How to Create A Comic

Here's a link to a hands-on "how I do what I do" blog entry by Web cartoonist Bryant Paul. From Sketches to inking to PhotoShop -- it's all here.

His Web comic TEACHING BABY PARANOIA has been running since January 4, 2000, which is the equivalent of THE GUMPS or OLD DOC YAK in Cyber-land. More about Bryant here.

"I begin each comic with a more or less stream-of-consciousness block of text, usually based upon some observation or something I read."

I love this kinda behind the scenes stuff. I usually start each one of my cartoons out by staring at the ceiling and then I wonder if I'll ever have another idea in my head, and look at that cobweb up there, and one of these days I gotta have Sam (landlord) repaint this place since it's been like 15 years since a proper repainting job was done, but then I'd have to move all the books and book shelves, and maybe one day I should just sell or give away all of these dang books; well, not all, but most of them, bla, bla, bla .... Yeesh. It's a wonder I get any work done at all.

Giant h/t to Journalista!

Thurber and Melendez UPA Shorts

A couple of shorts, both under 7 minutes apiece.



Released September 4, 1953, the UPA short THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN was released. It was based not only on James Thurber's short story, but it also recreated his cartoon "look." Rumor has it that director Bill Hurtz deliberately let the "greener," less experienced hands work on this to achieve Thurber's naive drawing style. YouTube link here.

CHRISTOPHER CRUMPET, from the same studio, same year (with an animation assist by Bill Melendez, who would produce the CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS special thirteen years later) is a story told by an animator sitting at his drawing board ....

"Well, you know Christopher. You either get him what he wants or you've got a chicken for a son."

Any short with that line in it is worth perusing. Link here.

1970s STAR TREK Toy Commercials

Ahh ... Life before Wii.

1976 Star Trek Tricorder Commercial

1976 Mego Phaser Battle Game

1976 Star Trek Intergalactic Projector Commercial

1976 Star Trek Command Communications Console Commercial

1975 USS Enterprise Gift Set


My favorite one of these commercials is for the lamest toy: the Star Trek Intergalactic Projector. Let me be upfront: I did not own one!

In this commercial, a kid (wearing nerdy glasses) operates this plastic play planetarium. It projects constellations on the wall of your darkened bedroom, see? There are 2 flashlights ("light beam pointers" they're called in the commercial) that emit cut-out shape versions of the Enterprise and the Klingon ship (clumsily identified as "enemy craft from Jupiter" and the kids fly it upside down in the commercial -- something that would never happen in these nerd-friendly times). So, the kid and his pal sit there, and shine the flashlight silhouettes of these ships over the starfield. Hoo boy. "Runs on 2 D and 2 AA cell batteries (not included)."

That's entertainment! Well, as pretty good as entertainment got in the 70s.

Image taken from the Mego Museum site's Star Trek page.

For Better or for Worse creator slowing down, not retiring

Eric Harrison writes of Lynn Johnston's hybrid-retirement in today's Houston Chronicle.

"[Lynn Johnston] has ...written and drawn the popular comic strip For Better or for Worse for 28 years, in sickness and in health, without complaint, while Aaron McGruder (Boondocks), Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) and others griped, took extended hiatuses and retired.

"'What wusses!' she exclaims."

H/t Dirk Deppey. Photo from David Folkman's collection of 2006 Reubens photos at Hogan's Alley here.

Cartoonists Getting Rich?

"Getting rich in Comics?," is the headline. "Probably not," is the first line. Slave Labor Graphics Editor-in-Chief Jennifer De Guzman writes about unrealistic views of comic book and graphic novel creators at the Comic World News site.

Way back before I was a full-time cartoonist, I had no delusions.

I never, ever thought I would ever, ever, ever be successful because -- as the Ms De Guzman rightly states -- very few can make a living. "Most cartoonists' careers last six months," so the saying goes.

I think one of the reasons why most pro cartoonists are such nice guys -- and I mean successful comic book artists, lauded strip cartoonists, well-known gag cartoonists -- is that they are continuously humbled by the bucket-loads of perseverance that we all have to go through to get our work out there and get it bought by an editor. For every bought cartoons there's a number (sometimes a rather large number) in a drawer.

Success does not hold any guarantees.

For instance, it's nice that I have cartoons in WSJ, Reader's Digest and Playboy this month. Wow! Looky me! I'm in 3 huge markets! Wow!

But that doesn't guarantee any level of sales in February. Heck, as a couple of my cartoonist pals know, I lost a good client a couple of weeks ago. Things like this happen, as my colleagues all know.

A client will decide to change their approach, or something. Anyway, all of a sudden, the market is not buying from you any more. You need to smile and nod and move on. Rejection is all part of the profession.

"For everything, there's a beginning, a middle and an end," Sam Gross told me a couple weeks ago. Sam submitted to the New Yorker for over five years before getting published. Heck, I've been submitting to the New Yorker for near seven years without success.

Every week, the challenge for me and every other brother and sister cartoonists drums on: come up with some good, new, funny content; keep pitching. I still don't know what sells. Some markets buy a lot, some a little, some not at all.

I may not be rich, but I am in the best company.

Late Comic Books Are No Fun

Some comic books are routinely late, late, late -- and blogger Mark Engloom has an old timey PSA essay about all this that's a lot of fun.

H/t THE BEAT.

Syncopated Comics Release Party

[UPDATE: I put the wrong date on this (now corrected below)-- please note the correct date for the SYNCOPATED COMICS #3 release party is FEBRUARY 20, 2007! Sorry about that -- and thanks to Brendan for the correction!]

Brendan Burford, a good egg and a swell cartoonist, is celebrating the release of his own SYNCOPATED COMICS #3 Tuesday, February 20, 2007 from 6-9pm at Drop Off Service in NYC.

And, as if that isn't enough, there will be free beer.

"Oh, hey, even though we're looking at free pints, please do tip whoever's tending bar," advises Brendan.

Sound advice!

More info. at Brendan's blog.

And here's the SYNCOPATED COMICS home page.

Beer and comics! My 2 favorite things ... together! Thanks, Brendan!

Charles Henry White

Turn of the (last) century illustrator Charles Henry White is the focus a 2 part essay (part one here, part two here) of pro illustrator Paul Giambarba's 100 Years of Illustration blog this month.

