A Q&A with artist and Sheridan College alum "Clutch Needy": Learning from Larry Hama, memories of drawing class and more

July, 2024

Sheridan College alum Clutch Needy remembers his time in the Cartooning Program from 1974-1976:

How did you get into comics/cartoons, and what ultimately brought you to Sheridan College?

Clutch Needy: In the 1960s I loved used copies of Marvel Comics, Creepy & Eerie magazines and reprints of 1950s MAD. Then as a teenager going the wrong way, a school councillor saw my cartoon doodled schoolbooks and suggested Sheridan College’s comics course.

Which years were you enrolled at Sheridan, and what was your involvement with Gamut?

CN: I was at Sheridan from 1974 to 1976, although I never contributed to Gamut. After many years and moves I lost my own copy.

It’s known that many famous working artists at the time, including Will Eisner, Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson and Mike Ploog, were lecturers at the college. Are there other notable professionals who lectured there at the time that Gamut was in production? Did you learn from/interact with any of them?

CN: Comics artist Larry Hama and another guy (Ralph Reese?) gave a drawing demonstration of a walking centipede with shoes. Hama and Reese drew "A One Year Affair" in National Lampoon Magazine. Both Will Eisner and Harvey Kurtzman events were close and intimate. Our little 1974 first year class surrounded Eisner’s table as he drew and talked.

A matchbook from Sheridan College, circa 1974. Photo by Clutch Needy

Can you recall one or two fond memories or anecdotes from your time in the cartooning program at Sheridan?

CN: The area with drawing tables was called "the zoo" because spectators could watch from walk-ways above. One guy got a poster job from The Toronto Zoo because they liked his cartoon animals, and we were jealous but happy for him. There were three women artists in our class. Another guy could draw just like political cartoonist Terry Mosher (a.k.a. Aislin). Another guy inherited a pig farm in the USA and quit the course for a better life. On the first day of life drawing class we were herded into a large bright area. A pretty woman slipped off her bathrobe and assumed a pose for sketching. Being a cartoonist, I looked at the other artists and saw a few intense stares.

What did you work on after graduating Sheridan?

CN: I’ve worked in print as an illustrator and commercial artist, produced comedy animations for Canadian television, and have screened in international film festivals.

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Clutch Needy's music is available for purchase on BandCamp - for more information, visit https://clutchneedy.bandcamp.com/music.