I'm Away

.. but I'll be back in a few days.

Mike Lynch Cartoon in April 29, 2009 Wall Street Journal

Mike Lynch Cartoon in April 2009 PROSPECT

From gag cartoons to old children's records to British stage actresses.

I have a cartoon, aptly described as "the giant cat head cartoon" by the editor, in this month's PROSPECT magazine.

"It doesn't bother me because I don't let it bother me."

Above: The Tenniel drawing from ALICE IN WONDERLAND.

OK, the drawing makes no sense if you don't know the above floating head of the Cheshire cat drawing. This is a personal favorite cartoon of mine that sold to the US publication Brandweek two years ago.

I drew the cat freehand after staring at the drawing for a while. No pencils since I wanted the ink lines to be vibrant. (Penciling dulls my drawing line, making it lifeless.)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND was a favorite. Not the Disney version -- the Caedmon version. We had a Caedmon LP of ALICE, starring smoky-voiced stage actress Joan Greenwood in the lead. I must have listened to it a million times.


Above: Joan Greenwood herself in a 1953 Life Magazine portrait by Kurt Hutton, for the article "Frenchman's Guide To The Girls."

I'm forever grateful to Johnny C. for emailing me an MP3 of the long-lost LP. Check out his terrific blog!

STAR TREK on Newsweek Cover

Trekmovie has all the details.

Pianist George Winston Talks About & Plays Vince Guaraldi

Korea Comics Museum of Bucheon

Here's a short video overview of the Korea Comics Museum of Bucheon.




A description of the center and its mission from the video:

Bucheon Cartoon Information Center was founded in 1998 as an active player in the cartoon culture base expansion project of the Korea Comics Museum, Comics Library and Comics Gyujanggak; as well as the opening of the Bucheon International Comics Festival, running of the International Cartoonist Competition, and comic education industry. In addition, to create industrial value for comic content, we are expanding a variety of comic creative support projects, including overseas exchanges and domestic comic market exploitation, as well as the operation of a comic general industry support center for comic-related enterprises and artists.

STAR TREK Movie: Less Than 2 Weeks

May 8, 2009 is the premiere of JJ Abrams' new STAR TREK theatrical movie, as you know. Here's a series of clips showing the daunting number of past incarnations, including, of course, the original.

BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1958

Here are just a few cartoons from THE BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1958 edited by Lawrence Lariar and copyright that same year by him.



Above: Al Kaufman's line is precise and to the point. It took me a few seconds, but by his use of blackspotting, I figured out the gag. I always like these "the moment before chaos" sort of gags.


Above: the one and only Orlando Busino's take on those ubiquitous "Think" signs. The look on the guys face, his hand casually in his pocket as he effortlessly tosses the sign makes this one a bullseye.



Above: I believe this is the work of cartoonist Ken Montone. Look at how he handles time. Specificallt, in the second panel, the recognition of what's happened vis the girl's bikini really has not set in on the boys' faces. That's how quickly this has occurred.


Above: Monroe Leung gives us a shocking moment when an innocent boy scout has his traditional values sullied by a member of The Greatest Generation.




Above: Jack Markow, who reminds us that back in 1958 the important thing to a woman was that her hat was one of a kind.





Above: George Wolfe has a gag that relies on you, the reader, knowing about clotheslines of this era. I wonder if, in a few years, when more people realize their dryer is the most energy-sucking home appliance, that hanging up wash will be more status quo -- and this gag will again become cutting edge.


Al Ross gives us a creepy, almost Addams-ish, psychiatry gag. I love how sketchy the cartoon is.




Virgil VIP Partch always delivered a good punch line.


Above: Ton Smits is a cartoonist who deserves to be better known in the USA. There is always a philosophic layer to his work.



Ned Hilton -- another cartoonist with a clear precise line that easily denotes mass and form -- shows us a good gag, and an idea that might really come in handy during these economic times.


Bob Tupper with a gag that took me a couple of seconds, with my eyes roaming around the drawing, to get the gag.


And, last, another great multi-panel Partch cartoon. Somehow, Partch's characters can be dreadful and horrible, but they are still very, very funny.

All of these cartoons have one thing in common: no gag line. All are visual jokes, and most are technically wordless. Wordless gags are, I believe, the toughest to create, if you are a cartoonist. So, I appreciate all of these more than the ones with words, you bet.


A hat tip to my pal, cartoonist John Klossner, who loaned me his copy of the BEST CARTOONS OF 1958. Thanks, John!

Joyville: My, you do have the funniest dreams!

Gabriel Corbera scans in a couple of great John Stanley written NANCY comic book stories (Oona's Goosepimple Fireplace and Nancy and the Statues) at his Joyville blog.

