My Interview with George Booth in Hogan's Alley #22

Hogan's Alley "the magazine of the cartoon arts" has hit the stands and, oh boy, is it chock full of just about everything.


For instance, here's a snippet from the long interview I did with George Booth:

Mike Lynch: We were just talking about Gurney Williams and how Gurney 's words stayed in your life. 

George Booth: Gurney Williams was the editor of Collier 's, and I came to New York I think in 1950 or '51. No, it was '51 because I was recalled in December of '50. So it was '51 and I went to see Gurney Williams. I was at Leatherneck. I had gotten a letter from Gurney Williams at Collier 's to submit some of my stuff to him. I was still in my corps, and I sold to Collier 's. 

Lynch: Did you sell to Collier 's while you were still in the service? 

Booth: Yeah. 

Lynch: Oh, you did? 

Booth: By mail, and then barely sold one or two. 

Lynch: This is when you were stationed at Stars and Stripes in DC, right? 

Booth: Yeah, I was in Washington, DC. And it was stuff that had already been turned down by Leatherneck, so there was no problem there. And maybe I reshaped it. I don t remember. But when I came to New York, I went to see Gurney Williams. This is a little vague to me now. I may have sold him after I got here, I can 't remember. But he had sent me a letter to come and see him and submit stuff. I had never been in the city before. Everything was small town to me. So I came to New York City from Washington, DC. I located Collier 's. They were in a high office somewhere, and I had the letter in my hand for me to come and see him. I got into where Collier 's was, and I asked where Gurney Williams' office was. This woman told me where it was, so I went back to Gurney 's office. It was dark. He wasn 't there, so I went in and sat down and waited for him. And I sat there for quite a while. Pretty soon another woman comes in and said, Who are you? What are you doing in Gurney Williams ' office? I said, I 'm waiting for Gurney Williams. She said, Get out of here, you can 't wait in here. [laughter] So she put me out in the hallway waiting area, and so I waited. 

Lynch: But wait a minute, George were you sitting there in the dark?  

Booth: Yeah. I was asked to come and see him. Where was I supposed to wait? 

Lynch: You were following orders. 

Booth: Right. Anyway, he did show up and we had a good visit. And I think it was later that he told me I was submitting stuff to him, and I was kind of getting carried away. He told me my stuff was too wild and unreal and too contrived and a few others words that I remember. And then I kind of shaped up the reality and he began to buy my stuff.

It's all in the new issue of Hogan's Alley: George's early life, from the Marines Corps and Leatherneck Magazine, to moving to NYC to getting into The New Yorker. It was a fun interview to do -- and it all started with his crummy looking chair. Well, you can read the interview and see what that's all about.

In other Booth news: today is the last day to help fund an upcoming George Booth documentary. Take a look at this Kickstarter link "Drawing Life with George Booth."

"He has dementia, but cartoonist Gahan Wilson still sees humor in the world"

Gahan Wilson's stepson, Paul Winters, has put together a GoFundMe campaign to help with the medical costs associated with a memory care facility. 

"Gahan is suffering from severe dementia. We have helped him through the stages of the disease and he is currently not doing very well."

He had raised just over $59,000 of the $100,000 goal. Please consider contributing. I have.

Here's a recent Arizona Republic article by Karina Bland about Gahan Wilson and how he's doing now.

"Gahan has dementia. In March, his wife of 53 years, Nancy Winters, died. 

"'She was his guide through the world,' [Gahan's stepson] Paul said. Nancy was an author. They had been living in an assisted living facility. Gahan couldn't stay on his own."

Gahan still draws, although not for publication. And he has good days and bad. 

"Paul and Patty [Winters] work in the film business. They are moving to a ranch in New Mexico with Gahan. There's a memory care facility nearby where the residents keep chickens and goats. Gahan will like that.

"He'll continue to draw, finding humor in the world around him.

"'I think that's the most lovely thing about humor,' Gahan said. 'It can take kind of grim stuff and turn it into a joke and destroy it therefore, so it goes away. 

"'It's a lucky thing we've got it, our sense of humor.'"

Darrin Bell Wins Pulitzer Prize

Congratulations to Darrin Bell upon his winning the Pulitzer for editorial cartooning. Runners up were Rob Rogers and Ruben Bolling.

Poynter has more cartoons.

The Washington Post's Michael Cavna: How the Trayvon Martin tragedy led to Darrin Bell’s historic editorial cartooning Pulitzer

Editorial Cartoonist Dwane Powell 1944 - 2019

Editorial cartoonist Dwane Powell, a longtime editorial cartoonist with the News and Observer in Raleigh, NC, passed away on Sunday at the age of 74. The cause was cancer.