On etching in public in NYC:

"If there is anything the artist need fear in New York it is rather too much kindness than the contrary. Everyone in the neighborhood is interested and kindly disposed towards him, from Casey the [cop,] who occasionally stops on his beat with a word of encouragement, and a little well chosen profanity -- accentuated by a prod or two from his night-stick to scatter the crowd -- to little Tommy Sullivan, who rushes to the drinking-water fountain a block away to replenish your water-bottle."

Thanks, Paul, for sharing these images!

Figure Skating Hall of Fame Elects Late 'Peanuts' Creator

E&P has the news.

The 2007 National Cartoonists Society Division Awards

The 2007 National Cartoonists Society Division Awards

Cartoonists are invited to submit their work (or the work of someone else) for consideration for one or more of the following Division Awards.

NCS members, and non-members alike, are eligible.

You will need an NCS Division Awards Entry Form. Contact information is below.

TV ANIMATION
Submit one or more samples in VHS or DVD format of aired or exhibited work that was released in the year 2006.

FEATURE ANIMATION
Submit one or more samples in VHS or DVD format of aired or exhibited work that was released in the year 2006.

NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION
6 samples of published work.

GAG CARTOONS
12 samples of work published in 2006.

GREETING CARDS
6 samples of work published in 2006.

NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS
12 samples of work published in 2006.

NEWSPAPER PANEL CARTOONS
12 samples of work published in 2006.

MAGAZINE FEATURE/MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION
6 samples of work published in 2006.

BOOK ILLUSTRATION
6 samples of work published in 2006.

EDITORIAL CARTOONS
12-20 samples of work published in 2006.

ADVERTISING ILLUSTRATION
4 samples of work published and marketed in 2006.

COMIC BOOKS/GRAPHIC NOVELS
3 samples of work published in 2006.

DEADLINE: February 23, 2007

Three finalists will be announced at the National Cartoonists Society Web site < http://reuben.org/> by April 2007.

An award plaque will be presented at a black tie dinner at the 61st Annual Reubens Award Dinner in Orlando, Florida on May 26, 2007.

FOR AN ENTRY FORM and more information contact:

Mike Lynch fatcats3@gmail.com

or

Dave Coverly speedbumpcomic@comcast.net

Berndt Toast Gang Meeting January 25, 2007

Above: Emilio Squeglio shows us the latest issue of Alter Ego, which had an interview with him about his days at Fawcett.

After some morning flurries, the Gang convened around noon at our Long Island restaurant. I got in a little early due to unusually light traffic. The radio was warning everyone about the impending drastic temperature drop -- "the coldest it's been in 2 years!" -- and people decided to stay at home by the hearth. Heck, even the Office of Emergency Management issued this warning:

"On Thursday, January 25, the coldest airmass of the season will grip New York City, bringing sub-zero wind chills and temperatures in the teens. OEM reminds New Yorkers to dress warmly when they must go outside — layer clothes to capture warm air, wear mittens, scarves and hats, and keep clothes dry."

Regardless, us hardy cartoonists got together for lunch. Any chance to talk shop!

We toasted Bill & Mimi Seay, as well as Tom Gill and Val Costantino. Each of them, significant presences at the Berndt Toast Gang, and I miss them all.

When I first came to BT, it was then-chairman Bill Seay, and co-chair Tom Gill who welcomed me. It was through them that I met everyone else.

Above: Tony Cerezo has handed Sandy Kossin and Sy Barry an EC Comics Portfolio. All I know is I hear the name "Alex Toth," and these guys, whose faces are obscured by the portfolio, had to have a close look.

NY Newsday staffer Bob Buethe brought in a zine from the 1990s titled "Breaking In," which was, of course, about breaking in to the comic strip industry. And Tom Heintjes, who now is the force behind Hogan's Alley, was on the masthead. Valerie had a number of contributions to this 25 year old publication, including a full color cover. My friend Val passed away due to cancer 3 years ago next month; and, to draw a silver lining over her untimely passing, at the time of her death she had cartoons in all the major publications, had just scored a syndication deal, and was joining me in journeying the New Yorker offices. Yeah, up to the end (and without letting on how sick she was) she was getting routinely rejected by Bob Mankoff, but she persevered.
Above: Three masters: Don Orehek, Stan Goldberg and Steve Duquette

With Al Scaduto and Bill Kresse not able to come to our lunch this day, we were without any music. We asked Albert, the restaurant owner, but he shook his head and hustled away to his office. "That's the fastest I've ever seen him move!" quipped Sy Barry. Don Orehek sang a couple of Slovenian songs to our table, in between mouthfuls. We urged him to stand up and sing for the whole roomful of us (I even offered to buy him another drink), but he demurred.

This being the season of colds and flus, we shared advice about keeping healthy. Stan Goldberg pointed out that cartoonists are the healthiest. They work at home, they aren't in the office environment, getting other peoples' germs. Well said! And that ammonia in the ink maybe helps, added Sy Barry. Ha ha! Maybe.

Above: Emilio Squeglio and guest Mike Setaro who -- if I remember what he told me correctly -- is an SVA student. If not, please forgive me, Mike. (Mike's friend, Joe Bennett, was taping Emilio, and was probably out of view, taping me taking this photo. Joe, I told you to tell me if you're putting this up on YouTube, OK?!)

Emilio Squeglio brought a couple of students who told me they wanted to do a documentary about the Berndt Toast Gang. Emilio's days at Fawcett, as part of the Captain Marvel artist stable, is the focus of his interview in this month's Alter Ego. I remember one time, watching him draw the Big Red Cheese, and telling me, let me show you how Mr. Beck showed me how to do it.

I chatted with Greg Fox, whose Kyle's Bed & Breakfast strip runs in a number of gay and lesbian publications nationwide. It's usually paired with Alison Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For. There was one time when he got Alison Bechdel's check and she got his. It was weird, he elaborated, because her had her address in Vermont and mine had my address on it -- but we still got each others check. Weird! Well, OK, so, now they e-mail occasionally, but have never met. We talked about her book FUN HOME, and it being called "Book of the Year" by Time mag -- beating out a slew of "plain prose" books. . We talked about taxes. Freelancers get a lot of 1099s, and sometimes it's confusing. For instance, I got a tax statement today from Bauer Publications. And I gotta remember that Bauer Publications publishes a couple of magazines that bought some cartoons (FIRST FOR WOMEN and WOMEN'S WORLD). The names of those mags appear nowhere on the tax paperwork.

Knaishia and Penelope Grover, daughter (cartoonist) and mother (singer), joined us. Knaishia gave me advice about what manga to read. Her reply is below. Thanks, Knaishia!