The art is by Dan Gormley.

This pretty much cinches me getting the NANCY book, part of the John Stanley Library that D&Q is publishing next month. (Scroll down on that linked page for a PDF preview of his MELVIN THE MONSTER collection.)

Thanks, Gabriel, for posting these scans!

COSMO THE MERRY MARTIAN

Sherm Cohen at his Cartoon SNAP blog gives us lots of the short-lived wacky comic book COSMO THE MERRY MARTIAN.

Video: Arthur Szyk

Here's a 1946 newsreel from Universal Pictures titled "A Popular Person-oddity: Cartoon Crusader," featuring Arthur Szyk and his work.



If you hurry, you can still go see "Illuminated New York," a gallery exhibition of Arthur Szyk's originals at the Breem Street Gallery, NYC.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has an online exhibition of his work.

Related: The Arthur Szyk Society Web page.

Terry Beatty's THE PHONY PAGES

Terry Beatty is an Eisner Award winning artist whose comic book work includes Batman Adventures and Batman Beyond. Before all that, he was Terry "Madman" Beatty, who created these "Phony Pages" for Alan Light's Buyer's Guide for Comics Fandom.

In May 1986, Publisher Deni Loubert of the Renegade Press put some of these together in THE PHONY PAGES comic book. Here is the first issue.






























Unfortunately, I do not have the second issue.

New Hardcover Collection: BRINGING UP FATHER

From the press release:

"IDW Publishing will release a 272-page hardcover Bringing Up Father collection under its Library of American Comics imprint in November. The collection will include all the daily and color Sunday strips from January 2, 1939 to July 7, 1940, comprising the “From Sea to Shining Sea” storyline which takes Jiggs, Maggie, Nora, and Nora’s husband Lord Nevere Worthnotten on a cross-country trip to celebrate Nora’s marriage.

The 11” x 10” collection is designed by Dean Mullaney and edited by Bruce Canwell. Canwell and Brian Walker will contribute a text essay with a comprehensive view of creator George McManus and his characters.

This is great news. McManus was a master of line.

A big hat tip to Ger Apeldoorn. Ger has some scans of BRINGING UP FATHER at the link.

FLINTSTONES Comic Strips by Gene Hazelton

You want to see some truly masterful cartooning? Try looking at some early FLINTSTONES comic strips by Gene Hazelton over at my pal Ger Apeldoorn's The Fabuleous Fifties blog.

Ward-O-Matic's Wednesday Ephemera

Just the way to start your day. Some wonderful cartoony illustration work to ogle at via Ward Jenkins' Ward-O-Matic blog!

RIP KIRBY Alex Raymond Portfolio Pages

From RIP KIRBY 2, a wonderful hardcover collection of dailies from Alex Raymond's adventure strip. The comic strips are from 1949 & 1950. But the gem is this 2 page portfolio.

Copyright 1982 Oberon b.v., Haarlem (the Netherlands), King Features Syndicate.



This is part of my eBay sale. I'm clearing off my shelves of books and DVDs and magazines. RIP starts at 99 cents. Please consider taking a look.

Liza Donnelly Video

Liza Donnelly talks about women cartoonists at The New Yorker, the genesis for her book FUNNY LADIES and the recent exhibition "Sex and Sensibility" at the Cartoon Art Museum in this video.

99 Cent Cartoon Book Sale

I am selling some cartoon books and other items on eBay. I've collected stuff for a long time and I need to make more room on my shelves. All of the above items are 99 cents or less. Please consider taking a look. Thanks.

Nimoy, Quinto on THE TIMES cover

The new STAR TREK movie is front page stuff in today's TIMES.

1977 Bill Mauldin Profile

Above: "Mauldin gets his best ideas when simmering in a hot morning bath. He uses a mirror in his studio and photos of himself to help him get gestures and poses right."

Goofbutton.com posts a 1977 World Book Year Book profile of Pulitzer Award winning editorial cartoonist Bill Mauldin, written by Bill Mauldin and titled Cartoons with A Conscience.

Bill used Dundee Marmalade jars for his art supplies, just like my Old Man uses for his pens & pencils!

Hat tip to Journalista!

Anne Cleveland Remembered

Margie Boule writes a portrait of cartoonist Anne Cleveland (1916-2009), as remembered by her daughter, Susan, in today's Oregonian.

"Anne's parents came from wealthy New England families. After her father died and her mother grew more ill, Anne, Van and two younger brothers were placed in boarding schools or convents.

"Anne was taught, Susan says, not to make trouble. 'She was the oldest, the only girl. . . . Throughout her life, her reaction was, 'How do I get rid of a desire?' as opposed to going for it.'"

