Mutations is an adult comic strip that re-supposes life and its moments through a number of characters and situations. It comments upon the things that we all experience and connects the dots in a most original and refreshing way. Drawing influence from the dark satire of Life In Hell, the ironic quirkiness of The Far Side, and the complex and lovable characters not unlike Calvin and Hobbes or early Disney cartoons, Mutations escapes common classification and truly stands in a league of its own. Once Leaf and Shef have become a part of your life, you will always have a reason to smile as they will remind you of the things you have forgot and be with you in those moments and situations that we all have experienced before.
The Cast:
Leaf - a five legged frog (outcast socially due to his fifth appendage). Cunning, confident, intelligent, savvy, artistic, modern. Ran away from home (swamp) at young age due to being teased by peers because of his extra appendage. He always comes out on top. Uses his extra appendage to his advantage. Seizes the moments, is in control and calculated. Insightful and interested in the finer aspects of life. Civilized / modern, violent and instinctual in a modern sense. Womanizer, player, The man, emotional, protector of justice. Met up with Shef who had also escaped from his home (Farm) where he had been ridiculed by his peers for his unusual fur color. Together they have found companionship, brotherly love, playful competition, and a deeply sewn vengeance against the society that rejected them.
Shef - a purple goat (outcast socially due to abnormal fur color). Primitive, nihilist, impatient, beastial, violent, misogynistic, brute, strong hind legs. Unfortunate, gullible, dramatic, quick tempered... hungry always. Shef is mainly concerned with his most honed senses and instincts. He is driven be primitive means, always valuing food and lust and violence first. He is loyal and protective of leaf. The clumsier, animalistic, stupider version of leaf. Deathly afraid of snakes. Cannot swim (will drown). Morgan is the son of his former owner.
Morgan - a confused young man, loves animals yet is very abusive towards them (unknowingly), selfish, aggravated, aggressive/violent, common man, farm boy, ignorant, slow (mentally). A loner who is trying to branch out. Considers animals his best friends. Has at points tried to incorporate himself into an accepted member of different species of animals but is always rejected. Sometimes an ally of Leaf and Shef, sometimes a enemy, and sometimes a victim to their trickery. Seeing Morgan in these different situations helps to understand the full scope of his character; animal loving; stupid; human.
Small Fry – elusive admirer and sometimes sidekick of Leaf and Shef. Always around but never with true purpose. Always in the mix of things, most commonly in dangers way. Driven by familiar instinct as Shef, except his brain is 1/8 of the size.
Bio:
John Ricksen created the characters of Leaf, the five-legged frog, and Shef, the purple furred goat in his Freshman year of high school. The idea of social outcasts finding each other and building a strong/bold union in this cold, harsh world seemed humorous and entertaining to him. Years of doodling, sketching, and brainstorming finally came to a head in 2004 when he began formatting the early versions of what would become Mutations the comic strip. The cartoon has steadily evolved over time, after being drawn in a number of styles and formats, but the storyline and characters have always been consistent.