Free Comic Book Day/Cartoonist Day

May 5th is the annual Free Comic Book day where (you guessed it) comic book shops give away comics for free. But these are not just any ol' comic books -- these are special comics that comic book companies produce especially for comic book day. Complete list at Newsarama.

Since May 5th is also Cartoonist Day, a day to celebrate cartoonists and their craft, this will be a doubly fun year for the event.

Oh -- and take a gander at that line up! MANGA! Oh, hate manga? SUPERHEROES! Oh, you don't like those male adolescent power fantasies? LYNDA BARRY! Do you know who she is? She's great. How about PEANUTS! Now, everyone loves Peanuts!

More anon.

Hat tip to Ms. MacDonald at Publisher's Weekly's The Beat.

National Gorilla Suit Day!

For goodness sake, it's almost National Gorilla Suit Day!

H/t Mark Evanier!

Handicraft Guide No. 9 CARTOONING Part 2

Continuing our scans of the US Army pamphlet on cartooning. The first part is here.

No More GALACTICA?

"Are you alive?"

The show is popular, but what with DVR, iTunes & BitTorrent, actual TV ratings are down so says the Sci Fi Channel in this story "New season of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA might be 'lost in space'" by Robin Blade. Link to the Toledo Blade here.

Of course, it's gonna be time to renew everyone's contract soon, and this could be just so much baloney designed to put the scare in those who asking for more $$$.

BSG is to Sci Fi what SOUTH PARK is to Comedy Central: a breakout hit.

Besides, the chicks are cool and the guys are hunks. And there's spaceships zapping each other. What's not to love?

Handicraft Guide No. 9 CARTOONING

This is one of those things I came across on eBay. All I know is that it's from WW2 and part of a series of guides for such things as carpentry, bookbinding and tin can craft -- and it's for the Use of U.S. Armed Services Personnel Only.
You can click on the above for a larger pic.

OK, it's funny that the wannabe cartoonist Private here is spilling the ink out of his back pocket, but funnier (maybe weird-funny, not funny-funny) is the eentsy beentsy puff of smoke behind the guy's left foot. I wish there was an art credit here, but it might've been farmed off on the some anonymous Popular Mechanics art department staff members.

I find those expressions to be rather haunting and ugly. Picking out the person's big nose to caricature may get you a sock in the puss.

Ha ha. "Pick a nose."

That guy with the big eye looks like a Jack Cole character. And what's with the aging, sad looking yellow kid on the lower right?

I wish we all wore hats (aside from baseball caps and knit hats). Hats are fun to draw, and I have a personal weakness for the ol' guy-so-shocked-his-hat-flies-off-his-head image.

This kinda stuff ("7 1/2 to 8 times the length of their heads") always spooked me.I don't like math, that's why I draw pictures.

More tomorrow.

Scan Your Cat

Our sweet little B&W cat Sam is fascinated by the scanner, hence this image.

Cartoon Art Advertising

Over at good ol' Mark Anderson's Andertoons blog, he cites a company that's making comic book style advertisements.

I agree with his "nobody can ignore a cartoon" comments, and just wanted to shine the Flashlight of Cartoon History on the topic. But, hey, I can be lazy and, actually, not even turn on the ol' FoCH, because illustrator/blogger Leif Peng all ready has!

Leif has a Flickr set of old comic strip advertising here. And don't miss his Today's Inspiration blog.

Tom Heintjes has written a wonderful history of the NYC company that did comic book advertising full-time for many decades, Johnston and Cushing. Scott Shaw! has a look at a special Boy's Life comic book that the company did in 1952. It had art by Creig Flessel, Lee Ames, and Dik Browne, among others.

Joe Sinnott & Dave Cockrum

Joe Sinnott's Web site offers work by Joe & fellow comic book artist Dave Cockrum this month. Link here.

You gotta remember to stop in to Joe's site every month for some new Sinnott art. I was surprised that I owned about half of these comics! To the left, one of those great Cockrum/Sinnott covers that appealed to all American boy comics fans!

Editorial Cartoons: Best of Times, the Worst of Times

Editor & Publisher's Dave Astor writes about how great so many images the current editorial cartoonists are producing, just as criticism -- as well as permanent job loss -- mounts in the industry.

Hat tip Journalista!

Tom Gill Memoir Delayed

Veteran comic book artist Tom Gill was working on an autobiography before he passed away peacefully in November, 2005. Titled THE MISADVENTURES OF A ROVING CARTOONIST, and co-authored by Tom Lasiuta, the hardcover volume was scheduled to be out on the stands just before the holidays.

According to my conversations with Five Star Publishing rep Linda Radke, the book has not been published yet, waiting on rights clearances.

I'll keep this on my radar, and hope we'll see it later this year.

Hans im Gluck by Herbert Leupin

Hans im Gluck ("Hans in Luck"), based on a Grimm fairy tale, with drawings by Herbert Leupin, is a book I picked up last year in a great used bookstore, Lippincott Books, in downtown Bangor, Maine. It was printed in Switzerland in 1944 by Globi-Verlag in Zurich.

The above full-page illustration was why I bought the book. Hans has a jauntiness to his step, and just look at that fat luncheon sausage stuffed in his pocket.

What amazed me is how old the book is -- yet the colors remain very vibrant and arresting.


The largest illustration in the book is this 2 page gatefold. The longer you look, the more detail there is. Clicking on the above image will bring a larger, actual-size-of-the-book image.


Detail of the above drawing.


The last Herbert Leupin picture in the book. A spectacular depiction that almost defies perspective, yet it all makes cartoony sense. The details have made me linger on this every time I see it.

I don't know who Herbert Leupin was, except for the fact that he was a popular illustrator who made posters. Heaven knows, my grasp of German is good enough to order "beir," but not to actually comprehend this German-language book. So, I bought it for the pictures.

Regardless, Mr. Leupin's work should be reprinted, and called attention to. Hence, this day's blog.

Masters of American Comics

Less than a week to go for the Masters of American Comics exhibition here in NYC. It closes Saturday, January 28th.

The Newark Museum
49 Washington Street, Newark, New Jersey

The Jewish Museum
1109 Fifth Avenue (northeast corner of 92nd Street), New York, New York

Robert Crumb & Aline Kominsky Crumb

The NY Times has an article, photos and an audio slideshow focusing on Robert and Aline Crumb's life now. The audio slideshow has more photos, and focuses on Aline Kominsky Crumb's forthcoming graphic novel memoir "Need More Love." They'll be at the NY Public Library on February 14th. Crumb will interview his wife on stage.

