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After going just a tad overboard with that “Uber-Influence Map” stuff, I thought it’d be good to make a final, proper influence map – which I still went overboard with. So, here it is!
    -   Quentin Tarantino A genius with dialogue and a master with character.
    -   Eric Powell & Mike Mignola Two artists who go to any fun, strange place they want to and do so with technical skill, gorgeous color and incredible wit and storytelling skill.
    -   Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert The masters when it comes to political humor – and even better is that it still holds up today!
    -   American Comedy (Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, Steve Martin, Chaplin, Keaton, the Marx Brothers, Amy Poehler, SNL, etc.) So many masters when it comes to making people laugh.
    -  Valve The funniest people who ever made a video game, and brilliant at world-building to boot!
    -  Harvey Kurtzman One of the greatest people affiliated with comics who ever lived.
    -  Underground Comix (R. Crumb, Peter Bagge, Gil Shelton, Vaughn Bodé, Daniel Clowes, Art Spiegleman, etc.) Showed me that any boundary can and will be crossed.
    -  Martin Scorsese Anyone who can combine genuine skill with storytelling and the technique of film with incredible entertainment is a big influence in my book.
    -  Red Letter Media (Mike Stoklasa, Jay Bauman, Rich Evans, etc.) The Mr. Plinkett reviews and their other work taught me so much about how to make stories by what NOT to do.
    -  Bryan Lee O’Malley Scott Pilgrim’s combination of slice-of-life exploits with high octane fantasy-comic-action is one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever read.
    -  Matt Groening Futurama and the Simpsons are how comedy is done. Enough said.
    -  Jeff Smith BONE was one of the first things I’ve read that made me want to be a cartoonist. The humor, genre-bending story, characters, and art – it was all so awe-inspiring!
    -  Chuck Jones & Dr. Seuss One was among the greatest animation directors of his generation – the other a god among children. Their efforts together and apart are always worth a look at.
    -  John Hughes The best of his work still ranks among the greatest films on growing up and as some of the greatest comedies ever put to film.
    -  Channel Awesome (Doug Walker, Tony Goldmark, Brad Jones, Lindsay Ellis, etc.) While not as large an influence on me as it used to be, I can’t deny that CA developed my comic skills and cinematic tastes.
    -  Charles M. Schulz A beautiful injection of tragedy and comedy, four panels at a time.
    -  E.C. Segar The Thimble Theatre comics are the best example of action, adventure and comedy of its time and are still entertaining today.
    -  Cartooning Kind of a cop-out, but I just love the medium to death – it’s all inspiring! (The image is from a comic by Milt Gross, a great cartoonist in his own right!)
    -  British Comedy (Monty Python, Rowan Atkinson, Ricky Gervais, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, etc.) The other side of the pond makes better humor than nearly anyone else!
    -  Jhonen Vasquez Although I’m not familiar with his comics, Invader Zim is a masterpiece of black comedy!
    -  Tina Fey A modern-day goddess of comedy – all done with nuance into character and dialogue.
    -  MAD Magazine (Jack Davis, Sergio Aragones, Mort Drucker, Paul Coker, Herman Meja, Drew Friedman, Al Jaffee, Antonio Prohias, Wally Wood, etc.) MAD showed me that illustrative technique and comedy are not mutually exclusive.
    -  Stephen Hillenburg SpongeBob was one of the first cartoons to use absurd, character-driven comedy and that has always drew me into its underwater charms.
    -  MST3K/Rifftrax The art of the riff, done by the masters of the craft.
    -  John Kricfalusi While his cartoons are surely great, his blog is a well of incredible tips and tricks on how to be a master cartoonist.
    -  Vintage Americana The eras of the past have always fascinated me to no end.
    -  Jim Henson A jack of all artistic trades and a kind-hearted master of all.
    -  Walt Kelly The greatest line-work in all of comics, along with skillful draftsmanship and a savage, killer wit.
    -  Bob Clampett Anarchy in animated form. Showed me just how fun cartoons can be.
    -  Pixar The modern masters of the animated film.
    -  John Carpenter The first auteur I knew by name and his individual flair was inspirational.
    -  Franco-Belgian Comics (André Franquin, Albert Uderzo, Hergé, etc.) The matching of boundless, cartoony energy and gorgeous artistic skill are what I always aspire to do.
    -  Hayao Miyazaki What do I have to say?
    -  Vintage Illustration (Saul Bass, Charley Harper, Norman Rockwell, Jack Kirby, Dorothy & Otis Shepherd, etc.) The olden days of illustration are a well of what I love.
