GREAT CARTOONS OF THE WORLD Part 2

Above: an Al Ross cartoon. Love that simple sketchy line. Al is doing fine at the age of 98, thank you very much!

More cartoons from GREAT CARTOONS OF THE WORLD Edited by John Bailey, copyright 1967 by Crown Publishers, New York, NY.







Here are some wordless stories about this ironic, funny world we live in. Above, here's Bosc, writing about luck and death.



Above: Quentin Blake who was a gag cartoonist, before he turned full-time children's book illustrator.


Above: another cartoon by Bosc about what is art. Oo la la.






Sempe gives us a multi-panel epic.

Mordillo's world is slightly insaner than anyone else's.


Syverson's line: I look at it and marvel at its liquid energy. A forgotten master.

Video: Seth

Canadian cartoonist Seth talks about his own graphic novel GEORGE SPROTT 1894-1975, as well as his participation in THE COLLECTED DOUG WRIGHT: CANADA'S MASTER CARTOONIST in this QTV interview.

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE: THE DAILIES 1973-74

It's the first 2 years of HAGAR THE HORRIBLE, scheduled for release next week in the brand new hardcover HAGAR THE HORRIBLE: THE DAILIES 1973-74.

Wow! $13.57 for 320 pages (according to Amazon)? That's a must buy.

Dik Browne was a master and this strip was his baby. When I was a kid, I cut out the first 6 months of the strip from the Lawrence (KS) Journal-World. I remember studying them and keeping them in neat little pile. That was, until they were lost in a move at some point in the 1970s. Great news that I can see them again after all these years.

Thanks for the heads up, Tony Madeiros!


And don't forget about the BEETLE BAILEY book as well.

Jeff MacNelly

David Apatoff's Illustration Art blog showcases some of Jeff MacNelly's editorial cartoons.

Do read David's background on the self-taught, 3-time Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist. (He also won 2 NCS Reuben Awards.) The art is something to grapple with; powerful, lingering and, above all, MacNelly's own.

MacNelly's art was made for the eye to linger. There is so much understanding of form and shadow -- along with the tremendous, insightful writing.

I attended my first National Cartoonists Society Reubens convention in New York City in 2000. I was a freshly minted newbie. I had just been admitted to the NCS the month before. Didn't know a soul. I registered for the convention in a room off of the main lobby. I was given my badge and a goody bag. Also in this room: tables of flyers and posters and freebies to browse. Jeff MacNelly, to ill to attend, had drawn a full color poster, and as I approached it, looking at his Shoe characters, I heard a voice behind me: "Isn't he the best?" I looked at the guy who spoke. I didn't know who he was. Then I looked at the badge he was wearing. It said "Mike Peters, Editorial Cartoonist." I had not met Mike. We chatted for a minute. Mike, like always, treated me like an equal even though he had never heard of me. I asked about Mr. MacNelly's health. Mike was obviously worried about him.

And I could tell, just the way that other cartoonists spoke about him during that May weekend at the World Trade Center, that MacNelly was a giant. His presence was there.


Above: MacNelly's NCS bio.

And that's the thing about cartooning that gets a proverbial lump in the throat: all the pro cartoonists I have ever met are the most gracious, kindest people.

I wish I had met Jeff MacNelly. I'm glad that David Apatoff shared some of his wonderful editorial cartoons. Thanks, David.

Related: Jeff MacNelly's official site.

Let's Get Some Culture on This Here Blog

Big hat tip to Way Out Junk!

Video: German Cartoonist Flix

From Deutsche Welle TV, here is a video of cartoonist Flix (Felix Görmann), who is drawing a "personal portrait" graphic novel about the Berlin Wall and the divided Germany.

FLIX studied at the School of Visual Arts in Saarbrücken Saar and the Escola Massana in Barcelona. In addition to his regular newspaper series "Verflix," he is also know for several graphic novels published by Carlsen, including "Sag Was" (SAY SOMETHING), "a love story semi-autobiographical, about the beginning and end of a great love" and “Mädchen.”