H/t to Journalista!

George Price: Early Years

THE GOOD HUMOR MAN, "A happy array of Cartoons, Sketched and a gay Diary compiled and edited by Richard McAllister." Farrar & Rinehart, Inc., Publisher, New York. Copyright 1940 by George Price.




"Some of the drawings in this book originally appeared in The New Yorker, Collier's, The Saturday Evening Post and the original Life.

"The description of Mr. Price in the title of this book is used with the co-operation of the Good Humor Corporation."


INTRODUCTION

"When we first planned this book we asked Mr. Price if he would write up a few of his experiences.

"... When we finished reading the diary we asked Mr. price whom he thought he was ribbing. Certainly, we stated, there was not the least truth in all this.

"Mr. Price was indignant. 'Every word is absolute gospel,' he said stiffly. 'If you knew anything at all about the cartoon business you wouldn't question that for a moment.'"

Below are some excerpts from Mr. Price's "gay Diary:"

June 22nd

"Made out very well at Collier's today. Gurney Williams held five of my roughs for the art meeting.

"When submitting drawings to Gurney I strike quickly, like a cobra. On top of my batch, I place my strongest idea. Get him in into a good humor from the very start, I find, and he will okay ideas like mad.

"More times than I like to think of, though, I have no 'strong' idea to place on top (on top, or anywhere) and the whole session has dissolved into a fiasco.

"Clip Amory at the Saturday Evening Post I approach differently. In his case it his best use a 'build up.'

"On top of the batch, instead of my best, I place one of my sourest ideas. Beneath that I place the worst, the very worst, of the lot. Usually, it is so bad as to bring from Clip a quiet moan. After an introduction like that the remaining ideas, no matter how mediocre, appear like so many nuggets."

June 25th

"Another milestone passes! I sold a cartoon to Life* today!

"For a long time now I have struggled to make this magazine. It was a tough one to crack. Not that I hadn't received encouragement. It wasn't eight months before the elevator operator was calling me by my first name. Never had I been able to get past the receptionist, however, and my drawings had always come back with a plain rejection slip.

"Life, of course, has long been know for the odd manner in which it is edited. Since its inception the magazine has used its famous 'passerby' system. The publishers reason, with no little logic, that since the man-in-the-street reads the magazine, the man-in-the-street should have some say in the editing of it.

"The cartoons are selected entirely on this basis. A few days before an issue goes to press, the editors lean out the office windows, show the cartoons to anyone who happens to be passing by and ask for a frank opinion.

"Until a few years ago this system worked without a hitch. Life's offices were located on the first floor, and passerby were in easy access.

"Then complications arose. The offices were moved up to the twenty-third floor. In spite of the apparent difficulty of employing the passerby system under these conditions, the owners demanded that this traditional style of editing be adhered to.

"People who happen to be passing the twenty-third floor windows, of course, are few and far between. There remains, in fact, but one type of passerby on whom Life can now try out their cartoons -- the occasional human fly who happens to be scaling the building.

"It is a familiar sight along Bleecker Street (and to me a somewhat amusing one) to see the editors of Life, each clutching a handful of cartoons, anxiously peering from their windows hoping a human fly will begin an ascent in time for them to make a deadline.

"With a set-up like that, if I ever expected to sell a cartoon to Life, my course was clear. The plan was a risky one, but I was willing to gamble. I made up my mind to climb the building, pretending to be a human fly.

"*Mr. Price, of course, refers to the humorous magazine of that name. It has since been discontinued."

"At ten o'clock this morning I began my ascent. I had never before scaled a building and there were several fearful moments during the first stages of the journey when I was tempted to quit. The sight of Life's editors poking their heads out the window spurred me on, however, and I manfully stuck to my task.

"By noon I had reached the eighth floor. Here a little Gypsy Tea Room was located. I lunched leisurely and had my tea leaves read.

"Resuming my climb I passed the twentieth floor two hours later, and fortified by a shot of bourbon from a stenographer with a southern drawl, I started on the home stretch.

"By this time Life's editors, informed of my approach, lined the windows shouting encouragement.

"' ... Er -- young man,' one of them said, 'we would like to ask a favor of you.' He then explained the passerby system and I listened with interest as if hearing about the whole thing for the first time. I agreed, naturally, to look at their cartoons.

" ... Each I rejected. I would shake my head regretfully and hand the cartoon back with some remark like: 'I'm sorry, it just doesn't make seem funny to me,' or, 'Don't get it,' or, at a particularly bad one, 'Ugh.'

