Brian Gordon is an American cartoonist, and creator of the webcomics ''Fowl Language'', ''Frankie Fearless'', and ''Chuck & Beans''.
''Chuck & Beans''
Gordon worked as a
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary an ...
at
Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was aw ...
for 18 years.
[Olson, Elizabeth; Carr, David. "To Compete with E-mail Greetings, Funny Cards Try to Be Topical". ''The New York Times''. August 20, 2007. p. C1.][Willard, Laura.]
15 hilarious parenting comics that are almost too real
. ''Upworthy''. October 19, 2015. While at Hallmark Cards, Gordon maintained a blog its web site called ''Brian's Brain''.
[Chuck & Beans – An Interview with Cartoonist Brian Gordon]
. ''Comic Pond''. January 11, 2013.
Gordon used many different cartoon characters on the blog.
[ People particularly loved the unnamed rabbit and dog characters.][ Gordon originally considered naming the characters Frank and Beans, but he discovered that name was already being used for a pornography web site.][ When Gordon mentioned the name to his wife, she thought he had said Chucking Beans, which gave him the idea to name the characters Chuck and Beans, and the name was set.]
Gordon started drawing ''Chuck & Beans'', a comic strip about a rabbit and a dog in their 20s who were obsessed with pop culture and dating.[ The characters appeared on many Hallmark greeting cards.][
]
''Fowl Language''
Amidst Hallmark Cards' financial troubles, Gordon's friends urged him to create a new comic that he owned.[ Gordon was also finding it increasingly difficult to write comic strips for characters who were single and in their 20s while he was in a different stage of life.][ In July 2013, Gordon started a new comic, ''Fowl Language'', as an outlet to vent about parenthood in a way that was edgier than Hallmark Cards would allow.][Kraske, Steve; Alexander, Danie.]
'Fowl Language' In Front Of The Kids
. ''KCUR
KCUR-FM (89.3 MHz) is a public, listener-supported radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, broadcasting over the Kansas City metropolitan area and parts of Missouri and Kansas. It is a service of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, which a ...
''. April 25, 2016. The first comic strip began with four expletives, partly in order to draw a bright line between the new comic and Gordon's more family-friendly work at Hallmark Cards.[Naked Diner Ep.3-Brian Gordon]
". ''Naked Diner''. ZXH Creative. November 16, 2015.
With ducks as all of the characters, the comic focuses on the frustrations and failures of parenthood.[Miller, Hollis.]
. ''The Huffington Post''. April 14, 2016. Rather than pretend that parenthood is easy or a competition, Gordon's cartoons openly depict how raising kids is a struggle filled with both wins and losses.[Borison, Susan.]
Fowl Language Comic: Interview with Creator Brian Gordon
. ''Your Teen for Parents''. Retrieved March 10, 2017. Gordon said he chose to draw the characters as ducks because ducks were one of the few animals he did not draw very often for Hallmark Cards.[
Hallmark sent Gordon an email notifying him of his lay off on June 1, 2015.][ Two hours later, '']The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' contacted Gordon asking to publish some of his comics on their website.[ The comics and accompanying article increased the reach of his work.][
''Fowl Language'' quickly became one of the most shared comics on ]Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...
.[Bruner, Alyson.]
Kansas City cartoonist takes a forceful trip back to the drawing board and it's been a colorful one
. ''KSHB
KSHB-TV (channel 41) is a television station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Lawrence, Kansas-licensed independent station KMCI-TV (channel 38). Both stations sha ...
''. May 2, 2016. Gordon's online popularity led to several offers to publish his comics as a paperback;[ ]Andrews McMeel Publishing
Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC (formerly Andrews, McMeel and Parker (1975–1986) and Andrews and McMeel (1986–1997)) is a company that publishes books, calendars, and related toys. It is a part of Andrews McMeel Universal (which comprises AM ...
released ''Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting'', a compilation of Gordon's comics, on March 22, 2016.[Gordon, Brian.]
Fowl Language: Welcome to Parenting
". ''Andrews McMeel Publishing
Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC (formerly Andrews, McMeel and Parker (1975–1986) and Andrews and McMeel (1986–1997)) is a company that publishes books, calendars, and related toys. It is a part of Andrews McMeel Universal (which comprises AM ...
