Max Fleischer
Every Halloween in the little town I spent the first 11 years of my life (Lancaster, South Carolina), the original black and white Betty Boop musical cartoons would come on local tv. I fell into a lifelong love of trippy, jazz inspired, "Toon" style illustrations and animation. It had an adult kind of edge to it, and it still stokes me out to no end when it comes on!
Mark and Vaughn Bodē
Underground Comix, Tattoo, and Graffiti Legends! I grew up seeing their work in murals, music videos, and in the pages of TNMT and Heavy Metal Magazine (to name just a couple). I learned a lot from the Bodēs styles. Educating people on their method was built in from the beginning along with a strong understanding of branding/merchandising. DOPE!
Eastman and Laird
I still value money in increments of $5 = one Ninja Turtles toy. As a kid I loved Ninja Turtles so much I went out into the neighborhood and found yard work to get them. I lusted after the shelf in the grocery store with the adult Mirage books with the wild underground comix artists in it, but settled for the Archie adventures series. I drew ninja turtles on everything!
Flesh Gordon meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders
Baywood video in Los Osos, where I spent the next 11 years of my life, had a 5 movie $5 deal every week. I'd get 5 movies and watch one a day. I did this every week. I managed to stumble across this gem and was surprised to find a cheesy, juvenile, yet self-aware comedy the likes of which I would not see again until perhaps Orgazmo. The "Grassy Mounds" from the Heavy Meadow are direct references. You can check out the movie in it's entirety by clicking the link below to the Internet Database.
(Author) Tom King
His struggle and focus on anxiety, depression, and ptsd came at a time I really needed it most. I oscillate between believing his books are underground comix cleverly masquerading as mainstream fare... and that these are all intended to be pitches for TV and Film. King is a huge part of the new DCU with his take on Supergirl, Green Lantern, and Mr. Miracle in Film, TV, and cartoon BUT is also releasing some of the best indie/UG books on the market. It appears as though both are true. If there's a single most important influence on how I want to tell stories: it's this man.
Cuphead
Everyone involved in this show (and game) have the same affinity I do for the Fleisher toon era. You don't need to know anything about the game to get into this hijinx based cartoon. The vintage effect they achieve digitally is really really cool! Desmun Cubic is one of the crew, check him out on IG!
John K.
A lot of very talented people made every frame of this show a special treat, not just John K (one of the most fair cancellations possible). But his work, and that of his collaborators, changed cartoon history and brought the style of Adult Underground Comix to a kid market, Nickelodeon! This cartoon freaked out adults, I remember my dad comparing it to Fritz the cat not knowing that John K was one of Bakshi's guys on Mighty Mouse, Bakshi made the Fritz movies! It's too new to list as an influence on me, but check out Bullet Time to see someone influenced HEAVILY by this exact era, it's rad!
Brett Parson
Tank Girl, The Goon, and Grommets. I can't express my love for this guy's work enough. When I was branching out into digital inking and color his tutorials and brush/tone packs were very useful. He's recreating the aesthetics of halftone print and aging paper. Definitely a big influence on the Heavy Meadow.
Dan Harmon and Rick and Morty
I have both listed because Harmon and his show's aesthetics are both definite influences, just for different reasons. Almost everybody starting to write a script will come across "Dan Harmon's Story Wheel" during that education. It's great, it helps a lot, zero notes. Rick and Morty is Incredibly smart and wildly dumb at the same time. The show is the next moment in my life, save perhaps the era of Futurama and adult Ren and Stimpy, that a mostly mainstream cartoon managed to utilize the underground adult style in a way that remains exciting 8 seasons later, and with a huge global audience of all ages despite it being a hard R deal... it's just that good. A ton of successful UG titles are parody, this one is Back to the Future on 4 hits of acid.
Superjail
Superjail is like if the doodle wars of 10 year olds in the 80's came to life. It's a trippy, dark, violent parody of Willy Wonka. Wonka is a warden, the chocolate factory is the jail. There's influences of yellow submarine and alice in wonderland too. It's violently sexual and deviant in a way I've rarely seen work well. The idea of being taken to a cartoony jail (or hell/Elysium in THM) definitely informed some of the conceptual pieces of the Meadow itself. The intro is amazing and different each episode, there is one extended mele per episode, dark satire, great show.
Liquid TV
Wonder Showzen
TV Funhouse
The wildest, most unhinged cartoon shorts were on these shows. THM was incredibly influenced by this particular segment that parodies school house rock and Peter Pan. WS's Visit From Aunt Flo is another big influence. From TV funhouse certainly Ambiguously Gay Duo and the Christmas cheer episode influenced my humor. UCB should be on the list too for it's content/humor, but I wouldn't say any of it's aesthetics contributed.
Psychedelics
I'm going to say up front that I don't recommend everybody try taking a hallucinogen at least once... but there are a lot of people that could and do benefit from what it helps you learn about your mind, your body, and your place in the universe. After taking it I was able to finally quit drinking/smoking, I was suddenly able to explore color in my art without anxiety, it allowed me to way dial down my anti-depressant, and it aided some insights I had about the meaning of my life. It didn't show me my true purpose, but it allowed me to get out of my way enough over time to find my way back to it. Beyond being Izzy's Dad it's ART over everything. The aesthetics of psychedelic art are absolutely based in the experience, both together are the best:)
MNWKA Clothing and SF Location
Not many street fashion brands have had the impact and success of MNWKA. I got my introduction to Buff Monster, Skinner, Lamour Supreme, and Nychos through the SF location and it's owner Chris Brennan (talented photog and DJ). It was a clothing and culture place by the artsy graff and comics crowd for the street art and music scenesters of the hipster era. I'd ride my fixie to the Mission, get a PBR and Fernet for $7 at Pop's, and then hit their now defunct shop on 25th and smoke a grape blunt with whoever was hanging out. I think this is my "back in the day" era. All their parties were great and full of local and international art talent. I miss MNWKA SF!
The Broken Record
A critical location in THM and the place I spent most my 20's working as a bartender in. It was a rock n roll whiskey bar in the Excelsior dist. of SF from 2007-2022. I met %90 of every important person currently in my life during my time there or through the "Wreckord" community. I spent all my shifts in front of the mural work of Mark Bode, and got to have SF's most interesting people come to me. My stories and experiences from that period absolutely inform THM. Stress, drugs, violence, egos: as a bartender you see a lot of the absolute worst behavior humans have... but you also see the wonderful and weird. If you lack material as an author I highly recommend spending some time talking with bar regulars. Shout out to Jason King (owner).