Ten Books That Influenced Me Meme

Thanks to my friend Mark Ricketts, I heard about this meme: pick ten books that influenced you and let us all know about it. And don't spend a lot of time messing around. Just pick 'em as they pop up in your head.

My head is a large and musty place, so it took a little doing, but here goes. It's in no particular order, here are the books:

PLAIN SPEAKING by Merle Miller
Truman is one of my favorite historical figures. Ask anyone who's dropped by and seen my bookshelves. I have a shelf devoted to him.

THE ANNOTATED ALICE by Martin Gardner (and Lewis Carroll, natch!)
I used to carry this around in my backpack in high school. I was such a nerd boy.

BARNABY AND MR. O'MALLEY by Crockett Johnson
Forever grateful to Dad for passing along his copy of this great comic strip.

BATMAN FROM THE 30s TO THE 70s
The first book I bought with my own money. It was a lot! I think it was $10. I used to copy Dick Sprang's Batman a lot.

DINOSAURS AND OTHER PREHISTORIC REPTILES
My go-to dinosaur book, finally bought for me when I renewed and renewed the book from the Iowa City Public Library. I still have my copy, which I would tote to Roosevelt Elementary School for show and tell. And there's still a "Mike Lynch, Mrs. Panje, 2nd Grade" written in it. I wonder where Mrs. Panje is now?

The LITTLE TIM books by Edward Ardizzone
I love Ardizzone's work. Some of the best drawing around. A prolific illustrator back in the day. He was Great Britain's Official War Artist! Only recently I have learned he was never formally trained in illustration!

THE POGO PEEK-A-BOOK by Walt Kelly
I have all of Dad's Simon and Shuster POGO books and this one gets singled out for the "Account of the Wooful Frog" piece. Kelly is the comic strip touchstone for me. None better.

THE COMICS by Jerry Robinson
The one that hooked me. And when I visited Ger Apeldoorn, he showed me his copy and told me that that was the book that got him interested in comics and their history! That was it. Friends forever!

THE WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD by Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Maybe the best account of an expedition. In this case, it's Robert Scott's last Antarctic expedition. Another book recommended by Dad. It's a wowser!

SKIPPY by Percy Crosby
If there's a close second to POGO, it's SKIPPY. Highly popular in its day, and now the focus of a reprint series of books authorized by Percy Crosby's daughter, Joan Crosby Tibbetts. I got to know Joan over the email, and then we met in person at a National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards weekend. Anyway, SKIPPY was Charles Schulz' favorite comic strip growing up and even now, decades later, it crackles with life for me.

That's ten for me. How about you?

"Deck Us All With Boston Charlie" by Walt Kelly

Do you know all the verses?

Here they are, at Mr. Door Tree's The Golden Age blog, complete with relevant POGO strip reproductions.

Hat tip to John Lotshaw! Thanks, John!

#‎hohodooda‬ Holiday Sketches by Mike Lynch Week 2

Here are some new #‎hohodooda‬ Holiday sketches by me, Mike Lynch. (The ones I drew last week are gathered here.)

And what is  #‎hohodooda‬ you may ask?

Illustrators, both pro and am, sketch up a doodle a day for fun and share them. The only rule is that it's holiday-themed.

I've posted mine on Facebook, Twitter and my Tumblr page. Here are a few more of mine in case you do not follow me on social media:

Video: Chuck Jones' A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1971)

OK, it's the Holiday season. Let's go watch an Oscar-award-winning adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, executive produced by Chuck Jones with the voice of Alastair Sim as Scrooge! For now, there's only one -- just one place -- to see this: YouTube.

It's not on DVD. Ands that's crummy. This show has some serious pedigree; the guy who brought us THE GRINCH (the cartoon, not the Jim Carrey monster) is the executive producer and it's directed by the animation director of WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT. I remember seeing it in 1971, and once or twice since then -- but only by chance. It's not a holiday TV tradition ala CHARLIE BROWN or those Rankin Bass puppet specials or the MISTER MAGOO special. Go figure!

