Too Much Coffee Man (TMCM) is a caffeinated antihero who is steadily moving up the ladder of popularity. Starting from such diverse beginnings as a weekly cartoon in the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman (circ. 180,000) and one of the bestselling alternative comic books, he now has been seen in such diverse locations as TV Guide, MTV, and an animated Converse shoe commercial.
With his bulging eyes and coffee cup head, he dispenses a steady pour of humor cynical enough for the alienated, optimistic enough for the deluded. Take, for instance, his morning prayer to his (Coffee) Maker, "I am humbled by your odoriferous outpouring. You inspire me to rise from my bed and motivate me through my morning rituals. I can now endure the hardships of an otherwise banal and meaningless existence". Or how about Too Much Coffee Man's sidekick, Too Much Espresso Man, who proclaims,
"If you can't be happy, force it"?
"It's metaphor", creator Shannon Wheeler says of coffee. "It's a keyhole into what's wrong with my brain. If I wrote only about coffee, I'd run dry. There's about eight coffee jokes, but there's gotta be at least 25 jokes about emotional problems. Too Much Coffee Man is a strip about manic-depressive, obsessive-compulsive behavior disorders for the whole family".
"If one cup makes me feel me good, two cups will make me feel better". -- Too Much Coffee Man
"Unrequited love is like hitting your head against a wall that isn't there". -- Too Much German White Chocolate Woman With Almonds
