Bored Panda contacted Chuck Ingwersen and asked him more questions about “Captain Scratchy.” Firstly, we were interested in how the artist goes about developing his memorable characters that fit the tone of his series. We found out: “The primary characters in the world of Captain Scratchy are talking animals who often interact with humans, and the animals usually get the upper hand (or paw, or fin). Most of my cartoons and comics lean into dark humor, so the use of cute animal characters can keep the tone from getting TOO dark. For example, a lovable bear named Kevin might be obsessed with mauling people, but he goes about his business so creatively and adorably!”
Asked which one of the “Captain Scratchy” storylines is his personal favorite, Chuck answered: “An unlikely friendship between a great white shark and a manatee developed a few years ago in my comics, and that’s been a fun relationship to explore. Manatees are such gentle creatures, so having one befriend an always hungry shark can make for some unexpected twists and turns. And storylines featuring Kevin (the bear) are a lot of fun. Kevin is always scheming and is very often up to no good, but he’s also struggling to navigate this life, so he connects with a lot of my readers. Kevin interacts with my main shark character, too, which makes for another unlikely relationship.”
We were also wondering if the artist could share some of his influences in the world of comedy and humor. Ingwersen told us: “Gary Larson was the biggest influence on my cartoons and comics. With ‘The Far Side,’ Larson laid the groundwork for a lot of what I do. He created so many quirky animals who were somehow lovable even when doing some pretty terrible things. He was a master of dark and absurdist humor. Before him, there was a cartoonist known as B. Kliban who became fairly famous for his cat cartoons. Those cats are great, but he went so far beyond cat cartoons and was a master of weird, offbeat humor. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kliban was a big influence on Larson.”
Lastly, we asked Chuck what, in his opinion, makes humor an effective medium for storytelling. The artist said: “I can’t imagine a world without humor. Laughter is one of life's great pleasures, and it is known to have health benefits. It’s such a great stress reliever. But humor also can shine a light on the human condition and make us look at the world from different perspectives. Whether it is silly, insightful, critical, satirical or absurdist, humor can have a positive impact on just about anyone.”