    -  The Golden Age of Animation (1928-1964) The greatest period of artistic achievement.
    -  It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia My favorite show – never fails to make me laugh.
    -  Tom Lehrer An underappreciated comic genius. A master of political and black comedy.
    -  Will Eisner The classical master of American comics.
    -  Terry Gilliam From Monty Python to Dr. Parnassus, Gilliam’s films are some of the greatest in film history.
    -  Mike Judge A somewhat folksy, very satirical comedian and animator who served as a great indie inspiration.
    -  Mel Brooks Must I even explain this one?
    -  The Coen Brothers (Joel & Ethan) Partners in crime who mix every genre imaginable and make the most entertaining movies to come out of Hollywood. My all-time favorite screenwriters.
    -  Carl Barks & Floyd Gottfredson A pair of Disney cartoonists whose work go hand in hand, which was adventurous, character-driven and worked beautifully as great action-comedy comics.
    - Cartoon Network Artists/Adult Swim (Thurop Van Orman, Craig McCracken, Genndy Tartakovsky, Danny Antonucci, Pendleton Ward, Doc Hammer/Jackson Publick, C.H. Greenblatt, Williams Street, etc.) My favorite channel featuring some of the prettiest and funniest artists who ever lived.
    -  Stanley Kubrick (& Other Auteurs) Directors whose work has an authoritative stamp (like Kubrick’s) have always been great to see. (David Fincher, Charlie Kaufman, Tim Burton, Jean-Pierre Jenut, Fellini, David Lynch, Billy Wilder, etc.)
    -  Rebecca Sugar Her combined work from Adventure Time, Pug Davis and especially Steven Universe gave me confidence that personal, creator-driven stories are possible in commercial world.
    -  Akira Toriyama The early, cartoonier work of his introduced me to the world of Japanese cartooning.
    -  Vintage Music (Roughly 50’s – 80’s) These retro tunes always help me with my ideas when I need one.
    - Bill Watterson The greatest cartoonist of last 30 years, bar none.

    -  My Friends & Family (Real Life) The biggest inspiration in my life have always been the people in it. They have helped me more artistically and socially than anything or anyone else.

Description

After going just a tad overboard with that “Uber-Influence Map” stuff, I thought it’d be good to make a final, proper influence map – which I still went overboard with. So, here it is!
    -   Quentin Tarantino A genius with dialogue and a master with character.
    -   Eric Powell & Mike Mignola Two artists who go to any fun, strange place they want to and do so with technical skill, gorgeous color and incredible wit and storytelling skill.
    -   Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert The masters when it comes to political humor – and even better is that it still holds up today!
    -   American Comedy (Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, Steve Martin, Chaplin, Keaton, the Marx Brothers, Amy Poehler, SNL, etc.) So many masters when it comes to making people laugh.
    -  Valve The funniest people who ever made a video game, and brilliant at world-building to boot!
    -  Harvey Kurtzman One of the greatest people affiliated with comics who ever lived.
    -  Underground Comix (R. Crumb, Peter Bagge, Gil Shelton, Vaughn Bodé, Daniel Clowes, Art Spiegleman, etc.) Showed me that any boundary can and will be crossed.
    -  Martin Scorsese Anyone who can combine genuine skill with storytelling and the technique of film with incredible entertainment is a big influence in my book.
    -  Red Letter Media (Mike Stoklasa, Jay Bauman, Rich Evans, etc.) The Mr. Plinkett reviews and their other work taught me so much about how to make stories by what NOT to do.
    -  Bryan Lee O’Malley Scott Pilgrim’s combination of slice-of-life exploits with high octane fantasy-comic-action is one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever read.
    -  Matt Groening Futurama and the Simpsons are how comedy is done. Enough said.
    -  Jeff Smith BONE was one of the first things I’ve read that made me want to be a cartoonist. The humor, genre-bending story, characters, and art – it was all so awe-inspiring!
    -  Chuck Jones & Dr. Seuss One was among the greatest animation directors of his generation – the other a god among children. Their efforts together and apart are always worth a look at.
    -  John Hughes The best of his work still ranks among the greatest films on growing up and as some of the greatest comedies ever put to film.
    -  Channel Awesome (Doug Walker, Tony Goldmark, Brad Jones, Lindsay Ellis, etc.) While not as large an influence on me as it used to be, I can’t deny that CA developed my comic skills and cinematic tastes.
