Rubes draws large crowd Wednesday
Many things factored into Leigh Rubin's successful career as a cartoonist.
His parents worked in the publishing and advertising worlds; his family was supportive of him; and he had creative talent from an early age and a quirky sense of humor.
But the life-altering (and quite literally earth-shattering) factor in his career trajectory was an earthquake in 1994.
"What ended my two-job career was an act of god," Rubin said in an interview. At the time, Rubin worked at his father's print shop when he wasn't spending time cultivating his cartooning career. The Northridge Earthquake hit close to Los Angeles, and destroyed the freeway Rubin used to get to his parent's shop.
"I thought, 'Dad, I can't work there anymore, because the freeway isn't there anymore,'" Rubin recalled. Fortunately for Rubin — and the readers of the 400-plus papers Rubes is syndicated in — his parents were supportive of his decision to work on his comics full time.
Rubin, 58, hosted a talk on his new book "Twisted Pop Culture" at the D&C Digital building Wednesday evening. The book, which can be purchased online and picked up at the D&C on 245 E. Main St., features cartoons that parody popular movies, music and moments in history.
Around 100 people came to hear Nipomo, California, resident talk about his work. Many purchased books at the door, while others brought favorite strips with them.
Karla Kates, a Rochester resident and long-time fan, regretted leaving her two favorite Rubes comics pinned up at work. Kates attended Rubin's talk after finding out about the event via Facebook, and said she's been reading Rubes for at least a decade.
"It's the first one I look for in the paper," Kates said. "I like his humor — it's not that it's dark humor, but it's off the wall."
Kates added that she was impressed with Rubin's down-to-earth vibe, despite his sometimes complicated jokes.
"When I first started reading it, I didn't get it because I didn't think anybody thought like me," Kates said. "It's almost like a confirmation of your weirdness. Weird is wonderful — he helps celebrate it."
Rubin said he has always tried to echo pop culture in his comics. Anything, he said, can be pop culture — phrases, events, even other cartoons are fodder for Rubin's comic.
"As soon as something becomes a poster, or hollywood makes a movie, it becomes pop culture," Rubin said. "As soon as media became mass media, it tied everything together. It's so intertwined now."
On Wednesday, Rubin presented a slideshow of cartoons and explained the reasoning behind them. Audience members laughed as he read the captions aloud, highlighting references to icons like Cap'n Crunch and Gumby.
One scene showed Charlie Brown crashing his drone into a tree with the caption reading, "Technology advances; Charlie stays the same."
"I really like to draw cartoons that make you think and have a lasting impression," Rubin said. His 'toons are gag-driven, not character-driven, so he doesn't have to rely on a continuous plot to get to the punchline, he said.
Writer's block isn't something he believes in, either. If he's stumped, he'll take a nap or play with his dog — activities he refers to as "research development" — before heading back to the drawing board.
"I like to think that every day, I go to the cartoon factory," Rubin said. "And when I clock in, I think: it better be interesting, it better be funny and it better be on time for deadline."
Since he launched his career in comics 32 years ago, he's published more than 11,000 cartoons. Even from an early age, Rubin said, doodling has been a part of his life.
"In kindergarten, I was really good at two things — drawing and napping," Rubin said Wednesday. "My wife would say my life really hasn't changed much."