YouTube's rules means a 28 minute vid has to be sliced up into smaller segments. Here are the links if you have the time to watch.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Stave One

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Stave Two

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Stave Three

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Stave Four

Thanks to Grant Miehm for reminding me of this special, which I had forgotten about until now!


- The above was originally posted on December 11, 2007. And this is still not available on DVD or Blu Ray or whatever so far as I know.

BBC America Video: Trailers for THE TIME OF THE DOCTOR and FAREWELL TO MATT SMITH

Here's previews the final DOCTOR WHO episode starring Matt Smith as The Doctor, as well as a tribute special trailer. Both air Christmas night on BBC America here.

Big hat tip to Life, Doctor Who and Combom!





And, yeah, that's Karen Gillan … all shorn!

It's for her role in the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY movie. That's a painting of her character "Nebula" on the left. More here.

1970 Ukrainian Children's Book: FUTURE TRAVELERS

John Sisson's Dreams of Space - Books and Ephemera shows us some future visions from a 1970 kids' book FUTURE TRAVELERS. 

It's chock full of "jetpacks, moles, flying cars and other interesting modes of transport." And there's some fascinating art by some unknown and uncredited artists.

The Hollywood Reporter: In Defense of Shia LeBeouf by Eriq Gardner

The Hollywood Reporter plays "devil's advocate," citing that "in a country grounded upon the presumption of innocence, he deserves at least one voice willing to provide a counterbalance to those who would like to hang him for plagiarism."

Umm … he admitted he plagiarized the material.

Anyway, HR mounts a defense of Shia LeBeouf stealing Dan Clowes' comic without permission or credit for his short film.

Related: Daniel Clowes Pursuing His Legal Options Regarding Shia LaBeouf’s Plagiarism

THINGS TO COME by Hank Barrow

My friend Ger Apeldoorn's The Fabuleous Fifties blog "the home of the unchampioned causes" champions AP staff cartoonist Hank Barrow's THINGS TO COME feature. It's gorgeously drawn, and I appreciate Ger drawing the curtains back on an unknown name fro mthe golden age of cartooning. Click the link to see more by Hank Barrow.

Don Martin & Frank Jacobs' "The Month Before Christmas"

From MAD #132, January 1970, here's a link to "The Month Before Christmas" by Frank Jacobs with art by Mad's Maddest artist Don Martin.

Sad to see that the spirit of the season then, as well as now, is buy, buy, buy.

I remember ogling all of the great Don Martin art. The image of the linebacker-type ladies (complete with stubble on their thighs) has stuck in my mind since I was a wee lad.

I was too young to have bought MAD #132 when it came out. I lived in the great Midwest back then. In Lawrence, Kansas, there was, back in the mid-70s, a second-hand book and magazine shop called Buzzy's. Buzzy's was on main street, conveniently next to the Granada movie theatre where I would be dropped off for matinees from time to time.

Buzzy's had stacks of comics and old MAD Magazines. Some of these I still have. (I gave away my MAD's to friend's brother in 1984.) Checking Doug Gifford's MAD Cover Site, I do remember owning this one. I must have bought it at Buzzy's.

This is MAD at its peak: the best stories, the greatest gags, and its highest circulation.

Daniel Clowes Pursuing His Legal Options Regarding Shia LaBeouf’s Plagiarism

So, you probably know the story that broke this week: Actor/filmmaker Shia LeBeouf made a short film. That film, titled "HowardCantour.com," premiered at Cannes last year. The short was a close adaptation of Dan Clowes' 2004 "Justin M. Damiano" comic story.

The story was adapted without Mr. Clowes' consent or knowledge or credit on LeBeouf's movie. The Beat has the story here in a piece titled "Did Shia LeBeouf Rip Off a Daniel Clowes Comic For His Short Film? UPDATE: YEP."

Mr. LeBeouf claimed to be the creator of the story until this week, when "HowardCantour.com" was available online. It was apparent to the many comics nerds out there that this was an unauthorized rip off of Daniel Clowes. 

When Mr. LeBeouf was caught, he decided to confess. 

Mr. LeBeouf cited he "got lost in the creative process" and did not credit Clowes. Making this even more outrageous: Shia LaBeouf plagiarized his own public apology.

The film is now password protected.

