I was walking past the Coles Bookstore on 42nd Street and saw this in the window.
Hey, there's a new movie called Ratatouille. It's gonna be by Brad Bird -- the fellow who directed The Incredibles -- and it'll be out next year. And the cool thing is that there's a funny trailer on the Web. But this is all so new that when you Google Ratatouille the above image is what you get. In a couple weeks it'll be the below image, you bet.
"What fools these mortals be!" -- from the masthead of Puck magazine
The MoCCA Fest is traditionally held in the Puck building.
Bohemian sculptor Carl Buberl is the guy who did the statues of Puck on the Puck Building. He was Bohemian by way of actually coming from Bohemia, like my great grandfather. Of the 2 statues, one appears to be looking at himself, and the other is aiming his mirror toward the sidewalk. The Puck Building was best known as the home of Puck magazine. Joseph Keppler, a star illustrator at Frank Leslie's Illustrated News, started the magazine in 1876. It was in German the first year. The following year the magazine went to both German and English editions. Color cartoons figured on the front page and the centerfold. Specializing in political and social cartoons, the weekly 10 cent,16 page paper was selling a constant 80,000 copies a week.
I post this since I have got a cold this weekend and had nothing to add about MoCCA Fest. This is the first time I've missed it, darn it!
Rocketship is spoiling us with good parties. They had one on Friday, June 9, 2006. It was to honor Megan Kelso, Jordan Crane and Steven Weissman. There are originals on the wall from all of them, plus Jaime Hernandez. And there's beer too. Damn civilized of co-Rocketshippers Alex & Mary & Joe Rice.
And it was also a kinda pre-MoCCA Fest celebration.
A few photos:
Here's Alex, one of the "people behind the curtain" at Rocketship, and my friend Jim Salicrup. They're holding up a copy of Bill Roundy's latest mini comic.
And here's Jim again, along with Gina Gagliano of First Second books. These 2 publishing wizards hold one of First Second's new books: The Fate of the Artist, a graphic novel by Scottish cartoonist Eddie Campbell. It's a beautiful book.
Oh and here is Jim again, along with me, Mike Lynch. We're sitting in the patio outside in the back of the Rocketship comic shop. You can just make out Jim's MoCCA pin on his lapel. Check out Jim's Papercutz line of award winning graphic novels!
Sterling Forest on the New York New Jersey border. Sunny, breezy and about 67 degrees. We took a 2 hour hike around Sterling Lake. Very tired now, but it's a good kinda tired.
Roo was an adult kitty who was found in Red Hook, Brooklyn. He had been tied to a railing with a urine soaked string. That's all we know.
A cat rescuer woman found him -- a big red cat with a big giant head -- and brought him into the vet's office in the fall of 2003. We were at the vet's, looking for an adult kitty to adopt. We had 3 cats for many years, until one of our kitties died. It was time to get another.
"Have you met Big Head?" asked one of the vet techs. So, she brought in this big orange cat and plunked him on my wife's lap.
He stayed there, motionless, while my wife talked to him. He was patted and cuddled. For a good 15 minutes he sat on her lap, very still, very quiet.
And then he let out a big poop.
A couple of (thankfully) dryish turds tumbled from the cat to the floor. All the time, the orange cat didn't move. A vet tech came in and apologized. She said, "Oh, I'm so sorry. Do you want me to take him?" I thought it was a good idea. This cat was obviously not socialized and was a bad choice.
"No. I -- I love him," said my wife, holding him even tighter on her lap.
George Crenshaw was a Disney animator, ghost for Hank Ketcham, a comic book artist, as well as a gag cartoonist. He drew a number of syndicated features, including: Nubbins, Nerdley and Simpkins -- but his claim to fame is Belvedere.
Belvedere is a know-it-all dog, inspired (so the story goes) by Crenshaw's own little pet.
Belvedere is a gag-a-day panel. Belvedere, being not-your-average-dog, results in a variety of gags. The one above is wonderfully surreal! And we also learn that in order to insert an explaining hand (see my "The Explaining Hand" entry in the Andertoons blog), Crenshaw has taken out the glass and screen in the window!