Lots of photos of them in their 11th century house in France. Worth a peek.

50,000th Visitor to Mike Lynch Blog

From Mililani, Hawaii to Wellington, New Zealand; from Akershus, Norway to Brazil; and Australia, Malaysia, China, India, the United Arab Emirates, Romania, the UK, Canada and the US -- a lot of eyeballs have been looking in.

This is a week where I celebrate a birthday (January 18th). And one of the nicest presents was looking at the above world map from the statistics tracker of this morning's most recent 100 visitors and realizing that this week -- hey, maybe it was on my birthday -- the 50,000th visitor to the Mike Lynch Cartoons blog chose to stop by.

I just began this blog less than a year ago in February 2006. It was on MySpace for a time, and then I switched to Blogger. The blog's readership grew by word of mouth, and by nice shout outs by people like my pal, good ol' Mark Anderson. In the past couple of months, readership has boomed.

So, thanks, 50,000 times, to all of you -- friends, fiends, strangers, pro colleagues, new pals -- cartoon lovers everywhere.

Art Buchwald, Rest in Peace

Art Buchwald has passed away .. and has left us a video obit at the Times.

Buchwald, who went to a hospice last year and was expected to die, outlived the doctors' predictions. He left the hospice, and started writing. Last month, he was on C-Span to promote his new book titled Art Buchwald, Too Soon to Say Goodbye.

Editor and Publisher has a number of stories. "Columnists and Syndicate Execs Pay Tribute to Art Buchwald" is here. His last column, titled "Goodbye, My Friends" is here.

Before his death, he recorded a video obit to be released at the NY Times site. This will, rightly or wrongly, be the first of a series of these.

Garry Trudeau Interview

Garry Trudeau is interviewed by Mother Jones magazine.

Here's some excerpts via E&P:

The interview, linked on Doonesbury.com, was conducted by Elizabeth Gettelman. Here are some other highlights:

GT: My research [for the B.D. strips] was mostly at the VA, and then Vet Centers, where I interviewed counselors. Later trips to VA facilities such as Walter Reed hospital included meeting with veterans. The B.D. story has been a sustained experiment in naturalism. I usually don't tell stories with this much realistic detail, so most weeks there's no need to leave my studio.

MJ: Did the reporting for the B.D. story change how you want to do your strip?

GT: It may have set the bar higher, but I can't research every topic on a granular level. For example, I've already written weeks of strips about MIT, which I've never laid eyes on.

MJ: What kind of reception have you gotten from the troops?

GT: At both readings I've done at the Pentagon, I signed over 400 books, so I can hardly ask for a better reception. I got one drive-by dis from a soldier, but it was over strips that pissed her off during Gulf War I.

The whole interview is here.

MIke Lynch Cartoon in February 2007 Playboy

Playboy magazine is considered a hallmark magazine gag cartoon market. So many great cartoonists have been in there -- Sam Gross, Gahan Wilson, Silverstein, Feiffer, as well as great writers like Bradbury and Jean Shepherd (a particular fave of mine) -- and Playboy is as recognizable a brand as McDonald's and Disney. And so, it's a nice feeling to see a cartoon of mine -- much less a mild PG-13 rated one -- for the first time in this publication. Hey, ma, look! A new market!

This is the original that I sent in. The editor wanted a redraw, so the version in the magazine is a little inkier than this. But I like this version and this is my blog, so I get to show the cartoon I want to. So there.

I remember showing a portfolio of work to a school superintendent. He liked my work, and ultimately hired me to teach cartooning classes to 10 year olds in the school district. He saw this cartoon and warned me that it was inappropriate for children.

As a suburban kid, living in small college towns in the Midwest, I found out about cats and dogs in heat when I was in elementary school. It never crossed my mind that this was now considered risque by an educator. Times change!

I think we've all had the experience of buying some roses and chocolate, only to find out that our lovely date is allergic to both. Now, even worse is dealing with someone of the opposite sex who is only interested in romance once a year, usually in the spring.

Now, we all have learned from STAR TREK, that if you suppress those urges, kids, then you're gonna go a little beserk and you'll wanna fight the Captain.

End of today's lesson.

Tribbles: Old and New

Being a fan of STAR TREK means you obsess over TREK things like Tribbles. Here's a link to a video that compares the original episode THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES (1967) with the revisit to that episode -- one that effectively mixed the original cast with the DEEP SPACE 9 cast via computer effects titled TRIALS AND TRIBBLE-ATIONS (1996).

Non-fans, please excuse this entry.

(Photos; top: original scene of Kirk dressing down the shore leave party from TOS; bottom: a SFX scene inserting 2 of the STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE characters in the middle of the line-up.)

1/21/07 UPDATE: A couple more side-by-side comparisons:

• Bar fight
• More from TRIBBLES

Lunchbox Funnies Launch

Lunchbox Funnies is a new all-ages comics site, featuring:

• Aki Alliance by Ryan Estrada
• Astronaut Elementary by Dave Roman
• Butterfly by Dean Trippe
• Cow & Buffalo by Mike Maihack
• Lunchbox by Ovi Nedelcu
• Silent Kimbly by Ryan Sias
• Wally & Osborne by Tyler Martin
• Zip and Li’l Bit by Trade Loeffler

Tyler Martin is the guy who put this all together.

Speaking as a guy who, as a kid, carried a metal lunchbox (PEANUTS, of course!), I find this site pretty cool. And it's nice to see Webcomics promoted as kid-friendly.

Hat tip to good ol' Trade Loeffler!

Video: Al Hirschfeld Drawing

Pixar animator Victor Navone shares a video of Al Hirschfeld drawing a caricature of Paul Newman.

Hat tip to Gerry Mooney!

See You in the (Restored, Reprinted) Funny Papers

Good article by Ben Schwartz about the rise of books of old newspaper comics collections, and the people who are restoring them for publication, in Sunday's NY Times. In previous years, the article says, collections of old comics like "Dick Tracy" and "Prince Valiant" have suffered from lack of readership, but newer literary graphic novels are helping sales.

"But today’s collections show more commercial promise, thanks in large part to graphic literature successes like 'Maus,' 'Jimmy Corrigan,' 'Ghost World' and 'Persepolis.'"

Mike Lynch Cartoon in February 2007 Reader's Digest

There are those that look at cartoons and then forget them. And then there are cartoon connoisseurs. Those are the kind of appreciative, thoughtful, good-looking, kind, reverent and cheerful people that frequent the Mike Lynch Cartoons blog.

