24 Absurd Comics That Might Lift Your Spirits

We’re excited to introduce another new artist making his debut onBored Panda—this time, it’s D.C. Stuelpner! Anyone familiar with his work? On his Instagram profile, D.C. describes himself as a “Drawer of drawings, dumb comics, misshapen heads, and occasional body horror.” Intrigued, we reached out to him with some questions to learn more about his series, the inspiration behind it, his creative process, and other interesting insights.Scroll down and explore his new series, packed with absurdity, truly unexpected twists, and a hefty dose of peculiar humor that occasionally ventures into dark territory. Enjoy!More info:Instagram|deviantart.com|reddit.com|drawerofdrawings.artstation.comThis post may includeaffiliate links.

Scroll down and explore his new series, packed with absurdity, truly unexpected twists, and a hefty dose of peculiar humor that occasionally ventures into dark territory. Enjoy!

More info:Instagram|deviantart.com|reddit.com|drawerofdrawings.artstation.com

This post may includeaffiliate links.

The Whimsical World Of D.c. Stuelpner: Where Humor Meets The Absurd

At the same time that AI art sprang up, which could easily mimic the sort of art I had just started making, I also developed some eye issues, the combination of which made the future of my art career very uncertain. I did a comic strip about my eye floaters which helped release some of my frustration. I then considered that many of the best online comic strips rely more on the writing than the art. Seemed like a decent fallback plan to continue being creative if my eyes ended up getting worse and/or the robots completely took over, and so I started making these comics.”

The Whimsical World Of D.c. Stuelpner: Where Humor Meets The Absurd

When asked how he comes up with new ideas for his comics, D.C. Stuelpner shared that he has a daily routine and a specific time dedicated to brainstorming: “Every night while taking a shower I’ll force myself to come up with a comic strip idea. Usually, I’ll think about whatever I saw during the day or pick a random topic or common saying and then try to find a humorous aspect about it. If I eventually become more prune than human before landing on an idea, I’ll exit the shower and sit in a dark room and give myself another 10-15 minutes to come up with something. Most of what I come up with is quite terrible, but occasionally I get something worth drawing. Then I’ll draw it, read it back to myself, and wish I had sat in that dark room for a few more minutes.”

The Whimsical World Of D.c. Stuelpner: Where Humor Meets The Absurd

The series features unique and memorable characters, so we asked the cartoonist to share a bit more about his creative process and character development. The artist kindly responded: “When I’m not parodying an already established character, I like to try to make them look like fairly ‘normal’ people. I draw a lot of caricatures and with that you’re always trying to figure out what makes someone unique. Even the blandest-looking person has something uniquely particular about them. It’s just a matter of noticing it. Having a contrast between what someone looks like and how you expect them to act, or conversely, lean into that, can help the gag.I also use actors as my base a lot of the time. While drawing a comic, I’ll often think ‘Hey, this sort of looks like the actor so-and-so’ and then go look at photos of them for more ideas. Photo reference can help me keep the characters' look more consistent across the panels, which I honestly find to be the hardest part of drawing these. I’ll also change up my style a bit as well to best sell the gag. Sometimes something more realistic works better, sometimes something more cartoony, and sometimes it’s just whatever I feel like drawing like at the time.”

I also use actors as my base a lot of the time. While drawing a comic, I’ll often think ‘Hey, this sort of looks like the actor so-and-so’ and then go look at photos of them for more ideas. Photo reference can help me keep the characters' look more consistent across the panels, which I honestly find to be the hardest part of drawing these. I’ll also change up my style a bit as well to best sell the gag. Sometimes something more realistic works better, sometimes something more cartoony, and sometimes it’s just whatever I feel like drawing like at the time.”

The Whimsical World Of D.c. Stuelpner: Where Humor Meets The Absurd