Eric Reynolds, Clowes' long-time editor at Fantagraphics, is outraged. He wrote to Buzzfeed:

“His apology is a non-apology, absolving himself of the fact that he actively misled, at best, and lied, at worst, about the genesis of the film. No one ‘assumes’ authorship for no reason. He implied authorship in the film credits itself, and has gone even further in interviews. He clearly doesn’t get it, and that’s disturbing. I’m not sure if it’s more disturbing that he plagiarized, or that he could rationalize it enough to think it was OK and that he might actually get away with it. Fame clearly breeds a false sense of security.”

More here: Daniel Clowes Pursuing His Legal Options Regarding Shia LaBeouf’s Plagiarism.

Video: Harlan Ellison on the New Disney Movie SAVING MR. BANKS

Harlan has some choice words for the new Disney film. 

© 2013 The Kilimanjaro Corp. All rights reserved.

Mike Lynch Cartoon in December 17, 2013 Wall Street Journal

A cartoon of mine is in today's Wall Street Journal.

This is one of those "I painted myself into a corner" cartoons. I mean, I drew a picture of Santa sitting at a board room table. I stopped, and thought I would then draw some elves around it next. But, no. That's not too interesting.

Then, I drew more Santas around the table. Santa, Santa, Santa. And I just stopped and looked at it, trying to figure my way out of the drawing.

Sometimes you just sketch something and then try and come up with a gag. Sometimes this works for me and sometimes it does not.

So: what is Santa? Santa is management. He's the boss. And you can't have a room full of bosses. No way. Not in a properly run business. You need those elves!

So, it dawned on me that the problem with the situation was that it was, in a real world sense, way too top heavy with management.

Here's the version I originally drew. The one that WSJ saw for its OK:

I had to redraw it. WSJ does not have a horizontal format.

Confession: I forgot that. I did a redraw in a square style and was told that that was wrong. So I did another redraw. Let that be a lesson: pay attention to your editor when they tell you the format. D'oh!

Going backward in time, here's the first sketch from a sketchbook. The for-my-eyes-only sketch. You can see how quickly it's done: 3 Santa heads and an oval to represent the table.

My thanks to Randy Glasbergen for letting me know that my cartoon was in WSJ this morning! Thanks, Randy!

Stan and Pauline Goldberg Recovering from Accident

Stan Goldberg and his wife Pauline were in a car accident on November 19, 2013.

Pauline fractured both arms and a leg. Stan had a broken vertebra.

If you are a friend of mine on Facebook or Twitter, then you know all this. You also may know that they have begun the slow rehabilitation process.

If you sent mail to the hospital, where they were initially, then chances are that was returned to you as undeliverable. Just send it on to them at the rehab facility.

Stan and Pauline are in a rehab facility in Manhattan. If you would like to send a note, please do so:

Stan and Pauline Goldberg
The Riverside Rehab Center
150 Riverside Dr Rm 1308
New York, NY 10024

Video: Bill Roundy "The Bartoonist"

Snowy Sunday December 15, 2013

Got about a foot of snow, with more coming down. Drifts 2-2 .1/2 feet.

Birdfeeder cleaned off and full of sunflowers and peanuts. Now, back inside to warm up.

#‎hohodooda‬ Holiday Sketches by Mike Lynch

It was freelance illustrator Paula Becker who first told me about the #‎hohodooda‬ meme on Facebook and Twitter. 

Here's the deal: Illustrators, both pro and am, sketch up a doodle a day. The only rule is that it's holiday-themed. Here are a few of mine in case you do not follow me on social media:

Video: The Making of a Popeye Cartoon (1938)

Video: Lynda Barry at the Library of Congress

Shaenon Garrity: When They Erase Your Name Off Your Comic and Share It on the Web

Above copyright 2013 by Rachel Dukes.

Today's must reading:

Writing at The Comics Journal site, writer/cartoonist Shaenon Garrity poses the familiar problem that creators face in a piece titled Life With/Out a Signature:

"…[M]ore and more cartoonists are dealing the experience of having their work shared around the world by thousands of readers…with their name erased."

