thedrifter
01-02-07, 06:36 AM
Marine authors comic
By Capt. Teresa Ovalle
Quantico Marine Corps Public Affairs Office
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Decked out in full battle gear, the lieutenants had their weapons set to fire. The air was hot and sticky, the tension was high. With faces camouflaged to blend with the environment and properly concealed behind walls, the Marines were ready to do battle - against each other.
"Bang, bang, bang, you're dead," declared one second lieutenant.
"Bang, Bang, no you're dead," declared the other.
"No, you're dead," declared the first.
"No, I got you first," declared the second.
Gunnery Sgt. Charles F. Wolf Jr., art director for the Quantico Marine Corps base Recruiting Command, takes life by the moment, captures its funny aspects, such as the one described above, and directs the humor to anyone willing to laugh out loud. He is the creator of SemperToons, a cartoon that finds humor in the life of deadly serious Marines.
A look at his Web site - Semper Toons.com - reveals the extent of his collection. Wolf's cartoons are not limited to his military occupational specialty as expected, but cover the entire range of poking fun at Marine life.
"It's easy to find ideas in the Marine Corps. I have 231 years of tradition to work with. Everywhere I look I see potential ideas," Wolf said. "It's not always what Marines do, it's often what they say that gives me ideas. For instance, I heard a senior Marine say this to his junior Marines, 'Marines, this will take a week to do, but I need it done today.' Marines hear things like this all the time. When you think about it, it's funny, especially when I add a cartoon."
Wolf has not been a cartoonist his entire career, however. He started about 12 years ago. He was sitting on a front step of his home with a fellow Marine talking about dreams, things they both hoped to accomplish one day. For Wolf, cartoons were an idea he had played with for years. Finally, the Marine sitting next to him told him, "Just do it because I'm tired of hearing about it."
So he did.
"I stopped by one day to talk to the press chief about getting my cartoons published [in the base paper], and he said they would do it," Wolf explained. "Then the Marine asked me what I titled my cartoons. After I 'um'd' for a few minutes, I blurted out 'sempertoons.' The name stuck. It was really exciting."
"I cannot describe the feeling I felt when I opened that first paper and saw my cartoon in print," Wolf said, "It was amazing. I still get the same feeling today."
Wolf has been interested in drawing since he was a little boy. He said he was not very focused, but drew mostly as a hobby. His friends would buy white tennis shoes and ask him to draw pictures on them. He also remembers dabbling in character drawing. He drew a snake with big hair playing a guitar.
In his junior and senior years of high school, Wolf participated in a commercial arts vocational program. His instructor, Mr. Smith, pushed the students out of their comfort zones and had them try new styles of art.
"I learned a lot from Mr. Smith," said Wolf. "He had us try new things every couple of weeks to keep us growing. He is a role model."
During this time, Opus, a Bloom County comic strip character, was popular. Wolf liked the different angle the character was presented in.
"It was different," Wolf said, "Not two-dimensional, but more of a three-dimensional character looking off the shirt at you. I liked that."
One does not have to look closely at Wolf's characters to see an eyeball - usually a very large one - staring back.
"Some of the eyes are wide open, like the character just said something stupid, or the character just heard something stupid," said Wolf. "When there are multiple characters, one will say something funny, while the other is looking at the reader in agreement."
One does not have to look through the plethora of cartoons on the Web site to notice that it is the eyeball or eyeballs that makes the cartoons funny. It is as Wolf described - either someone said or did something stupid, or the character is looking at the reader as if to say, "Now come on, that was funny."
Being a Marine, however, has always been Wolf's top priority, not cartooning.
Wolf enlisted in 1987 as an infantryman. He began his career, as all enlisted Marines do, in boot camp. From there he went to the School of Infantry to learn his trade then headed to his first duty station. He was an infantryman for nine years.
"I had wanted to be a Marine since I was 10 years old," said Wolf. "My cousin and I were out playing one day, and we saw Marine recruiting posters. That was it. I wanted to be the best, so after graduation, I became a Marine."
During his ninth year in the Marine Corps, he changed his military occupational specialty and became a graphics artist.