From the News and Observer:

“His early work was influenced by MAD Magazine cartoons,” said Mike Keefe, an editorial cartoonist who had a similarly long career at the Denver Post and lives now in Mexico. “There would be just this crazy stuff going on: birds on heads and construction equipment with human feet. Just things that came out of Dwane’s head. Nobody else did anything like it. He just had a real zany approach.

“His cartoons are worth studying. He would make a point about something political, and make it strongly. But you would get lost in the detail. They were always like that,” Keefe said.

Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article229034069.html?cid=DM14869&bid=176555357#storylink=cpy

For over three decades Dwane Powell skewered the left and the right as an editorial cartoonist at the News and Observer. Here's a look back of some of his best work:

Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article229034069.html?cid=DM14869&bid=176555357#storylink=cpy

From his AAEC bio:

Powell has won the Overseas Press Club Citation for Excellence in Cartooning, the National Headliners Club award for Outstanding Editorial Cartoons, and was named Distinguished Alumnus at his alma mater. He has published three collections of his work, along with a book of Jesse Helms quotes containing his cartoons and his cartoons were an important element in the News and Observer's Boss Hog series, which won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Nationally syndicated by Creators Syndicate in Los Angeles,

Happy Birthday, Billy DeBeck!

Reprographic Royalties Part 2: Filing a Claim for UK Reprographic Royalties

From the Illustrators' Partnership today. They detail how to register to receive European royalties for secondary use of images in print or other media:

From the Illustrators Partnership  

Reprographic Royalties Part 2:  

Filing a Claim for UK Reprographic Royalties   

April 12, 2019   Once you have joined the Artists Rights Society (ARS) as an  Illustrator Member, you'll be eligible to file claims for international reprographic royalties.   Because each country has different filing requirements, the most sensible step will be for American illustrators to begin compiling a catalog of their published works. The catalog need not be complete nor created all-at-once, but can be researched and/or reconstructed over the years. The more complete it is, of course, the stronger your claims will eventually be.   For ARS members, the next immediate deadline will be to file claims with the British Design & Artists Copyright Society. DACS distributes royalties for the secondary use - such as from photocopying - of images published in the UK. This can include American books and magazines sold in the UK or housed in the British Library, for example, the CA Magazine Illustration Annual, among others. ARS Illustrators may apply online directly with DACS, or via ARS by filling out the form which can be downloaded here.  The rules for the UK are the following: 1. You must own the copyright.  Under US copyright law, you do own the copyright on your work (whether it was registered or not) unless it was done under a work-for-hire contract.     2. There is no backward limit to when the work needs to have been published. You may count your entire publication history through December 31, 2018.   3. There are two forms: Payback 2019 and Publication History.  Payback Will Not Take Long to Fill Out. It is due end-of-day April 22.  Publication History will take longer, but you will have eleven months to complete it. ARS Illustration Members will receive the Publication History form later.      Instructions for Payback: a. Download the UK form here.   b. Fill in (as best you can) your name and Zipcode (Postcode). Ignore the Claim Reference Number. ARS will fill in this number for you.   c. Fill in the total number of books in which you have been published during your career; provide the detailed information requested on 3 example books, and estimate the total number of times your images were published in books during your career.   d. Repeat this process for the magazines section. e. Count, or estimate, your total images published in books and magazines as closely as you can. When counting, count the number of times your images were used in total (e.g., cover, table of contents, chapter opener, article, etc.). You will need to back this information up on the detailed Publication History Form you will send in later.   f. For these three examples, either books or magazines, the UK requires the ISBN number for books, and the ISSN number and Issue No./Cover date for magazines. (The Issue No./Cover date is not required for the Publication History Form you will send in later.)  Tip: Most magazines have one permanent ISSN number; i.e. each issue of one publication will have the same ISSN number. g. If a book or magazine was published without an ISBN or ISSN number do not submit it. If you don't have a physical copy, the following online resources may help you identify the ISBN or ISSN:  Copyright Licensing Agency's Title Search   Integrated Catalogue of the British Library   Worldcat  JISC  Searching Amazon or Google Books  may also help. h. UK requires the 13-digit ISBN.  If you need to convert a 10-digit ISBN to a 13-digit ISBN do so here: https://isbnconverter.sampo.co.uk/ i. You are also eligible for royalties if your work was broadcast on BBC, Discovery, A&E, National Geographic, CBBS CBeebi, or BBC News. j. Send this form in by April 22 to secondaryrights@arsny.com. The Payback website can be found here: Payback. The link to their Frequently Asked Questions page, detailing how the system works, and what is eligible (and what is not...!) is here: FAQs.   The deadline to submit to ARS for UK Payback 2019 is end-of-day April 22nd.     To apply via ARS, please download and fill out the Payback form according to the above instructions and send to secondaryrights@arsny.com by April 22nd.  We prefer to submit this on your behalf in one Excel form, but as you will note from the DACS site, you can also to submit to DACS directly, which is also fine. Please direct questions to Janet Hicks, ARS Director of Licensing, jhicks@arsny.com.   ___________________________________________________________

