Bio

Artist seeks fame and fortune by drawing funny!

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Lin is the creator of the webcomic/geek travel blog Have Geek Will Travel, the webcomic Scared Silly, trading card set “BATS”, and is co-creator of the self-published comic book series Bushi Tales, with Pencil Neck Studios partner Dave Beaty.  He has been an artist and screen printer in the t-shirt industry for over 35 years, designed monuments for five years as a graphic artist, and currently works part-time at 901 Comics East in Cordova, TN.

He has also contributed his talents to the following comics, novels and card sets:

  • Sketch cards for The Empire Strikes Back 3-D , Star Wars Galaxy 6 and Galaxy 7, Star Wars Galactic Files, Star Wars Chrome Perspectives, Star Wars Masterworks, Star Wars Rebels, 501st Star Wars Celebration VI, Mars Attacks, Deadworld, DC Women of Legend, Carnival, Fantasy Z-Cards, The Art of Robert Aragon, SPACE2, Carnival, MANOS: The Hands of Fate, Ultraman, Zorro, RRParks Halloween Trick Or Treat, RRParks Cards Series Four (MST3K), Nosferatu, Gabe’s Cave Series 4 & 5, 901 Comics Mystery Boxes, and Transformers trading card series.
  • “Bats” trading card set for RRParks Cards.
  • Conquest Studio’s Stargodz comic book with Scott Clark, Dean Zachary and Dave Beaty
  • Mid-South Cartoonists’ Association’s comic book anthologies It Came From Beneath the Drawing Board and Overdrawn and Underwritten, and their Zine The Good, The Bad, And The Sketchy.
  • Comic Geek Speak’s CGS: The End comic book
  • MAW Productions‘ Jetta:Tales of the Toshigawa comic book
  • Christa Michaels’ Ramblings with Redde: Why Does My Life Seem Like a Bad “B” Flick? book (cover and interior illustrations)
  • The Wake-Up Crew’s webcomic for Rock103.com

Current and past clients include:

Lin has also painted murals for Pancho’s Restaurant, McDonald’s, the Memphis Moose Lodge Family Center, Nightmarez/HauntedWeb haunted houses, the Community Foundation Of North West Mississippi (Crystal Ball Galas), Tunica Humane Society, and Fitzgerald’s Casino (Tunica).

In addition, his artwork has also appeared in The Memphis Flyer, Commercial Appeal, Airbrush Action Magazine, Amazing Figure Modeler Magazine, RSVP Magazine, Retro-Fan Magazine, Wizard Magazine, KISSaholics fanzine, the San Diego Comic Con, Phoenix Comicon and Metropolis Superman Celebration program guides, and on stage and backstage during the Orpheum Theartre’s Annual Auction.

Lin was an artist and scare crew member for the Haunted Web of Horrors (formerly “Nightmarez: On The Square” and “Nightmarez: STAGE FRIGHT!”), a non-profit haunted house that benefited Youth Villages in Memphis.

He was named the Memphis Ronald McDonald House‘s Special Events Volunteer of the Year in 2001, and again with RMH ‘A-Team’ and Nightmarez/HauntedWeb.com co-horts Patrick French and Todd Patton in 2002. He was awarded the “Superman Of Metropolis” award at the 2005 Metropolis Superman Celebration and was the Artist Guest Of Honor at ShadowconXIII in 2009 and ShadowconXVI in 2012. He has also won two Memphis Area Radio Stations (M.A.R.S.) awards for writing and voicing radio commercials. He was awarded a 2012 President’s Volunteer Service Award by Volunteer Northwest Mississippi, a volunteer center of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, in conjunction with the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation and the Corporation for National & Community Service.

Lin served as the President and Vice-President of the Mid-South Cartoonists Association (MSCA) for 4 years and 9 years, respectively- and is the MSCA‘s co-webmaster. He has been an MSCA member for just over 35 years (group was founded in 1987). Lin is also a member of the DeSoto Arts Council and the Memphis Ghostbusters. Lin has participated in several art shows in Memphis and Hernando, including many one man and group shows featuring his cartoons, sculptures, and “Monsterpieces“.

