Sault–born, Mississauga-based artist, graphic designer and cartoonist Stephen Lay has retained strong ties to the community that helped make him the person he is today.
Full disclosure, he is also my brother-in-law.
Asking questions of Lay rarely comes with a straight answer. Instead responses usually include a pun, witty turn of phrase or heavy layer of sarcasm. Conversations almost always divert to discussions of old Sci-Fi or monster movies.
When I ask if I can interview him, he suggests he could possibly help me to “draw some conclusions” about him.
Typical cartoonist answer.
The information section of his Mirror Image artist page suggests that he has “successfully avoided being eaten by a zombie.” Given his current status as being alive, this is most likely true. Lay goes on to describe himself as a “humanoid” that was raised on the TV sitcoms Newhart and WKRP, and Mad Magazine (and that he is sustained by coffee).
“I was drawn [note the pun] to drawing by the likes of MAD Magazine, which could deliver a message and was funny. I wanted to do that,” says Lay, who also cites Herman, Calvin and Hobbes, and Far Side as influences in his early years. “They were all fantastic.” He was also a fan of The Tick.
Early attempts at cartooning included a series called Spike, another based on Hager the Horrible (“It was a complete rip-off”), and one called Quasar that was like Star Trek but “horrendously rendered.”
His first brush with something he was satisfied with was called Oversized Helmet Man.
“He is an underwhelming hero,” laughs Lay. “He is a super hero who has an indestructible helmet, is slightly rotund, lives at home with parents, and is a bit of a schlub. His tag line is: 'his helmet's too big but he fights crime anyway.' He constantly has bad luck but eventually comes out fine. His indestructible head often comes in handy.”
Lay published and sold a successful run of his independently produced volume of Oversized Helmet Man cartoons.
In the 1990s, the character became something people in the community got see regularly, even if they did not know it. Oversized Helmet Man was featured on the large sign, hand-painted by Rick Deevey, for a local store called Stop and Go, formerly located on Wellington Street.
After exhausting opportunities for that series, Lay decided to take a break from cartooning.
“As an adult I stopped drawing for more than a decade,” he says.
Lay then used his graphic design skills working in the newspaper industry in Southern Ontario.
“Around 2011, I decided to start drawing again because I was trying to come up with a Christmas gift for someone and I decided to draw them something. After that, I couldn’t stop because I enjoyed it too much.”
Lay noted that restarting a career in cartooning just as the newspaper business was declining was a challenge. Another well-known cartoonist in the Mississauga area told Lay that it was “about the worst time ever for him to get into the business.”
“I do it because it is a creative outlet. I like that people get a kick out of a doodle, or a smirk and a head nod to an editorial. I do it for sheer creativity. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with an idea and want to draw immediately,” noting his wife would in fact “kill him” if he actually did get up to draw and woke her up. “I do it because it is just plain fun.”
For many years now, Lay has been behind a series called Mirror Image.
“The idea germinated in the 1990s with a series of drawings and ideas. It sat for years until I decided to be creative again in about 2011. I currently have about 360 panels or so.”
Mirror Image has been published in The Orangeville Banner, SooProfile, The East York Chronicle Newsmagazine, Tough Times, The Oakville Voice, Stoopid (USA), The Perkolator, ComicArtsPress (USA) and for about a year and a half with the Brampton Guardian.
“The editor with the Guardian told me, 'If it's crap...I'm going to tell you so. I see so much garbage that passes through here. I submitted my work and he gave me a legal doc to sign and it began running the next week. I loved that conversation. That editor reminded me of the police officer in Newhart. He is an awesome guy. What a character.”
Lay published a volume of Mirror Image cartoons as well.
He has recently been considering a reboot of his Oversized Helmet Man character, but remains busy creating Mirror Image and doing editorial cartooning for various publications.
“Editorial work is very topical, but it is also a lot of fun,” he says. “Politics provide daily inspiration. Doing work for the TO Times (Views from the 6ix) gives me a chance to air my grievances [Note: a clear Frank Costanza Festivus reference] and to speak on issues that I think need to be addressed. I think we need to move beyond politics as an abstraction and realize it affects a lot of people who have it very tough.”
Cartooning requires a certain way of looking at the world.
“Cartoonists are definitely not normal,” laughs Lay. “You have to look at the world sideways.”
The current COVID-19 pandemic has featured in Lay’s editorial cartooning work. Unlike many other kinds of artists, who require gatherings of people, cartoonists are still able to continue in their craft.
Like many, Lay shares concern about the ongoing pandemic, but notes that his personality aligns well with the social distancing rules and he is still able to create his art.
“I am still inside and drawing. I would be doing this with or without a pandemic. As an introvert, self-distancing comes naturally,” says Lay, who notes the seriousness of the matter.
The time where the current environment will impact Lay the most is during his regular returns to the Sault to visit family as the nice weather begins.
“Most of my family still lives in the Sault. I do my best to stay there over the summer months. It’s a great place to spend time with family, having camp fires, collecting firewood, and tackling various projects with my parents. I can't get enough of Lake Superior and cottage life. Nothing compares to it. I really don’t know what is going to happen this coming summer with the pandemic. Like most people, I will have to adapt my plans to current situation.”
To find out more about Stephen Lay’s work, visit his Mirror Image social media page.