Crenshaw had a number of assistants on the panel, including fellow Ketcham employee Al Wiseman. I can't tell which panels Wiseman may have had a hand in, but Bill Alger has a site devoted to Mr. Wiseman and maybe one day he can show us the way.
The idea of a dog persistently shooting stuff at the waterbed with a slingshot is so odd. I can understand a dog's antipathy towards, let's say, a cat or a mail carrier -- but a waterbed? Regardless, marvelous style, with the shadows under Belvedere (and his puffs of zoom smoke), and that lovely Hawaii-Five-0 wave. At this point we see that being Belvedere means never changing your expression!
Ahh! Now, you see? I was wrong. Here is a panel wherein Belvedere has become a typical dog, and his tongue is hanging out. He can change his expression. But that pouty lower lip expression lives -- in the expression of the woman of the panel.
Like I said, this is a gag strip and the gag rests on Belvedere somehow constructing that woman's leg out of a saw revealed in panel 2. The conceit that if a guy sees a single silhouetted leg in the window, said man will then RUN to the door with lust, ripping open the door for the leggy owner, is pretty dated by now. I like that exterior door handle shape.
Mr. Crenshaw also penned a very good book with a great title: How to Draw Cartoons Editors Will Buy! Take a look at cartoonist Randy Glasbergen's review of it here.
Cheers to cartoonist Tony Murphy, who just told me that he has a Web site.
(Tony Murphy, Mark Anderson and me at the Reubens.)
Tony told me at the NYC NCS get together (see below) and I have a photo of him from last night, but it turned out pretty badly -- so I won't post it until he makes me angry one day.
Tony's "It's All About You" comic strips are seen every weekday in the Metro newspaper. The Metro is a free "commuter newspaper," which means that most of the time Tony's work is being read by people who are zooming to work on the subway in the dark, deep underground.
Here are some photos from last night's NYC NCS get together at the Overlook Lounge, situated on the East Side with easy access to a variety of beers and spirits.
Illustrious NYC NCS Chair Dan Piraro mugs as Amanda Hass gives us a knowing look. Amanda was telling us stories about her days in the PR department at King Features. "I'm not a cartoonist, but I love being around cartoonists."
Doug Bratton take my pen. Doug Bratton drawing picture. Doug Bratton like to draw. Look how forceful he draw. Doug Bratton ruin Mike's nib. Doug Bratton make Mike sad.
Here's Sal Amendola, of Archie and DC and Marvel comics, and, of late, a member of the School of Visual Arts faculty. Here's more from the Silver Bullet Comics site. And, to the right, are Arnie and Caroline Roth. Arnold Roth's work has appeared everywhere: Punch, Playboy, The New Yorker, etc. He's one of the most successful freelance cartoonists I know. Now, sometimes, cartoonists are wallflowers and would rather sit in the basement, drinking lemonade, watching old home movies (to paraphrase Harold Ross). This is the polar opposite of Arnie Roth's personality. He's really funny in person. He's one of those people that when he sees that he's made me laugh, will then say something even funnier under his breath, making me laugh harder. He is very quick to point out that Mell Lazarus is funnier than him, but Mell lives on the other coast. So, that make Arnie the funniest cartoonist in the NYC environs.
Sal Amendola with the looming, bumbershoot-wielding, chapeau-wearing Jay Maeder in background. My friend Jay is an author, Daily News editor and Little Orphan Annie scribe. His bio is here, at the comicspage.com site.
Here's Bill Alger, Mike Lynch, Doug and Pam Bratton. Bill Alger, an outstanding freelance illustrator, spends his own time and money on that Al Wiseman site and he told me about all sorts of cool stuff that will be coming up there. Go and bookmark now!
Al is one of the "four famous cartoonist Roth brothers:" Al, Irving Roir, Ben and Salo. They all used different surnames.
Look at that chair on the right. Just a well-placed scramble of lines.