Please post or forward this to any published US Illustrator.

IT'S AGAINST THE LAW by Dick Hyman and Otto Soglow

Nothing like seeing some previously unseen Soglow to start your day. How I never heard of this, even though it ran for 22 years, I don't know.

IT'S AGAINST THE LAW is kinda the grandaddy of features like Chuck Shepherd's "News of the Weird."

It started as a series of articles in the 1930s. Dick Hyman wrote four pieces for Hearst's New York Sunday Mirror about "obsolete ludicrous laws" that are still on the books. The American Magazine picked it up as a cartoon feature, with Otto Soglow handling the art chores. Originally titled IT'S THE LAW, it ran from 1934 until The American Magazine folded in 1956.

Here are some samples of the feature, culled together for Reader's Digest. The material is copyright 1971 by The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.

Happy 25th Anniversary to Dave Coverly's SPEED BUMP

Congratulations to my friend Dave Coverly on the 25th anniversary of his newspaper comic panel and comic strip (it's available in both formats) "Speed Bump."

"If life were a movie, these would be the outtakes." This is how cartoonist Dave Coverly describes the theme of SPEED BUMP.

SPEED BUMP is copyright Dave Coverly and distributed by Creators Syndicate.

Video: National Conference on the First Amendment: Bedrock of American Freedom "Political Correctness/Fake News/The Editorial Function"

This has just been posted to YouTube:

Prominent experts gathered at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA on October 21 and 22, 2018 for the National Conference on the First Amendment: Bedrock of American Freedom.

The conference addressed the importance of the First Amendment in a free and democratic society. Political Correctness/Fake News/The Editorial Function questioned whether individuals are self-censoring and engaging in polarized behavior, and what the media can do in response. The session examined how to appeal to all sides to inspire dialogue, how to prevent the spread of misinformation that is intended to harm and whether or not the rise of digital media plays a role in people’s reactions.

Featuring:

Nancy Gibbs, former editor, TIME magazine

Liza Donnelly, cartoonist and writer, The New Yorker and The New York Times; resident cartoonist, CBS News

Luis Fábregas, editor, Tribune-Review Pittsburgh digital edition and Valley News Dispatch

Tony Norman, columnist, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO, National Constitution Center (moderator)

Presented by Duquesne University and The Pittsburgh Foundation, the conference was co-sponsored by Allegheny Foundation, The Benter Foundation and Knight Foundation. The conference garnered national attention, and it can be viewed in its entirety online at https://duq.edu/about/1a-conference.

Video: Roz Chast and Patricia Marx On ‘Why Don’t You Write My Eulogy Now?’

Interview: After Losing Home in Northern California Wildfires, Cartoonist Brian Fies Shares His ‘Fire Story’

KQED has a nearly hour-long interview with my friend Brian Fies, whose house -- as well as his entire neighborhood -- was destroyed by wildfire in 2017. His new autobiographical book, A FIRE STORY, is out from Abrams this month and depicts what happened.

From the KQED Radio site:

Cartoonist Brian Fies started drawing the story of his family’s evacuation from the Tubbs Fire just one day after his Santa Rosa home burned down. KQED turned that comic into an animated video that got more than two million views and won a regional Emmy Award. Now, Fies has released a graphic novel “A Fire Story”which follows his family, and others affected by the 2017 California wildfires. We’ll talk with Fies about the book, the response he’s received in the community and his process of rebuilding.
Related:
KQED Arts: Watch a Santa Rosa Cartoonist's 'Fire Story' Come to Life  
(Note: This video contains some profanity.)

Cartoonists Rights Network International Wins 2019 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Campaigning Award

The Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI), which monitors threats and abuses against editorial cartoonists worldwide, has been recognized by the Index on Censorship, receiving their 2019 Freedom of Expression Campaigning Award.

