Introducing Amphibimen Comics

Short form: My friend Erik and I both have day jobs, but have talked for years about starting our own comics business. He’s the artistic one, the creative spirit, and knows his way around the watercolor aisle at Jerry’s Art Supplies. I’m the nerd, the sci-fi hound, the content manager, the business guy, and the annoying manager type. We’ve been friends since sixth grade, and Erik’s been drawing comic characters for as long as I’ve known him. The cost of entry, available fan base, and ability to mesh audience with content has never been lower, larger or easier (respectively).

So say “hello” to Amphibimen Comics. Follow us on Facebook, where you’ll find updates on our various ideas: t-shirts, art prints, stickers, of course some comic books, a chap book or ten and whatever else we can find ways to produce on a small scale (extremely limited edition figurines?)

There’s a backstory, as there always is: My late aunt and uncle owned a children’s clothing store, and one of the larger plush toys they sold was a very dapper looking frog, wearing a bow tie and notch collar, named “Neil”. I adored that stupid frog. It wasn’t healthy, and it went on for a while.

Between Erik and me, Neil The Frog became a minor super hero. He was battling evil with Jewish neuroses and all of the aplomb, gravitas and, well, hygiene you’d expect of a swamp guy who was forced into literal hemi-semi-formal clothing. This all went on very quietly until Erik and I were charged with painting windows for a high school event (OK, any Freehold Township residents, it was the very firstFTHS Battle of the Classes in 1980), and Erik drew Neil in a variety of superhero like poses, making (I thought) outstanding analogies to the sporting events we were supposedly promoting. Neil became our own goofy Olympic-caliber mascot. Our teacher advisor didn’t see eye to raised eye with us, and Neil’s debut on the wire-reinforced windows was somewhat short-lived.

Fast forward 30 years, and Erik and I have decided to bring the Amphibimen, their villanous rivals, and an assortment of other ideas out of Erik’s sketchbooks and into t-shirts and iPads everywhere.