"One hour passed. Another. The editors, as the stack of drawings decreased without an approval, became alarmed. 'I do hope he likes one of them,' I heard a layout man say nervously. 'We still have that half-page open in the next issue, you know.'

"Finally, I had looked at all of them. I shrugged. 'Sorry,' I said, 'but none of these hit me.'

"There was an embarrassed pause. Then, as if it were a random thought, I asked if they had any cartoons about camels around. I didn't know why, I said, but cartoons about camels always struck me funny.

"After a hurried conference one of the assistants was dispatched to the mailing room. He rushed back with a cartoon showing two large camels and one baby camel. They handed the drawing to me and anxiously watched my reaction.

"I roared with laughter. I guffawed so heartily that for one breathless moment I almost lost my grip on the gargoyle.

"'It's in!' the editor-in-chief shouted 'Set it up for a half-page!' He handed the cartoon to an assistant. 'By the way,' he said, ' who drew it?' The assistant told him the artist was named George Price.

"'Send him a check,' the editor-in-chief said.

"We exchanged farewells. I continued on my way up to the roof, came down in the elevator and rushed back to my studio glowing with triumph."

Drawing Blondie: Chic Young's Step-by-Step Process

Here is an ad for US Savings Bonds showing Chic Young's drawing process for a BLONDIE daily comic strip. My pal Leif Peng came across this while scanning magazines for his terrific Today's Inspiration blog. Here's Leif:

Found this while scanning something for Today's Inspiration. Thought you might like it for your blog...

Supposedly a Chic Young 'step-by-step'... but if it really is, then Young must have been a frigging Zen Master Cartoonist, because there's no sign of any real construction, its just a sort of "coming into focus" process, unlike anything I've ever seen!

More likely, he did the strip the usual way, then, for the sake of this ad concept, did a two stage "deconstruction" to reverse the process down to something that looked like a rough sketch but less messy than the real rough sketch. What do you think?

I agree with Leif. It all looks pretty slicked up and doesn't have the necessary construction lines. It appears like dear ol' Blondie just pops into focus out Mr. Young's amazing cartoonist brain!

1942 Newsreel: Croation Cartoonists

Here's a 1942 Croation art exhibition. You can watch Croatian artists drawing anti-Bolshevik and anti-Jewish posters. The whole thing is in a foreign language (Croat, I'm guessing). It was interesting to watch the cartoonist at the top of this 6 minute clip. Watching the entire newsreel, I wondered if any of these fellows went on to draw or create for a living in post-war times.

Just Because No One Understands You Doesn't Mean You're an Artist

Graphic novelist Dash Shaw and New Yorker cartoonist Zach Kanin got together and did a jam comic which "neither of us is proud ...."

"I met Dash recently for a “cartoon jam.” I wrote and drew the first panel, he wrote and drew the second panel, I wrote and drew the third panel, he did the fourth, and on and on like that until we got bored of sitting in the Border’s café and I decided to go home and rent “Highlander” which I couldn’t really get into either."

H/t to Journalista!

FULL AUDIO: Al Jaffee, Arnold Roth & Gary Groth HUMBUG Panel

Now this is exciting!

Thanks to the Daily Cross Hatch, there is full audio (as well some video and still pictures) from the Al Jaffee & Arnold Roth talk, moderated by Gary Groth, that took place on April 14, 2009 at The Strand, NYC.

A big hat tip to Journalista! Thank you DCH and Dirk Deppey!

A Tale of Two Cartoonists by Hugh Turley

Above: ©2001 Skippy, Inc. Joan Crosby Tibbetts

One of the truths of the cartooning business is that you don't get to choose what you'll be remembered for. Your fate is handed, first, to a series of editorial gatekeepers. If you can find someone who likes what you do then maybe jut maybe you'll get a buy. And, second, it's then up to people out there in the real world who consume your work. They will determine if you have value and meaning. They will either give a shrug, or demand more.

"A Tale of Two Cartoonists," is an April 8th column by Hugh Turley, from The Hyattsville Life and Times. The piece recounts the fortunes of two of the best cartoonists in the 20th century: Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) and Percy Crosby (SKIPPY).

DC Dave has a link to the article (The Hyattsville Life and Times has no Web presence that I can Google up and may be, apparently, the little newspaper at the end of time.)

Percy Crosby, whose work I personally put at the top of the heaps of great cartoonists, was a huge name in the 1930s. Schulz cited his SKIPPY comic strip as an influence. If you get a chance, please visit Skippy.com, which is run by his daughter, Joan Crosby Tibbetts, President, Skippy, Inc., and Administratrix of the Percy Crosby Estate.

