River Trips for the Copacetic Mind...

California whitewater rafting, California river rafting and California rafting trips all garner special types of very creative people. On the American River rafting trips, we see so many funny rafters and funny paddlers that it just forces us to create funny pictures and stories about rafting. In the world of paddling sports, comics, cartoons, funny stories, rafting movies and paddling videos have infilitrated the river rafter's psyche and have helped to introduce the public to this wacky world of W.E.T. fun!

One of the most famous cartoonist in the river rafting world was William James Nealy. I remember the first time I picked up the small comic book called "Kayaks to Hell." First, I was blown away by the cartooning. Reminiscent of the early 70's Robert Crumb comics and his gonzo-style of art, Bill Nealy also had that edgy sense when depicting the trials and tribulations of paddling and kayaking. I poured over those panels, studying each pen stroke and re-reading that little book until it fell apart. We used to take the comic book with us on all the California river rafting trips and we would share the comics with each other illuminated by the campfire or a flashlight. Laughter and squeals punctuated the silence of the canyons as we could relate to all the silly stuff in his paddling comic book.

Born on February 4th, 1953, Nealy grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended St. Johns College and graduated from Birmingham-Southern. His intelligent handling of outdoor recreational sports highlights all his comic endeavors. He was a source of much laughter and anyone into kayaking and river rafting need to check out his books. Sadly, his life was cut short on July 19, 2001. For more books and comics about this wonderful cartoonist, check out Menasha Ridge Press for purchasing his more than 8 books on recreational sports.

Our favorite William Nealy comic books include: Kayaks to Hell, Whitewater Tales of Terror, Kayak:Animated Manual, Whitewater Home Companion & 20 Years of Extreme Cartoons.

Speaking of other comic characters, Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge Rat Barges, a thrilling wet-‘n’-wild whitewater rafting adventure, makes a huge splash with visitors at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure theme park. Do you remember when Popeye and Bluto were on the rafting barge? That's another silly comic related to river rafting in general.

More recent is Tania del Rio, a young cartoonist who won honorable mention in the TOKYOPOP's second RISING STARS OF MANGA contest in 2003. From Elmswood, New York, Tania was interviewed on November 2003 about her entry, LOVESKETCH. The story centers around a central character named Madison as she and her class go on a river rafting trip in the Rocky Mountains and follows her story as she yearns to be closer to her friend, Andy. Ms. del Rio went to Minneapolis College of Art and Design as an animation major. Her focus is on animation, manga, anime and cartooning. Her influences were from video games and Japanese comic art. One of her all time favorite cartoons is "My Neighbor Totoro" which is my favorite cartoon of all time! Check out the watery scenes in this Japanese cartoon. Incredible artwork.

For more comics, check out the California whitewater rafting comics about American River rafting on the South Fork American. Done by a former guide, the comics are crafted from the perspective of a paddle. Paddleheads comics are at this link. Enjoy!

Stay tuned for more comics and assorted cartoons! Send us your funny drawings by mail or place an image into an email to us and we will upload it onto our site! Sorry, we don't open attachments and only river related items will be used. Thanx!.... ribby dee ribby dee... and that's all folks! W.E.T. Staff

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