About the Creator

Doug Goudsward grew up in Waldwick, NJ, a working-class suburb twenty miles west of Manhattan. He attended the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School on a Navy ROTC scholarship. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy and served as a supply officer both at sea (USS Jarrett FFG-33) and ashore. It was during a tour of duty in Oakland, CA that he discovered the Bay Area's thriving arts scene and began experimenting with various creative media including writing, drawing, and music. Upon his discharge from the Navy, Doug pursued a career in accounting, but also sought out a parallel path of creative expression. He eventually focused on cartooning because he enjoyed the interplay of words and images and was able to work it in around the rigors of his day job.

In a moment of serendipity, Doug remembered that the house that he had once rented in Upper Montclair, NJ during his waning Navy years had been previously occupied by a professional cartoonist named Grant Btownrigg. Doug managed to track Brownrigg down (this was, after all, pre-internet), and was invited to see his studio. Doug was hooked. He signed up for evening classes at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art and was later privileged to study under the noted cartoonist and watercolorist Leo Stoutsenberger. Stoutsenberger, a much sought after advertising and magazine cartoonist, as well as a noted art instructor, was a remnant of the Golden Age of Cartooning.

Doug’s "ROBINSON" cartoons (loosely inspired by the poetry of Weldon Kees, the so called “vanishing poet”) have been entertaining readers for over twenty-five years including a remarkable twenty-three year run in the (sadly now defunct) Villadom Times , a weekly Bergen County newspaper that covered twelve communities including his hometown of Waldwick.

Toward the end of 2012, Doug experienced what was to become a life altering event. He developed a slight tightness in his back which quickly worsened into a partial paralysis of his left leg. He was eventually diagnosed with a rare degenerative neurological disorder. He was advised by three of the top neurology centers in the U.S. that there was no cure, no treatment, and virtually no research on this condition. With nothing to lose, Doug scoured the internet for any information that might prove relevant to his situation. He eventually stumbled upon research by Dr. Marios Hadjivassiliou, a neurologist in the UK, which linked gluten sensitivity to unexplained neurological symptoms. Later he discovered the story of Dr Terry Wahls, a U.S. doctor who developed a diet and exercise protocol to reverse her own crippling Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. Cobbling together these stories and others, Doug developed a diet and exercise regimen of his own which has led to a significant reversal of his condition. He is now a huge proponent of following a holistic lifestyle.

Living by the philosophy of “seize the day,” Doug embarked on his most ambitious creative project yet, with the penning of The Faking of the President, a political satire lampooning the presidential election process. Written in the form of a campaign playbook this project, for the first time, showcases both his cartooning and storytelling skills in one body of work.

Doug and his wife, reside near the Jersey Shore along with their two sons.

About ROBINSON

"ROBINSON" is a cartoon gag panel which revolves around the life and times of Robinson and his family as they navigate their way through an ever increasingly complex and stressful world. It is a world where adults often act like children, where kids behave like adults, and where machines believe that they are human. Perhaps it is a world just a bit like yours! How does Robinson cope? ... like any other mature, rational adult, of course, by fending off the world with a sharp wit and by occassionally lapsing off into a realm of delusion. "ROBINSON" is available for publication in newspapers, newsletters, and online blogs and e-zines. Click here to view samples of ROBINSON in the gOUDzWorld Museum (image gallery). If you are a publisher or editor and would like to add Robinson to your line up, please contact us for a free test trial.

The title character cycled thorugh a series of short-lived names before finally being re-christend as Robinson. None of the earlier names quite fit. Then I came across a series of "Robinson" poems by Weldon Kees that had appeared in New Yorker between 1944 and 1949. Suddenly, a light bulb went on, a bolt of lighting struck, and I immediately knew that this should be my alter ego's name. Robinson is a name that has a long literary and real life tradition of evoking isolation and self-reliance. The most notable Robinsons, perhaps, are Robinson Crusoe, the marooned sailor, Jackie Robinson, the first black american baseball player to be admitted into Major League Baseball, and Mrs Robinson, the original "desperate housewife from the movie The Graduate."

Links to Other Notable ROBINSONS:

Jackie Robinson

Robinson Crusoe

Mrs. Robinson

Ray Charles Robinson (the Genius)

Sugar Ray Robinson

Tom Robinson (To Kill a Mocking Bird)

Leon Robinson (Louis Ferinand Celine's Journey Into the NIght)

Horseshoe Robinson

Robinson's Fruit Creations

Edwin Arlington Robinson, Poet

Weldon Kees Robinson Relating to Robinson Robinson at Home Aspects of Robinson

What about you? Can YOU think of any other notable Robinsons? Let us know!