In particular, we are talking about the recent case in which Rachel Dukes posted a cartoon on her site -- a cartoon that she anticipated that people would share. She's OK with that. What with Facebook and Twitter and Tumblr and so on -- it's easy to share and show people funny cartoons. It was shared over a half a million times. But most of those hundreds of thousands of people saw her cartoon with her name and contact information erased.

Rachel Dukes got incredible exposure and zero credit.

One reason that a cartoonist's credit and contact information is scrubbed is because some sites do not want people to get interested in that creator and click away from their site. These are image-sharing sites that make money the more people hang there and click on the site. 

Shaenon continues:

"This sleazy method of generating clickbait isn’t just bad for the artists; it does a disservice to the site’s viewers, who have no way of finding more work by an artist they like. And creating a relationship between reader and artist is crucial to success in webcomics. 'There’s a new intimacy to the interaction between creator and reader with social media as it is today,' says Dukes, 'because of the immediacy of replies and reactions. Creators have been humanized.' Stripping the creator away from the comic makes the comic less human, too."

Read it all here.

Video: Osamu Tezuka Documentary

This is a 45 minute documentary on "Manga God" Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989). The YouTube poster M dot Strange explains that it came with a Tezuka book of his.

It's new to me. There's a good deal of frank talk from Tezuka and we get to be in his studio. Frankly, it's exciting video for me, having not seen it.

"You may be a bit shocked. It is such hard work. 40 years at this. You have to be stupid to do it."

Happy Birthday, John Buscema

A 1975 photo of John Buscema from his Wikipedia page. 

Marvel Comics artist John Buscema was born on this day in 1927. He died on January 10, 2002.

Here's a remembrance of John and John Romita, Sr.

John Buscema was a curmudgeon. It's not just my opinion, but the opinion of a number of his friends and colleagues who knew him.

I'm not saying he was a bad guy -- not at all. The man was a lovable curmudgeon.

But, a curmudgeon nonetheless. The guy was a typical New Yorker. He loved to complain.

I was fortunate to be a member of the Berndt Toast Gang -- the legendary group of Long Island cartoonists, beginning in 2001. John began attending the Gang's monthly lunches because his friend, John Romita, bugged him to come along with him.

The exchanges were something like:

"Come on. You'll have a good time."

"No, I won't"

"Yes, you will."

"No."

And so on.

Most of the time John Buscema would come, and sit with John Romita. Many other cartoonists would be there: Stan Goldberg, Creig Flessel, Tom Gill, Joe Giella, Don Orehek, Al Scaduto, Lee Ames, Mort Drucker, John Reiner, Bunny Hoest and others. Much good food, much shop talk. It was, always, a good time had by all.

But having a good time is hard especially if you are not used to it.

At least that's my take on what John B. would tell John R. as they went out to the parking lot after the lunch.


"Did you have a good time?" John Romita would ask his friend and colleague as they trudged out of the Thatched Cottage banquet facility in Centerport, Long Island.

John would maybe make a sound in the back of his throat or shrug his shoulders.

They would continue walking for a moment.

"John," said John Buscema, "Do you know what's wrong the Berndt Toast Gang lunch?"

Romita was a bit exasperated at this point, knowing that a complaint would be forthcoming.

"No, John, what's wrong with it?"

"It's too damn short."

Video: Zapiro Remembers Mandela

Few people knew Nelson Mandela's face as well as Jonathan Shapiro. The celebrated political cartoonist, better known as Zapiro, has drawn hundreds of caricatures of the former president. Not all of them have reflected his good side.

Video: Michael Ramirez: The Conservative Forum

Laconia and Bridgton Antique Shop Graphics, December 6 - 7, 2013

Let's take a look at some great bygone graphics from here and there that I saw during the weekend. I try to remember to take a camera with me when I'm poking around an old antique shop. I find these inspirational. These were taken this weekend in Bridgton, Maine and Laconia, New Hampshire.

I don't know what this is, but it was going for $75:

Talk about your specialized kitchen products!

Some vintage puzzles:

I love the name ("Pertinent Magazine") and I wish I could remember who the dish in the big hat is. I knew at the time but have forgotten. If the photo was better I could tell you.

This is an "Old Pal" minnow bucket. Love the name.