Once you browse the site, you'll see some great cartoon work, as well as the details of Unilever's theft of the character's name; "... they remain willfully blind when it comes to stealing the SKIPPY name and character that Percy Crosby created and made world famous."

SKIPPY didn't play by the rules. SKIPPY shredded hypocrisy with a bit of humor and whimsy, along with Percy Crosby's signature bold pen line. His work resonates, and deserves to be remembered. I'm thankful to Joan, whom I call a dear friend of my family, for showcasing her Father's work on the SKIPPY site.

Thank you, Joan!

James Montgomery Flagg Comics

Another reason to support the ASIFA blog.

H/t to Dylan Horrocks.

Maine Comics Arts Festival: Poster by Matt Talbot

It's just over 5 weeks until the Maine Comics Arts Festival. I like the spanking new poster designed by Matt Talbot of a giant monster who is, apparently, going to swat the Ocean Gateway facility, where the day-long event will be held, with a rolled up comic book.

The Maine Comics Arts Festival (MECAF) will be held on May 17, 2009 in Portland, ME. Featuring dozens of comics writers, artists and publishers, this will be a celebration of the comics art form.

Now, please excuse me while I go draw some giant comics to soothe savage sea monsters.

NYC: HUMBUG Signing Tonight

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS AND THE STRAND PRESENT:

AN EVENING OF HUMBUG

In 1957, five artists — Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, Arnold Roth, Al Jaffee and Jack Davis — hot on the heels of creating MAD magazine, pooled their money and their talent and entered into the creative, exuberant folly of a lifetime by creating the greatest satirical magazine of their careers. Join Humbug co-founders Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee in a book signing and discussion about this historic publication with Fantagraphics Publisher and editor of the collected Humbug, Gary Groth. Attendees will also enjoy an exclusive screening of a documentary short film about the late Will Elder.

LISTING INFORMATION:

An Evening with Humbug
Featuring Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee in conversation with Gary Groth
Tuesday, April 14, 7:00PM
The Strand Bookstore
12th St. & Broadway, New York, NY

BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 Part 3

This is part 3 of our look at the BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945. Below are the links to the first two parts:

BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part one
BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part two















And below are more of Jack Markow's gag cartoons.










Links to all BEST CARTOONS 1945 threads:

BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part one
BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part two
BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part three

Mort Walker on Graphic Novels

“I don’t know, because most of the graphic novels I’ve heard of and seen reviewed are usually about somebody’s terrible pain, homosexuality or the Holocaust or something like that. But they’re all dark. Are there any funny ones?”

- Mort Walker

I've pulled this quote from today's Journalista! site. Mort Walker has a HUGE interview in the new Comics Journal, of which the above paragraph is a mere tiny fraction.

I'm rereading Yotsuba&!, so I think that may qualify as a funny graphic novel, but Mr. Walker's general point is well taken.

Some New Frank Springer Remembrances

There have been a couple more remembrances of Frank on the Web this week:

ComicBookCollectorsBlog: In Memoriam... Frank Springer

John Kovaleski: Cartoonists I Dig - Frank Springer

Stephan Pastis Draws PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Hat tip Elena Steier.

Today's Courier-Journal: A Hand Drawn Newspaper Front Page

The Courier-Journal's (Louisville, KY) front page is hand-drawn by an artist, Serkan Ozkaya. The real front page is on A3 of the print edition. A PDF link to the cover is here. Video & an article about it here.

This is interesting, but how it copying the front page by hand considered art? Or is it like Lichtenstein copying comic book panels?

Art is art because of the statement that it makes. This is content-less.

Hat tip to Rob Tornoe.

Charlton Comics' 1973 HOW TO Guide

Sherm Cohen hits it out of the ballpark, linking to THE COMIC BOOK GUIDE FOR THE ARTIST - WRITER - LETTERER, a hard to find 1973 how to book put out by Charlton Comics. Included at no extra charge: a 10 page Alex Toth story.

BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 Part 2

Here are some more page scans from THE BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945, edited and copyright 1945 by Lawrence Lariar, Crown Publishers, New York.

THE BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part one is here.


Here are a few early cartoons by fresh-outta-the-Navy, pre-DENNIS THE MENACE cartoonist Hank Ketcham, with a little bit of a fatter line, but nonetheless controlled and beautiful to linger over. Just look at those piles of hankies, above, with that slight, soft wave in the form.




The above wordless cartoon took me a minute. I kept looking at the kid's giant eyes and not the hat. I think this is a proto-HALF-HITCH.




The happy, simple look on the dog kicks the humor up in this one.
The thing I like about this BEST CARTOONS book are the biols and the self-portraits of the cartoonists. Frank Beavan looks like he's hiding on the other side of a large piece of celery.



