December's "Design My Blog" Winner

      So for the last few weeks I have been featuring a new look here (pssst…look towards the bottom  screen), and I for one absotively LOVE it! The design comes from a Twitter friend and awesome comic strip artist @Vinnie_Vampire also known as Tim Green.  This guy is pretty cool! I actually found out about him through last month’s DMB winner Becky. Tim or Vinnie as I commonly refer to him as, has an awesome web comic that revolves around Vinnie the Vampire (click for the site). As Vinnie’s character bio says the only thing that makes him different from any other teens is a set of fangs. 3 times a week Tim posts new work (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) and you can be sure that a ghoulish laugh will be in store. To give you a better insight into the characters that make this web-series work, I give to you the cast and bios.

Characters
Vinnie                                                
     The only difference between Vinnie and the typical American teenager is a set of fangs. Vinnie is pessimistic, moody, and forever the victim of his family's abuse. He loves rock music, sleeping late and gazing at the stars in the old Transylton cemetery. Mostly Vinnie just wishes for a normal, quiet life. Well, keep wishing Vinnie...

---

  Sunny                                                           
     This pernicious preschooler is Vinnie's younger sister, Sunny. She is a constant thorn in Vinnie's side, leaving a wake of destruction wherever she goes. This single-fanged menace looks at the world as a wondrous place for her amusement. Sunny has recently begun to get vampire urges, so she is a frequent terror for Vinnie and her unfortunate doll Abby. Follow this character with caution, because she will literally leave you in stitches.

---

   Vampa                                                                   
     Vampa is the crotchety old geezer of the family. This ancient vampire is always quick to tell it like it is. After an unsuccessful attempt at retirement home living, Vampa moves in and immediately sets his sights on Vinnie. Needless to say, Vinnie and Vampa stay at each other’s throats in the never-ending battle between generation gaps. Will Vampa’s old school ways get the best of Vinnie, or will Vinnie teach Vampa a thing or two about the new generation?

---

   Mom                                                                     
     Vinnie's mom is the only character that is not actually seen in the strip, but what she lacks in visual presence she more than makes up for with her sheer volume. She is without a doubt the quintessential mom. Mom is quick to voice her opinion and even quicker to wield her authority, keeping everyone in line. Being constantly bombarded with her inane comments, Vinnie is convinced that communication with her is an exercise in futility.  

---

   Belfry                                                                    

     Belfry becomes Vinnie’s pet bat after Vinnie rescues him from a public park. This bat constantly finds himself in trouble due to his eternal clumsiness and lack of social grace. He tests the family’s patience with his bottomless stomach, couch-potato habits, and cynicism. Belfry may not be fit for life in the wild, but he is a perfect match for this not-so-normal family’s habitat.

---

   Bob                                                                       

     Bob comes from a bloodline of ferocious canine guardians that have been protecting vampires for centuries. While diligently patrolling the grounds for enemies, Bob shares his insights through constant internal dialogue. Join Bob on his next patrol and observe his love of peanut butter, hatred of cats, and his fear of the dreaded bath.

      Each of them  have very different personalities, all of which are sure to warm, steal, then probably eat your heart, but you will be dying from laughter while they do it….or maybe from what I said above, potato, po-tot-oh huh?  Anyways, I asked Tim some questions for this post, so we can get to know a bit about him but most of them were N/A, mostly because I sent a questionnaire that is more for other bloggers (and he doesn’t blog). In any case here is just a bit about Tim Green otherwise known to his many Twitter followers as Vinnie.

Tim Green
43
Duluth, GA

When did you start blooging and what inspired you to do it? 

I've been cartooning since the late 70's. I used to draw the Garfield comics in a notebook I carried around.

I'm not much of a blogger. I've been working on "Vinnie the Vampire" for the last several years, I've only been online since July. 

Where do you see yourself (in relation to your blog life) in 2 and 3/4 years from now? (thats 2 and 3 quarters, gotta be random)

I hope I still have the website going because I love making people laugh. 

What did you think of this contest process and will you tell others about it?

I like trying new things! When you have a comic schedule to keep up with it's rare to draw anything else. I had a lot of fun coming up with the penguin illustration. I'm sure other artist would enjoy it also, so, yes, I'd tell others about it.

What is the last thing you want to be known for saying or doing or both?

I hope people talk about the fun times we shared together, I hope my funeral is full of laughter and good memories.

Lastly, do you have any questions for me?

Oh and I guess more lastlier (lol) is there anything else you want to tell my readers, which will probably soon be your readers soon?

I'm not sure I have any questions for you, but I'd like to say you seem like a great guy who works his ass off, by what I read in your tweets and I respect that. Thanks for the chance to be part of the "Penguin Gazette" community.

      *You can find out more here*

      I really think everyone should check him out so we can all know at least one vampire that doesn’t suck! Here are a few of his strips for you to enjoy starting with his most recent (12/23/11). Enjoy, and as always if you check him out leave him a note so he knows how you found him!!

     Thanks for reading and if you know any other artists that might want to contribute to my artist gallery send them my way, who knows they might get featured and if they do they will definitely get the support of penguins everywhere!! Until next time…

Editor & Chief of The Penguin Gazette

Rudy