I posted about Flix in August. Now, below, is the same video, but it's been translated. I am thankful for this, since I only speak "restaurant German" and know how to ask for beer from the tap and where the men's room is.

There are some good shots of Flix drawing and inking, and stay in there for the entire 4 plus minutes to see more of his clear line style. Very appealing. There is also a simply animated sequence. Glad to see the translation and I hope we'll be able to buy the book here.

STAR TREK ETERNAL

From 1996, a series of clips to commemorate the then-30th anniversary of the TREK franchise. Music is by John Williams from, of all things, his score for the NIXON motion picture.



Some lovely moments here and, if you're a fan, then you get a lot of the context of the images. I tend to forget just how much TREK I remember. It's a lot!

Video: Tom Gammill "Learn to Draw #23" with Special Guest Mell Lazarus

GREAT CARTOONS OF THE WORLD Edited by John Bailey

A selection of wordless cartoons from GREAT CARTOONS OF THE WORLD Edited by John Bailey, copyright 1967 by Crown Publishers, New York, NY. This is the first book in what became a series of John Bailey-edited GREAT CARTOONS books.


The above cartoon by Larry made me laugh out loud. There are levels of meaning here.


I don't know who the cool dude is supposed to be, but the kid's expression is so great, that I get the context even though the fellow in the large thought balloon is not known. A bullseye by the French cartoonist Pierre Adebert.

Zacek draws a sad desert island gag.

Czech cartoonist Vladimir Rencin with what may be termed a political cartoon about war.



The Saturday Evening Post mainstay cartoonist Henry Syverson's dynamic pen line is so animated.


Gallagher's cartoons just blast forth with his animated line work.


Vahan Shirvanian made me laugh out loud at the above 4-panel gag. A veteran cartoonist, who is still producing cartoons for the American market from his home in New Jersey.


A great gag cartoon can make you think. Charles Martin's cartoon gives me cold comfort about health care. 40 years later, the writing still resonates.

Mordillo is one of those cartoonists who deserves to more popularly known in the States. Another desert island gag -- beautifully and joyously drawn.


Anatol Kovarsky plays on perception in this breezily drawn (no pun intended) 2-panel exercise.


And another Henry Syverson cartoon finishes up the sampling today. Which reminds me, I need to rake ....

Dave Coverly Live at the Kalamazoo Concert Band UPDATED

From October 10, 2009: Here is some video of Reuben Award winner SPEEDBUMP cartoonist Dave Coverly drawing LIVE, on stage, with the Kalamazoo Concert Band as backup. The band is playing, I believe, a cartoon soundtrack composed by Raymond Scott. You'll know the music as soon as you hear it.

LOOK at Dave's GIANT hand, hovering over the stage, drawing BIG BIG BIG - unaided by special effects or, so far as I can tell, pencil layouts! Go Dave, go!

This is part of the "Clowning Around with the KCB and Speed Bump's Dave Coverly" concert. If someone has some more video, please post a link.



This looks like a great event and I just stumbled onto it on YouTube. I wish I could have been there. it would have been a fun night.

My thanks to Wandering Educators for posting the video.

Related: Speedbump: The Comic World of Dave Coverly exhibition at the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts through January 10, 2010.

Top photo of Dave is by Scott Stewart and nicked from the Detroit Business site.

UPDATE: This video was pulled and now you get a message like this one:


It sounds like we need to be a friend of the Wandering Educators to view it.

Sorry about that. I hope that the video is put back up.

My thanks to Mark Anderson for the heads up! Thanks, Mark!

Milton, NH: Found Cat - Gray, Yellow Eyes

This is for my local readers in Milton and Farmington, New Hampshire --

Do you know who this cat is? Gray, yellow eyes, kind of long fur. Appears to be healthy.