There is a kind of serendipitous relationship between the words and picture in a cartoon. Divorce a funny drawing from its gag line, and it all falls apart.

And a good gag is one that you, the reader, has to put together yourself.

A single panel cartoon has a few seconds to show you a drawing and some words. It's up to you too put 'em together and, I hope, then, emit a nice chuckle or laugh or smile.

This is one of those cartoons where I first got the picture of a fellow in what's really a tic-tac-toe kinda cubicle arrangement. I drew the picture in my spiral bound sketch book. I was wondering what a fellow who was caught in the middle would say. Obviously, he can't leave until someone else goes. the line went through a couple of revisions ("I won't be home on time" and "I can't see my way out"). The cartoon was bought by Reader's Digest this past fall. It was turned down by 3 other markets before RD bought it.

New Yorker Cartoonists at Lunch

I missed this article in the NY Times by cartoonist Caroline Dworin this past weekend. I was out of town and it wasn't carried in the national edition.

Napkin Drawings by Stephanie Piro and Mike Lynch

Some jam drawings on napkins. Stephanie Piro and her husband and me and my wife went to a local watering hole in Portsmouth, NH to listen to some traditional Irish music. After a couple of hours, Stephanie started drawing. She drew a female character on a napkin, and pushed the pen and napkin over to me.

I added the rather slimy fellow above, holding a wilted daisy, with the hearts of love around his head. Somehow, he even looks like he's wearing a tacky Sears polyester suit, like I wore to my junior prom in the 1970s! I can tell by her look: he ain't getting far with this fashionable woman.

Next, she drew a smiling cat. Love those little teeth. She passed the napkin and pen to me. I drew the two striped fellows in the background, commenting, "I think she's on the nip!"

Stephanie drew this woman in profile, asking, "What?" She then passed the napkin over to me, and I drew another chintzy guy proffering his love with a ring of deep-fried onion.

Ah, quite the true sentiment! His wandering eye adds to the general unattractiveness! Tis beauty and the beast! Such fun -- and good beer and good music. And patient spouses!

New York Comic Con to Include Newspaper Cartoonists

E&P has the story.

More and more, comics events that used to be for superhero comics (Comicon and so many others) or literary comics (Moccafest and SPX and SPACE) are showcasing syndicated cartoonists. A good reminder to people that newspaper comics have fans too!

With all due respect, the E&P staff writers do not mention (and it's well worth mentioning -- maybe even SHOUTING) that Alison Bechdel is also the woman who wrote "Time Mag's book of the year" FUN HOME. And, hey, let's have Greg Walker share the credit with his Dad Mort for BEETLE BAILEY, okay? Okay!

Cowboys and Aliens Payola?

Platinum Comics published a graphic novel titled COWBOYS AND ALIENS. It sold well last month, and was cited as the #1 best seller during the holidays.

Except that citation was based on ONE comic shop's records.

And Platinum was paying the store (along with other stores as well) to sell it.

"The fundamental question in whether you consider this a “scandal” or not is whether you think Platinum’s plan to reimburse retailers for ordering many copies of the book was somehow underhanded or not," writes THE BEAT's Heidi MacDonald.

Um, yeah.

It's called payola.

Easiest to start here, and then there's more here.

Hat tip to THE BEAT and Journalista!

NY Daily News Drops a Page of Comics

The New York Daily News dropped a page of its comics this year, as I reported last week. No announcement from the News regarding why it was done, and why certain strips were dropped and certain others remained. There seems to be very little information on the Web, aside from my blog entry of last week, so I thought I'd compare a 2006 issue of that paper with the Daily News of January 12, 2007.

NY Daily News Comics Pages - September 20, 2006

From top left, clockwise:

Front page,

Classifieds (2 strips): F-MINUS, TINA'S GROOVE

Horoscope (full page),

Comics Page 1 (7 strips): JUMBLE X-WORD, GASOLINE ALLEY, GET FUZZY, DILBERT, SOUP TO NUTZ, CURTIS, ZITS;

Comics Page 2 (4 panels and 7 strips): Panels: CLOSE TO HOME, THE FLYING MCCOYS, THE LOCKHORNS, MARMADUKE; Strips: GIRLS AND SPORTS, BLONDIE, JUMP START, SHERMAN'S LAGOON, POOCH CAFE, MOTHER GOOSE & GRIMM, MUTTS

Comics Page 3 (7 strips): OVER THE HEDGE, HAGAR THE HORRIBLE, OUT OF THE GENE POOL, PEANUTS CLASSIC, ONE BIG HAPPY, AGNES, BEETLE BAILEY

Comics Page 4 (6 strips): ROSE IS ROSE, ANNIE, PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE, DOONESBURY, CATHY

And here's the NY Daily News for January 12, 2007:

From top left, clockwise:

Front page;

Horoscope (now 1/2 page, sharing with the weather, and facing the NOW section);

Comics Page 1 (6 strips): ROSE IS ROSE, GASOLINE ALLEY, GET FUZZY, DILBERT, PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, CURTIS, ZITS;

Comics Page 2 (4 panels and 7 strips): Panels: CLOSE TO HOME, THE FLYING MCCOYS, THE LOCKHORNS, MARMADUKE; Strips: SOUP TO NUTZ, BLONDIE, JUMP START, SHERMAN'S LAGOON, HAGAR THE HORRIBLE, MOTHER GOOSE & GRIMM, MUTTS;

Comics Page 3 (7 strips): Panel: CLOSE TO HOME; Strips: OVER THE HEDGE, ANNIE, OUT OF THE GENE POOL, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE, ONE BIG HAPPY, DOONESBURY, BEETLE BAILEY;

Classifieds: no comics this day, but GIRLS AND SPORTS was relegated there last week.

One comics page is gone. 8 strips are not running in the Daily News as of 2007. They are:

AGNES

CATHY

F-MINUS

GIRLS AND SPORTS (?)

JUMBLE X-WORD

PEANUTS CLASSIC

POOCH CAFE

TINA'S GROOVE

New Direction for Newspaper Comics?

Scott Kurtz, whose "Player vs. Player" Web strip (better known as "PvP") has spawned comics and merchandise, wanted to give away his comics for free to newspapers. That was last year. This year, he begins with wondering if Webcomics creators and mainstream comics artists (he mentions Bill Amend and Bill Holbrook) can't get together and fuse a new hybrid.

Scott asks:

"What would happen if I got myself, Bill Amend, Bill Hollbrook, Joey Manley, Robert Khoo and a handful of forward thinking features editors all into a room together? Or all on a conference call? I mean, how exciting is that?

