True Story: Replicating the Leak

Gosh, I never posted this. The plumber came over for my birthday in 2016. That wasn't the plan, but it just worked out that way.

True story: This is our conversation. That's me in the tub trying to "replicate the tub leak" I had seen last week. When I came downstairs where he was monitoring the pipe, we digressed into talking about cartoonists and Batman. I mentioned the Berndt Toast Gang show I was in at the Society of Illustrators. A then-new movie, "Batman vs. Superman" was coming out.

It's very rough and it's right from the sketchbook.

1958 Ford Times Film Short: "Watercolor and Printer's Ink"

Via George Mihal:

1958, WATERCOLOR AND PRINTERS INK is a film produced by the Ford Motor Company. The film takes one thru the process of creating the art and cover for Ford Companies, April 1957 edition of "Ford Times" magazine using two different 4 color processes, rotogravure and offset lithography printing. Sorry about the lack of proper color. The front cover is the focus of this film. Big Sur as a location is painted by California watercolor artist Rex Brandt, A.N.A. produced by, ALLEND'OR Productions The film follows the process of getting the scene at Big Sur on the cover of the April 1957 Ford Times travel magazine.

FEIFFER ON NIXON by Jules Feiffer

I posted this a while ago. It's about the amazing relevance of these Richard Nixon cartoons by Jules Feiffer, and what's going on today. My friend Michael Tisserand has taken this further, writing a piece about it over at The Daily Beast. Take a look.

And here's my blog entry (first publishing it in 2017, and then rerunning it this past fall), with samples of the cartoons:

You know that old saying that there is nothing new in the world, only the history you don't know.

I picked up a copy of FEIFFER ON NIXON by Jules Feiffer at the Fryeburg Flea Market on Sunday. I flipped thru it while standing at the seller's table full of paper ephemera. It was amazing how many of Feiffer's reprinted Village Voice strips, from 1960 to 1974, resonated now. I bought the book, of course, to share. Here are a few. The paperback was published by Random House. These are copyright Mr. Feiffer.

These points that Feiffer makes, about lying, about the congress, about racism -- are sadly on point today. I originally posted this in 2017. My friend Michael Tisserand posted about this on his Twitter account last week, adding this great interview by Studs Terkel. There is a whole new Studs Terkel WFMT radio show archive online now.

Walter Cronkite TV Show: "The 21st Century" March 12, 1967

What will life be like in the 21st century? Over fifty years ago, here's Walter Cronkite with some retro speculation:

1950s TV: "Let's Draw" with Television Cartoon Artist Frank Webb

1980s Video: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons on Watchmen

From the Canadian 1980s comic book interview show "Prisoners of Gravity:"

A Milt Gross Cartoon: "Jitterbug Follies" 1939

Here is an animated MGM short in which Milt Gross' characters Count Screwloose and J.R. The Wonder Dog organize a talent contest in hope of snagging the prize money.