I’ve talked to you a lot about the setting of my comic. I’ve talked about the various residents like Rusty and Sam, the Talbot family, and even the richest family in town. This town may be small, but it’s quite active. Some of you are wondering who exactly runs this little hamlet. Well, today you are going to meet him.
Everyone – please rise for the mayor of Sunnyville, the Honorable Owen Groton.
Ladies and gentlemen, there he is. Owen Groton, the mayor of Sunnyville. This kangaroo has been mayor of the small town for several terms and it has prospered under his rule.
This drawing you see of Mayor Groton was photographed from my big 11×14 inch hardcover sketchbook. It was WAAAY too big to be scanned. And believe me, I tried. I mean, just how can I get to show everyone of you out there this larger than life kangaroo? This kangaroo who has brought prosperity and tranquility to this quaint town, who is very good looking, attracts crowds of followers wherever he goes… (Excuse for a moment, loyal blog readers. I have to drag the mayor away from my keyboard.)
My, my, Mayor Owen Groton has quite an ego, doesn’t he?
Groton started life as an ordinary townsperson, much like you and me. He worked various low-paying jobs, from garbage collector to newsboy. It wasn’t until a stroke of luck that he managed to become an assistant to the town clerk. From there, he worked his way up in the town. He eventually became the town clerk, served two terms as deputy mayor and then won the town election for the office of mayor itself. From there on, Groton was content. He had risen from being at the bottom of social standing to the mayor of a small town.
Mayor Groton is a walking encyclopedia of the town and knows much about it, from the history all the way to the arrangement of benches in the town park. He orchestrates meetings in the town hall where he discusses old and new business with the townspeople…as well as giving his usual, long-winded weekly speech. The only downside with Owen Groton is that his speeches can drag on and get quite boring.
Those of you who have read the first episode (don’t forget that it is absolutely free to read) may remember that he was there at the party to welcome Rusty and his family.
That lady kangaroo whispering into his ear is his beloved wife, Sheila Groton. Yes, he’s a married man. Owen Groton’s raised four children of his own which have since grown up and left home. He loves his children and extended family a lot and stays in contact with them. Word has it that one of his nieces, Madison Rockatansky, is a professional boxer.
Designing him was rather fun. An early draft of the character had him as Owen Hopton instead of Groton. I chose the name Groton because it sounded better. He was named after the Connecticut town of the same name.
Well, that’s it for this week’s blog post. Subscribe via email or RSS feed if you haven’t already.
Um, I’d better get going myself. I think the mayor is about to start telling me for the sixteenth time about how the town’s charter was written!