"What’s the worse that could happen? We might accidentally usher in the future?

"Who’s interested and what’s our first step?"

More at Scott's blog.

Hat tip to Dirk Deppey.

ABSOLUTELY MAD

ABSOLUTELY MAD collects Mad Magazine on one disc and includes everything from its first issue to 2005. That's 52 years of MAD. MAD is one of those universal things a lotta cartoonists have in common. I had my MAD passion in the 1970s. I remember taking my dough to dad so he could write the check for the subscription. Gathering up those couple of dollars was a tough thing to do, but MAD was worth it.

A couple of people (at Amazon and BoingBoing) have written that ABSOLUTELY MAD is on 1 DVD, not 2 (as Amazon says). Regardless, it sounds better than the previous version -- a multi-DVD-ROM set that is PC-only which came out a while ago. I always have to go through a couple of discs when I do a search for, for instance, Don Martin's "Near Sighted Strongman's Club" cartoon.

The new set also has interviews and SPY VS. SPY animations from MAD TV episodes.

But to hear that there isn't a sound file for the "Gall in the Family Fare" parody -- which was a vinyl record that was stapled into a Mad Special that yours truly carefully pulled out and then played on a record player, over and over and over (and then me and my friends got together and acted it out) -- to hear that this is missing is just plain wrong, kids!

And speaking of the late, great Don Martin, it's just 3 weeks until National Gorilla Suit Day! Don't forget!

Mike Lynch Cartoon in FIRST FOR WOMEN

Another one of those entries wherein I spout off about a cartoon I drew.


"I'll have to call you back. The cat looks really pleased with himself and I gotta find out why."

The cat that I drew is a conglomeration of 2 of our beloved kitties that are no longer with us: Opie (fluffy -- and he'd turn his head like to one side) and Max (who always grinned), so I look at this and remember those 2 sweet kitties.

This is an odd little cartoon that really has no gag per se; no pun, no double entendre, etc. It just hints at a private moment for a pet owner. If you are a pet owner, then you know. I mean those moments when your cat or dog or bird (can birds have expressions?) or iguana (ditto) has a look on his or her furry/feathery/scaly face (a look only you can parse) that tells you that they've done something and that "something" isn't good.

A hat tip to friend Dave Carpenter for the heads up. Like I say, I never know when these appear -- but Dave saw it and called an told me. Thanks, Dave -- old buddy, old pal!

MIke Lynch Cartoon in January 2007 Reader's Digest

This cartoon appears in the current Reader's Digest now on the stands. Just look for Hillary Swank on the cover! I wanted my cartoon on the cover, but was duly informed that Ms. Swank won an Oscar and she'd sell more copies than a couple of cartoon chickens I drew. Harsh words, but true.

A sale to the Digest is tough to do. So many times I've sent dozens of cartoons, only to see no sales. The magazine is highly competitive. I never know what will sell, I just try to send their cartoon editor funny cartoons.

I sold this to RD in April 2005. Usually they publish a cartoon within 90 days. Maybe 4-5 months. So, its been a long time coming. I actually thought that they had all ready published it, but as far as I know they have not.

There is a lot of information here. Every bit is intentional. We are, in this little cartoon, in a world of chickens that wear clothes (but no shoes).

Mrs. Chicken is pregnant with some Grade As, and the reader's eye is following them as they are walking through the frame from left to right. Mr. Chicken looks interested in the nursery, but Mrs. Chicken -- now that I study her (hey, it's been almost 2 years now) -- actually looks like a silly wall-eyed hen with a head fulla nothin'. A bird brain. Well, I guess that those are the types those big he-man roosters like. Can you see that the real estate agent chicken guy has "Real Estate" written on his briefcase? It shows up well in the mag, but is murky in this scan.

I can't remember much about writing the gag. I remember doing a lot of odd cartoons around this time like the ones below:

Above published in UK mag Prospect.

Oprah-Land was printed in Brandweek magazine.

"Can't you just call it 'pretty' and be done with it?" It's "The Rogets on Vacation" from the Chronicle of Higher Education. One of those cartoons that people have looked at and told me they didn't get it.

From BBC Music Mag. Gee whiz, I was more inky back then.

Lyonel Feininger

Lyonel Feininger's art is featured in this 7 minute YouTube video. The video presents his expressionist works of art, and is set to music.

Feininger, who passed away 51 years ago this Saturday, was an artist as well as a cartoonist. He's best known for the short-lived Kin-Der Kids. Here's his bio from Lambiek.

Happy Peter Arno Day

New Yorker Cartoonist Peter Arno has his own day?

Tom Spurgeon tells us at Comics Reporter. Many links!

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE Will Live On as Hybrid Strip

Dave Astor at E&P breaks the story of FBOFW creator Lynn Johntson's decision to not retire the strip in Septmber 2007 as planned. It will be a semi-retirement.

"In the hybrid, many previously published "FBorFW" strips and scenes will be reprinted. The jumping-off point for those comics (which could include some redrawn and recolorized content) might be Michael looking at old photos or scrapbooks."

Hat tip Comics Reporter.

Jim Salicrup Interview

Papercutz Editor-in-Chief Jim Salicrup's quote opens this day's Comics Journal Journalista Web site. There's a temporary link there to an interview with Jim about his amazing career. Jim not only has great stories to tell, he's one of the nicest fellows around.

"When I started at Marvel in the early 70s, several well-meaning Marvel staffers warned me to have a back-up career as they were convinced comics were on the way out."

Free Comics from Image

They're giving it away for free at Image Comics.

You can click and read first issues of 8 new comic book series. Yeah, there are 8 different comics you can see and read in their entirety via Newsarama. THE BEAT has the news.

And Image's site has previews of the first five page from even more titles here. Image was formed when seven high-profile comics creators, tired of seeing their work become the intellectual property of a large corporation, left Marvel in 1992 to form this new imprint that would honor creator's rights. Now, Image comics ties (with Dark Horse) as the third best selling comics company, just behind Marvel and DC. More from Wikipedia here.

Hat tip to the ever informative THE BEAT!

Cartoon Limbo Reception

Friday, January 5, 2006. The Venu Gallery, New York City.

Some photos of the Cartoon Limbo exhibit curated by Lewis Matheney. It was very well attended, despite some spotty rain.

Bunny Hoest, Sam Gross, Mike Lynch. Sam was not part of the exhibit, he just came to look at other cartoonists' rejections!