"I was working on a project for my command," Wolf said, "and had to go to the graphics shop on base. I had no idea Marines served as graphic artists in the Marine Corps. I stepped into that shop and was amazed at the artwork I saw on the walls that Marines had created."
Shortly after getting graphics shop experience, Wolf requested a transfer to the graphics artist field. Because of his experience and portfolio, he was accepted. He did on-the-job training at Quantico, served a tour in Hawaii, taught at the Defense Information School in Ft. Meade, Md., and later became the art director for Marine Corps Recruiting Command.
So why stay in the Marine Corps with so much talent when he could be out making loads of money in the civilian world?
"Being a Marine is my first priority," Wolf said. "Drawing is fun, and I am thankful I have the talent, but it is really about being a Marine. If I can make people laugh along the way, then great."
Wolf tries to keep a keep a low profile, but has motivated Marines his entire career.
"I want to be recognized as being a Marine first," Wolf said. "Yes, I like to be recognized for my cartoons. It's nice, but it's not my focus. Most of the Marines I've worked with throughout my career probably had no idea I was the SemperToons cartoonist at first, but once the cat gets out of the bag, I get bombarded with sea stories. I love it."
Wolf's philosophy is that morale is everything. Without morale, Wolf believes the unit has nothing. His cartoons make Marines laugh, regardless of location, and in his cartooning, his goal is to reach the Marine far from home.
"I draw for the Marine in the field; the Marine that is out there doing his job somewhere away from his friends and family," Wolf said. "If my cartoons can make a Marine laugh, then I have accomplished something great. Laughter is the universal language everyone understands, and I focus on that. I draw for them."
"Laughter helps build and keep morale high, especially when times are tough," he added. "My philosophy has been to keep Marines laughing, regardless of where they are, and make them feel not so far away."
Wolf suspects there are other artists in the Corps, and he urges them to step forward.
"I want people to know that I am not the only artist in the Corps. Every unit has an artist. Ask around to find that person, and let them use their talents for the Corps," he said. "And for those with the talent, raise your hand to volunteer. You never know where it may lead you.
Ellie
By Capt. Teresa Ovalle
Quantico Marine Corps Public Affairs Office
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Decked out in full battle gear, the lieutenants had their weapons set to fire. The air was hot and sticky, the tension was high. With faces camouflaged to blend with the environment and properly concealed behind walls, the Marines were ready to do battle - against each other.
"Bang, bang, bang, you're dead," declared one second lieutenant.
"Bang, Bang, no you're dead," declared the other.
"No, you're dead," declared the first.
"No, I got you first," declared the second.
Gunnery Sgt. Charles F. Wolf Jr., art director for the Quantico Marine Corps base Recruiting Command, takes life by the moment, captures its funny aspects, such as the one described above, and directs the humor to anyone willing to laugh out loud. He is the creator of SemperToons, a cartoon that finds humor in the life of deadly serious Marines.
A look at his Web site - Semper Toons.com - reveals the extent of his collection. Wolf's cartoons are not limited to his military occupational specialty as expected, but cover the entire range of poking fun at Marine life.
"It's easy to find ideas in the Marine Corps. I have 231 years of tradition to work with. Everywhere I look I see potential ideas," Wolf said. "It's not always what Marines do, it's often what they say that gives me ideas. For instance, I heard a senior Marine say this to his junior Marines, 'Marines, this will take a week to do, but I need it done today.' Marines hear things like this all the time. When you think about it, it's funny, especially when I add a cartoon."
Wolf has not been a cartoonist his entire career, however. He started about 12 years ago. He was sitting on a front step of his home with a fellow Marine talking about dreams, things they both hoped to accomplish one day. For Wolf, cartoons were an idea he had played with for years. Finally, the Marine sitting next to him told him, "Just do it because I'm tired of hearing about it."
So he did.
"I stopped by one day to talk to the press chief about getting my cartoons published [in the base paper], and he said they would do it," Wolf explained. "Then the Marine asked me what I titled my cartoons. After I 'um'd' for a few minutes, I blurted out 'sempertoons.' The name stuck. It was really exciting."