Lin was a co-host for 13 episodes on the “Rogues Radio Podcast” with artist Dave Beaty where the two discussed art and comics. Lin is currently the host of the  “Drawing Funny” podcast for the MSCA. That pandemic inspired podcast is now in its fifth season and can be found at the show’s site at www(dot)drawingfunny(com)com or on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Radio Public, Pocket Casts, and other places you can download podcasts.

You can also just ask Alexa to play the latest episode of the Drawing Funny podcast.

He retired from doing any commissions and stopped doing conventions in 2019. Lin was semi-retired from taking part in any sketchcard sets, but he has occasionally taken on a few card gigs here and there depending on the quantity and subject matter. He also started setting back up at cons and events again in 2023/2024 and plans to do more in 2025. He does have his hand-drawn sketchcards (official artist returns and personal cards) and sketchcovers for sale at The Cellar in Bartlett, TN and 901 Comics East in Cordova, TN. Lin also has a Tee Public shop where you can get some of my Scared Silly and Drawing Funny podcast merch: www.teepublic.com/user/lin-workman-art

Lin is married to Nicki Workman (for 13yrs now), and has three rescue cats- Jarael, Lex, and Lena. (R.I.P. Zayne and Harley Quinn)

 

Lin’s Fun (and Not So Fun) Facts

  • Lin is the third “Lindsay/Lin” in a row in his family, but is only a “Lindsay/Lin Workman, Jr.” He has two nieces named after him- Shena Lin and Lindsay Nicole, and an alien.
  • Lin was due to be born on Halloween, but as usual he was late. He shares a birthday with Marie Antoinette, Danielle Boone, James K. Polk, Burt Lancaster, KD Lang, Cookie Monster, and has the same exact birthday as actor David Schwimmer from FRIENDS and Eunice Huthart- Angelina Jolie’s stunt-double. Lin was born the day after his mother’s birthday (yep she was in labor with Lin on her birthday- “All Saints’ Day”). On his honeymoon he celebrated his 45th birthday by visiting a New Orleans cemetery- hey, it was “Day of the Dead/All Souls’ Day”.
  • Lin’s father is Mormon, his mother was Southern Baptist, he has an ex-stepmother who is Jewish, and he attended a Catholic elementary school. When asked what he is Lin usually just replies, “Confused.” Currently not practicing any organized (or un-organized) religion.
  • Lin was born in Millington, TN (Justin Timberlake’s home town) as a navy brat. He grew up in Ogden, UT and Memphis, TN and graduated high school from Southaven High School in Southaven, MS (the same high school author John Grisham and Lin’s wife Nicki both graduated from).
  • Lin once lived across the street from Graceland, and attended Graceland Jr. High (7th grade) for a year in the late 70’s. Lin’s mom knew Elvis when she was growing up in Memphis, and his mother-in-law knew him as a teenager.
  • Lin dressed up as Elvis for comedian/musician Rev. Billy C. Wirtz and Sister Judy’s wedding at the Memphis Botanical Gardens. They are divorced now (not Lin’s fault). Lin has also appeared in Metropolis as “Jor-Elvis”.
  • Lin is an Honorary Citizen of Metropolis, IL (2009) and occasionally wears his red underwear on the outside of his pants while in Metropolis. They frown on him just wearing the red underwear in public. Lina also was a participant in Metropolis’ Guinness Book Of Records world record attempt for the “most people dressed as Superman” during the Superman Celebration- with Murphy Anderson and his wife Helen in costume as well and Noel Neill in attendance. Unfortunately the record was soon broken by another group.
  • Lin has received Christmas cards from Noel Neill (original Lois Lane) after becoming friends in Metropolis.
  • Lin has judged costume contests with comic artist Murphy Anderson and writer Marv Wolfman, gone bowling with Wolverine/Swamp Thing co-creator Len Wein, and on a ghost tour with comics writer Gail Simone. His first convention panel was an indie comics one at Cactuscon, and Terry Moore was on the panel as well.
  • The first comic Lin ever read was Marvel Team-Up #4 (Spidey/X-Men). The first comic he ever bought was Amazing Spiderman #171 (Spidey/Nova). Both issues were the second part of two part stories. Again, Lin was a wee bit late. Did get Len Wein to sign the Spidey comic.
  • The first art book was “How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way” and received a rejection letter from Marvel a few years later when he was in high school. He had hoped to submit to Marvel again some day, but never got around to it. He did get to have Stan “The Man” Lee sign this book at the 2010 Phoenix Con.
