Battlemouth

I recently got a chance to chat with the guys of RobotMartini.com.  Robot Martini is an artist trio who produce web comics, blogs, games, and videos which is also known as everything that gets battlemouth.com hot and bothered.  These guys are cranking out tons of fresh content all the time and deserve all the attention they can get, of course you can still hang out around here too.

First up is my chat with Gavin Schmitt the man that made Robot Martini happen, as well as being the illustrator of Floppies (floppies.robotmartini.com), Robot Martini’s monday comic. He is a Baltimore born alcoholic, game designer, and loves paper craft which means he is pretty rad.

What comics influence your work?

Garfield minus Garfield’s flawless timing and essential-elements-only structure has greatly improved floppies, which tended to ‘miss the joke’ or place the punch line in the wrong panel, when I started writing it.

throughout high school and college, I drew a black and white comic called Wide Angle. The protagonist went through several variations, from autobiographical to based on my canadian landlord’s 4 year old son, but was essentially a running-with-dynomite terror and total rip off of Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes. I learned to read with Watterson’s books and Calvin’s mood creeps into many of my characters.

When do you draw floppies?

I treat my comics like my alcoholism: binge! Floppies tends to be written and illustrated months in advance, in clumps of 30 strips, though they don’t all make it to the website. However, improved editing and better writing quality is slowly changing my schedule.

When you have the time which games do you play?

I’m a PS3 owner, so my library has been small until recently. I’m currently pounding Little Big Planet and digging the art style on every level. Before that, I spent nearly a year hunting pigeons in Liberty City, wishing there was a little more depth and a greater system for reward in GTA4.

I also run Robot Martini’s weekly board game night. Power Grid is, and has been my favorite table top game. The math there is powerful. Change your pants powerful.

How did robot martini get started?

I got laid off at Hasbro the day after my wedding and then from Palisades toys the day after christmas. Then one night I was tripping balls and envisioned myself singing and dancing with a martini shaker. I kept saying “Robot shaken martini baby!”

So I started my own company, originally partnering with now failed art-student-porn site the Monet Shots to run their gamer / nerd operations.

Robot Martini’s game business never took off, and to stay interested, we just started making art and comics.

Do you drink martinis?

My reigning favorite is X’s flamingly fun Chocolate Martini. Which explains may of the more questionable posts i make during the week…

How much paper craft is on your desk?

A 14 x18 inch Barox Obama’s cardboard head is currently leering at me from behind the scanner;  a former Spikey Babey is crushed under my coffee mug, and several of my own Brikies litter my floor and trash basket.

Do you have a favorite strip you’ve written?

It’s a toss up between Pablo’s wedding (http://www.robotmartini.com/community/viewpost/553) and the house explosion (http://www.robotmartini.com/community/viewpost/480). While very different, both capture the mood of exciting, factual events I lived through.

There you have it, check back in later this week when I post the other two interviews for your reading pleasure.