Angus Oblong

Angus Oblong (born David Adam Walker; August 28, 1976) is an American writer and illustrator best known for his work Creepy Susie and 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children (1999) and the 2001 animated television series The Oblongs. The character Milo—which appeared in his Creepy Susie book—was based on a young version of himself; the Milo that appeared on the television show The Oblongs was a less exaggerated version of the character from the book.[1]

Angus Oblong
Angus Oblong at Long Beach Comic Expo 2012
Angus Oblong at Long Beach Comic Expo 2012
BornDavid Adam Walker
(1976-08-28) August 28, 1976
Sacramento, California
OccupationWriter, illustrator
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley
Notable worksCreepy Susie and 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children, The Oblongs
Website
www.angusoblong.com

Oblong had favorite cartoons before he began animating, such as Looney Tunes, Animaniacs, Freakazoid!, and Earthworm Jim. He was also influenced by distorted characters from the Dick and Jane books, Brothers Grimm fairy tales, and some real life oddities in Ripley's Believe It or Not!.

Early years

Oblong was born David Adam Walker on August 28, 1976, in Sacramento, California, to Elizabeth Marie (née Angus), a preschool teacher, and Dr. Robert David Walker, MD, a surgeon.[2] and attended the University of California, Berkeley for a couple of years.[3] He moved to Los Angeles, California, at the request of his agent when a "bidding war" was underway over whether Fox, The WB, or Disney would produce what became The Oblongs.[4]

When his work began garnering attention from the press, Oblong began wearing "thick clown makeup and a bulbous, red plastic nose" in public places and by now was referring to himself as "Angus Oblong" (namesake of a shape of the rectangle and his mother's former last name), a practice he has continued into 2010, when LA Weekly named him one of the L.A. People 2009.[5]

Books

Oblong's book, Creepy Susie and 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children, consists of 13 short stories of adult-oriented humor. Many of the characters from his animated TV series The Oblongs first appear in this book, including Milo and Creepy Susie. A self-published sequel, 13 More Tragic Tales for Ugly Children, is available from his website.

He has also self-published three collections of drawings: Angus Oblong Random Drawings Book One, Book Two and Book Three.

Television

His animated television series, The Oblongs, airing originally on The WB and in syndication on Adult Swim. The WB picked it up at the end of the day. The complete series was released on DVD.

Oblong wrote, directed, and produced Deliriously Jen, a television pilot that aired on Comedy Central and was shown at several film festivals in 2005.

Theater

The Victorian Hotel, a play written by Oblong, and created in association with Rogue Artists Ensemble, featuring many of his characters as puppets, played October through December 2006 at the Powerhouse Theatre in Santa Monica, California.[6] In 2018, The Victorian Hotel traveled to Seattle.

Font

Oblong created a font for his fans to use, and he named it after himself. Oblong is a handwritten comic font by Oblong that included Regular, Bold, Italic, Outline, Shadow & Irregular.

See also

References
  1. "The UNDERGROUND Interview". ugtv.org. Archived from the original on 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2009-12-08. Milo is me. Milo in the show is nothing like Milo in the book (Creepy Susie & 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children). The book-Milo is me. The TV Milo is a very watered down version.
  2. "Family Circle, flattened — In his new animated series, Sacramento native Angus Oblong has a twisted take on life". Sacramento Bee. NewsBank. October 17, 2000. p. E1. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
  3. Chad Graham (April 24, 2001). "An Oblong look at the world: the out creator of the WB's The Oblongs talks about the deliciously bizarre world of the new animated sitcom". The Advocate: 57–58. ISSN 0001-8996. Retrieved 2009-12-08. The Oblongs were born in 1994 when Oblong, who attended the University of California, Berkeley for a couple of years, began drawing the characters for his book Creepy Susie and 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children.
  4. "The UNDERGROUND Interview". ugtv.org. Archived from the original on 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2009-12-08. It was my agency who said "Prime time animation is hot right now. Create an animated series & we'll shop it around." This was after they had seen my book & signed me as a client. Then they relocated me to Los Angeles where the air is brown. There was a bidding war for The Oblongs from FOX, The WB & Disney. Had I known the WB would chicken out & not want an edgy, funny show, I would have gone with FOX.
  5. "LA People 2009: Angus Oblong — This Clown's Life". LA Weekly. April 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
  6. "The Victorian Hotel". Rogue Artists Ensemble. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2009-12-08.
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