"ANB: Why did you
decide to become a cartoonist? Which cartoonist inspired you?
"ANB: Why did you
decide to become a cartoonist? Which cartoonist inspired you?
Joe: Everybody at Mad Magazine was an inspiration. From the time I was 12, all I wanted to be was a cartoonist for them.
ANB: What did you do to get syndicated? How long did it take you to become syndicated?
Joe: For 2 years I did 30 comic strip a month for the Field Syndicate. Then I did 6 weeks of comics in one week, and they though I was ready.
ANB: It sounds like your work for Field Syndicate was like being an apprentice.
I guess it was, since it was for free with the hopes of being syndicated.
ANB: Once you achieved your goal of syndication, how did your life change?
Joe: I felt that I was finally on the right path.
ANB: So if I can be nosey, what did you do before syndication?
Joe: My wife and I had our own employment agency.
ANB: What's the most difficult thing to deal with now that you are syndicated?
Joe: Making sure that my jokes are fresh and new, and never been done before.
ANB: Does this get tougher with three strips? How about with the passage of time?
Joe: Well, it seems like I've always done three strips.
ANB: Have you ever had your editor veto one of your strips?
Joe: No.
ANB: Many cartoonist only do one comic strip. You do two full time (or is that three). Why did you want to do two strips? How do you manage?
Joe: I do three: Mr. Boffo (still with Universal Press), Willy 'n Ethel (now with Universal Press) and Cats With Hands (Tribune Media Services), so I'll have an outlet for all the jokes I write.
ANB: So there aren't days where you are just stumped for a good joke to tell?
Joe: Actually I don't know that until I get home from writing and I tell my wife my jokes, and she doesn't think they're funny.
ANB: How touch is it working for two different syndicates?
Joe: I'm used to working
for three.
ANB: I know there are "Mister Boffo" books for sale. Any chance of
getting a "Willy and Ethel" book?
Joe: Maybe soon now that Willy"s just started with Universal Press.
ANB: Count on AstroNerdBoy's Comic Strips!! to promote such a book if it gets published! Which strip that you do is the most fun for you?
Joe: Mr. Boffo, no I think it's Willy, wait no, I think its Cats With Hands, and I really miss doing Porterfield.
ANB: So why did you quit doing Porterfield?
Joe: Porterfield was a business panel that I stopped doing in 1995 when I started doing Mr. Boffo as a panel and a strip. I was only in about 20 papers when I stopped it. But we have about a year of the Porterfields archived on our website. Actually we are in the process of categorizing all of Porterfield into categories, that's about 10 years worth of panels.
ANB: What is your favorite comic strip?
Joe: Herman
ANB: What's some advice you'd to those trying to get their foot in the door?
Joe: Write jokes that make people laugh out loud.
ANB: Anything else you'd like to say?
Joe: Thanks for thinking of me.
ANB: Thank you, Joe!