And who knew that the cartoons of this time signed "Corka" were husband and wife John Cornin & Zena Kavin! I didn't until I read this. So now we all know that before Stan & Jan (Berenstain) there was John & Zena!


Above and below is Reamer Keller, who would, later on, retire to the Jersey shore. I love the way the cartoonists take shots at each other in their bios. I love Reamer's lines, so relaxed.



Above and below are two of the four Roth cartoon-drawing brothers.



Eric Ericson mentions Greg d'Alessio, who was married to Hilda Terry.


More anon.

Links to all BEST CARTOONS 1945 threads:

BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part one
BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part two
BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part three

The Pens on Mike Lynch's Desk

Gag Cartoon Business: How Long Do You Wait?

I was sitting at a table having lunch with some cartoonists. Valerie Costantino was there, and we were, as usual, having an intense conversation about gag cartooning. Valerie was always intense about cartooning, and it showed in her quick, confident cartoon style. She was selling gag cartoons to all of the top markets.

"What do you do when you don't hear back?" was the question.

What should a cartoonist do if a month has gone by, and there's still response to the cartoon submission? No rejection note, no email, no phone call, nothing.

Do you wait, do you call, send a polite email? What?

I told her I wait 30 days, and if I don't hear anything, I assume that there is no sale.

There was some debate about this.

My feeling then is the same now: if you are sending cartoons to magazines, then you need to be a shark: constantly moving. If my batch of 10 cartoons does not sell at, for instance, the Wall Street Journal, after 30 days, then it's time to mail that batch to another business market.

I miss Valerie, and those conversations with her about markets and how we conduct our business. Cartooning is the only profession I know where you're pals with your competitors!

Valerie passed away five years ago. She had been battling cancer for years. I think of her when I get asked questions about markets. Valerie was one of the many great cartoonists in the Berndt Toast Gang.

We used to go up to the New Yorker offices together. Five years ago, her new comic strip was ready to launch with the Washington Post Syndicate, and she had cartoons in Reader's Digest and Harvard Business Review. I think it was just a matter of time before she got into The New Yorker.

My point, as I reminisce, is that we do not know how much time we're going to get. If you're going to cartoon, get on with it.

The Kupferberg Holocaust Center: Opening Exhibit: Cartoonists, Nazis and the Holocaust

From CUNY Queensborough's Kupferberg Holocaust Center, here's a trailer from "Cartoonists, Nazis and the Holocaust" from February 17, 2009. More video here.

DRAW COMICS by George Carlson

Yet another reason to visit the terrific Sherm Cohen's Cartoon SNAP site!

James Vance: "Goodbye, Frank Springer"

Award winning writer James Vance remembers Frank Springer's work

"Even in those earliest days of his comics career, Frank Springer was a master of his craft, and a man who mastered it on his own terms. Talented people who march to their own beat are always at a premium, and I’m sorry that there’s now one less of them among us."

Hat tip to Tom Spurgeon.

Father Guido Sarducci on Art School

A real Clio-award winning commercial from 1982.

Big hat tip to Nobody's Sweetheart I Let My Fists Do the Talkin' blog!

Congratulations Dave Astor

Dave Astor just co-won a 2nd-place New Jersey Press Association award for his work in the editorial section of The Montclair Times. He writes the weekly "Montclairvoyant" topical humor column.

A PDF link to the award winners is here. Dave tells me:

"I'm at 'W-23' when you scroll down. My name is currently misspelled there (Aster, not Astor). I'm trying to get that fixed!"

Dave's daughter Maggie co-won a first-place prize in the same contest for The Montclair Times.

Here's a link to Dave Astor's latest Huffington Post piece, which features a cynical take on the new Yankee Stadium.

Congratulations to Dave and Maggie!

The Hawthorne High School Comic Convention RETURNS!

Saturday, May 9th, in Hawthorne, NJ, the Hawthorne High School has its Hawthorne High School Comic Convention. This is a terrific convention with a lot of great comic book artists attending. Plus: your admission fee helps the art department.

Below is the press release:

New Jersey’s greatest comic book convention is back this May 9^th. Hawthorne High School is proud to announce it’s 2009 comic convention. Featuring New Jersey’s greatest gathering of comic book creators the Hawthorne High School Cartooning Club will hold it’s 5^th great convention. With great events like comic creating lessons by comic pros, an auction of original comic art, comic books and comic collectibles and one of the best line ups of comic creators at any convention in the country the Hawthorne High Comic Convention is one of the great events in the world of comic fandom.

