The 125 Year History of the St. Louis Weatherbird Exhibit

 

Original illustrations by the artist Albert Schweitzer, who drew the Weatherbird until 1986 when cartoonist Dan Martin took over. Photo: Whitney Curtis for The New York Times

 

The Weatherbird cartoon has appeared The St. Louis Post-Dispatch front page every day for almost 125 years.

"The Weatherbird, considered the oldest, continuously running daily cartoon in American journalism, is the subject of an exhibit, 'Behind the Feathers: A Century of Weatherbird History,' which opened in June and runs through Feb. 15 at the Field House Museum in downtown St. Louis.

"The exhibition includes drawings of the Weatherbird over the decades, profiles of the artists who have drawn him, Weatherbird collectibles, fan art and instructions on how to draw the Weatherbird on your own." -- A St. Louis Bird That Crosses Divides Gets His Own Show, New York Times, by Valerie Schremp Hahn. I have gifted the article so it's free from its paywall and you can read it. 

 

It's the longest continuously running newspaper comics feature ever. Dan Martin currently draws the Weatherbird. He's been doing it for the past 27 years.

 

 

A Mike Lynch Cartoon: Protest Signs

 

Sometimes I'm asked if I am a political cartoonist. I was just asked this last week. I say I am more of a person who comments on society. Like all cartoonists, I would like to make a point but I also want the cartoon to be funny. I don't get to decide that. Only the editor and then the reader does. But since this here blog is editor-less, then it's all up to you, the reader.

Bennett Cerf’s Pop-Up Silliest Riddles

Selling $10 postpaid in continental US: Bennett Cerf’s Pop-Up Silliest Riddles, a 1967 Random House hardcover. Some wear but intact and the pop-ups work. Fun graphics, but uncredited. Email me to claim.

I have A LOT of kids' books that I have collected through the years because I like the art. I need to downsize! 

 Related:

THE MAN WHO WOULDN'T TALK

 
Carl Rose Illustrations from TRY AND STOP ME by Bennett Cerf

Video: Cartoonists Working

 Via SeanTheAchivist, here is a compilation of clips of cartoonists working:

Preview: The Art of George Wilson by Anthony Taylor

 

George Wilson (1929 - 1999) was a prolific cover artist for Dell and Gold Key comic books, working mostly during the 1960s.

"His main output was for titles about Stone Age/jungle heroes like 'Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan' (23 covers), 'Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes' (64 covers), 'Turok, Son of Stone' (53 covers) and 'Edgar Rice Burroughs Korak, Son of Tarzan' (34 covers). Among his many other credits are adventure, sci-fi and mystery comic books like 'Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom' (13 covers), 'The Phantom' (13 covers), 'The Twilight Zone' (20 covers), 'Magnus, Robot Fighter' (12 covers), 'Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery' (32 covers), 'Mighty Samson' (23 covers), 'Ripley's Believe It or Not!' (24 covers) , 'Star Trek' (32 covers), 'Dark Shadows' (22 covers), 'Space Family Robinson' (14 covers), 'Space Family Robinson Lost in Space' (23 covers), 'Space Family Robinson, Lost in Space on Space Station One' (17 covers) and many others." - Lambiek

If you love comics of this time, then you have seen his work. But little was known about the man. Anthony Taylor's The Art of George Wilson is the first book collection and biography. Here are some cover samples and a video preview of the book. 

 

Video via Rave Sensation:

From the Dick Buchanan Files: "Captions? Who Needs 'Em?" Wordless Gag Cartoons 1947 – 1970

There is the old story of one of my favorite cartoonists, Jean-Jacques Sempé, who was trying to sell gag cartoons from his studio in France after WWII. He worked hard at it and was successful. And he was even more successful when he hit on the simple idea that wordless cartoons had no language barrier and could cross borders. He specialized in pantomime cartoons, and was selling all over Europe.

Wordless cartoons are not common. At least not now. I think so many cartoonists (me included) concentrate on the quip or the wisecrack, instead of just letting the picture tell the story.

