What is considered horror for you might not be the same for animals or things—and vice versa. To explore this bizarre premise, Mark Parisi took it upon himself to illustrate what would be viewed as a scary movie for balloons or, for example, cats.

Mark is very well-known for his hilarious comics, all of which fall under the name Off The Mark. And if you haven't heard of him already, this post might ease you into his creative universe.

So, even though the spooky season is behind us, there's always enough space to laugh at some horror-themed comics.

More info: Instagram | offthemark.com | patreon.com | Facebook

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Image credits: mark_parisi_otm

Once again, we reached out to Mark to ask more questions about his comics. Previously, Mark had mentioned monsters as a favorite subject from his childhood. We were wondering if there were specific films, books, or personal experiences that significantly influenced his love for creating spooky and humorous art.

Mark wrote: “I think I originally liked drawing monsters because there were no rules. You could add as many eyes or legs as you wanted. But generally, monster humor is dark, and the combination of dark and silly can be fun.”

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Image credits: mark_parisi_otm

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Among all the classic Halloween elements—like witches, ghosts, and werewolves—we asked which one Mark enjoys illustrating the most. 

He responded: “Maybe ghosts because they are so easy... just loose, squiggly lines. But a werewolf in transition can be fun because there's so much concentrated kinetic energy to try to capture.”

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Creating humor from horror is a unique skill. Mark shared the challenges he faces in making scary subjects funny.

“The silly part has to override any gruesome part,” Mark wrote.

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Having drawn Off the Mark for 35 years, we wanted to know how Mark's artistic style or approach to cartooning has changed over time, particularly when it comes to Halloween-themed art.

“Well, after all those years I hope I've gotten better at it. Looking back at some of my old stuff can be a true horror for me,” shared Mark.

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