humor

About A Thurl (Ravenscroft, that is)

| Mister Kessell

Continuing in my efforts to be less Grinchy and more Holly Jolly this month, I wanted to talk to you briefly about Thurl Ravenscroft.

“What or who is Thurl Ravenscroft?” I can hear you saying, “He’s from Lord of the Rings, right? No wait, Game of Thrones! Is it Game of Thrones?”

Nope!

“Is it some sort of Nordic death metal band?”

Negative. Although…

The name "Thurl Ravenscroft" designed like a heavy metal band logo. White text on a black background, very sketchy and rough, with the V forming the bottom point of a pentagram.
You might be on to something there.



The Thurl Ravenscroft I’m referring to was a singer and a voice actor who might best be known(or maybe not) for singing the classic “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” from the 1966 TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

This song really hit me, because I too have garlic in my soul. I should probably have that checked out.

After a recent viewing, I was shocked to learn that Thurl wasn’t credited in the animated special.

Did they expect us to believe that the narrator, Boris Karloff, provided the vocals?

Dr. Seuss himself felt terrible about the situation and later tried to remedy it with a letter-writing campaign to various influencers of the day, giving credit to Thurl.

I imagine it went something like this:

Black text in a Dr. Seuss Font over yellow background: It was Thurl who sang the Grinch. Sing, Sang, Sung it quite sweetly. To think Karloff pulled it off, you'd be flumdoozled completely."

While doing my brief bit of research I’ve found that people have been asking Google this question: “Did James Earl Jones sing the Grinch?”

That’s a pretty good guess. But no, James Earl Jones did not sing the Grinch, it was Thurl Ravenscroft.

If only there was some way this confusion could have been avoided from the start.

GET A FREE BATBOY COMIC DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX!

If you enjoyed anything above, please take a look at my Portfolio, my Books Page or my Store.

M. R. Kessell is a dark artist and a writer and illustrator of Batboy comics.

Batboy wearing a dino floaty at the beach

One last thing before I set off on the sea of swirly-twirly gum drops...

In the spirit of the season, I want to share with you a special little animated gif that I created.

Please feel free to share!

Especially if you have ever been wrongly labeled a Grinch.

Animated gif of a caricature mashup of Richard Nixon and the Grinch who stole Christmas. Waving double peace signs with his hands and text that reads: I AM NOT A GRINCH.

CLICK HERE FOR A PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES OF HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!

Click here for more about Thurl.

CHECK OUT MY HOLIDAY MONSTER GIF COLLECTION HERE!

While you’re still here, let’s take a quick look at the lyrics to “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch”

Verse 1

You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch, you really are a heel

You’re as cuddly as a cactus, as charming as an eel,
Mr. Grinch!
You’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel!

Verse 2

You’re a monster, Mr. Grinch, your heart’s an empty hole
Your brain is full of spiders, you’ve got garlic in your soul
Mr. Grinch.

I wouldn’t touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole

Verse 3

You’re a vile one, Mr. Grinch. You have termites in your smile
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile,
Mr. Grinch!
Given a choice between the two of you…
I’d take the seasick crocodile!

Verse 4

You’re a foul one, Mr. Grinch, you’re a nasty wasty skunk
Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk
Mr. Grinch!
The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote:

“Stink, stank, stunk!”

Verse 5

You’re a rotter, Mr. Grinch, you’re the king of sinful sots
Your heart’s a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots
Mr. Grinch!
Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable…
Mangled up in tangled up knots!

Verse 6

You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch, with a nauseous super “naus”!
You’re a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss,
Mr. Grinch!
You’re a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich…
With arsenic sauce!

I love that line about the “three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce”

James Earl Jones grinch. James Earl Jones Mr Grinch. Chuck Jones the Grinch. Doctor Seuss Art. Dr Seuss Artwork. You re a mean one mr grinch lyrics thurl ravenscroft.

Getting Nowhere Fast

| Mister Kessell
Getting Nowhere Fast: Another Batboy Comic Collection by M. R. Kessell Book Cover showing Batboy sweating as he pedals a stationary bike with a dill pickle hanging in front of him as motivation

Batboy is back! In comic form!

