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