This is a vintage poster and I have no idea what it means but I liked the way the thing looked:

Very creepy "Dollikin" doll, "the doll miracle of flexibility -- every position of the human figure!"

These two people look pretty darned happy with trusting the magic 8 ball with their decisions:

When it comes to 1950s-60s board games, the box is so appealing. This is the box top for a Bingo game that has been flattened and framed:

Saw this contemporary puzzle and plotzed. Such terrific art:

BONANZA was a hugely popular show. Here's a 1960s record album of the stars of the show: "they sing, they play - banjo, fiddle, guitar!" Yeah. It's the cast in a recording studio (see photos) picking and strumming their way through a record.

Kerry Callen: The Real Story Behind ACTION COMICS #1

What's the context behind ACTION COMICS #1? Kerry Callen wondered and came up with Superman and the Car.

Video: Wolf-Rüdiger Marunde

German cartoonist/illustrator Wolf-Rüdiger Marunde is profiled in this short video. Yes, it's in German and I don't know German at all, but we do get to see Mr. Marunde at work. More than just a cartoonist, he created these gorgeous cartoony paintings.

Happy Friday

Video: Simon Tofield: The Art and Inspiration Behind "Simon's Cat"

This presentation by "Simon's Cat" creator Simon Tofield took place on November 19, 2013 as part of Purina's Better With Pets Summit in New York City.

The Influence of Harry Haenigsen's PENNY Comic Strip

Ger Apeldoorn posts an informative mini-essay on cartoonist Harry Haenigsen, whose PENNY strip influenced a generation of cartoonists.

"Penny was a huge influence on a whole generation of artists, which can be seen in the advertising work of Dik Browne and Gill Fox, for instance, and everything that grew out of that. But where he once was new and exciting, he very soon started repeating himself, often in one Sunday page. From the early fifties to the end of the strip in, what, the seventies, it almost hurts to look at."

Go look. There are some fascinating samples of his 1928 cartoon work -- as well as a 1958 PENNY Sunday page.

Paste Magazine: The Best Comics Artists of 2013

Above: Fiona Staples' art from the cover of SAGA #8.

It took four people (identified as "Pastes's Comics Team") to come up with this Paste Magazine top ten list of The Best Comics Artists of 2013 and I don't envy them their task. They qualify it as non-conclusive and an "incredibly subjective topic," adding that people may make comments to add their own picks.

Regardless, it's a great list with some of the best comics art of the year. A feast for the eyes and all that -- and it makes me want to have a poster of the above image!

Video: Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman "Making Baby Blues"

"Father Was Right" Song Sung by Rube Goldberg

Start at the 6:23 mark to skip the background detail on Pathe Records. It's not a very good recording The poster, Music Box Boy, says that Rube stood too far from the microphone.  But it's a fun song nonetheless, and a rare chance to hear the voice of the first president of the National Cartoonists Society.

Related: there's a new book THE ART OF RUBE GOLDBERG, written by his granddaughter Jennifer, with an introduction by Adam Gopnick. It's published by Abrams. Here's a video of the cool cover contraption:

Stan and Pauline Goldberg in Rehab

Two weeks ago today, Stan Goldberg and his wife Pauline were in a bad car accident.

Pauline fractured both arms and a leg. Stan had a broken vertebra.

If you are a friend of mine on Facebook or Twitter, then you know all this. I haven't posted anything on the blog until now. I wanted to be sure that they were on the mend.

Stan and Pauline are in a rehab facility in Manhattan. And, yes, they are receiving visitors. They are on the mend.

I am relieved. The last time I saw them was at the 2013 Reuben Awards weekend in Pittsburg. We chatted several times. They seemed to know everybody, and they were having a grand time.

They are dearly beloved by fans and colleagues alike. You spend 5 minutes with Stan or Pauline, and you feel like they are part of your family. Just wonderful, salt of the earth people -- but, hey -- I'm preaching to the choir, huh?

More: Heidi MacDonald has a report at The Beat.

Richard Thompson Surgery Delayed

Richard Thompson fell and broke his hip on Sunday. The surgery, originally scheduled for Monday, has been rescheduled for today due to complications.

