Over on Twitter, cartoonist Joe Chouinard has been delighting fans of American TV with a short strip, “I HEAR THE BLUES A-KILLIN’ (or: Frasier Meets Columbo”, which you can read in full there.
It’s a perfectly pitched, hilarious mash up of the two classic US TV shows, from a talented creator who describes himself as just someone who “writes stories and draws pictures” on his official website, and is “unqualified to do much of anything else.”
For those unfamiliar, Columbo is an American crime drama television series that starred the late Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. Launched in 1968, it ran for ten seasons over 69 episodes to its curtain call in 2003, and is repeated around the world to this day. Negotiations for a further NBC season in 1979 failed – largely due to Falk’s insistence on no budgetary or time restraints to produce the highest quality shows.
Frasier, an American television sitcom that span out of another show, Cheers, continues the story of psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), who returns to his hometown, Seattle, as a radio show host. Broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons, it premiered in 1993, and concluded on 2004, also starring David Hyde Pierce as his younger brother and fellow psychiatrist, Niles.
If you enjoy his mash up – not the first time he’s poked fun at Frasier and other media hits – then do check out his web comics such as Clown Corps, a story about crime fighting clowns, and The Bishop Cases, in which a disgraced teen detective’s strong sense of morality conflicts with a talented teen inventor’s apparent lack of morality.
• Joe Chouinard is online at joechouinard.com | Twitter | Tumblr – Joe’s Doodles |
• Support Joe on Patreon: Patrons will get access to behind-the-scenes content, exclusive illustrations, tepid quips, and more
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Comic Creator Spotlight, Comics, Digital Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Television, US Comics