These sagging, just-waking-up postures of the characters are lovely to look at.
Al Ross sold his first cartoon to The New Yorker in 1937. He is still cartooning so far as I know.
Again, it's just some squiggles on the vague shape of a cake. But that's enough. It works.
Well, there we have some wonderful, loopy cartoons by Al Ross. Another cartoonist I admire.
When Bloom County's Steve Dallas recited the "Three B's" (broads, booze & Buckley -- but, hey, you knew that), he was just letting us know about a lifestyle that was in force during the 1980s. A generation before that, Virgil Partch was chronicling the dipsomaniac lifestyle, replete with lying and lusting. And there was a healthy dose of bizarre physicalities. And Buckley? Well, he was around then, but the sorts of people in VIP's cartoons would not care. They were too busy with the seedier side of life: deception and desire and drinking.
I think the funny thing about this is that this guy looks so slimy, with his teeny caterpillar mustache and bulbous bald head. The way he raise his eyebrows you can tell he's a guy who's full of himself -- and yet, he has 2 women! Or at least he thinks he does. This one took me an extra second before I "got it."
This one is subtle. I like how the guy's face tells us all he wants do is his job; wipe the bar. His only agenda is doing his job. And the woman -- either she's in a Zen-like place or three sheets to the wind. What's your take?
Alaska-born Virgil Partch signed his cartoons "VIP." He was born in 1916, studied at the University of Arizona and then the Chouinard Art Institute. Leaving the Art Institute after 6 months, he took a job with Disney for four years, and then became unemployed after participating in that studio's 1941 strike. That's when he started drawing gag cartoons. He sold his first by 1942, and his absurd cartoons became a staple of many magazines. This page has a handful from Cartoon Fun, a True Magazine collection from 1954.
VIP was never in the The New Yorker magazine, despite many tries. He was a very popular cartoonist in his day, and appeared in just about every other magazine. I've heard that the reason he was rejected by The NYer was that he drew nostrils and the people in The NYer cartoons did not have nostrils. I've heard this a couple of times through the years. Once was from a former True magazine editor. But, hey, I can't see any nostrils here. I do see six fingers, though.
I think the reason he was not in The NYer mag was because his characters were, in the end, essentially grotesques. Not arty grotesques like George Grosz, not stylized freaks like Addams' cartoons. VIP's people were working stiffs, wrong-side-of-the-track sorts who are going to hang out in the bar and smoke too much.
There really was a place in NYC called The Circus Bar. I Googled it but I still can't figure out if it's around. I did find out there are Circle Bars all over the world, though.
He says the reason he will occasionally draw extra fingers is to atone for the 4 years of drawing three-fingered Mickey Mouses while with Disney.
VIP and his wife both died in a tragic automobile accident in 1984.
UPDATE: I'm wrong! VIP did sell a half dozen cartoons to the New Yorker magazine, beginning in November 21, 1942 issue. Hat tip to Michael Maslin!
For such a terror of a child, Dennis sure attracts some swell guys to chronicle his adventures.
Swell Person #1: Marcus Hamilton, who draws the Dennis daily panel, mailed the above sketch to me this month, thanking me for the DTM site I blogged about. Gee whiz! I love it! What a cool thing to get in the mail. Marcus, you are a true gentleman and I thank you for a wonderful surprise!
Swell Person #2: The Al Wiseman Blog, all about the guy who (among other projects) drew tons of the Dennis comic books, is put together by my colleague Bill Alger. Bill's a terrific illustrator in his own right, but at this site he steps aside and shines the spotlight on Mr. Wiseman. Today's entry: Al Wiseman: An Appreciation by Mike Lynch.
(Above: Arnold Roth's wonderful color drawing commemorating the event. The drawing adorned our goody bag and a t-shirt.)
OK, I've had a couple of days to detox .... The Reubens are, in a word, surreal. Oh sure, you'll meet a bunch of fellow cartoonists, drink, hear old cartoon war stories, drink, put on a tux, drink, hear Dan Piraro sing, drink ... but, really, the Reubens are, in the end, surreal.
