Bill Holbrook informs us that it is October.
“On the Fastrack” during October, every day (except for Sundays) will feature a different Halloween costume worn by Dethany.
It started with the October 5 On The Fastrack (though there was an October 1 preview).
In the February-March 1945 issue of The Magazine of the Sigma Chi, the magazine went all-out, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Caniff’s wonderful Terry and the Pirates comic strip. A whopping 48 cartoonists contributed full-page specialty cartoons and drawings celebrating Caniff’s achievement. Curious how Hal Foster would draw Terry? It’s in there. Joe Shuster has Superman take Terry on a flight without Terry’s plane.
Rob Stolzer, at his Inkslingers, treats us to all the tributes to Milton Caniff from his compatriots.
By the way, Rob’s Inkslingers blog is well worth a comics fan investigation.
Just how far ahead does writer Tony DePaul plot his The Phantom stories?
Above are a couple strips from Spring 2020, below a couple recent strips.
In the current daily newspaper story “Phantom’s End” by Tony DePaul and Mike Manley on the 31 August 2022 we were shown the burial spot of the 21st Phantom after he was killed in the Old Man Mozz what if story.
However what some phans may not know is that we have seen this pile of rocks in the valley before. Do you recognise it?
The Chronicle Chamber reminds us that the past we forgot is repeating.
Today is the birthday of the one and only Orlando Busino born this day in 1926.
Mike Lynch and Dick Buchanan celebrate with a Busino cartoon gallery.
Let’s go back to a pessimistic Tony DePaul.
In keeping with our theme, you’re aware the craft is ending—dying if you like. The craft of writing and drawing comics for newspaper syndication has been going away for two generations now, going by slow degrees. It’s not unreasonable to foresee that one day, a day more likely sooner than later, the craft will be a thing of the past.
Tony tells his thoughts behind writing the just ended Wrack and Ruin chapter of The Phantom and his thoughts on the future of newspaper comic strips.
It’s been on my mind for quite a few years, and, in recent weeks, with entire newspaper chains canceling their entire comics lineup, News Corp in Australia, Lee Newspapers here in the States, I’ve been wondering whether I hadn’t come awfully close to putting off this story just a bit too long.
The latest Spill library purchase, the 1952 Avon paperback, Chorus of Cuties, led me to thinking more about Mr. Campbell’s long career. Chorus of Cuties, like the three previous Campbell collections (and the one published following his death) consists entirely of the “Cuties” cartoons. But — as far as I can tell — his non-Esquire, non-“Cuties” cartoons were never collected in book form.
Michael Maslin feels the time has come for E. Simms Campbell.
… it’s time for a comprehensive E. Simms Campbell collection, including a variety of work from the above mentioned publications, as well as a sampling of his illustrations and ad work, and, of course, an expanded biography.
Who am I to argue with such a wonderful thought?
Fun With Google Translate
2022 Reuben Awards Welcome Party at Andrews McMeel HQ
The National Cartoonists Society presents a Facebook photo album of members during this years Reuben Weekend. Now, while most everyone recognizes Mort Gerberg and Patrick McDonnell and Maria Scrivan and Mark Tatulli and “Especially Alcaraz” without the name tags, someone is going to have to go in there and i.d. the attendees for the rest of us.
Many, many more photos by Marcealena here.
