Gene Colan Garage Sale

As you may have heard, Gene Colan is in the hospital. His pal Clifford Meth has put together a fund raising garage sale. Please consider taking a look and helping the one and only Gene Colan.

1958 Reamer Keller Cocktail Napkins

Here are some 1958 cocktail napkins titled ""Misbehavior in the Human Female" via The Vintage Sleaze blog.

Hat tip to Sam Henderson!

The Forgotten Kurtzman

The Hairy Green Eyeball 3 gives us scans of an early Warren magazine, "Favorite of Filmland Magazines," a 1960 short-lived publication edited by Harvey Kurtzman under the pseudonym of "Remuda Charlie Stringer." The mag was a mix of photos from Western TV and movies with silly captions, along with straight articles.

First New Art by CALVIN AND HOBBES Creator in 16 Years

Go to Michael Cavna's Comic Riffs for details.

Hat tip to Chris Sparks!

HD Video: DOCTOR WHO's Top 11

It's the "Top 11" since this is the 11th Doctor, natch! Via BBC America:

Top 11 Catchphrases




And, yes, there is one saying that is NOT on the list and should be.

Top 11 Technology

Top 11 Cool Things About Time Travel



Top 11 Monsters




Top 11 Uses for a Sonic Screwdriver



Massive thanks to the grand Life, Doctor Who and Combom blog.

The premiere of the new season, in the US and UK, is tomorrow, April 23, 2011.

Come along, Pond!

Podcast: Stan Goldberg Interview

Veteran comic book artist Stan Goldberg's career is the subject of Corey Blake's podcast interview.

Stan is a friend. I'm lucky to have know him this past decade (only one sixth of his career).

The first time I met Stan was at an NCS Berndt Toast Gang cartoonist luncheon. He happened to sit down next to me, accompanied by his lovely wife Pauline.

He introduced himself. "Good afternoon, I'm Stan Goldberg."

I introduced myself. "Mr. Goldberg? How do you do? I'm Mike Lynch." I was nervous. Stan is a name I'd only seen in comics. To meet the man in the flesh -- Wow!

Stan smiled and shook my hand. "Don't call me Mr. Goldberg. Mr. Goldberg is my father's name. Call me Stan."

He is a gentleman. Stan's career spans six decades, from the 1940s when he'd ride the subway down from the Bronx (an hour each way) to assist Carl Burgos in the Empire State Building Timely offices, to his recent flagship artist status on ARCHIE -- "Stan G" has done it all.

Stan's self-effacing. Heck, he originated all the colors for the Marvel comics characters in the 1960s (primary for the heroes, secondary for the villains). He didn't tell me that for years!

Now, Stan and ARCHIE have parted ways. But Stan has many good prospects. Above is a recent variant cover he did for the FANTASTIC FOUR.

At last: BEETLE BAILEY goes to war!

Brian Steinberg writes in his article At last: BEETLE BAILEY goes to war! --

The soliders of "Beetle Bailey" have for decades managed to avoid taking part in any of this nation's far-flung conflicts, no matter how great the need for manpower or how urgent the cause. Ten-hut! Someone has apparently given the world's laziest solider his marching orders.

How else to explain yesterday's edition of the strip, in which we spot a feverish Beetle, along with a comrade, armed with rifles and ducking the zing! of bullets over their heads? Yes, Beetle appears to have been dispatched to Libya, Iraq or Afghanistan. Who knows if he'll survive?

Continue reading on Examiner.com: At last: Beetle Bailey goes to war! - National comics | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/comics-in-national/at-last-beetle-bailey-goes-to-war#ixzz1KA97OmLl

Video: THE COMICS JOURNAL History with Mssrs. Groth, Nadel, Hodler and Deitch

From April 8, 2011 at The Strand in New York City: a 5 part video of The Comics Journal stalwarts talking about The Comics Journal.

The Comics Journal has been the leading voice in comics criticism for nearly four decades. It launched an acclaimed new website in March 2011, including archives of the magazine's 35-year history. In celebration, its editors Tim Hodler and Dan Nadel will lead a discussion on the history of the magazine and the medium of comics criticism with founding editor Gary Groth and longtime cartoonist and TCJ interviewee Kim Deitch.