My friend Dick Buchanan has scanned in, and now shares, some great examples of the truly wordless and the mostly wordless cartoons. By "mostly," I mean a cartoon with a label or a sign you have to read.

Thanks for sharing this, Dick! Here's more from the massive Buchanan Clip File located somewhere in Greenwich Village, NY:

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Here’s another bunch of clever cartoons of the wordless variety. Cartoons by cartoonists who don’t need one-liners to evoke amusement.

B. KLIBAN. Art school drop-out “Bud” Kliban started his gag cartoon career at the top, with Playboy in 1962. Look February 12, 1963

SAM COBEAN. Collier’s September 25, 1948

BILL HARRISON. Saturday Evening Post Jan 24, 1953

GEORGE SMITH. True April 1950

TOM HENDERSON. Look March 17, 1959

MORT WALKER. Saturday Evening Post September 27, 1947

VIP (Virgil Partch). American Legion Magazine May, 1948

 GARDNER REA. Look Magazine September 15, 1959

ED KOREN. Edward Koren, New Yorker cartoonist and  Vermont’s 2nd Cartoonist Laureate (2014-2016). From Columbia University’s Jester, reprinted in 1000 Jokes Magazine June-August 1963

B. KLIBAN. Kliban was hitting his stride in the early ‘70’s. Evergreen Review December, 1970

TOM HUDSON. Collier’s May 19, 1947

CEM (Charles E Martin) Collier’s June 5, 1948

HENRY SYVERSON. Collier’s August 14, 1948

ALI. (Alfred Isler) Boys’ Life April 1950

-- Edited from an original blog entry of October 12, 2017.

CBS Sunday Morning: Matt Groening on "The Simpsons" turning 37

Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, gives a couple of interviews. This is good stuff. He rarely gives interviews. Below: here he is on CBS Sunday Morning. There's an extended interview with him here. And Marc Maron wraps up his podcasting career with this final episode where he interviews Matt Groening.

See You There

 

https://www.nokings.org/

From the Dick Buchanan Files: Color Gag Cartoons 1951 - 1955

Dick Buchanan has reached into his vast cartoon files and unearthed some vintage color gag cartoons for our enjoyment! He writes:

"Seems all's well with your garden and as it was so colorful I thought I send you some cartoons that are colorful as well."

Well, the garden is pretty much put to bed, but we do have some lovely fall colors in the trees about now. Thanks so much, Dick!

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1950’s COLOR GAG CARTOONS
1951 – 1955


Here are a few of color gag cartoons from the early 1950’s, drawn by some of the 1950’s leading cartoonists of the time. These cartoons have been extracted from Collier’s, one of the most popular national weekly magazines of the first half of the 20th century. During this period Collier’s published several cartoons in color in each issue. Here are a few we found recently . . .



1. KATE OSANN. Colliers November 24, 1951.

 

2. BOB BARNES. Collier’s April 18, 1953.

 

3. JOSEPH G. FARRIS. Collier’s March 13, 1954.

 

4. HARRY MACE. Collier’s April 5, 1952.

 

5. JAN & STAN BERENSTAIN. Collier’s August 7, 1953.

 

6. KIRK STILES. Collier’s July 11, 1953.

 

7. LARRY FRICK. Collier’s June 13. 1953.

8. GEORGE WOLFE. Collier’s April 5, 1952.

9. JERRY MARCUS. Collier’s November 12, 1951.

 

10. WILLIAM VON RIEGEN. Collier’s April 29, 1955.

 

11. WILLIAM O’BRIAN. Collier’s July 11, 1953.

12. DICK HESSER. Collier’s November 2, 1954.

 

13. STAN FINE. Collier’s October 30, 1953.

 

14. JACK MARKOW. Collier’s July 4, 1953.

15. CORKA (Jon Cronin). Collier’s July 11, 1953.

- Reprinted from an edited blog entry five years ago today.