He's big, he's hairy, he's an author
A real artist's muse
What better muse could an artist have than a cross between Lou Ferrigno, Forrest Gump and Kato Kaelin? That's how Graham Roumieu describes Bigfoot, the furry subject of two books by the Toronto artist.
The first is In Me Own Words: The Autobiography of Bigfoot (Manic D Press, $12.95), a cheeky look at the trials and tribulations the infamous Sasquatch faces in modern society. The follow-up, called Me Write Book: It Bigfoot Memoir (Plume/Penguin, $21), is in bookstores today.
It addresses similar themes as the first novel but elaborates on other topics -- from Bigfoot's imaginary friends to using steroids -- and even includes an introduction from Mr. Loch Ness Monster.
"It was really a total stroke of luck that I came up with this idea and character," says Roumieu, whose illustrations have landed on the pages of such publications as Harper's, Toro and Paper magazines, the Wall Street Journal and the National Post. He also co-wrote a book with Graham Taylor called A Really Super Book About Squirrels (Andrews McMeel, $8.95).
The sassy Sasquatch was born when Roumeiu was a student at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont.
"It was this assignment, sort of like Harper's Index, where we had to focus on stupid random facts, like people who have accidentally bought a sewer rat at a pet store thinking it was a puppy or something. So we did the number of women in the U.S. to have claimed to be impregnated by Bigfoot. One of my sketches was what turned out to be the cover of the first book."
Roumieu says he was shocked at how well the sales from In Me Own Words were, and felt its success was reason enough to revisit the mythical woodland beast.
"It's turned into a bit of a cult classic," he says of Bigfoot's literary debut. "Well, I don't know if three years of OK sales denotes a cult classic, but I think some people notice me on the street."
Roumieu explains that, while the first book was more centred on Bigfoot's upbringing -- namely his failed film career, multiple divorces and other sources of inner turmoil -- Me Write Book takes his character further.
"I had no intentions with the second one. I just figured, 'I can milk this for a bit more material' and it actually took off and then evolved a little," says Roumieu. "It's essentially the same concept, but the content is entirely different and there's a bit more character growth. As crude as Bigfoot is, he's gotten more sophisticated."