Tom Armstrong’s Marvin has turned 30 years old.
From King Features:
MARVIN first appeared in newspaper comics pages on August 1, 1982. Since that day, the comic strip has revolved around the life and times of a precocious baby boy named Marvin, his father and mother Jeff and Jenny Miller, and their dog Bitsy. Other characters have been introduced through the years, including Megan, Marvin’s super-smart cousin; Janet, who is Megan’s mother and Jenny’s divorced sister; Ming Ming, Janet’s adopted daughter from China; and Bea and Roy, Marvin’s doting grandparents.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary, Tom has written a story-line that starts this Sunday that will have Marvin meeting his 30 year-old adult self. The series runs through August 12.
Regarding the new story-line Tom says, “people who started reading ‘Marvin’ when they were little often write to say that they are still following his adventures, but now relate to him because they have baby ‘Marvins’ of their own. I wanted to explore that dynamic further, and saw the strip’s 30th anniversary as a unique and timely way to do that.”
Too bad I don’t have the Marvin comic strip in any Chicago newspaper since May 1998.
But is the 30 year old Marvin going to replace the baby Marvin if fans like it and cause a change in the comic strip format?
Congrats Tom! Can’t wait to read the new story line.
In The Tampa Bay area, Marvin lasted well into 2006 when the Tampa Bay (then-St. Petersburg) Times dropped Marvin.
I think the Tampa Tribune dropped Marvin sometime in the late 1990’s.
My Cincinnati Post Comic Strip Index says that Marvin ran there from May 2, 1983 to April 20, 1991.
Congrats Tom! I’ve always enjoyed reading Marvin. 30 years of syndication, wow. To an aspiring cartoonist like me that territory really seems like the holiest grail.
Wow, where does the time go? Conrats Tom!
Congrats Tom and Marvin, what a great comic strip!