Richard's friend Nick Galifianakis has more at the Art of Richard Thompson Facebook page:

Hello Richard Thompson fans, Nick here again. 

Thanks on behalf of Richard for all the kind thoughts. Unfortunately, there's been a setback so obviously YOU GUYS AREN'T TRYING HARD ENOUGH!!!! 

There have been some complications, so surgery has been postponed to, hopefully, tomorrow at the latest. 

Please know that RT's spirits are awesome. When I mentioned that he was wearing a "very happy morphine face," he responded with, "Is there any other kind?"

CBS Sunday Morning Video: Sandra Boynton Goes Country with "Frog Trouble"

Video: Garry Trudeau Talks About ALPHA HOUSE

Garry Trudeau was on PBS News Hour, talking about the "anti-HOUSE OF CARDS" (Steve Kornacki's description): Amazon's first streaming show ALPHA HOUSE, which Trudeau created.

BBC Video: Giles Original Cartoons Auctioned

Video: Ted Rall Talks About "Racist Cartoon" Accusation

Ted Rall appears on Newsmax TV's "The Steve Malmberg Show" to talk about his Obama cartoon that people on the left are calling racist. 

Richard Thompson Breaks Hip; Surgery Today

Richard Thompson fell and broke his hip. Surgery today.

Nick Galifianakis writes at "The Art of Richard Thompson" Facebook page:

Hello cartoon and comic fans. Nick Galifianakis here. 

I'm trying to generate a tsunami of good thoughts for the only actual genius I know (I'm apologize to whoever else I just insulted) Richard Thompson. 

RT's Parkinson's has made him less stable and he took quite a tumble yesterday - he broke his hip, which is being replaced at 3 pm today. 

A joint replacement will get Richard up on his feet very quickly -screwing in a pin, which was briefly considered, would mean a much much longer convalescence whereas the joint replacement means he's up and rehabbing very quickly, very important considering he's already starting out from a compromised physical position. 

Surgery will be followed by about 5 days in the hospital 

Please send good thoughts his way. Now. 

More later...

"The Art of Richard Thompson" Facebook page is here.

Exposure and No Credit

 Mike Peterson, over at Comic Strip of the Day, talks about Rachel Dukes. A cartoon of hers, which was freely available to view on her site, was taken, her name stripped off, and it was shared over a half a million times on other sites.

"The money isn’t the point. But this is a thing that’s happening. This isn’t just happening to me. It’s actively happening to the greater art community as a whole. (Especially the comics community. Recent artists effected by altered artwork/theft off the top of my head: Liz Prince, Luke Healy, Nation of Amanda, Melanie Gillman, etc.) Our work is being stolen and profited off of. Right this second."

In other words, if you saw her work and liked it, you would not be able to find her if her name was scrubbed off.

The only thing I'm confused about is the "the money isn't the point" comment along with the "our work is being stolen and profited off of" comment. How does that work? Click-thru ad revenue that would be hers?

Regardless, her point is correct: this is epidemic. And who is scrubbing off the cartoonist's name?

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Related: The Beat: The Cost of Art Theft: From Spike Lee to Rachel Dukes.

Ted Rall and the Daily Kos Web site

Ted posted a cartoon on the Daily Kos site's blog. He was invited to do so. FYI: Ted's been a recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award (twice) and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He's written fifteen books. He's no slouch.

The next day, he found the cartoon removed and a note posted to him, calling his depiction of Obama as "racist."

Ted has the entire account at his site here, including that note. The cartoon is there too. And Daily Kos reprinted Ted's article, "Censored by Daily Kos." The cartoon is not there, but, hey, you can use the Internet to find it.

Ted is not racist. But a lot of the comments disagree. They are not looking at his work and his record. They are quick to knee-jerk and agree that they hate his cartoon and his voice cannot be tolerated.

Most of the comments I read were 100% certain that Daily Kos did what was best: censor a cartoon.

The hate and quick race to get rid of the cartoon was stunning. Liberal America, facist Syria, extremist Muslims all have something in common now.

Related: Robert's Virtual Soapbox: Ted Rall is No Racist; the Obamabots on the Other Hand ….