Bill Hoest used to ride in to Manhattan from Long Island on his motorcycle (more often than not with Bunny along for the ride) to do the rounds at the magazines. One time, when Sam's daughter was a little kid, Bill was visiting the Grosses, and gave her a ride. It was her first motorcycle ride and it was thrilling. "After that, Bill Hoest could do no wrong in her eyes," Sam adds.

Stan Goldberg strikes a demure pose in front of his work.

One of the many rejections from the Hoest/Reiner team. A lot of the gags looked good to me! There were maybe 2 dozen on display, most of them pencil roughs.

Sam G. taking in Stan G.'s work.

Ruth Marcus' papercut technique was on display.

A Ruth Marcus cartoon: "They say when she was down south -- she had the implant."

A number of rejected comic strip ideas through the years from Irwin Hasen. Hey, the guy in the dark suit looks conspicuously like its cartoonist!

Another from Irwin. A domestic drama drawn in an almost Caniff-style.

Woody Guthrie liked to draw too! Who knew?

An April 2004 cartoon from Jeff Danziger that was not published. But, I think it was offered by his syndicate regardless, and got some attention at the time.

I was following Sam around. Here he is with veteran gag cartoonist (and blogger) Eli Stein.

Despite the logo, this was a never-sold New Yorker cover drawing by the great Art Cumings.

Friend and bon vivant Jim Salicrup dropped by and we watched a short film about James Thurber that continuously shows in the gallery. Lewis told me he got it from OSU, and there are bits on an Omnibus interview with Thurber conducted by Alistair Cooke. Thurber talks about his blindness. As a child, Thurber was accidentally shot in the eye by his brother when they played "William Tell." His remaining eye weakened and, through the years, a creeping blindness manifested.

In another filmed interview, Mark Van Doren adds that Thurber confessed to him that his blindness was a punishment for writing about meanness. Van Doren said he had to do some fast thinking. Thurber was weeping. "You are for goodness and strength, but you reveal it in the opposite," Van Doren mustered. Thurber thought about this. "You saved my life."

There is some footage of Thurber drawing a dog, and then handing it to Helen Wismer, his second wife, who fills in the dots for eyes and nose. This was standard operating procedure Thurber drawing process for a time.

Cartoon Limbo Reception Friday, January 5, 2007

Cartoon Limbo, an exhibit that dwells on rejections of cartoonists like Schulz, Mort Walker, Maurice Sendak, Crockett Johnson and others (even myself), opens tonight.

From Time Out New York:

"Racy riffs like the Stan Goldberg one here, didn't make the cut either. 'I don't think I ever got a reason,' Goldberg laughs. The gagster submitted it to one of the lowbrow 'men's adventure' pulps like ARGOSY (PG-rated by today's porny lad-magazine standards). 'It's just timing and the editor's mood when he sees it. Nine times out of ten, if you'd submit it again, they'd accept it.'"

"Gagster?!"

Anyway ....

Reception is from 6pm to 9pm.

(Even though this whole idea sounds similar to the Matt Diffee edited REJECTION COLLECTION and Craig Yoe's upcoming ARF FORUM which will have 'dirty drawings by clean cartoonists' (preview at Craig's site here), it's just one of those "great minds think alike" things. That said, yes, the gallery exhibit does share a similar idea with these books.)

2007 NY Daily News Comics Page

20% of the comic strips GONE in the NY Daily News?!

Yes.

In 2006 there were 4 pages of comics. Now there are three.

No warning. No explanation. Is this happening in other markets?

I took out a 2006 Daily News to compare with a 2007 Daily News.

In 2006: 35 strips & panels spread over 4 pages.

In 2007: 29 strips spread over 3 pages.

Gone for 2007 in no particular order: Tina's Groove, Pooch Cafe, Cathy, Peanuts, Agnes, and the Jumble X-Word (the regular Jumble feature remains).

Fewer comics is a sad thing. Besides, this paper has a WHOLE PAGE for its astrology columnist. Aaugh!

The big surprise: Tina's Groove.

TG appeared in the back classifieds; the Phantom Zone of the paper. But all through this past year, when Doonesbury, or another strip, was on vacation, in came Tina to pinch hit in the regular comics page.

Star Trek II in Five Seconds

(Above: a videogame in a watch circa 1982. Ooo boy! If you had this, you could easily time the below films. Link to this techno dino collectible here.)

OK, it's time for movies for people on the go!

Click here for STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN in 5 seconds.

Want more?

Click here for THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING in 5 seconds.

Click here for THE TWO TOWERS in 5 seconds.

Click here for THE RETURN OF THE KING in 5 seconds.

And here's STAR WARS, EMPIRE & JEDI all in 5 seconds. Now, that's enough. Go outside and play with your friends!

Zip and Li'l Bit Returns

Happy New Year to Trade Loeffler.

I missed your Zip and Li'l Bit series -- whose latest adventure "The Upside Down Me" is about 2/3rds done now. the story returns today after a Holiday hiatus.

The graphic novel story, about 2 kids, is just one of a series of stories that Trade will be telling. Bookmark now!

So, welcome back, Trade! And now -- get back to work on the story! Thanks!!!

Archie's 65th Anniversary

Ever so quietly, Archie had his 65th birthday and Vanity Fair covered the story. On the left, the execs behind the comic books that sell more than a half million copies a month.

This is pretty much the corporate version of events. There's mention of the controversy over who exactly created Archie (I think it was Bob "If you drink, don't ink!" Montana), but no comments about Dan DeCarlo's lawsuit regarding the Josie & the Pussycats property.

Still, some interesting factoids here. And Stan Goldberg, the keeper of the Archie flame -- the guy who's penciled over 200 consecutive issues of Archie -- and counting -- has a short bit. Stan deserves more credit than he's given for keeping the series looking fresh. I've had conversations with him about how he keeps up with fashions and trends. And the kids pick up on that. And that's sales. And that's the gasoline that runs the Archie engine.

H/t Comics Reporter.

Verbatum from the Advertising World

From the Adverbatims blog site -- these are real comments from the real world of advertising:

#341- "It’s simple really: I want you to come up with something that’s never been done before; something that touches hearts and minds all around the world. Oh, and I need it by 11 tomorrow morning."
(Agency, Marketing Director to Creative team)

#252- "If you host my site on the world wide web, does that mean that anyone anywhere in the world will be able to see it or will I have to pay extra?"
(Client)

#195- "This logo isn’t the right size." - "Well, I have the file open in Photoshop and the dimensions are correct." - "That can’t be right. I’m measuring it and it’s about an 1/8” too small." - "How are you measuring it?" - "I’m holding my ruler up to the monitor."
(Client and Agency, phone conversation reviewing a JPEG)

#128- “Make it wild but conservative!”
(Agency, Account Executive, to Art Director)

#046- “When we talked about a multimedia website, I meant one including animations, video and sound, but I want it to weigh less than 30k.”
(Client, Brand Manager)

Happy Birthday, Stephanie!

