The One Percent Man

I always pick up JP Coovert‘s latest mini comics, and not just because he’s a CCS grad (class of 2008!) I admire JP’s dedication to the craft, and I know he will be drawing comics when he is an old, old man.

At MoCCA I stopped by One Percent Press and purchased Simple Routines #10 and #11. For those of you anticipating a CCS thesis review, or who are curious about the process, JP shares his experience in SR #10.

JP had little reason to be nervous, the work he produced during his senior year showed a great deal of growth. I was especially impresses by JP’s Press Start.

JP arrived at CCS a competent cartoonist and self-publisher. However, his work bore a strong resemblance to John Porcellino’s (a resemblance that I found, at times, uncomfortably strong). In Press Start, JP broke from his standard cartooning approach and really stretched his drawing muscles. In doing so, he developed a voice that was uniquely his own.

Visual style served a distinct purpose in this book: it distinguished the real world (drawn and composed in JP’s Simple Routines style) with the fantasy world he encounters when he (literally) gets sucked into his video game.


JP used Press Start as a platform to explore popular video game concepts on paper. He experimented with the comics page, leading the readers eye in unusual way. He does this with a sense of playfulness and energy.

JP hasn’t been idle since he graduated. In addition to his mini comics, JP illustrated the novel The Last Invisible Boy, by Evan Kuhlman. Check out this video trailer!

– Robyn Chapman