Each year, the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards gala honors courageous champions who fight for free speech around the world. More here.

Terry Anderson, deputy executive director of Cartoonists Rights Network International, accepted the award on its behalf.  Full text of his acceptance is here.

"Putting Pants on Philip" (1927)

After watching the new "Stan and Ollie" movie, I started to watch a few of the old Laurel and Hardy shorts. This is my favorite. Since so much of it was shot outside, it's also a good travelogue. And even though this is only the first or second official L&H movie they made (fans and scholars disagree), and things aren't quite gelled with the duo (Ollie is a successful known man-about-town and Stan is an insane woman-chaser), it's fast paced, very funny and even risque. I had no idea that this particular short, "Putting Pants on Philip," was Stan Laurel's favorite of the 107 films they made together until I read a bit more about it!

Video: Martin Rowson "Brexit's Political Imagination"

From the CourtauldInstitute:

CAUTION: This video includes language of an adult nature and we would advise viewers to consider this prior to watching. If you have any questions regarding this specific content to better inform your decision to view it, please direct them to researchforum@courtauld.ac.uk 

What does Brexit look like? Political cartoons are at the very forefront of crafting Brexit’s political imagination: giving shape and form to the fears and anxieties that colour a fast-moving and turbulent political landscape. Martin Rowson, political cartoonist for The Guardian newspaper, has chronicled British political life for over thirty years – from the days of Margaret Thatcher to Theresa May. Rowson has also been incredibly important in picturing Brexit as it unfolds: from depictions of May as a transparent ghost, Britain as a post-apocalyptic barren landscape, the government as a sinking ship, the cabinet falling off a cliff edge. These metaphors are at the heart of how the press, politicians and public conceptualise the Brexit process – alongside the images of slime, horror and abject mess that also characterise Rowson’s nightmarish visions. Eight days before Britain leaves the EU, Rowson will speak about capturing the spirit of our historical moment, to reflect on what it means to give an image to such turbulent times. 

Martin Rowson is a political cartoonist for The Guardian. He read English Literature at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he first began publishing cartoons and illustrations. After graduating he produced a cartoon series, Scenes from the Lives of the Great Socialists, for the New Statesman between 1982-83. He contributed to Financial Weekly from 1984-89 and Sunday Today from 1986-93. Rowson has also contributed to The Guardian since 1987, Time Out since 1990, Independent on Sunday from 1991-94, Independent Magazine from 1993-94, Daily Mirror since 1996, Daily Express since 1998, The Scotsman since 1998, and the Times Educational Supplement since 1998. In 2001 the Mayor of London appointed him Cartoonist Laureate for London. He has written a number of novels and graphic adaptations, including The Waste Land (1990) and Gulliver’s Travels (2012).

Video: Cartoonist Sergio Aragonés at the 2019 San Diego Comic Fest

The Holiday Book by "The Real Bob Dole"

Robert J. Dole (1925 - 2013), was born and lived in Des Moines, Iowa. He was a radioman on a US Navy vessel in World War II. After the war, he began a long career utilizing his art and wit, working for Meredith Publishing and Hallmark Cards. In the 1970s, he relocated to a home near Blue Spring, Arkansas. He continued working from his home. 

From his obituary The Lovely County Citizen:

"Soon after arriving here he abandoned his vehicle and could often be seen walking to town along highway 62. A dedicated lover of nature he relished being outside and found joy in every season. In retirement he was successful in helping to establish Ninestone Land Trust, a 400 acre conservation land trust dedicated to preserving the diversity and natural beauty of a piece of the Ozarks that he so dearly loved. Known affectionately as 'The Real Bob Dole,' he spent his last years taking long walks or sitting comfortably on his front porch for hours and hours with a cat on his lap at 'Land's End.' To all who knew him he will be remembered as a warm, kind and gracious man. He leaves behind a brother John, in Arizona and a brother Bill, in Texas and many friends who will miss him."

Bob Dole was part of the "new" look for greeting cards, with its crazy humor and wacky cartoon style. His minimalist approach along with a real "out there" sense of wit made him a great creator for the new line of Contemporary Cards that Hallmark was creating under the direction of Mad Magazine artist Paul Coker, Jr.

Here's a brief sample of Bob Dole's great cartooning. It's just one of his great crazy stories from The Holiday Book, written and drawn by Bob Dole. It's copyright Hallmark Cards, but there is no date. My guess is that it's from the 1960s.

Related:

GREETINGS, DEARIE! Paul Coker, Jr. and Greeting Cards