FRIDAY
Missed all of the Friday afternoon events due to LaGuardia being fogged in. I call Mark Anderson, who's already at the Reubens. "I'm on the CTA train to the city. About 25 minutes away now."
Mark says it's break time at the Reubens and he's having a scone at Starbucks and Hilary Price and Jay Kennedy are there. I think I said something like, "Behave yourself, Anderson!" He laughs maniacally.
When I finally walked into the hotel lobby, I see Nick Meglin. "You're just getting in NOW?!" he asks. I growl something about fog and feel pissed. I feel like I have those cartoon steam lines over my head.
Finally met my cartoony brother Mark Anderson. We've been calling each other for years, but never met. We go to the cocktail party together.
SURREAL MOMENT: Met Mike Luckovich and his family. Mike's a real regular guy and a cartoonist who I admire. I remember that his family attended the annual Bunny Bash in 2005. There's a traditional photo taken of the attendees. Mike's family's in the photo, but Mike isn't. He was upstairs, in the Hoest studio, bent over John Reiner's drawing board meeting a pressing deadline. This is how you win 2 Pulitzers (not to mention a Reuben)! Hard work!
And Mike Luckovich thanked me for sending the congratulations on your Pulitzer e-mail that I sent a couple of months ago! He was such a nice guy; proving that the bigger you are, the nicer you are!
Saw a lot of my friends and colleagues at the party and following karaoke fest. Great to see my friend Tony Murphy made it. Chatted with Rina Piccolo and Brendan Burford, Carla Ventresca and Henry Beckett, Mort Drucker, John Reiner, Bunny Hoest, Frank and Barbara Springer, Stan and Pauline Goldberg, Don and Suzanne Orehek, Doug and Pam Bratton, Dave Coverly, Mell Lazarus, Andy Eng, Bill Gallo, and so many more.
SATURDAY
Breakfast with Bunny Hoest, Stan Goldberg, Irwin Hasen, Sandra Bell Lundy and Mark Szorady.
Finally met Kevin McVey who had organized a couple of NCS visits to VA hospitals in association with the USO.
The General Meeting covered all sorts of things like the budget, the enrollment, the Milt Gross Fund and other internal matters of import. In other words, it wasn't too sexy. But I think it's interesting. Mort Walker spoke about the progress of the cartoon museum. The same guy who designed the DC Holocaust Museum will design the new cartoon museum, to be housed in the Empire State Building.
The afternoon sessions were in swing by 12:30.Dick Locher spoke, then Everett Peck. Mark Anderson covers this in his blog for Days 2 & 3, and Day 1. I will say that Everett Peck, who is an illustrator and has put together a number of cartoon series, said he tried to complete a painting a day. I'm lucky to do a couple of cartoons a day. Maybe he can paint and drive and do errands all at the same time. Hmm.
The Reubens per se started after a cocktail reception that night and went on for a while. Again, I lean on Mark for a descrip.
SUNDAY
I went to Mark's to meet the family and we all had some great food and went to see X3. A nice day!
MONDAY
Checked out early. The hotel clerk gives me the bill and asks the old perfunctory wheeze: "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Yeah. Ha ha. I'd love a cup of coffee."
The guy coolly hands me a slip of paper good for anything on the Starbucks menu, located just across the lobby and open for business. Ahh!
Train to Midway, long walk to the gate. The only other cartoonist on the plane is Jules Feiffer. This is my OTHER SURREAL MOMENT as I chat with him about the weekend and meet his wife and daughters. His wife asks where she can see my cartoons. Everyone at the Reubens got the LAUGHTER THE BEST MEDICINE book with some of my cartoons in it. She passes around the book, pointing out a cat cartoon of mine to them.
One of the daughters was in the movie THE SQUID AND THE WHALE. This is the second cartoony event that I've been to where an actor from THE SQUID AND THE WHALE has appeared. The first one was the Rocketship signing that I blogged about earlier this month. I have no idea what this means.
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