Chad Carpenter celebrates 30 years of making people laugh with Tundra Comics

PALMER — More than 500 community members made their way through the Palmer Train Depot Saturday, Sept. 17 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Tundra Comics with the creator, Chad Carpenter.

“I was overwhelmed. I was very wonderfully pleasantly surprised,” Carpenter said. “I had no idea what to expect, but it sure was fun.”

Visitors had the opportunity to purchase signed copies of the 30th anniversary edition of Tundra Comics and other official merchandise and mingle with the Mat-Su Valley-based cartoonist. Carpenter said that people from Anchorage and beyond attended the event, and he was thrilled with the large amount of Valley residents rallying behind him as they always have over the last three decades. He said a lot of people thanked him for keeping at it all these years and encouraged him to keep going.

“In my mind, the most important thing is trying to make people laugh,” Carpenter said.

According to Carpenter, Tundra is currently syndicated in over 500 different newspapers across the world.

“It’s very satisfying as a cartoonist,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter grew up in Alaska. He said that his father was a fish and wildlife trooper and regularly brought injured animals home to nurse them back to health. This left a lasting impression on him.

“I love being surrounded by animals,” Carpenter said.

When Carpenter set out to create his own original comic strip, he used a simple yet powerful piece of advice that he received from “Mother Goose and Grimm” creator Mike Peters: “draw what you know.” So Carpenter did just that, drawing up a colorful cast of characters that are predominately Alaskan animals.

“It just worked,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter aims to keep making Tundra as long as he can. He said that he’s thankful for the opportunity to keep doing what he loves.

“I’ve already achieved a whole heck of a lot more than I ever thought possible,” Carpenter said. “It’s been a fun ride. I still love doing it after 30 years. I can’t imagine stopping anytime soon. I enjoy it too much.”

Carpenter said that he’s currently working on the next local film project with his brother Darin who recently moved to the Valley from North Pole. He said they already have the screenplay written, and they’re preparing for auditions. He said the movie will, of course, be a comedy and they plan to make it a six-part series. He said they hope to start filming by the summer of 2023.

“It’s long overdue. That’s been the number one question,” Carpenter said.

For more information, visit tundracomics.com.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com