Grove Blogger-in-Residence Provides Comic Relief

A lifelong resident of Miami, Tom Falco calls Coconut Grove home.  Falco is a local cartoonist and maintains the Coconut Grove Grapevine, a local news blog that has become an important news source for the community.

Falco got his start in cartooning at an early age.  “My first drawing was of Fred Flintstone. I’ve basically been doing it all my life,” Falco said.

Falco likens his cartoons to the popular syndicated The Far Side, in the sense that every cartoon features a different character.  “Everyday is a different subject. Really, whatever pops into my head or anything I think of in a funny way,” Falco said. He cartoons for no particular audience, believing his work can be appreciated by all.

Falco begins each cartoon by jotting down an idea and making a quick sketch. “Ideas come to me anywhere,” he said.

He draws it up the old-fashioned way, with pen and ink, and then uses a scanner and computer program to add color to his work.

“The hardest part is the thought process,” he said. “The drawing is easy.”

In addition to cartooning and his own printing business, his blog, Coconut Grove Grapevine, is taking up more of Falco’s time. “We cover every little thing that happens in the Grove,” he said, crediting the community’s involvement as a major factor in the blog’s growth.

The Grapevine has played a crucial role in community debates such as the removal of trees along sidewalks and road closures.  The community awareness awakened by Grapevine posts has helped deter or even stop controversial projects.

Falco believes making the community aware is the blog’s most important function.  “Like any city, the Grove has its underbelly that is not that pretty. Ignorance can be bliss.” He urges the community to stay involved and aware.

The future is full of potential. He aims for his comic strip to be syndicated in one thousand newspapers by the end of 2012.