David Woodward is serious about silliness. You’ve likely seen his advertisements all over Eastern Michigan University’s campus—cartoon people and creatures encouraging you to eat at the Dining Commons—but his position as an assistant graphic designer is simply a job. Woodward spends most of his creative time and energy developing his original comic series “Gordie Gnomo.”
The humor is childish but charming, and Woodward’s illustrations are polished. Gordie and Woodward have been together for years, but
only now is his story being told in print.
“Gordie started when my friend Chris Sopsich and I used to compete by drawing cartoons to make each other laugh in sixth grade,”
Woodward said. “We’d pass them to each other, and giggle about them
in class … the idea was a gnome who just worked for a boss of questionable origin … it eventually evolved as we began to actually take storytelling seriously, but not seriously at the same time.”
Sopsich still writes Gordie with Woodward, but since he’s moved to California, Woodward has been doing most of the legwork.
Woodward and Gordie travelled to Detroit on the weekend of Oct. 26 for the Detroit Fanfare Comic Book Convention. It was Woodward’s fifth Fanfare Comic-Con, but the second time he had his own booth. Upon arrival he was thrilled to learn that next to his booth was the booth of Bob Camp, the director, writer and storyboard artist of the animated series “Ren And Stimpy” and also one of Woodward’s personal inspirations.
“‘Ren And Stimpy’ was one of my favorite cartoons growing up, and one of my primary influences in terms of storytelling and style of humor and illustration,” Woodward said. “Ever since I was a kid I was obsessed with knowing who made the cartoon; I paid attention to the credits and I would memorize names. When I found out Bob Camp was coming to Fanfare, I was blown away that he was coming to Detroit. When I found out my booth was neighbored right next to Bob Camp, I skyrocketed into the ceiling ‘Looney Tunes’ style.”
Camp came over and checked out Woodward’s booth and complimented him on his creation. The name on the screen Woodward saw as a muse was now standing in human form before his comic creation, and to him it seemed so natural.
“It was weird because we just instantly hit it off from the start. I told him he was one of my influences and he seemed pretty flattered,” Woodward said.
Even some of their onlookers recognized the similarities between Camp and Woodward’s drawings. Woodward is dedicated to his art and can turn anything into a dirty joke. Lately, he’s been spending hours stretched over his drafting table, crafting a new edition of his comic entitled “Gordie Gnomo: Tales of Yore,” which is the first publication Woodward had written, illustrated and produced all by himself.
