The Yellow Kid in the 21st Century

Randy Bish‘s old stomping ground once more gives him some space.
This time talking about his new Yellow Kid comic book.

Randy Bish, 57, of Hempfield, was the Tribune-Review’s editorial cartoonist from 1985 through 2016. His work continues to be syndicated via Pennsylvania NewsMedia, Cagle Cartoons and The Fourth Estate.

Chris Yambar, 58, of Youngstown, Ohio, is a painter, writer and publisher, well-known for writing for some of the most popular cartoon characters including “The Simpsons” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.” He also creates his own comic book characters, including Mr. Beat, the Fire-Breathing Pope and El Mucho Grande: Wrestler for Hire.

The two put their respective talents together to create a new story with The Yellow Kid, as the character reaches its 125th birthday — “Hully Gee It’s The Yellow Kid.”

The 40-page book includes eight pages of historic reprints of strips from the comic “Hogan’s Alley,” created by Richard Outcault in 1895 and featuring The Yellow Kid.

The Tribune-Review interviews Randy about his and Chris’ take on The Yellow Kid.

“Chris had the whole story all laid out,” Bish says.

Yambar’s idea was to send the Yellow Kid into the present day, the result of a cruel magician’s trick gone wrong.

“The fun part of it was, there was no politics,” Bish says. “The most fun was creating the villain. He didn’t exist in the original cartoon.”