Reynolds Unwrapped by Dan Reynolds

Unlike most cartoonists, I was not one of those juvenile delinquents who sat in the back of the classroom drawing bizarre caricatures of the teacher. Not me. I derived more enjoyment from watching those weirdos get their slurious sketches intercepted only to be sent to the principal's office. I 'm proud to say I got out of grade school without marring my permanent record.

The first contact I recall having with cartooning was watching my friend Jeff draw sports figures. This kid had a natural talent. I knew I could never draw like him. This was a gift. I concluded at this point in my life I had a better chance of being one of these sports figures. So, I dedicated the next 10 years of my youth to Little League, Senior Little League, and High School baseball. I was going to play for the Boston Red Sox someday. I was going to earn money for playing a game.

That dream fizzled when I realized I didn't have any scouts knocking at my door asking me to sign a multi-million dollar contract. Reality set in. I decided I was going to have to work for a living.

During my first career opportunity I had literally thousands and thousands of people underneath me. Starting at the top was alluring at first, but I decided digging graves was nothing more than a dead end job. It wasn't the clientele that bothered me. I never received much back talk from them. It was the management. I was once told to go over to that grave marker...no, not that one - the GRAY one!...no, you idiot...not that one, the one with bushes and flowers next to it!...No!...The OTHER gray one...are you stupid or something I just wasn't into a job that was as so well laid out as the cemetery.

During my college years, I worked in a drug store selling, of all things, CIGARETTES. Considering the fact that I'm a non-smoker who hates smoking this all sounds pretty ludicrous. So, I did exactly what any non-smoking, health conscious, socially aware college student would do - I tried to talk all the customers out of buying cigarettes. Ironically, it had the opposite effect. People bought more and more cigarettes. People who never smoked before were coming into the store to light up. In my four year tenure, cigarette prices went from $4.90 to over $10 a carton and more individuals than ever were getting a nicotine fix.

After receiving a BS in psychology (BS in psychology - sounds redundant, doesn't it?), I decided one day on a whim to join the Navy. I thought, Hey, I want to see the world for free - I'll join the Navy! So I did. My job? Would you believe I was a Religious Program Specialist (also known as a chaplain's assistant)? I could have went in as an officer but went in as an enlisted.

I went in for the sights. I got sights all right... swabbing the deck, cleaning the heads, etc. I was stationed on the largest warship in the world - the USS NIMITZ. Do you remember the Walker Spy case in the mid-eighties? I knew Michael Walker, who was stealing secret documents from the ship and bringing them to his father. Michael actually taught me how to use the computer he used to obtain these secret messages. It was my job to use the computer to send out American Red Cross messages. One day this quiet kid was on the ship, the next he was on the cover of Newsweek and Time. He never said much except for job related topics - and now I know why.

After the Navy, I came home and lived with my parents for a couple months until landing the job I still hold today - Youth Activities Coordinator for the Oswego-City County Youth Bureau.

What has all of this got to do with cartooning - nothing and everything. I didn't draw for the first 29 and one-half years of my life. But, somehow my mind was absorbing and processing - just waiting to parody my life's experiences. After the birth of my first born, for some unknown reason, I picked up a pencil and sketched a cartoon. I brought it into work and low and behold everyone I worked with laughed. At this moment on December 1989, OVER THE EDGE (The name of my cartoon for the first 10 years), as it was soon to be known, was born.

Unlike most cartoonists, I was not one of those juvenile delinquents who sat in the back of the classroom drawing bizarre caricatures of the teacher. Not me. I derived more enjoyment from watching those weirdos get their slurious sketches intercepted only to be sent to the principal's office. I 'm proud to say I got out of grade school without marring my permanent record.<P> The first contact I recall having with cartooning was watching my friend Jeff draw sports figures. This kid had a natural talent. I knew I could never draw like him. This was a gift. I concluded at this point in my life I had a better chance of being one of these sports figures. So, I dedicated the next 10 years of my youth to Little League, Senior Little League, and High School baseball. I was going to play for the Boston Red Sox someday. I was going to earn money for playing a game.<p> That dream fizzled when I realized I didn't have any scouts knocking at my door asking me to sign a multi-million dollar contract. Reality set in. I decided I was going to have to work for a living.<P> During my first career opportunity I had literally thousands and thousands of people underneath me. Starting at the top was alluring at first, but I decided digging graves was nothing more than a dead end job. It wasn't the clientele that bothered me. I never received much back talk from them. It was the management. I was once told to go over to that grave marker...no, not that one - the GRAY one!...no, you idiot...not that one, the one with bushes and flowers next to it!...No!...The OTHER gray one...are you stupid or something I just wasn't into a job that was as so well laid out as the cemetery.<p> During my college years, I worked in a drug store selling, of all things, CIGARETTES. Considering the fact that I'm a non-smoker who hates smoking this all sounds pretty ludicrous. So, I did exactly what any non-smoking, health conscious, socially aware college student would do - I tried to talk all the customers out of buying cigarettes. Ironically, it had the opposite effect. People bought more and more cigarettes. People who never smoked before were coming into the store to light up. In my four year tenure, cigarette prices went from $4.90 to over $10 a carton and more individuals than ever were getting a nicotine fix.<p> After receiving a BS in psychology (BS in psychology - sounds redundant, doesn't it?), I decided one day on a whim to join the Navy. I thought, Hey, I want to see the world for free - I'll join the Navy! So I did. My job? Would you believe I was a Religious Program Specialist (also known as a chaplain's assistant)? I could have went in as an officer but went in as an enlisted.<P> I went in for the sights. I got sights all right... swabbing the deck, cleaning the heads, etc. I was stationed on the largest warship in the world - the USS NIMITZ. Do you remember the Walker Spy case in the mid-eighties? I knew Michael Walker, who was stealing secret documents from the ship and bringing them to his father. Michael actually taught me how to use the computer he used to obtain these secret messages. It was my job to use the computer to send out American Red Cross messages. One day this quiet kid was on the ship, the next he was on the cover of Newsweek and Time. He never said much except for job related topics - and now I know why.<P> After the Navy, I came home and lived with my parents for a couple months until landing the job I still hold today - Youth Activities Coordinator for the Oswego-City County Youth Bureau.<P> What has all of this got to do with cartooning - nothing and everything. I didn't draw for the first 29 and one-half years of my life. But, somehow my mind was absorbing and processing - just waiting to parody my life's experiences. After the birth of my first born, for some unknown reason, I picked up a pencil and sketched a cartoon. I brought it into work and low and behold everyone I worked with laughed. At this moment on December 1989, OVER THE EDGE (The name of my cartoon for the first 10 years), as it was soon to be known, was born. <P>
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