Posted on: April 28, 2006

Book Festival puts artists in touch:Nearly every day for at least the past decade, cartoonist Doug Marlette has taken a late morning telephone call from an old friend on the South Carolina coast.It’s a way for the Pulitzer Prize-winner and his pal, best-selling novelist Pat Conroy, to continue their ongoing conversations about life in today’s culture, Marlette said.  “It’s kind of like having a witness to things that we both apprehend.”

Matt Groening was recently interviewed by AV Club about some of the projects he’s working on. While still cranking out “Life in Hell,” he’s also working on the upcoming Simpson feature film, and four Futurama DVD feature films.  If you’re a fan of Groenings print or television work, this is a good interview.

This year’s John Locher award winner William Warren got some press in his own college newspaper where the sophomore does editorial cartoons.  The story also contains the URL to William’s web site where you can see his editorial cartoons.

Jim Borgman and Jerry Scott will be at Borders bookstore in West Village (near Dallas TX) to sign boosk between 7-8pm tomorrow night, according to Jim’s blog.They will also be appearing on a local morning TV show, talking with Dallas Morning News reporter Mike Peters.

There is a great article over at the LA Times about an upcoming “Sunday at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books” symposium that will examine the future of comics in the newspaper…. Other cartoonists on the panel include Cathy Guisewite (“Cathy”), Jerry Scott (“Baby Blues” and “Zits”) and Lalo Alcaraz (“La Cucaracha”).Berkeley:”I don’t think you’ll ever see another ‘Calvin & Hobbes,’ ‘Bloom County’ or ‘Doonesbury’ again,” says Breathed, 48, who received the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1987.

Mike Lynch and Editor and Publisher have announced the new web site for the “Berndt Toast Gang” also known as the Long Island, NY chapter of the National Cartoonist Society.According to E&P other members of the chapter include:”Smitty” comic creator Walter Berndt (1899-1979) — include “The Lockhorns” cartoonists Bunny Hoest and John Reiner of King Features Syndicate, “They’ll Do It Every Time” cartoonist Al Scaduto of King, Bill Gallo of the New York Daily News, “Mad” magazine artist Mort Drucker, and many others.

More details are emerging about Paul Comb’s departure from the Tampa Tribune next month….  Apparently the Comb family didn’t take to Florida and are moving back .

Luann creator Greg Evans will be at the Barnes & Noble in Escondido CA this Sunday at 12:30 presumably to sign books.

Editor and Publisher reports that Canadian cartoonist David Illsley who does “Wrinkled — Us Older Folks” has been signed with Continental Features/Continental News Service.

Before Bil Keane made it big with “Family Circus” he had another big hit called “Channel Chuckles” which was a daily cartoon focused on television gags that would run next to the tv listings which were becoming a popular new feature in the newspaper (this is 1954).  There are a online exhibit of “Channel Chuckles” on Bil’s web site.Go read Allan Holtz’s Strippers Guide blog for more information.

The Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco has a new exhibit called “Cartoon Tunes: Capturing Music in Comics” according to Editor and Publisher.  The exhibit runs May 9 through Oct. 15 and features music such as Bob Dylan, Philip Glass, Led Zeppelin, Jenny Lind, Prince, Run-DMC, and They Might Be Giants.

Joe Heller, editorial cartoonist for the Green Bay Press-Gazette will join several other Wisconsin artists to decorate 40 large butterfly, frog and beetle statues that will be placed in several places through out the city this summer…. The Green Bay Press-Gazette editorial cartoonist will translate to powder-coated aluminum what he has long put on paper: a slew of newsmakers past and present.”It’s going to be presidents, state and local politicians and working my way into entertainers that are political and politicians that are entertainers ? anybody with a mouth and an opinion,” said Heller, who plans to attach a key to identify all the characters.

The Austin American Statesman has a really good write up regarding Patrick McDonnell’s new book “Art.” Patrick’s first book “The Gift of Nothing” featured characters from his comic strip “Mutts,” but this new book is a complete departure from his Mutts strip.”‘Art’ is about a little kid who likes to draw and makes messes and I think it’s pretty autobiographical,” he says by phone from his New Jersey studio…. I actually took a photograph of my desk before I cleaned it because it looked sort of like one of Art’s drawings ? splotches all over the place.”To help promote the book, Patrick is having a ART Coloring Contest (ends April 28).

Tony Cochran, creator of “Agnes” will be the official mascot of the Taking the Reins’s walk-a-thon in Van Nuys, CA.

The Lima News (OH) has put Dennis the Menace back on the funnies page after readers protested.  The editor, in a brief story, writes about some of the reactions people had when Dennis disappeared.