  • Lin came up with the “Bushi Tales” comic series (with David Beaty) while riding around Memphis in the mid-90’s in his ’73 SuperBeetle (which thankfully had a busted radio). He regrets selling that car to this day. Doesn’t regret self-publishing the comics, but does regret some of the business decisions made while producing it.
  • Lin has been a “ghost artist” on a few comic books for friends.
  • He has taken many martial arts, but is a master of none.
  • He has performed as one half of the Memphis Blues Brothers – Linwood and Soloman Blues with Kevin L. Williams (twice for charity in front of Isaac Hayes at his restaurant and once in a lesbian bar just for fun), and has met Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi (as well as Steve Cropper and Willie Hall). He is also in the special features section of the 25 anniversary edition DVD of The Blues Brothers movie (mug shot cover). Lin and Kevin have been known to dress as Ghostbusters as part of the Memphis Ghostbusters franchise- which they officially both co-founded in 2016.
  • Lin loves to do voice impressions, but isn’t going professional with it any time soon. You’re welcome. 
  • Lin can juggle and stilt walk (and run, much to his wife’s discomfort), but isn’t up to doing both at the same time or using chainsaws yet.
  • The first haunt he ever volunteered for was held in the basement of a Mormon church in Utah and he was dressed as Dracula.
  • Lin draws/paints left-handed outside the computer, and right-handed inside the computer.
  • He can use chopsticks with either hand, but he hasn’t quite got the hang of using them with his feet yet.
  • Lin loves monkeys/apes and evil clowns- and believes in aliens, ghosts, Elvis and that a man can fly. (Thanks, Chris!)
  • He eats ketchup on just about anything (isn’t interested in trying ketchup ice cream, though), and thinks A&W draft root beer in a frosted mug is da’ bomb.
  • Lin is related to actor/Football Hall of Fame’s Merlin Olsen (cousins on father’s side).
  • Lin is not athletic or even been to the Football Hall Of Fame, but he has run up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (twice), done the “Rocky pose”, and followed it up both times by eating a large Philly Cheesesteak (with Cheez Whiz- Mmmmm…).
  • He also played baseball with the Yankees for two years back in the mid-70s…a little league team in Utah. They won 1st place his first year, and 3rd place his second year. Has been to Yankee Stadium to watch the NY Yankees play. 
  • His favorite sports teams are the New York Yankees, St. Louis Rams, Nashville Predators, Rocket City Trash Pandas, Memphis/Mississippi Riverkings, Memphis Redbirds, 901 FC, and the U of M Tigers. 
  • He collects Batmobile toy cars (and most anything Batman).  His dream is to own a real Batmobile when/if he grows up. 
  • Lin sold worms (nightcrawlers) as a kid. Also shoveled snow, cleaned parking lots, mowed yards, and delivered groceries for neighbors to support his comics and junk food habits growing up.
  • Lin’s idol as a kid was Evel Knievel and growing up Lin rode an Evel Knievel bike. Lin once built a ramp in the driveway before watching the George Hamilton “Evel Knievel” movie and forgot about that ramp until his dad backed the family car over it the next morning. His dad didn’t make the jump, but Lin survived the stunt. Lin’s parents never bought him a motorcycle. Probably a good thing. One of his favorite toys were the EK stunt cycles.
  • Lin’s favorite bands are KISS (yes, Lin has worn make-up and high heels to a KISS concert and has met Gene, Paul, and Tommy), The Eagles, and Saliva (M-town represent!).
  • Boxer-briefs.
  • Paper or plastic – has been known to go both ways.
  • Is a “podperson”. (Host’s the “Drawing Funny” podcast, and was a co-host on the “Rogues Radio Podcast” w/Dave Beaty and has been a guest on many other podcasts.)
  • Has worked at Area 51 (Ice Cream- Hernando, MS).
  • Has flown with Chewbacca. (Lin and Peter Mayhew were both on the same flight back from Comic Con in San Diego.)
  • Lin proposed to his wife at a comic convention in Phoenix, AZ while emceeing an art show dressed as Beetlejuice. She said “yes” even after he gave her ‘the finger”. (Thanks Kevin!)

If you’d like to find out more about Lin’s story, check out the Memphis Voyager article:
www.memphisvoyager.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-lin-workman/