Here's what Mark has told about his dream of being a cartoonist to Bored Panda: "I've wanted to cartoon since I could hold a crayon. I was inspired by Charles Schulz and MAD Magazine, but it wasn't until Gary Larson came along that I realized the type of comics I should be doing. Now I'm inspired by everything that happens in life, from pets to pop culture to pandemics."
The beginning of his comics goes way back. "'Off the Mark' has been published since 1987, and started small in weekly papers. It's now nationwide in daily papers, as well as things like national greeting card lines. There are lots of Off the Mark cartoon compilation books at offthemark.com, and I also have a HarperCollins series of middle-grade chapter books called Marty Pants."
He's proud to share what he has achieved over the years, and what's next is on his mind. "I've been lucky enough to have people like Paul Newman, 'Weird Al' Yankovic, and the Dixie Chicks use my cartoons in their projects. Right now I'm working on various projects from official Garbage Pail Kids sketch cards, to a middle-grade novel called The Truth About 5th Grade with Kim Tomsic. Keeps me busy and I think being busy is important right about now."
Being as experienced as he is, Mark gave some nuggets of wisdom to those who are only starting out. "For a beginner, I would say cartoon because you love it, not because you expect to get rich. Do what resonates with you and you never know what can happen."
