! I love comic books and so should everyone!