I trapped the cat in a Havahart trap early Monday October 12, 2009 at my house on Nutes Road in Milton, NH.

mike[at]mikelynchcartoons.com

Who Drew This?

"Have you seen a lady without me?"

If anyone can help ID the cartoonist, please let me know --

It could have been published in the Weekend Book of Jokes #22 or #23.

mike[at]mikelynchcartoons.com

Don Orehek Cartoons #100

For some people, 100 cartoons is a lot.

For prolific gag cartoonist Don Orehek, he's not even getting started.

After only 5 months (the blog was started by Don's talented wife, Suzanne, in May), the Don Orehek Cartoons blog gives us his hundredth cartoons from his hundredth publication -- and Don isn't breaking a sweat.

"Don has sold a LOT of cartoons in his career. Each numbered cartoon on the left side of this Blog - at least for now - is from a DIFFERENT magazine, newspaper, etc. Let's see if we can find out the total number of publications in which Don's work has appeared . . . . ."

Go and bookmark Don Orehek Cartoons now.

Security Blanket Withdrawl: What Linus Saw

The shocking truth from Four Color Comics #969 (1958) over at Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin.

Hat tip to Comics Reporter!

No Blog

The above was drawn in a hurry with no pencils and little thought, just before departing for a short business trip.

Despite the malicious hyperbolic spin of the cartoon, the blog will return.

LOVERBOY by Irwin Hasen

Rob Tornoe gives us some of the background (and a video) about Irwin Hasen's semiautobiographical new book LOVERBOY, which will be out this month from Vanguard. A 120 page graphic novel, ComicMix describes the book thusly:

Loverboy is the risqué, romantic escapade story of a short bachelor, who adores tall, women. The double-breasted suit wearing man-about-town seeks psychiatric insight to his tendencies in this humorous new graphic novel by award winning Dondi cartoonist, Irwin Hasen. Also includes a major biography of the noted cartoonist, and is filled throughout with Hasen’s famous humor.

Video: Harlan Ellison on "The City On the Edge of Forver"

Some more unseen TOS behind the scenes stuff.

Titled "Star Trek Insights, these extra bumpers were produced for the Sci Fi channel, when it ran STAR TREK uncut in prime time in 1996. So far as I know, unseen since then and not available on DVD or BluRay.

These framing bits, hosted by Shatner and/or Nimoy, told viewer about the creation of an episode, what the reaction to the show was, any bloopers to watch out for, etc. Take a look at Harlan Ellison and the story behind the rewrite of his "City on the Edge of Forever."

Need a Cartoon?

Above: a Mike Lynch Cartoon of a couple of catty hippos that originally appeared in Reader's Digest.

Gee whiz, Mark Anderson tells me that the Cartoonbank site is down as of now.

If you are looking for some cartoons, please consider shopping at by the Mike Lynch Cartoons site for your cartoon purchasing needs.

Just email me at mike[at]mikelynchcartoons.com for

• Legal Cartoons
  
  
• Animal Cartoons
  
  
• Business Cartoons
  
  
• Odd Cartoons

And here's hoping that Cartoonbank gets over its case of the "Mondays!"

Julia Wertz: I F***ing Love Food

I liked Julia Wertz' "There Are Certain Kinds of Foods I Can't Stop Eating Once I Start" cartoon today at her Fart Party site.

THE THROPP FAMILY by Lawrence Lariar, Lou Fine and Don Komisarow

From the pages of some 1945 and 1946 Liberty Magazine, comic strips written by Lawrence Lariar, with art by Lou Fine and Don Komisarow. Go see more at Yesterday's Papers!

GARDNER REA'S SIDESHOW

For your weekend viewing pleasure: A selection of cartoons by New Yorker cartoonist Gardner Rea from his 1945 collection GARDNER REA'S SIDESHOW at the always terrific Hairy Green Eyeball blog..

