Wizard Philly 2016: Bob Camp
Career has taken him from Ren and Stimpy to G.I. Joe to The Real Ghostbusters
MEET BOB CAMP, who turned a psychotic Chihuahua and a dimwitted Manx cat into a cultural phenomenon.
Camp was a co-founder of and director for Spümcø, the animation studio that created The Ren and Stimpy Show, which was a global sensation from the moment it premiered Aug. 11, 1991. He played a major role at the studio until Sept. 21, 1992.
Camp continued to work as creative director on Ren and Stimpy through its run - no matter which company was producing it - which ended on Dec. 16, 1995.
"It was great fun," Camp said of the series that netted him two Emmy nominations, a CableACE Award, and an Annie Award (for accomplishments in animation).
Ren and Stimpy became such a part of the culture that they crossed over into comic books. The Ren and Stimpy Show was a sales success and included an unlikely team-up with Spider-Man in issue No. 6. Series writer Dan Slott wrote that issue, and the positive feedback had at least something to do with (opinions vary) Slott's eventually being asked to write Amazing Spider-Man, the character's flagship title.
Slott is now the writer with the longest run (in terms of number of issues) of Amazing Spider-Man - and Camp says the established pro asked him to sign a copy of The Ren and Stimpy Show No. 6.
"It's a great memory," Camp said. "Here you have this guy who has moved on to Spider-Man, and he still wants me to sign a book he wrote. Great memory."
Camp has gone on to work as a designer for animated series as varied as Thundercats, Silverhawks, Tiger Sharks, The Real Ghostbusters, and many others.
"Some were more creative than others," he said. "But it was fun."
Camp has also been a storyboard artist on high-profile animated films like Looney Tunes: Back in Action and Ice Age: The Meltdown.
"As a storyboarder, I break down the scenes of the script into shots that can be filmed," he said. "Sometimes, they change the script frequently, so it can be demanding work."
Camp's career as a comic-book illustrator alone, on titles like G.I. Joe, Conan the Barbarian, and The 'Nam, would be the envy of many. However, he has a frank, honest reason for not having done more comics.
"It simply doesn't pay compared to other fields," he said. "I do like working with Larry Hama, though, and, who knows, I may do more comic work someday."
As for Wizard Philly 2016, Camp says he will be signing autographs and doing drawings for fans young and old.
"I am looking forward to it."