Getting Nowhere Fast: Another Batboy Comic Collection

I’m very excited to share this with you, it’s the second printed collection of Batboy Comics! Available now on Amazon.

Here’s the description from Amazon:

Batboy doesn’t know when to stop. He’s still flapping those anxious wings, drinking from the cup of pessimism, and wearing the sweatpants of awkwardness.

This collection comprises the second year of Batboy comics, originally released into the void of the internet from January through October 2022.

Also contained herein are brand new, never-before-seen panels,
some extra goodies, and the short horror story Death Creeps on Paws of Plush!

Batboy is an indie comic, which originated at the height of stress and anxiety in the year 2021. Batboy deals with everyday issues, mental health and self-improvement with wit, humor, and goofiness. For fans of classic Sunday funnies or underground comix, Batboy is everyone and is for everyone.

But don’t just take my word for it, below are a few reviews for the previous Batboy collection:

“Batboy is all of us. Self-sabotage and all. Lovely artwork and color, with a unique voice. There’s even callouts to Gorey! And as a bonus there is a sketchbook of Batboy at the end. I loved it.”

– Andrew Bellware

“M.R. Kessell has done it again! Within these pages lies a lovable and tragic representation of self-induced deprecation named Batboy.”

– Peter Hammarberg

“I absolutely ADORE Batboy and anxiously anticipate his next moves.”

– Katherine Kessell

“The next great Sunday comic character is Batboy!”

– Shawn Flanagan

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINT BOOK ON AMAZON!

Please visit my books page for the previous Batboy publications!

BATBOY CAPTION CONTEST!

| Mister Kessell

It’s official: I’ve run out of ideas!

That’s why I’m happy to announce the first ever (and possibly last) BATBOY CAPTION CONTEST!

TO ENTER: Come up with an amazing caption and/or some hilarious dialogue for Batboy or his squirrel-friend Merle, POST IT AS A COMMENT and then TAG A FRIEND who you think might appreciate your bizarre sense of humor.

The winner and their friend will each receive a signed copy of my latest book: BATBOY AND THE ART OF SELF-SABOTAGE

The contest will run for one week (starting…now) on Instagram, Twitter and this blog, after which a panel of funny judges will decide which is the most side-splitting, knee-slappingest entry of them all.

By entering the contest, you agree to have your winning caption published on social media and in a future printed Batboy collection (with credit given to you, of course, as the wittiest wordsmith in all the land.)

Good luck. Now get to writing!

Don’t Forget to Like and Subscribe

| Mister Kessell
Illustrated headstone, with decorative carved skull and flowers with an epitaph that reads "Don't forget to like and subscribe."

I don’t often like to promote my own merchandise, it just feels dirty to me, I don’t know. But the image above has been added to my shop at redbubble, you can pick up a print if you so choose.

Or just enjoy it on your screen.

Of course I provide many, many illustrations on my website or on social media for free, you should, uh, not forget to like and subscribe.

cartoon batboy looks out an old victorian stained glass window on a rainy day, the quote below reads: "Rainy days are a relief, I suffer no guilt about remaining indoors."

For instance, have you seen the latest installment in my original Batboy series? You can find him on Instagram and Twitter, hopefully he’ll make you laugh.

Until next time!

Enter Sadman

| Mister Kessell
A sad batman turns his back on the bat signal because he feels they only call when they need something.

Ain’t that always the way?

We all know people like that, or we’ve done it ourselves. Make sure to check in with your friends and family just for the heck of it. It’s as simple as a text (although a phone call is good too.) Ask them how they’re doing.

BS with them a little bit.

They will appreciate it. And you’ll feel better too.

This is my message to you, internet. Now excuse me, I have some calls to make…

Introducing Batboy

| Mister Kessell

A few weeks ago I created a random, ten-minute doodle. It was intended to relieve some pressure in between other more serious projects.

It turned out to be a new character. I call him Batboy.

He is able to voice some of my worries, my boredom, and other ridiculous thoughts in a single panel.

I have been posting him every other day on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Follow me there if you’d like to see more!