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Early Art Spiegelman contest submission found?

Brad Mackay has posted what he believes is an early art contest submission by Art Spiegelman when Art was approximately 15 years old. This is a pretty great find. Recently Montreal cartoonist Rick Trembles was combing through a stack of old CARtoons magazines he nabbed from a flea market and spotted a winning submission to [...]

Posted on: Jan 21, 2011,  Section: Comic history, Comments: 5 Comments

Eisner Family pledges $250k to OSU cartoon library

Great news from the OSU Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum: The Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation has pledged $250,000 over five years to support the new Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum facility, part of the Sullivant Hall renovation at The Ohio State University. In recognition of this gift, the library’s seminar room [...]

Posted on: Dec 24, 2010,  Section: Comic history, Museums, Comments: 1 Comment

End of year must have cartooning products

We’re closing in on the end of the year. 2010 was a good year, but mostly a blur. That said there were a lot of great books, services and products that came out this year. I’ve compiled a list of things I thought are above and beyond. If you’re still looking for a gift to [...]

Posted on: Dec 17, 2010,  Section: Art Supplies, Books, Comic history, Comic strips, Technology, Comments: 14 Comments

Cartoon Art Museum celebrates Bloom County

I noted earlier this week that it was 30 years ago that Bloom County debuted in newspapers. The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco will be running an exhibit of Berkeley Breathed‘s art work ranging from Bloom County, his children’s books, and movie projects. A reception will be planned in April. It should also be [...]

Posted on: Dec 16, 2010,  Section: Comic history, Comic strips, Comments: 3 Comments

Bloom County turns 30

Geoff Boucher, writing in the Hero Complex blog of the LA Times, notes that last week was the 30 year anniversary of Bloom County. I grew up in south Florida and fell in love with newspapers by reading the Miami Herald, which had one of the most personality-packed staffs in America – crime reporter Edna [...]

Posted on: Dec 13, 2010,  Section: Books, Comic history, Comments: 6 Comments

Brenda Starr to end on January 2

Brenda Starr, the 70 year old comic created by Chicago Tribune columnist Dale Messick, is set to retire on January 2. The strip is currently produced by another Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich and drawn by June Brigman. According to the Chicago Tribune, the two creators opted to end their association with the strip and [...]

Posted on: Dec 9, 2010,  Section: Comic history, Comic strips, Comments: 11 Comments

Bill Watterson’s college cartoons

I’ve seen this website before – which has one of the best catalogs of all the work and art of Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson. His college cartoons are making their rounds through the blogosphere. I’ve got to admit either I missed this page completely or they’re a recent addition (new as in a [...]

Posted on: Dec 8, 2010,  Section: Comic history, Comic strips, Comments: 5 Comments

The history behind A Charlie Brown Christmas

Comic Riffs blogger Michael Cavna has a detailed history of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” which airs tonight. Charles Schulz was long viewed as a man plagued by anxiety, self-doubt and fear of rejection. Yet when it came to the production of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Mendleson says, Schulz was the epitome of confidence and assured [...]

Posted on: Dec 7, 2010,  Section: Comic history, Television, Comments: 2 Comments

Christies pulls cartoon auction due to hate laws

An early cartoon (1903) by Henry Mayo Bateman will not be auctioned off by Christies after a Jewish amateur antiques dealer complained. The cartoon depicts a man with bearded Jewish man with a skull-cap with talon-like fingers and a tail. The auction house consulted with Scotland yard to see if the auction would violate a [...]

Posted on: Dec 3, 2010,  Section: Auctions, Comic history, Comments: 3 Comments

Mr. Media interviews Andrew Farago

As always, an interesting interview by Bob Andelman (AKA Mr. Media) with Andrew Farago, who is not only the curator for the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, but the author or a new coffee table book Looney Tunes Treasury: Includes Amazing Interactive Treasures from the Warner Bros. Vault!.

Posted on: Dec 2, 2010,  Section: Books, Comic history, Interviews, Comments: 0 Comments

Mort Walker’s military history behind Beetle Bailey

Wicked Local (Concord) has an article about Beetle Baily creator Mort Walker and his career and beginnings. After basic training, he found himself stationed at Camp Crowder, which was the Midwest training center for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was to be a radio repair technician. Walker still has no idea why. “Of all [...]

Posted on: Nov 17, 2010,  Section: Comic history, Comic strips, Comments: 1 Comment

Hazel is heading to Broadway

Ted Key’s Hazel is being adapted for a Broadway musical with music by composer Ron Abel and lyrics by Chuck Steffan. The two began negotiations for the rights before Ted passed in 2008 and were since able to secure the rights with the Key estate. Lissa Levin, the Edward Kleban Award-winning playwright and Emmy-nominated producer [...]

Posted on: Nov 11, 2010,  Section: Comic history, Comments: 2 Comments

Review: Doonesbury and the Art of G.B. Trudeau

I buy comic collections for a number of reasons. Pure entertainment, “behind the scenes” information, interesting comic history and love of the art (or humor). A good book satisfies more than one of these justifications. The latest Doonesbury book, Doonesbury and the Art of G.B. Trudeau by Brian Walker, hits all of them in spades. [...]

Posted on: Nov 4, 2010,  Section: Anniversaries, Books, Comic history, Comic strips, Comments: 6 Comments

Rolling Stone interviews Garry Trudeau

Chip Kidd of Rolling Stone Magazine has interviewed Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau to mark the 40th anniversary of the strip. Rolling Stone has also posted 10 Doonesbury strips picked by Garry as his favorites. It also includes Garry’s narrative as to why he selected that cartoon. A selection of the interview: How did Doonesbury come [...]

Posted on: Oct 28, 2010,  Section: Comic history, Comic strips, Comments: 0 Comments

More Doonesbury: 200 Greatest Moments

Slate has posted what they view as the 200 Greatest Moments of Garry Trudeau’s Doonesbury. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of G.B. Trudeau’s Doonesbury, Slate and Doonesbury.com invite you to enter the feature’s 14,600-strip archive and wander to your heart’s content. For the next two weeks this vast labyrinth of storytelling and interconnected lives, [...]

Posted on: Oct 27, 2010,  Section: Comic history, Comic strips, Comments: 0 Comments