The Secret Origin of Wigwam, part 1

We can't explore roadside attractions, specifically in Arizona, without discussing Route 66.  I love America's mother road -- so much so, that I've gleefully elected to tell the adventures of Mother Road, Defender of Route 66, in Amazing Arizona Comics.  A short Mother Road adventure appears in the latest issue of Amazing Arizona Comics, which will be available at Phoenix Comic Fest later this month.  

Mother Road usually doesn't travel alone.  Her sidekick, Wigwam, rides and fights at her side.  Where would a hard-traveling hero like Mother Road meet a practically living cartoon like Wigwam?  Well, his is an interesting story that has never been told . . . until now. That's right, you're in for a three-day analysis of Wigwam's origin, which, unsurprisingly, starts on Route 66.

A few years ago, the Sedona Sorceress, Crystal Vortex, was vexed by struggling businesses on America's most historic highway.  She attempted to cast a spell to bring some "life" back to the road, but the spell manifested itself quite literally.  The roadside giants that attract photo-happy tourists came to life, charging on a populace that all but forsook them.

Fortunately, Speed Cameron raced northward from Phoenix and held the line agains the likes of the Two Guns Cowboy, the Jack Rabbit, and a horde of Holbrook dinosaurs.  Fortunately, Crystal thought of a spell to reverse her first one, and since the sentient statues stayed so close to the highway, everything went back to normal easily enough.

Well, most of the attractions stayed near the highway.  Some of the newly living roadside legends wandered a bit from the beaten path, and perhaps weren't affected by Crystal's reversal spell.  Stayed tuned . . .

Bonus!  If you'd like to read this original strip in its entirety, just click here to start!

Paul Bunyon & The Muffler Men, part 2

Why do I have such a fascination with roadside attractions, specifically giant statues? Why would I dedicate a whole week of Amazing Arizona Comics Month to them? Simply put, the giants that adorn America's freeways are all the evidence I need that the line between our reality and the realms of superheroes is a thin one, if it exists at all.  Just look at Jack Kirby's interpretations of alien worlds -- or Howard Porter's amazing visuals from Wonderworld in Grant Morrison's JLA: Rock of Ages.  Everywhere, giants, and statues of giants!

In America, we have a few beloved giants.  Some are jolly and green.  Others wield axes and hang with blue oxes.  That's Paul Bunyon, of course.  In the '60s, a fiberglass company decided to pay homage to Bunyon by making statues in his honor, and the fad became commercially successful.  Businesses began using specialized Bunyons to promote their services; the first was, appropriately, the Paul Bunyon Cafe right here in Flagstaff.  Since many of the businesses that displayed Bunyons were auto shops or gas stations, the statues became known as muffler men.  The robotic constructs I featured yesterday may share the "muffler men" moniker, but these Paul Bunyon statues were the first.

If America's giants are our connection to the superhero adventures going on around us, Arizona is certainly the national capital, since our highways are littered with dinosaurs, cowboys, jackrabbits, and, yes, muffler men.  I've personally beheld four former-Bunyons, in Flagstaff, Prescott, Phoenix, and Tucson. That's a remarkable boast for a singular state, considering their rapid decline and disappearance.  While these statues represent America's bold, noble spirit, I've wondered what might happen if their power was harnessed for evil.  That investigation became Amazing Arizona Comics #13.  

Amazing Arizona Comics #13 actually collects three different Free Comic Book Day stories from 2015, each taking place around a different muffler man.  Flagstaff's muffler man is NAU's lumberjack mascot.  Phoenix's muffler man is a part of a giant collector's front yard collection, and Tucson's promotes an auto shop.  Each of them are in very public places, holding axes.  If a magical spell were to animate them, they could be a danger to us all! Fortunately, the Arizonauts exist to prevent just that.

If you know of any Arizona giants that may have been (or perhaps one day may be) the focus of a superhero adventure, please share in the comments below!  I may have traveled many of Arizona's highways, but I haven't seen them all.  That may be a task too giant for one man to tackle!

Bonus!  Click here to read those Free Comic Book Day stories starring Paul Bunyon, posted on this very blog in 2015!

The Desert Creature Chronicles: The Driftwood Man of Congress

Arizona's highways are home to some of the nation's most peculiar roadside creatures.  As the creator of a minicomic all about my state's strangeness, I've decided to meet these creatures face to face!  Behold, the first entry in my ongoing travelogue: The Desert Creature Chronicles!

A small population of people almost always guarantees that a monster or two dwells among them.  Well, Congress is a small town in Yavapai County.  On any given year, more people may be elected to Congress than might actually live in Congress.  

Let's keep the comparison going.  You've heard of a straw man in Congress?  How about a Driftwood Man from Congress?  He stands in front of the "Ye Ol' Trading Post" antique store, and the owner insists that he was made by a local artist.  I think that's only part of the story.

If I had to guess, I'd say a craftsman constructed the Driftwood Man to keep him company in the lonely desert.  A desperate spell turned the would-be folk art into a golem, so the Driftwood Man can actually come alive when given the right command. One can only hope that he doesn't fall under the employ of an evil passer-by.

This theory proves true, as just a bit further down the road, a horse made of similar driftwood stands outside of a lumberyard.  The horse was probably made so the Driftwood Man wasn't the only one of his kind.  After all, his maker knew well the consequences of loneliness.

The Driftwood Man may soon appear in Amazing Arizona Comics, especially since wood creatures like Groot have been a feature of superhero comics for a long time.  In fact, one of them just appeared on this list of nutty DC Comics covers!

You might expect a cactus man in a small desert town like Congress, but Arizona is a state full of the unexpected.  It's just a part of our roots . . . aw, c'mon!  You knew I had to say it sooner or later. 

Come back soon for more cool Arizona creatures, and the latest on Amazing Arizona Comics!

Amazing Arizona Comics Inspirations: Muffler Men

If you follow me on Instagram (and you should, @amazingazcomics, y'all!), you'll notice my recent trend of posting pictures of Muffler Men.  Muffler Men are most commonly refurbished Paul Bunyon statues, like the ones I included in Amazing Arizona Comics #13 and 2015's Free Comic Book Day specials.  I've been using the term lately to describe the roadside robot-men made of mufflers and other discarded car parts.

I'm a sucker for all things Roadside America, especially the attractions of Route 66.  These Muffler Men -- and you can find dozens in Metro Phoenix if you know where to look -- are reminiscent of that old Americana, right here in our midst.  In Amazing Arizona Comics #24, some animated Muffler Men make a brief appearance fighting the Agents of F.L.A.G.  I hope to reveal how they've been animated in future stories, but in the meantime I'm scouring the Valley to discover and draw their unique designs.

Sometimes, I don't know what comes first: the stories, or the amazing things about Arizona that fuel them.