Doohan and Takei: 1996-97 TOS VHS Intros

Unseen in the US, from a series of VHS tapes Paramount produced in the mid 1990s for STAR TREK's 30th anniversary: here are episode introductions by TOS regulars James Doohan and George Takei. (Walter Koenig would join in for the next season's worth of tapes.) Each tape had three episodes, presented in production order.

I say these have been unseen in the United States because, so far as I know, these intros were exclusive to the European and Australian markets. That's my understanding. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Here are the first couple from Mr. Doohan and Mr. Takei the first season. The rest of the first season intros (with more to come I hope) are here.

James Doohan and George Takei with "The Cage," "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "The Corbomite Maneuver," "Mudd's Women," "The Enemy Within" and "The Man Trap."



Geoge Takei and James Doohan with "The Naked Time," "Charlie X," "Balance of Terror," "What Are Little Girls Made Of?," "Dagger of the Mind" and "Miri."



Thanks to ENTERPRISENX01 for capturing this!

Orphan Works and the Google Book Settlement Part 3

FROM THE ILLUSTRATORS' PARTNERSHIP

Orphan Works and the Google Book Settlement / Part III 10.2.09 Compelling Arguments On September 10, 2009, Marybeth Peters, Register of the US Copyright Office, testified before Congress in opposition to the Google Book Search Settlement. Her arguments on behalf of creators rights are compelling and we support them. However, we note with some irony that they are nearly identical to the arguments we made in opposing the Orphan Works bill last year. We don't know what conclusions to draw from this fact, but we think it's fair to draw attention to it. We've picked several examples below and matched them with quotes from our own writings and testimony. In every case, the emphasis is ours. Marybeth Peters on the Google Book Settlement: "The [Google] settlement is not merely a compromise of existing claims, or an agreement to compensate past copying and snippet display. Rather, it could affect the exclusive rights of millions of copyright owners, in the United States and abroad, with respect to their abilities to control new products and new markets, for years and years to come." IPA on the Orphan Works Bill: The bill's sponsors say it's merely a small adjustment to copyright law. In fact...its provisions have been drafted so broadly it will orphan the work of working artists. Its consequences will be far reaching, long lasting, perhaps irreversible and will strike at the heart of art itself." * * * * * Marybeth Peters on the Google Book Settlement: "[The Book Rights Registry] is likely to have the unfortunate effect of creating a false database of orphan works, because in practice any work that is not claimed will be deemed an orphan." IPA on the Orphan Works Bill: "As clients come to rely on these [visual arts] registries as one-stop shopping centers for rights clearance, any works not found in the registries could be infringed as orphans." * * * * * Marybeth Peters on the Google Book Settlement: "Compulsory licenses... are scrutinized very strictly because by their nature they impinge upon the exclusive rights of copyright holders...By its nature, a compulsory license 'is a limited exception to the copyright holder's exclusive right . . . As such, it must be construed narrowly.'" IPA on the Orphan Works Bill: "[The Orphan Works bill] radically abridges the fundamental principal of exclusive rights granted to creators under the copyright law, and creates a sweeping compulsory license permitting large scale unauthorized use of not only older works, the provenance of which may be difficult to determine, but also of the valuable contemporary works that are the economic life blood of those in our profession." * * * * * Marybeth Peters on the Google Book Settlement: "Compulsory licenses are generally adopted by Congress only reluctantly, in the face of a marketplace failure." IPA on the Orphan Works Bill: "The Copyright Office only received about 215 relevant letters to their Orphan Works Study. From this they deduced a claim of widespread market failure in commercial markets..." " But the Copyright Office studied the specific subject of orphaned work. They did not inquire about the workings of commercial markets and there is no evidence in their report that business clients are unable to find the living authors they wish to work with. No evidence whatsoever." * * * * * Marybeth Peters on the Google Book Settlement: "In summary, the out-of-print default rules would allow Google to operate under reverse principles of copyright law..." IPA on the Orphan Works Bill: "[The Orphan Works bill] creates the public's right to use private property as a default position, available to anyone whenever the property owner fails to make himself sufficiently available." "[I]ts logic reverses copyright law." * * * * * Marybeth Peters on the Google Book Settlement: "In essence, the proposed settlement would give Google a license to infringe first and ask questions later..." IPA on the