It didn't take long for Mike Winters to become one of our favourite cartoonists, not just in Canada, but within the general boundaries of the known universe as well. His work manages to strike a balance of fantastic artwork, unsettling navel gazing at our Instagram loving generation (or is that about to change?), and a pitch-perfect mockery of lefty Torontonians who get a boner over transit system overhauls. We've ran his comics before, but we thought it'd be good for you to get a bit more acquainted with him. So, here's our interview with the man behind the urbanist parodies and Instagram commentaries, Mike Winters.
VICE: I love the Wonderdick character. It's basically the only voice that characterizes the lefty, whiny, urban life loving Torontonian in such a smart and funny way. But enough ball massaging, where'd the character come from?
The jumping off point for Wonderdick was to create a character that was a satire of media-savvy urban planning activists, otherwise known as urbanists. I'm also equally poking fun at people that pat themselves on the back for being open-minded or creative. I'm not saying I'm exempt from this either. The first strip came from me noticing how nice the rust stains looked on a Dufferin overpass, which is fine, but if I shared this in a tweet it would be the lamest thing in the world. In the strip he's always broadcasting his aesthetic awareness to the world, which is delightfully obnoxious to me.How would you define #SuperTruth?
One of my favourite comics of yours is when Wonderdick Instagrams his dead grandma. What Instagram filter would you use to announce the death of a loved one?
Taking a deathbed picture would be horrifying to me, but I could see why people might do it. After all, isn’t viewing the casket basically an old-school mental-Instagram of sorts? I avoid casket viewings, let alone taking Instagram snaps of dying relatives, but if I had to choose an Instagram filter? X-Pro II all the way, man. It would bring out the contrast and colour in the grey-pallor skin of a dying loved one. Good choice. So many of your comics involve people using their cell phones. Why do you think that's such a common element of your Canadian cartoon universe?
Well that’s mostly Wonderdick, and the cell phone is his primary “weapon,” in D&D terms. It also seemed natural to have him narrate the panels through overwrought tweets. And for whatever reason, there are two other things about cell phones that I find funny to draw: 1) a person on a cell-phone ignoring a real-life person in front of them 2) anything to do with Instagram, which I love. Instagram is the one social app where people seem happy, but it also has its cliches and can be a bit mundane. I guess that's why even talking out loud about the best Instagram filter seems funny to me.
You seem to be interested in exploring the often crappy relationships between guys and gals. What's the worst experience you've had personally? Why do you like to portray that with your comics?
Pair Bond is meant to portray a worst-case scenario of a relationship that’s already dead in the water. Although I dated some nutballs in my early 20s, almost none of my comics are based on my own experience, or if it is, it’s exaggerated to the point of distortion. Otherwise these couples are all around us, whether it be sitting in total silence for entire meals at restaurants; squabbling in the aisles of grocery stores; or not having sex, ever. Plus, I always loved the Lockhorns comic strip! How do you actually feel about Toronto? What about Canada in general?
I’m from Edmonton, so Toronto does seem like foreign territory sometimes. In cartoon terms, Edmonton hipsters are hardscrabble prairie people with mountain beards and utility knives. Any progressive initiative, like a single bike lane, is hard-earned fight. Here, the progressivism is flabbier and it’s more of a given that left-wings voices will be heard, sometimes to the point of self-parody. In Toronto, there’s way more hand-wringing over small potatoes. We love our tiny spuds. What's next for Wonderdick?
I’m seriously looking into a Sierra Games-styled Wonderdick adventure game that you could play on your computer. As with all things, being a full-time office-working stiff, the question is always a matter of finding the time. I’m also toying with the idea of having Wonderdick go completely insane in the strips for a while, getting lost in his shaman-esque interactions with the city and losing his job writing for an urbanist publication. No matter what, he’ll be insufferable!Follow Mike on Twitter and check out his website "Cartoon Machine" for more sweet comics.
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The jumping off point for Wonderdick was to create a character that was a satire of media-savvy urban planning activists, otherwise known as urbanists. I'm also equally poking fun at people that pat themselves on the back for being open-minded or creative. I'm not saying I'm exempt from this either. The first strip came from me noticing how nice the rust stains looked on a Dufferin overpass, which is fine, but if I shared this in a tweet it would be the lamest thing in the world. In the strip he's always broadcasting his aesthetic awareness to the world, which is delightfully obnoxious to me.How would you define #SuperTruth?
SuperTruth is something that’s extra true, because it just feels that way. I like the idea of finding false significance in everything. It’s one of Wonderdick’s themes.
Taking a deathbed picture would be horrifying to me, but I could see why people might do it. After all, isn’t viewing the casket basically an old-school mental-Instagram of sorts? I avoid casket viewings, let alone taking Instagram snaps of dying relatives, but if I had to choose an Instagram filter? X-Pro II all the way, man. It would bring out the contrast and colour in the grey-pallor skin of a dying loved one. Good choice. So many of your comics involve people using their cell phones. Why do you think that's such a common element of your Canadian cartoon universe?
Well that’s mostly Wonderdick, and the cell phone is his primary “weapon,” in D&D terms. It also seemed natural to have him narrate the panels through overwrought tweets. And for whatever reason, there are two other things about cell phones that I find funny to draw: 1) a person on a cell-phone ignoring a real-life person in front of them 2) anything to do with Instagram, which I love. Instagram is the one social app where people seem happy, but it also has its cliches and can be a bit mundane. I guess that's why even talking out loud about the best Instagram filter seems funny to me.
You seem to be interested in exploring the often crappy relationships between guys and gals. What's the worst experience you've had personally? Why do you like to portray that with your comics?
Pair Bond is meant to portray a worst-case scenario of a relationship that’s already dead in the water. Although I dated some nutballs in my early 20s, almost none of my comics are based on my own experience, or if it is, it’s exaggerated to the point of distortion. Otherwise these couples are all around us, whether it be sitting in total silence for entire meals at restaurants; squabbling in the aisles of grocery stores; or not having sex, ever. Plus, I always loved the Lockhorns comic strip! How do you actually feel about Toronto? What about Canada in general?
I’m from Edmonton, so Toronto does seem like foreign territory sometimes. In cartoon terms, Edmonton hipsters are hardscrabble prairie people with mountain beards and utility knives. Any progressive initiative, like a single bike lane, is hard-earned fight. Here, the progressivism is flabbier and it’s more of a given that left-wings voices will be heard, sometimes to the point of self-parody. In Toronto, there’s way more hand-wringing over small potatoes. We love our tiny spuds. What's next for Wonderdick?
I’m seriously looking into a Sierra Games-styled Wonderdick adventure game that you could play on your computer. As with all things, being a full-time office-working stiff, the question is always a matter of finding the time. I’m also toying with the idea of having Wonderdick go completely insane in the strips for a while, getting lost in his shaman-esque interactions with the city and losing his job writing for an urbanist publication. No matter what, he’ll be insufferable!Follow Mike on Twitter and check out his website "Cartoon Machine" for more sweet comics.