Mike Marland has informed the people of New Hampshire:
The time has come to start a slow slide into retirement. It’s going to take me a few years to actually get there, but I’m going to begin by retiring from drawing editorial cartoons.
Mike has two reasons for the decision.
I’ve been drawing them for 43 years and I’m kind of burned out.
and
Arthritis has rendered my drawing hand useless and I don’t enjoy “drawing” the cartoons on the computer as much. My enjoyment of putting ink to paper for hours at a time is gone.
© Mike Marland
The arthritis has been a long-term problem and, as Mike explained earlier this month,
it is becoming difficult to overcome the disabling complication:
Anyway…more changes in the drawing department.
My hand has abandoned me and I’m drawing almost nothing with pencil & ink these days.
I can draw loosely with a pencil okay, but inking has become quite frustrating. I can’t draw curved lines without wobbles and can only draw straight lines if they can be done with short, quick movements. And I have to stop frequently to “crackle” my fingers. I’ve given up lettering entirely.
R.F.D. © King Features Syndicate
There is good news.
Mike will continue his weekly R.F.D. comic strip and still contribute gags for Snuffy Smith.