Video: Anton Emdin Inks

Here's award winning illustrator Anton Emdin warming up with his brush and ink:



Here's Anton inking a drawing:

1977: QUINCY Comic Book Part Two

This is the second part of a look at the complete rare 1977 QUINCY comic book. The first part is here. 

 

OK, the blog title is "1977: QUINCY Comic Book Part Two," but "What Have They Done to HENRY?!?!?!!" was a close second. And a third would be "Who in the World is 'Little Guy and Professor Noodle?" But I digress. 

This QUINCY book has HENRY as a backup feature. The HENRY comic strip by Carl Anderson was, like Otto Soglow's THE LITTLE KING, a pantomime strip. HENRY, a hairless boy with a receding mouth, did not speak. This all changed when the comic strip HENRY became the comic book HENRY. In Dell Comics' CARL ANDERSON'S HENRY, the title character spoke like anyone else. So much for the feature staying "on model." It sure sounds like a wrong-headed idea to take away a comic strip character's gimmick, but the transformation worked. The Dell Comic was around from 1946 to 1961. Every issue drawn by Carl Anderson's successor, John Liney. This King Comic continues the tradition of HENRY speaking. 

 

Above is one of the educational pages, with the pretty blonde floating head of "Ms. Anne" (Dr. Anne Mueser) asking you to work out some subject/verb agreements using QUINCY as her muse. 

 

Another educational page, this time with Richard Guttenberg "Mr. G." And now we have a 6 page feature: "Little Guy in 'The Big Swap' with Professor Noodle." It's signed by John Liney. This story features much making fun of being small, being fat and features a kid who talks to strangers about trading comics. But it's all in fun, and the QUINCY comic itself makes a cameo which is very exciting. 

 

Today's lesson: five 'Klunks' equal one 'Quincy.' 

Above: the answers to all those educational questions posed by the floating heads. An inspirational page filler telling you that if you want to get ahead in life the follow directions. And thus completes the complete scan of QUINCY "R-05," copyright King Features 1977.

1977: QUINCY Comic Book Part One

 

QUINCY was a newspaper comic strip by Ted Shearer. The King Features strip, which ran from 1970 to 1986, was in the tradition of SKIPPY and LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE - a scrappy kid who is pushing to better himself; sometimes falling on his face, but always philosophically optimistic. QUINCY chronicled a group of multi-cultural kids in a New York City neighborhood. 

Shearer was a cartoonist I admire, and I've previously showcased QUINCY (part one, part two). He's a cartoonist that deserves to be remembered. This giveaway comic book (there is no cover price) is numbered "R-05" and is copyright King Features 1977. I bought it last week and it was advertised as a "rare King Comics' test market comic book" that was never circulated. In the indicia, on page 3, you can see that this was part of the "Supplementary Reading Program developed and editor by Richard Guttenberg, Dr. Anne Mueser and Sherman H. Saiger." So, it may have been distributed as art of a school program. 

There are a couple of QUINCY comic books, and a TIM TYLER'S LUCK book in the series, which all seem to feature King Features properties. Each comic book also has a featured co-star, in their own, separate story. With the QUINCY books, you have HENRY and Hamlet (!), HAGAR's son. TIM TYLER's LUCK gives us a FELIX THE CAT back up. All of the art is uncredited. The stories appear to be cobbled together from Shearer's QUINCY dailies. 

I think that the "Ms. Annie" and the "Mr. G." in the All-Star Cast are in fact two of the Supplementary Reading Program editors, Dr. Anne Mueser and Richard Guttenberg. 

 

Next time: part two, in which co-star HENRY is re-imagined -- and I don't mean in a good way. Edit: part two is here.

Pascal Girard Diary: Day 1: MoCCA

Here's a link to Pascal Girard's new cartoon diary. This caught my attention. Not only because I like Girard's style -- but, by a coincidence, I'm in the middle of reading his new graphic novel memoir REUNION.

Hat tip to Comics Reporter!

Thou Shall Not Steal

From the You Thought We Wouldn't Notice blog, here's a PEANUTS ripoff from the Christian home-schooling publisher Alpha-Omega, ripping off pretty much word for word Lucy and Charlie Brown.

