After disappointing endings to the last two seasons and the acquisition of left-handed ace Cliff Lee, Phillies fans now, more so than ever, have high hopes in their hearts that this will be their season–that this year, the Phillies will once again go all the way. Nothing seems to better sum up this collective feeling of confidence than the Dugout Phunnies, a self-published comic about the 2011 Phillies and their manager, Charlie Manuel. The first issue was released this past April and is currently for sale at Book Space on Frankford Avenue, West Philly’s Locust Moon Comics and Brave New World in Old City.
Dugout Phunnies is the brainchild of David Jablow and Jon Goff, two Philadelphians who have a penchant for baseball and comedy.
“Jon has been a friend of mine for years and is an idea machine,” Jablow, who edits and illustrates the comic, said. “We got to talking about making a comic and I enjoy his work and we’re both baseball fans, so it just made sense.”
“I always liked David’s art,” writer Goff said. “He designed my wedding invitations. It was the perfect fit.”
Jablow is also the creator of Do it Yourself Doodler, which was exhibited at the Piazza at Schmidts’ Bambi Gallery last December.
“I was born and raised in Philly so there has been no other team that I’ve supported,” said Jablow. “I was also raised on Mad Magazine and comics so that has influenced my style, but Dugout Phunnies is the first comic I have worked on that includes a narrative.”
Goff, who is originally from North Carolina, is a self-described “recent convert” to the Phillies.
“We didn’t have any baseball teams down there so it was almost a prerequisite for me to like the Phillies,” stated Goff.
Goff is a comedian who has performed and hosted acts such as Bedtime Stories and Ministry of Secret Jokes. He is also the voice of the Philly Roller Girls.
“The writing style is simple, fun and funny,” said Goff. “They’re classic cartoons and appropriate for all ages and keep the players’ reputations intact. They’re just a good read.”
Dugout Phunnies put a comedic twist on life as a pro baseball player. The first issue contains oddly entertaining content such as demonic mullets and camping trips.
“We wanted to have fun with it and thought other people would appreciate it too. We hope that they have as much fun reading it as we had making it,” Jablow stated. “I think that the only people who’d be interested in this would be Phillies fans. I hope it is well received. We’d like to do a second and third issue.”
“My short term goal is to get publicity on the comic and make the money back that we put into it,” said Goff. “But my secret goal is to keep doing this and have the team and sports players see it. If they did see it, they’d definitely get a laugh out of it.”
Jablow shares the same hopes for the comic as his partner. “If the Phillies did see our comic,” Jablow commented, “I hope they like it. It’s just cartoon depictions of them and I hope they think it’s funny.”
For more information on Dugout Phunnies, visit http://dugoutphunnies.com or their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dugout-Phunnies/157960137593290. For more information on David Jablow’s “do it yourself Doodler,” visit http://www.adhousebooks.com/books/doodler.html.