"I cannot describe the feeling I felt when I opened that first paper and saw my cartoon in print," Wolf said, "It was amazing. I still get the same feeling today."
Wolf has been interested in drawing since he was a little boy. He said he was not very focused, but drew mostly as a hobby. His friends would buy white tennis shoes and ask him to draw pictures on them. He also remembers dabbling in character drawing. He drew a snake with big hair playing a guitar.
In his junior and senior years of high school, Wolf participated in a commercial arts vocational program. His instructor, Mr. Smith, pushed the students out of their comfort zones and had them try new styles of art.
"I learned a lot from Mr. Smith," said Wolf. "He had us try new things every couple of weeks to keep us growing. He is a role model."
During this time, Opus, a Bloom County comic strip character, was popular. Wolf liked the different angle the character was presented in.
"It was different," Wolf said, "Not two-dimensional, but more of a three-dimensional character looking off the shirt at you. I liked that."
One does not have to look closely at Wolf's characters to see an eyeball - usually a very large one - staring back.
"Some of the eyes are wide open, like the character just said something stupid, or the character just heard something stupid," said Wolf. "When there are multiple characters, one will say something funny, while the other is looking at the reader in agreement."
One does not have to look through the plethora of cartoons on the Web site to notice that it is the eyeball or eyeballs that makes the cartoons funny. It is as Wolf described - either someone said or did something stupid, or the character is looking at the reader as if to say, "Now come on, that was funny."
Being a Marine, however, has always been Wolf's top priority, not cartooning.
Wolf enlisted in 1987 as an infantryman. He began his career, as all enlisted Marines do, in boot camp. From there he went to the School of Infantry to learn his trade then headed to his first duty station. He was an infantryman for nine years.
"I had wanted to be a Marine since I was 10 years old," said Wolf. "My cousin and I were out playing one day, and we saw Marine recruiting posters. That was it. I wanted to be the best, so after graduation, I became a Marine."
During his ninth year in the Marine Corps, he changed his military occupational specialty and became a graphics artist.
"I was working on a project for my command," Wolf said, "and had to go to the graphics shop on base. I had no idea Marines served as graphic artists in the Marine Corps. I stepped into that shop and was amazed at the artwork I saw on the walls that Marines had created."
Shortly after getting graphics shop experience, Wolf requested a transfer to the graphics artist field. Because of his experience and portfolio, he was accepted. He did on-the-job training at Quantico, served a tour in Hawaii, taught at the Defense Information School in Ft. Meade, Md., and later became the art director for Marine Corps Recruiting Command.
So why stay in the Marine Corps with so much talent when he could be out making loads of money in the civilian world?
"Being a Marine is my first priority," Wolf said. "Drawing is fun, and I am thankful I have the talent, but it is really about being a Marine. If I can make people laugh along the way, then great."
Wolf tries to keep a keep a low profile, but has motivated Marines his entire career.
"I want to be recognized as being a Marine first," Wolf said. "Yes, I like to be recognized for my cartoons. It's nice, but it's not my focus. Most of the Marines I've worked with throughout my career probably had no idea I was the SemperToons cartoonist at first, but once the cat gets out of the bag, I get bombarded with sea stories. I love it."
Wolf's philosophy is that morale is everything. Without morale, Wolf believes the unit has nothing. His cartoons make Marines laugh, regardless of location, and in his cartooning, his goal is to reach the Marine far from home.
"I draw for the Marine in the field; the Marine that is out there doing his job somewhere away from his friends and family," Wolf said. "If my cartoons can make a Marine laugh, then I have accomplished something great. Laughter is the universal language everyone understands, and I focus on that. I draw for them."
"Laughter helps build and keep morale high, especially when times are tough," he added. "My philosophy has been to keep Marines laughing, regardless of where they are, and make them feel not so far away."
Wolf suspects there are other artists in the Corps, and he urges them to step forward.
"I want people to know that I am not the only artist in the Corps. Every unit has an artist. Ask around to find that person, and let them use their talents for the Corps," he said. "And for those with the talent, raise your hand to volunteer. You never know where it may lead you.
Ellie