About Otto M.

“if marvel and dc were your idea of cartoonists then i don’t want to be a cartoonist if walt disney was your idea of a cartoonist I don’t want to be a cartoonist if lynda barry and philip guston are your idea of cartoonists ill consider it.” – Otto M. with a nod to David Antin, Talking at the Boundaries

Otto M. (The Auto Mechanic)

Otto M. (Dan Leopard) is a cartoonist living in Los Angeles. He has a PhD from the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was an adventure.

Otto M. is at work on a series of picture books for grown-ups featuring the Jelly-Squids of Consciousness (featured on this website), the Weather Machines of the Chicago Avant-garde (circa 1988), and Chance Encounters with Famous People (and the occasional Cowboy).

Otto M. is “The Auto Mechanic,” so christened by August Coppola (creator of the Tactile Dome in San Francisco and brother of Francis Ford) and his nephew Nick Cage (“Not the bees! Not the bees!”). This was many years ago (rest in peace, Professor Coppola). At first, this nickname annoyed Otto, but over time he grew to accept that he was, modestly, a tinkerer of words and pictures. Now he spends his time drawing and writing about people (portraits/mug shots), places (landscapes/crime scenes), and things (still lifes/evidence). All with the superb insight of one who fixes cars for a living – or so he imagines.