A happy birthday to my friend and best girl cartoonist around, Stephanie Piro!

Above, one of her cats. A visit to her studio here.

Spider-Man Gets Political

Latest Spider-Man Comic Launches Attack On Bush Admin: Superheroes Forced To Register Identity, Held Without Civil Rights In "Negative Zone."

Link here.

Larson Not Laughing

Blogger/Motivational Speaker Graeme Codrington (bio here) has a problem with Gary Larson asking him not to use Far Side cartoons on his (Codrington's) Web site:

"Now, Gary Larson, in a nice enough way, has asked us to remove the page. What I don’t get is his logic. His argument is all about his emotional attachment to his cartoons, his desire to exercise control over their usage and the fact that they are 'his children.' Sure. But what about the 20 Larson books I have in my library? Why isn’t he concerned about them? I’ll be honest and say I don’t think I’ve dusted them in over a year, and one or two may have torn pages. Does that make him sad?

"Why can’t he just be honest and say, 'Hey punk, if you didn’t pay for the pictures, you can’t use them.' I did actually pay for them - the pics on the site were all scanned from legal copies of his books that I own."

Link here.

There are only a couple of comments from readers on his blog. Both are on Graeme's side. And, although the blog entry is from October 2006, I only recently saw it, and I wanted to talk about getting cartoons for free on the Web, and the rights of cartoonists.

Graeme feels he's entitled to take the work from Larson becuase he's bought a lot of Far Side merchandise over the years, and "contributed to what I assume is a fairly wealthy man’s fortune." And he assumes that having bought the book entitles him to using the man's work to his own ends.

OK, a lot of people clip out a cartoon and put it up in their office or school locker.

Taking cartoons is one thing. Taking them for profit is another.

Here's Graeme again:

"A website I own hosts a number of talks that can be used in youth groups. ... One of the talks was about how to use Gary Larson’s cartoons to teach young people about God. It was a fun talk, and it included some examples of his cartoons."

And Graeme has stumbled on the whole key: fair use.

At the Carnegie Museum, in one of the back rooms, there's a cartoon of mine (above) that someone taped to the door. My dad's a docent there, and when I saw it, I thanked him. He told me that he didn't put it there. Well, that's nice. Someone else -- someone not related to me -- saw it in WSJ and liked it enough to bother to clip it and tape it up to cheer up the messy Museum break room.

Now, if someone was, for instance, using the cartoon to sell something -- that would not be OK with me.

This person would be using my cartoon as a tool to help them personally profit.

"As an author and presenter myself, I accept that people use my work," Graeme writes. " ... I don’t pursue the copyright I own and am entitled to. Is that just me? I’d like your opinion."

Well, that's his business. But as far as cartoonists are concerned ....

A cartoonist giving away his or her cartoons is a hot topic and has lit up some pro and/or amateur cartooning boards. But some do offer their cartoons for free to Web sites. How do you make a living giving away your cartoons?

One side of this debate says EXPOSURE IS GOOD and the other says YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN DIE FROM EXPOSURE.

And then there's the YOU'RE RUINING THE MARKET BY GIVING AWAY YOUR CARTOONS!

If someone's taping up a cartoon of mine in their school locker or their MySpace page, then that's fine with me. That's personal use. But if someone is using another person's creation without permission for business purposes, then that's wrong.

I don't think it's wrong to a cartoonist give away their cartoons. It's their business. And most of the gag cartoonists who do give away their work are only giving away a portion of their output. (I can't speak for Web cartoonists who tend to put 100% of their product out there for free.) A lot of businesses give away stuff (free t-shirts, pens, 2-for1 coupons). It's a way to drum up business and remind people you're out there. But I also believe that it's up to the creator to choose which way to go on this issue.

But it's flat out wrong to use cartoons for a commercial purpose without making an agreement with the cartoonist.

Ellen Forney and Megan Kelso in NYC

Indy cartoonists Ellen Forney and Megan Kelso are appearing twice in NYC to promote their new collections I Love Led Zeppelin and The Squirrel Mother "with an evening of interdisciplinary performances."

Tuesday, January 9th they're at The Strand and then Friday, January 12th at the Rocketship comic book store and gallery right here in Brooklyn.

Mark Fisher from Sketch to Finish

Illustrator Mark Fisher shows us rough sketches and then the finished version of a PBS Antiques Roadshow TV show poster he did.

Drawger is one of the most interesting sites and every time I go there, I see illustrators whose work I've seen, but whose names I don't know. A good site to peek in a couple of times a week to see inside info. into the illustration biz: what editors want, stories of rejection, personal projects, etc.

Doctor Who THE RUNAWAY BRIDE

Watch them until they're yanked.

Here's the new 2006 Christmas Special Doctor Who THE RUNAWAY BRIDE, unseen outside of the UK. This is the next episode after "Doomsday," the end of the 2nd season.

Link here to the first bit now posted at YouTube, with links to the remaining parts of the episode on that page.

Remembering Schulz

50 years ago this Friday, Snoopy walked on 2 legs for the first time (link: Official Peanuts Web site).

Another first time in the strip: January 1st, 1956, 51 years ago, Linus appeared with his security blanket.

"Mr. Schulz remembered, 'I did not know then that the term 'security blanket' would later become part of the American language.'" -- Sarah Boxer, NY Times


His last daily strip ran seven years ago, January 3, 2000. His last Sunday strip appeared the next month, on February 14. Charles Schulz had passed away the day before, as the presses printed up the Sunday papers.

Hard to believe that this year marks 7 years since his passing, and since the death of his strip.

Here's a link to the announcement of his death on CNN from the morning of February 14, 2006 that I just found this evening. Still a shock and still sad.

His museum celebrates its fifth year in 2007, with a new exhibit opening this month.

I can't think of a colleague who doesn't own some or all of the Complete Peanuts books published by Fantagraphics.

And I don't have to show you a picture for you to know who Snoopy or Linus is. His work is part of your subconscious -- whether you're a cartoonist or a "regular person."

Good ol' Charlie Schulz. How we love him.