Richard Scooperman’s ‘Little Boys Room’ lands him Chicago Gig

By Roger Prepp

Grand Forks, ND- Richard Scooperman, a slim, sandy haired 21-year-old, double checks the contents of his baggage. “One carton of Camel blues, twenty loose bottles of Dos Equis, all this sweet merch….” He flips through a stack of t-shirts while his friend Lenny McNamara strums an improvised melody on an acoustic guitar. We’re in the break room of the downtown Panera Bread, where Scooperman has just clocked out of his shift as an assistant manager. He flips through a dog-eared copy of Vonnegut’s Mother Night and tosses it into his luggage before zipping it all up.

Scooperman, or Scooper, as he’s known to his fans, is preparing to take a trip to Chicago, where he’ll be taking part in the Jangleheart Circus Comedy Festival. “I’m representing my comic Little Boys Room,” he grins, “It’s gonna be a shit show.” Perhaps the t-shirts, boldly emblazoned with the slogan, ‘Reading Sucks,’ is an apt representation of what’s to come.

Little Boys Room started just under a year ago and is fast becoming a popular youth sensation. The comic chronicles the life of a circle-headed, sunglass-wearing cartoon character named Scooper Jr. He’s an irreverent youth who casually drops curse words and frequently displays rude gestures. “[Scooper Jr.] is a lot like me,” says Scooperman, “He’s got a bad attitude and he doesn’t give a [expletive] who knows it.” Scooperman at this time flexed his biceps, and insisted I include this detail in the article.

Scooperman will be attending Panel on Panels while at the Jangleheart Circus. He’ll be joining veteran cartoonists Thomas Bran (Douglas Fir) and Carol Farver (Carol!) to discuss the craftsmanship, history, and future of sequential art like graphic novels and comic strips. “Nerd stuff,” he says, zipping up after peeing on a dumpster out back, “I’m only going to punch out this terrible guy named Goodrich Gevaart. Ever hear of him?”

The Grand Forks native and son of notorious police blotter subject Dr. Stacy Scooperman is arriving in Chicago with McNamara on Thursday afternoon. When asked what he’s looking forward to seeing in the Windy City, he mentions “the Sears Tower, the firehouse from Chicago Fire, and my foot straight up Goodrich’s [expletive].”

“Look out, Chicago,” Scooperman says, pointing at my audio recorder as if it’s a camera, “I’m comin. And I’m bringin the pain.”

Chicagoans can see Scooperman, along with Thomas Bran and Carol Farver, at Panel on Panels, at 8PM on Friday the 22nd, at the Den Theater. Passes for the Jangleheart Circus can be purchased at www.jangleheartcircus.com