The convention is a spin off of the Ramapo High School Comic Con, one of the now legendary conventions of the 1980’s & 90’s. Run by Hawthorne High art teachers Allan Rosenberg and Danielle Russo, and the wonderful students of the Cartooning Club, the convention is held as a fundraiser to supplement the art department’s budget, thus making it possible do even greater things for the art students of the high school.

This year’s convention is expanding the cartooning and art lessons to provide some great programming. Besides the usual cartooning and comic art lessons (examples: anatomy and page layout) there will also be programming in sculpting the heroic figure and creating your own comic.

As usual we are looking for a few good vendors. If you are interested in vendor tables at the show contact Allan Rosenberg at alllal@aol.com.

The convention is a great family friendly event and a true bargain with a $4.00 entrance fee. The convention takes place Saturday May 9^th from 10am – 4pm at Hawthorne High School, 160 Parmelee Avenue, Hawthorne, New Jersey 07506. It’s easily accessible by car or train.

Oh, we forgot to mention one last thing, our incredible line up of comic creators. This is the line up as of March 22, 2009 with more to come.

• James Sherman
• Dennis O’Neill
• Dennis Colero
• Jim Salicrup
• Hannibal King
• Steve Mannion
• Tom Raney
• Bob Wiacek
• Danny Fingeroth
• Joe Sinnott
• Michael Golden
• Mark Texiera
• Irwin Hasen
• Mark Romanowski
• Ken Gale
• Mercy Van Vlack
• Steve Walker
• Michael Lilly
• Scott Roberts
• Glen Whitmore
• Dick Ayers
• Rich Ayers
• John Workman
• Billy Tucci
• Joe Staton
• Eric Battle
• Tommy Castillo
• Ian Dorian
• Joe Giella
• Tom Palmer
• Bob Schreck (tent.)
• Mark Schultz
• Dan Reed
• Rodney RamosJim Calafiore
  

And more great comic creators to come!

Further information will be available on the Big Apple Conventions website (bigapplecon.com) who most generously are donating the web page for our updates and their invaluable assistance! Thanks guys!

A big thank you to the Hawthorne Board of Education for making the convention possible each year.

Hope to see you here at Hawthorne High School on May 9^th for this great day celebrating the world of comic & cartoon arts.

Al Jaffee & Arnie Roth Live Mr. Media Podcast Interview

Today at 2pm EST, Mr. Media interviews Al Jaffee and Arnold Roth live. Topics: HUMBUG, Hefner & Kurtzman.



Related: The Daily Crosshatch has a new 3 part interview with Arnold Roth: Part one, part two and part three. And don't forget their 3 part interview with Mr. Jaffee: part one is here, with parts two and three to come.

BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945

The BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 book, edited and copyright by Lawrence Lariar, Crown Publishers, New York, has autobiographies of the cartoonists throughout the book. Here are just a few.














And, below, are a few more of Virgil VIP Partch's cartoons from the book:








Links to all BEST CARTOONS 1945 threads:

BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part one
BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part two
BEST CARTOONS OF THE YEAR 1945 part three

2009 Toon Award & Exhibition

The first Toon Award & Exhibition will begin later this month in Okoboji, Iowa. Students 18 years of age or older may submit their work for exhibition and award consideration. The deadline is next Wednesay, April 15, 2009. There will be a series of awards in these distinct cartooning disciplies:

• Magazine Cartoons
• Greeting Cards
• Comic Books
• Political Cartoons
• Illustrations
• Manga & Anime
• Comic Strips
• Animation

From April 24, 2009 until June 27, 2009, there will be a display of amateur and professional cartoon work at the Pearson Lakes Art Center.

There will be a 2 day conference, April 24 - 25th, 2009, beginning with a reception on Friday evening. Scheuled for Saturday: cartooning workshops and a cartoon raffle. Saturday night isthe awards ceremony.

My thanks to Ken Alvine, the man who is organizing all this, for keeping me informed. Thanks, Ken!

Frank Springer 1929-2009

Frank Springer died April 2, 2009 in a Maine hospital. The cause was prostate cancer.

Frank was a journeyman cartoonist, with his work seen by millions.

Just looking at his resume (and this is a partial list) —

Terry and the Pirates
New York Daily News
National Lampoon
comic books (DC, Marvel, Western Publishing)
The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist
The Heart of Juliet Jones
Space Ghost

— it's easy to see that pretty much everyone experienced his inky lines.

Of his freelance career, he once said

"There were some raggedy times, but I always had work, raised five kids, bought some houses, bought some cars...I've been lucky."

I'm quoting Mark Evanier's blog (link below), and I agree with Mark's opinion: luck had little to do with it; talent and drive was his secret of success. (Drive was a big part of his life. The number of times he had biked RAGBRAI, an annual 7 day, 472 bike ride thru Iowa, was in the double digits.)

