Tuesday, September 03, 2019

Lee Salem 1946 - 2019


 Lee Salem, an editor at Andrews McMeel (formerly Universal Press Syndicate) who became president, passed away yesterday. The list of newspaper comic strips that he edited and developed are some of the most iconic of the 20th century: Doonesbury, Cathy, Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, For Better or For Worse, Cul De Sac and others.

From his obituary:

"Lee’s calm demeanor and steadfast defense of cartoonists’ creative rights resulted in close friendships with numerous creators. His colleagues at the syndicate benefited from his quiet leadership and integrity. In 2013, he was awarded the Silver T-Square award by the National Cartoonists Society for his contributions to the industry.  His legacy flourishes through the creative works that he allowed to blossom."

Lee Salem was a giant in the industry, with a love of comic strips and an understanding of talent. The Daily Cartoonist has a great selection of quotes from cartoonists talking about Lee's influence on their careers:


Bill Watterson:

"Because I admired and respected so many of Universal’s strips, I completely trusted Lee’s judgment in editing my work: I never argued for a strip he questioned."

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