"YTWWN is a blog where users have taken notice to a blatant rip off of a creative work, and shared it with us. Sharing and discussing the observations and casualties of improper use of creative property is what we're all about here."

Video: Howard Cruse Interview

Mr. Media interviews veteran cartoonist Howard Cruse.

Video: 1964 Jonathan Winters Special

What's the secret to great comedy?

Timing!

It's 1963 and Jonathan Winters' first network comedy special had its initial table reading in New York City. Jonathan, the writers (including Pat McCormick), guest star Art Carney and producer George Schlatter all felt it was shaping up.

But, unknown to them, bad timing was in the air -- to say the least.

"We left the reading," says Schaltter, "and found out that Kennedy had been shot."

The people were stunned. The script was thrown out. Nothing was funny. Everyone retired to bars to think. Production shut down for a week.

When taping was set to begin, there was no script, there had been no rehearsals.

At the YouTube link below, producer George Schlatter reminiscences about the troubled show, titled "A Wild Winters Night." He talks about how Winters and Carney were given a table full of every prop they could find and they were taped for 90 minutes, doing improv bits.

If you are a Netflix member, you can watch "A Winters Night" for yourself by streaming the entire 1964 program, as it aired, complete with commercials. Link here. (I think that the New Christy Minstrels songs were cut, thus the 36 minute running time. Oh, and despite the Netflix title of Jonathan Winters: Rare & Riotous, it really is "A Wild Winters Night.")




There is a specific reference at the end of the program to Charles Schulz and his bestseller HAPPINESS IS A WARM PUPPY. The camera pans to a chair with stuffed animal versions Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy and other PEANUTS characters. Continuing the pan, Jonathan Winters is revealed, looking at us. Winters becomes serious, talking to the camera. We cut to a series of still photos of the comedian, his wife and kids as Winters' in voiceover talks about the importance of family.

Perhaps the concept was to add some heart or tack on a parting message.

Perhaps the message is that with love we will be all right ... no matter how sobering the timing.


Hat tip to Roy Edroso for the still photo.

OLLIE & QUENTIN Not Connecting?

My friend Piers Baker lets his readers know "I do not expect to still be doing this in a year's time if things do not improve."

He's writing about his King Features newspaper comic strip OLLIE & QUENTIN.

In his blog entry Blowing My Own Mute Trumpet, he writes that the 4 year old feature about a duck and a worm is not connecting with newspaper editors and they are the ones that determine a comic strip's viability.

Sadly newspaper sales are the measure by which a comic is judged and it doesn't take a genius to work out that there is only so long a syndicate will carry an unviable comic before it is forced to admit that it doesn't work and will have to cancel it. I suspect Ollie and Quentin is going this way unless something changes soon.

Now, he does have a plot twist up his sleeve, but, hey, if that doesn't work, it'll all be over.

I consider Piers a colleague and friend. If you believe his strip is valuable, then I would urge you take him up on his request: contact your local newspaper, ask them to run OLLIE & QUENTIN.

Away

I'm going to leave the blog for a short time, and remind myself of that outside world. Be seeing you.

The Big Draw

I never heard of this -- and it's been going on since 1998. This looks like a lot of fun:

Sharpen your pencil! As part of the Big Draw — an international celebration of drawing — the Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design invites visitors to join us a broad range of hands-on workshops, events, and activities in April, culminating in a our Free Community Day: The Big Draw on Saturday, April 30.

To see what's in store, see this video! For the full schedule, visit risdmuseum.org.

Hat tip to my friend Juana Medina, who drew that "Big Draw" sign that's seen several times in the video; at the beginning , again at the 28 second mark and more.

VOICE Decides to Pay Cartoonists After All

Breaking: Heidi MacDonald reports that the VILLAGE VOICE, which has a new all-comics issue wherein they admit they did not pay the cartoonists whose work appears in that self-same issue (see Wednesday's blog entry: If Cartoons Are So Big, Why Don't They Pay?), has decided to pay its cartoonists.

Which is, of course, what editor Tony Ortega should have done in the first place.

I am sorry that there were cartoonists who were willing to give away their work. As long as this happens, then there's an element of complicity here.