Close to Home celebrates 15 years in November
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Universal Press has announced that John McPherson’s “Close to Home” will celebrate 15 years with UPS this upcoming November. John has produced over 5,000 comics and has a client list exceeding 700 newspapers world wide.
“Close to Home? has been compared to the satirical humor of Gary Larson?s “The Far Side” and in many papers, actually replaced the panel when Larson retired in 1995. “Gary?s work was a big influence for me. I think it has been for most cartoonists,” says McPherson, “But I?d rather not deal with all of the far-out nonsense; there is so much nonsense in real life to draw from.”
After 5,000 comic panels, the ink well of ideas for some cartoonists might dry up, but not for McPherson. The key for “Close to Home?s” longevity is keeping things fresh. “I don?t have recurring characters or an ongoing storyline in Close to Home,” McPherson says. “I don?t want to be tied down. This allows me so many more liberties and gives me some room to move.”
But, like any humorist, McPherson is no stranger to writer?s block. He will often roam malls, peruse book titles in the library, or take a drive in order to rediscover his muse. Sometimes, even his readers provide him with inspiration. When asked how he responds when fans approach him with ideas, he comes back jokingly, “Run away.”
John has nearly 20 book collections of his feature, calendars, a popular line of greeting cards and also has contributed to the best selling series of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books.
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