Mark is also right about the NCS. Frank was a much loved guy amongst the members. To a lot of people (including me), Frank exemplified the NCS.

I was fortunate to know Frank and his wife Barbara. Frank, a past National Cartoonists Society president, advised me about NCS issues. When I rang, he always picked up the phone and, treating me like an equal, gave me his opinion. I shall miss him.

My heartfelt condolences to Barbara, and the Springer children and grandchildren. Frank shall be missed and he'll be remembered.

Related:

NY Newsday obituary

Mark Evanier remembers

Dan Best interviews Frank from January 10, 2008

ComicBookCollectorsBlog: In Memoriam... Frank Springer

John Kovaleski: Cartoonists I Dig - Frank Springer

Lambiek bio


Above: Frank draws caricatures at the Manhattan Savings Bank's 1987 NCS show.


Above: Grand Ballroom, The Plaza, New York City, April 21, 1970.


Frank's bio page from the NCS Album, revised edition, 1972, compiled by Mort Walker.


Above: a November 20, 2005 photo of Frank and Ashley Smith-Piraro. Behind him is the Overlook Lounge cartoon mural in progress. You can see the head of Phoebe Zeit-Geist bottom left.

John Eaves' STAR TREK Designs Blog

Above: The Tholian ship from ENTERPRISE.

Production designer/illustrator John Eaves share his STAR TREK work, as well as the work of others, at his Eavesdropping With Johnny blog.

The original builders of the original USS Enterprise. Dig those nacelle spears!

A big hat tip to The Cartoonist!

Video: 1975 NYC Sci Fi Fantasy Convention

Joe Stefano! Whit Bissell! Noel Neill! And, last and best, Angelique Pettyjohn! If those names mean nothing, then you're not a sci fi TV fan. If you are, then take a peak at Paul Scrabo's home movie of the 1975 Sci Fi and Fantasy Convention.



One minor correction: the music that Paul chose for Ms. Pettyjohn's dance was composed by Alexander Courage, for the first STAR TREK pilot, "The Cage."

LITTLE LULU "April Fools"

I condemn myself for my constant tardiness! I meant to run this yesterday.

Here's Little Lulu in MARGE'S LITTLE LULU, Vol. 1, No. 46, April 1952 in an adventure titled "April Fools." This was, more than likely, written and laid out by John Stanley with inks by Irving Tripp.













And don't forget that you this beautiful gold-plated key holder for joining the Dell Comics Club (i.e., spedning a dollar to subscribe to LITTLE LULU!

DOCTOR WHO "Planet of the Dead" Trailer

Here's the official preview for the new DOCTOR WHO special "Planet of the Dead," which airs on April 11, 2009 on BBC One.

Sarah McIntyre: How I Make Comics

Illustrator Sarah McIntyre shows us her comic-making process at her LiveJournal page.

The International Museum of Cartoon Art & Big Boy

Hey, let's go back to 1994. Back when the International Museum of Cartoon Art has moved from its Rye, NY location ...

(Above: a postcard of the International Museum of Cartoon Art in its Rye, NY days. Photo by Berndt!)

... to Boca Raton, Florida.



Although the move to Florida was well publicized, the Museum would not see the support and foot traffic it needed to sustain the 52,000 square foot facility.

A couple of years later, Craig Yoe and Mort Walker teamed up for BIG BOY MAGAZINE (it's called a magazine, not a comic book) for an adventure with the Big Boy (a restaurant mascot; the restaurant being where one could pick up a free copy of the BIG BOY MAGAZINE) and Mort Walker's BEETLE BAILEY. Copyright 1997 Elias Brothers Restaurants, Inc.










In 2008, Mort Walker's huge collection went to Ohio, to be maintained by The Ohio State University Cartoon Library and Museum.

Related: 2009 events Celebrating the International Museum of Cartoon Art Collection

Related: Mike Rhode, over at the ComicsDC blog, has the 2008 press release of IMCA moving to OSU here.

Ben Templesmith's Drawing Process

Ben Templesmith (30 DAYS OF NIGHT) photographs his process of drawing a cover for the book DRACULA. This was a "just for fun" exercise.

Nope, not to the upcoming big illustrated novel of it, but a little foretaste of it. One of those "do your own covers" which I really get a kick out of.

After he draws it, blogs about, then he puts the original art on eBay.

Hat tip to Journalista!

eBay Sale

I'm clearing off my shelves of books and DVDs and magazines. Please consider taking a look.

Video: Playboy Cartoonist Doug Sneyd

Related: Eldon Dedini: A Life in Cartoons