    -  Charles M. Schulz A beautiful injection of tragedy and comedy, four panels at a time.
    -  E.C. Segar The Thimble Theatre comics are the best example of action, adventure and comedy of its time and are still entertaining today.
    -  Cartooning Kind of a cop-out, but I just love the medium to death – it’s all inspiring! (The image is from a comic by Milt Gross, a great cartoonist in his own right!)
    -  British Comedy (Monty Python, Rowan Atkinson, Ricky Gervais, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, etc.) The other side of the pond makes better humor than nearly anyone else!
    -  Jhonen Vasquez Although I’m not familiar with his comics, Invader Zim is a masterpiece of black comedy!
    -  Tina Fey A modern-day goddess of comedy – all done with nuance into character and dialogue.
    -  MAD Magazine (Jack Davis, Sergio Aragones, Mort Drucker, Paul Coker, Herman Meja, Drew Friedman, Al Jaffee, Antonio Prohias, Wally Wood, etc.) MAD showed me that illustrative technique and comedy are not mutually exclusive.
    -  Stephen Hillenburg SpongeBob was one of the first cartoons to use absurd, character-driven comedy and that has always drew me into its underwater charms.
    -  MST3K/Rifftrax The art of the riff, done by the masters of the craft.
    -  John Kricfalusi While his cartoons are surely great, his blog is a well of incredible tips and tricks on how to be a master cartoonist.
    -  Vintage Americana The eras of the past have always fascinated me to no end.
    -  Jim Henson A jack of all artistic trades and a kind-hearted master of all.
    -  Walt Kelly The greatest line-work in all of comics, along with skillful draftsmanship and a savage, killer wit.
    -  Bob Clampett Anarchy in animated form. Showed me just how fun cartoons can be.
    -  Pixar The modern masters of the animated film.
    -  John Carpenter The first auteur I knew by name and his individual flair was inspirational.
    -  Franco-Belgian Comics (André Franquin, Albert Uderzo, Hergé, etc.) The matching of boundless, cartoony energy and gorgeous artistic skill are what I always aspire to do.
    -  Hayao Miyazaki What do I have to say?
    -  Vintage Illustration (Saul Bass, Charley Harper, Norman Rockwell, Jack Kirby, Dorothy & Otis Shepherd, etc.) The olden days of illustration are a well of what I love.
    -  The Golden Age of Animation (1928-1964) The greatest period of artistic achievement.
    -  It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia My favorite show – never fails to make me laugh.
    -  Tom Lehrer An underappreciated comic genius. A master of political and black comedy.
    -  Will Eisner The classical master of American comics.
    -  Terry Gilliam From Monty Python to Dr. Parnassus, Gilliam’s films are some of the greatest in film history.
    -  Mike Judge A somewhat folksy, very satirical comedian and animator who served as a great indie inspiration.
    -  Mel Brooks Must I even explain this one?
    -  The Coen Brothers (Joel & Ethan) Partners in crime who mix every genre imaginable and make the most entertaining movies to come out of Hollywood. My all-time favorite screenwriters.
    -  Carl Barks & Floyd Gottfredson A pair of Disney cartoonists whose work go hand in hand, which was adventurous, character-driven and worked beautifully as great action-comedy comics.
    - Cartoon Network Artists/Adult Swim (Thurop Van Orman, Craig McCracken, Genndy Tartakovsky, Danny Antonucci, Pendleton Ward, Doc Hammer/Jackson Publick, C.H. Greenblatt, Williams Street, etc.) My favorite channel featuring some of the prettiest and funniest artists who ever lived.
    -  Stanley Kubrick (& Other Auteurs) Directors whose work has an authoritative stamp (like Kubrick’s) have always been great to see. (David Fincher, Charlie Kaufman, Tim Burton, Jean-Pierre Jenut, Fellini, David Lynch, Billy Wilder, etc.)
    -  Rebecca Sugar Her combined work from Adventure Time, Pug Davis and especially Steven Universe gave me confidence that personal, creator-driven stories are possible in commercial world.
    -  Akira Toriyama The early, cartoonier work of his introduced me to the world of Japanese cartooning.
    -  Vintage Music (Roughly 50’s – 80’s) These retro tunes always help me with my ideas when I need one.
    - Bill Watterson The greatest cartoonist of last 30 years, bar none.

    -  My Friends & Family (Real Life) The biggest inspiration in my life have always been the people in it. They have helped me more artistically and socially than anything or anyone else.