056_04 - Scott Shaw!
Scott Shaw! (with an exclamation mark) is one of the great ones in the world of animation and comics.

I've had the pleasure of running into Scott on various occasions since the 1970s. No doubt our common interests of classic TV cartoons, comics and James Bond (to name a few) helped. My first impression of Scott was as an artist on a variety of alternative press (formerly called "underground") comics during the 1970s. Professionally, I became associated with Scott at the infamous (and forgotten) Tom Carter Productions. Later I worked with him at Film Roman.

Unlike the cliche of a comedian who is funny on stage and quiet in a crowd, Scott is funny (he'd probably say "wacky") almost anywhere. He has a quick wit and freewheeling style that can make even the most mundane chore enjoyable. From business meetings to story pitches to lunches, Scott is a funny fellow ready with everything from a simple joke to a biting comment on the absurdity of the situation.

Scott is also a true enthusiast. Unlike those who may have come to comics and animation for fame glory and money, Scott does what he does because he loves it. And he does it well. He was one of the original champions of the classic Hanna-Barbera TV style when others thought it was merely cheap. He crusaded for funny animal characters when only super-heroes were in vogue.

In fact, Scott has always been a man who knew what he liked and was not swayed by public opinion. Instead, he often created public opinion! He began collecting absurd comic covers when "serious collectors" tried to ignore them. He eventually turned this love of "Oddball Comics" into a slide show. Suddenly, when Scott deemed a comic "Oddball", the price would shoot up as collectors raced to grab copies! Soon the series became trading cards and are now a nifty website.

Scott is one of those triple threats you often hear about in Hollywood. He is a writer, an artist and a producer. His animation credits include everything from MUPPET BABIES to CAMP CANDY to the Flintstones Pebbles cereal commercials. His comic credits are gigantic. His knowledge of comics and animation is endless.

Perhaps my favorite thing Scott ever did was for a publication I was editing with Jim Korkis. As we were preparing the first issue of Cartoon Quarterly, Jim and I were looking for ways of making an animation magazine fun. I knew Scott would be the person to call upon. He did not let me down. He created a history of THE FLINTSTONES. But Scott did not send us just pages of text. No. He produced it as a full color comic! His hope was that someone might see it and expand it into a book. That no publisher ever did is a loss to animation historians everywhere.

This photo shows Scott once again lending his time to a worthy event. In fact, most people's memory of Scott is probably slumped over a sheet of drawing paper dressed in one of his famed Hawaiian shirts. He is still one of the regular sights and joys of the San Diego Comic Con (now Comic Con International) where one can drop by his table to buy his art or simply chat about any one of a thousand topics.

My image of Scott, though is different. We had been sent by Tom Carter Productions to the Annies to support the event and be "seen" as a real studio. The affair was black tie, so everyone had to rent tuxes. As we stood around the lobby, waiting for the event to start, Scott looked at me and said, "I've always wanted a reason to wear a tux." He then pulled out a water pistol from his coat. "Now I know what it's like to be James Bond." It was one of those you had to be there moments. No, it was one of those "Scott Shaw! had to be there moments."