Orphan Works Bill: "Since orphan works transactions would occur only after infringement, the rights holder would have no leverage to bargain for more than the infringer is willing or able to pay." * * * * * Marybeth Peters on the Google Book Settlement: "[C]opyright law has always left it to the copyright owner to determine whether and how an out-of-print work should be exploited." IPA on the Orphan Works Bill: "Under copyright law, no author can be compelled to publish his or her work. So by what right of eminent domain can Congress give strangers the right to publish our work without our knowledge, consent or payment?" * * * * * Marybeth Peters on the Google Book Settlement: "The broad scope of the out-of-print provisions and the large class of copyright owners they would affect will dramatically impinge on the exclusive rights of authors, publishers, their heirs and successors." IPA on the Orphan Works Bill: "The fundamental problem with the Orphan Works Act is that it's been drafted so broadly its use cannot be confined to real orphaned work situations." "To redefine an orphaned work as "a work by an unlocatable author" is to radically re-define the ownership of private property...Since everybody can be hard for somebody to find, this voids a rights holder's exclusive right to his or her own property." * * * * * Marybeth Peters on the Google Book Settlement: "Some foreign governments have raised questions about the compatibility of the proposed settlement with Article 5 of the Berne convention, which requires that copyright be made available to foreign authors on a no less favorable basis than to domestic authors, and that the "enjoyment and exercise of these rights shall not be subject to any formality." IPA on the Orphan Works Bill: "[P]utting pressure on creators to subsidize the creation of privately-owned registries violates the intent of international copyright law, specifically Article 5(2) of the Berne Convention: "The enjoyment and the exercise of these rights shall not be subject to any formality." * * * * * Marybeth Peters on the Google Book Settlement: "The ability of copyright owners and technology companies to share advertising revenue and other potential income streams is a worthy and symbiotic business goal that makes a lot of sense when the terms are mutually determined. And the increased abilities of libraries to offer on-line access to books and other copyrighted works is a development that is both necessary and possible in the digital age. However, none of these possibilities should require Google to have immediate, unfettered, and risk-free access to the copyrighted works of other people. They are not a reason to throw out fundamental copyright principles; they are a pretext to do so." IPA on the Orphan Works Bill: "The internet has created a culture of appropriation; and immediate global access to artistic works has facilitated piracy, unintentional infringement and plagiary. But instant and unrestricted access to work should not be construed as a necessity just because technology has made it a possibility. That an artist's work now can be instantly transmitted around the world without the artist's permission or control does not justify a user's 'right' to take the work." * * * * * Marybeth Peters on the Google Book Settlement: "[T]he settlement would inappropriately interfere with the on-going efforts of Congress to enact orphan works legislation in a manner that takes into account the concerns of all stakeholders as well as the United States' international obligations." IPA on the Orphan Works Bill: "This bill has been drafted behind closed doors, without a needs-assessment study, an economic impact analysis, or an evaluation of how the public would be affected by this transfer of private property from individuals to giant commercial databases...For artists, the most troubling part has been our near-total exclusion from the legislative process." "On July 11th [2008], on behalf of all those who oppose this bill, [we] submitted Amendments to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property. Those Amendments would make this bill a true orphan works bill. The Amendments have never been considered...This is no way to re-write U.S. copyright law." Q.E.D. The Register's full testimony from September 10, 2009 can be found here. Our comments have been excerpted from various articles posted in 2008 on the IPA Orphan Works blog. - Brad Holland and Cynthia Turner for the Board of the Illustrators' Partnership ______________________________________________________________ For news and information, and an archive of these messages: Illustrators' Partnership Orphan Works Blog Over 85 organizations opposed the last Orphan Works bills, representing over half a million creators. Illustrators, photographers, fine artists, songwriters, musicians, and countless licensing firms all believe this bill will harm their small businesses. If you received our mail as a forwarded message and wish to subscribe to the IPA mailing alerts, click on the link below, "Join Our Mailing List" and follow the simple directions on the webpage.