''. March 22, 2016. Accessed March 10, 2017. In the introduction, Gordon says that every parent is scared and makes it all up as they go along.[
'']Calvin and Hobbes
''Calvin and Hobbes'' is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. Commonly cited as "the last great newspaper comic", ''Calvin and Hobbes'' has enjoyed b ...
'', ''Peanuts
''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...
'', ''The Far Side
''The Far Side'' is a single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Chronicle Features and then Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from December 31, 1979, to January 1, 1995 (when Larson retired as a cartoonist). Its surreali ...
'', and ''Bloom County
''Bloom County'' is an American comic strip by Berkeley Breathed which originally ran from December 8, 1980, until August 6, 1989. It examined events in politics and culture through the viewpoint of a fanciful small town in Middle America, wh ...
'' were some of the newspaper comic strips that influenced Gordon from an early age.[Cate, Chris.]
Ep. 29 Interview with Fowl Language Webcomic Creator Brian Gordon
. ''The ParentNormal''. April 6, 2016. Gordon cites ''The Oatmeal
''The Oatmeal'' is a webcomic and humor website created in 2009 by cartoonist Matthew Inman. It offers original comics, quizzes, and occasional articles. Inman has produced a series of ''Oatmeal'' books with content from the webcomic and previo ...
'', ''Lunarbaboon'', ''We the Robots'', '' Heart and Brain'', ''Sarah's Scribbles
''Sarah's Scribbles'' is a webcomic by Sarah Andersen started in 2011. Andersen initially published the webcomic on Tumblr, but has since released it on various services, such as Facebook, Instagram, Tapas and her own website. ''Sarah's Scribbles' ...
'', '' Up and Out'', and ''Owl Turd'' as some of the webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books.
Webcomics can be ...
s that inspire him more recently.[
]
Personal life
Gordon was raised in Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population is 105,643 as of the 2020 United States Census. Along with Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County. It is the sixth-largest city in Massac ...
.[ Gordon wanted to be a ]syndicated
Syndication may refer to:
* Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system
* Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips
* Web syndication, ...
comic artist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
from a young age.[Mierau, John.]
Brian Gordon Fowl Language Extended Interview
. ''Patreon''. November 23, 2013.
Gordon graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Massachusetts College of Art and Design, branded as MassArt, is a public college of visual and applied art in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1873, it is one of the nation’s oldest art schools, the only publicly funded independent art schoo ...
.[McFee, David.]
S02 E18 The Funnies, Man! An Interview w/ Brian Gordon of Fowl Language Comics
. ''Sahdpod''. October 17, 2017. After freelancing
''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance ...
for some time, Gordon earned a master's degree from Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
in 1997.[
Gordon moved to ]Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
for a three-week internship for Hallmark Cards in 1997, which was followed with an offer of employment.[Take Eight with Brian Gordon]
". ''Bay State Parent''. April 12, 2016.[ Gordon worked for Hallmark for 18 years.][
Gordon lives with his wife and their four children in ]Westwood, Kansas
Westwood is a city in northeast Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,750. It is the second most densely populated city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.
History
The land where We ...
.[Novascone, Dawn Bormann.]
Meet the KC comic creator soaring with his 'Fowl' ducks
. ''The Kansas City Star''. May 6, 2016.[Coffey, Laura T.]
'Fowl Language': Dad's cartoons show what it's REALLY like to be a parent
. ''USA Today''. April 5, 2016. Gordon's children inspire the material for ''Fowl Language''.[
]
References
External links
* ' official web site
* ' at TinyView
* ' at GoComics
GoComics is a website launched in 2005 by the digital entertainment provider Uclick. It was originally created as a distribution portal for comic strips on mobile phones, but in 2006, the site was redesigned and expanded to include online strip ...
* ' at TinyView
* ' comic strip archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Brian
American webcomic creators
Artists from Kansas
Artists from Massachusetts
Hallmark Cards people
Hallmark Cards artists
Living people
Massachusetts College of Art and Design alumni
People from Brockton, Massachusetts
People from Johnson County, Kansas
Syracuse University alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)