Small Saves
| Small Saves | |
|---|---|
|
Small Saves in action | |
| Author(s) | James DeMarco |
| Website | http://www.smallsaves.com/ |
| Current status / schedule | Periodic |
| Launch date | 1991 |
| Syndicate(s) | by author |
| Genre(s) | Humor, sports, ice hockey, children |
Small Saves is a syndicated periodic comic strip written and illustrated by James DeMarco.[1] It focuses on a young ice hockey goaltender named Small Saves and his adventures in a small, unnamed northeast U.S. town. Small Saves is approximately nine years old and plays goaltender for a team of children in his age group, which in turn competes against other teams of children in his age group.
Small Saves always wears his game jersey and his goaltending helmet, even when sleeping. When not in a game, though, he wears his helmet tipped back on his head. He wears #1, the traditional goalie jersey number. Small Saves is very talented at his position but when he has a bad game, or loses a game, he does so in spectacular fashion. He often instigates dressing room pizza fights among his teammates, much to the consternation of his coaches and league officials. His family is proud of Small Saves and he is friendly with his teammates and members of opposing teams alike. He is also very proud of his equipment, hosting parties at his home when a new piece of equipment arrives. His equipment is always pictured as retro, leather-and-wood equipment, tan-brown in color. His mask is plain, undecorated white. He has no doubts about his future vocation: Hall of Fame professional goaltender.
Other characters
- Mom: Small Saves' devoted hockey mom frequently has to resort to tricks to get Small Saves to do anything not related to hockey, such as telling him a game starts in 15 minutes in order to get him up for school.
- Mia: Small Saves' cat, who also wears a goalie mask tipped back on his head. Mia is based on artist James DeMarco's real-life cat, also named "Mia."
- The Coach: The Coach, name unknown, is the long-suffering manager of Small Saves' team. It is frequently The Coach who deals with Small Saves' reactions to bad losses.
- The Defenseman: The Defenseman, named Dee, is a female teammate. She is notable for being the only player on Small Saves' team who does not wear a helmet, her long red hair, and her ever-present dark sunglasses. She is always willing to go toe-to-toe with Small Saves exchanging trash talk with her teammate.
The Artist
James "Jay" DeMarco has been an ice hockey goaltender since age 5. His experience included prep hockey in Watertown, Mass. and three years of semi-professional play in the South Florida Hockey League.
Afterwards, James returned to Boston. James earned an Associate Degree in Commercial Art at Bunker Hill Community College. Later work as a graphic designer developed his drawing style, while continuing to indulge his passion for goaltending in local adult leagues. Goaltending contributes to the perspective needed to create the strip. "From your vantage point," DeMarco says, "you get to see the best and worst of your team, and you need to balance your desire to scream with the ability to laugh."
Small Saves debuted in 1991. James says that his fascination for cartooning began very young, drawing inspiration from classics such as The Family Circus, Peanuts and Dennis the Menace. [2]
In addition to Small Saves, Jay authored a children's book called The Dinosaurs of Winter, available via digital download.[3]
Distribution
Small Saves can be read in hockey-related publications such as the printed version of Goalie's World magazine[4] or online in InsideHockey[5] and is linked through NHL.com.[6]
Compendiums
Three volumes of collected Small Saves cartoons have been published.
- DeMarco, James (2014-04-05). Goalie on Vacation: A collection of Small Saves cartoons!. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 36. ISBN 978-1497563803. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
- DeMarco, James (2014-04-26). Renegade Goaltender: The continued cartoon antics of Small Saves. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 38. ISBN 978-1499277999. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
- DeMarco, James (2014-05-05). Where's My Defense...? Even more cartoon antics of Small Saves!. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 38. ISBN 978-1499364088. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
References
- ↑ "Small Saves". Retrieved 2008-09-03.
- ↑ "Small Saves About Me". Retrieved 2011-11-20.
- ↑ DeMarco, Jay. "The Dinosaurs of Winter". Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ↑ "Small Saves". Goalie's World (Quebec, CA) (69). October 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
- ↑ "Inside Hockey: Small Saves". Retrieved 2013-05-04.
- ↑ "NHL.com Small Saves, In The Slot". Retrieved 2008-10-12.