Mike Eakins
Mr. Butterchips is dead. Yes, it’s true. After six years, comix creator Alex Schumacher (The Unemployment Adventures of Aqualung, Defiling the Literati) has killed off the maniacal monkey.
The comic first appeared in the online literary magazine Drunk Monkeys in April of 2016. SLG Publishing released Mr. Butterchips: A Collection of Cantankerous Commentary in 2020, assembling the initial run of the webcomic along with a 22-page standalone acid trip of a story entitled “Psychotropic San Francisco Sojourn” and was spun off into a weekly webcomic in May 2021.
“The maniacal monkey’s demise was an inevitability. As a creator, I tend to be somewhat impatient regarding my next project, my next story,” said Alex Schumacher. “I’ll eternally hold a deep-seated love for Mr. Butterchips just as I have since his conception in 2006 as an ensemble character in a proposed syndicated comic strip. He’s always been a compelling character for me, and it’s been a joy to reinvent him several times so to end his run is somewhat bittersweet. Shiva details will be provided shortly. That said, there are several exciting new ventures in the works to which I have decided to devote all my creative energy. Some are comics-based, while others span various storytelling mediums. One of said endeavors that I can mention without breaching any contracts is my recently announced middle grade graphic novel debut, Effects of Pickled Herring, coming from West Margin Press in September 2023!”