Please post or forward this message to any interested party.

Improbable Movie Trading Cards

There's more at the Automatic Lifestyle Dispenser.

Hat tip to Tony Medeiros. Thanks, Tony!

Video: 宇宙船のような水上バス (Spaceship-style Tokyo Water Bus)

I want to go to there.



"Newly constructed Water Bus Himiko Produced by Mr. Leiji Matsumoto,one of the best renowned Japanese cartoonists [he created Space Battleship Yamato], now runs from Asakusa to Odaiba Seaside Park, to Toyosu and then back to Asakusa."

Above photo via Flickr.

Richard Thompson's Annual Plea

It's all here.

And don't forget to buy his new Cul de Sac collection!

P.S. Happy Birthday, Groucho! (And don't forget to read his letter to T.S. Eliot! Yes, really! T.S. Eliot the poet!)

Letters of Note: "I Sure Miss Mr. Hardy"

Stan Laurel at his typewriter, late 1950s/early 60s.

The amazing Letters of Note blog is always worth a visit. Scanning in "fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos" from the vaults of history, it showcases many actual images of correspondence. Some are funny, others are chilling; most all are fascinating. A few examples:

• The 2001 anthrax letters
  
  
• Parker & Stone's response to the MPAA's wish to cut offensive materail from their SOUTH PARK movie (explicit language here, as if you didn't know)
  
  
• One of Groucho Marx's letters to T.S. Eliot. Who knew that these guys were penpals?
  
  
• A letter to the FCC complaining about Orson Welles' 1938 WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast
  
  
• Mick Jagger to Andy Warhol, asking him to design one of the Rolling Stones' record covers (above image)
  

And here is one written by Stan Laurel to a fan. It was 1958 and Mr. Laurel had retired after the death of Oliver Hardy. He decided that he would try to personally answer all of his fan mail.

The transcript is as follows:

25406,Malibu Road.
MALIBU.CALIF.
May 10th.'58.

Dear Charles:-

Thanks your letter,5th.inst.

Pleased to know the old L&H films are giving you so much pleasure & enjoyment. Not much to tell you about myself Charles, except that due to a Stroke about 3 years ago I am not able to work anymore so I was forced to retire. Anyway I am getting along Ok, am getting around pretty good & manage to keep busy, writing letters, watching TV. etc. Now that Mr Hardy passed on I would'nt want to work anyway - I sure miss him after the many years of Happy association.

Glad to know you recd. the little picture - am sending one enclosed for your friend Irwin Orenstein, please give it to him with my best wishes.

Bye Charles.

Good luck & God Bless.

Sincerely:-

(Signed)

Stan Laurel.

Do visit Letters from Stan, another site full of Stan Laurel's correspondence.

Chad Frye Blog: Monster A Day

It's the perfect way to get in the mood for Halloween: Chad Frye draws a monster a day all month on his blog.

Hat tip to Sean Kelly!

COMICRAZYS: Famous Artists Cartoon Course > Lesson 16: Animals

Comicrazys scans in (and big scans, too, I tell ya!) another chapter of the Famous Artists Course.

Humminah, humminah! Great stuff!

Above: a wonderful Willard Mullin tiger.

HERBLOCK Book

Coming this month: HERBLOCK: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF THE GREAT POLITICAL CARTOONIST. 18,000 of Herblock's cartoons are contained in this new book and accompanying DVD celebrating his life.

Big hat tip to Tom Spurgeon.