Zarp

Here's a bit of a meandering post about my devil character Zarp, who you might have seen around since I use him in almost every profile pic I have.

Origin

I created this red guy in 2001 and he appeared in several comics I published, including various issues of Random Order Comics & Games. Later, around 2006, his stories were collected by Twisted Gate into a single issue simply called Zarp. The only place I know of that you could have purchased that comic was at the 2006 Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo. Or perhaps online.

At the time I created him, I was pretty depressed. 2000 was not a good year for me. I came out of the 90s with most of my professional dreams basically crushed because they were unrealistic and I didn't understand what was required of me to see them fulfilled. And, honestly, I didn't even know what I wanted. Zarp was this cynical little bastard who was fun to draw and expressed some of my darker energy at the time. He was a seeker. He was always looking for something, being paid to do gigs or discovering treasures and living a hobo lifestyle. He was a little red devil Conan.

Zarp was partially inspired by Hot Stuff and Cerebus, no dobut.

Hot Stuff!

I cannot remember exactly how Zarp came to be. I have some chicken scratching in journals where his name appears or where an early version of him is doodled. But it didn't take long for him to form on the page. I didn't spend long in development of this idea. And, I think, he was always lurking there just beyond the light. And I think it was the famous Hot Stuff the Little Devil that formed the iconic inspiration for his appearance. That and a dash of Conan via Cerebus the Aardvark.

When I was about 8 years old, someone in the family gave me a stack of old comic books. That was 1979. The comics were all funnies, such as Casper, Donald Duck, and Hot Stuff. They were already in bad shape when I got them. I have no idea what became of that stack of books. Wish I still had them. I probably underestimate the degree to which they influenced me.

Maybe 2 years later I got a 3-pack of Smurfs comics. I don't remember much about them, but it must have been the Marvel Comics 3 issue series. They were all bagged together. I think those were also kind of seminal to my internal view of art. I think Zarp's look has something of Smurfs in it as well.

And Now?

I have revisited this character over and over, in my sketches and noodlings. Always with the intent of doing more comics. But inevitably I gravitate away from him for some reason. It's like he lives on and more fiercely as my mascot. Just an icon on a screen. Though I did create a 16 page Zarp story last year called Eggsuckers, which I am currently coloring for inclusion in an upcoming comic book.

I'm crossing my fingers that the little prick will show his face more frequently in my inspirations so I can put him in more comics. We'll see, I guess. If not, I'm happy to have him around as an occasional party crasher.