Jim Keefe will no longer be coloring King Features Syndicate Sunday comic strips:
From 1989-98 I was on staff at King as the head (and only) colorist for the King Features Comic Art Department. From 1999 on I did coloring for them freelance.
And as of November of 2021, a little over 30 years total, I’m calling it a day. It’s been a good run, but time commitments with my current work schedule just made it impossible to continue.
Jim’s current work schedule includes the daily Sally Forth
(where he will probably continue to color the Sunday page).
Blondie and Sally Forth © King Features Syndicate
I’m glad he will continue illustrating S4th. I knoe Ces didn’t really intend to set the strip in a Minneapolis bedroom community, but Keefe’s illustrations really bring it home for this Twin Citian. And the the Ralph and Jackie go house hunting arc came right after my wife and I had done the same, and I’m pretty sure we’d been in some of the places Keefe illustrated.
And Jim, if you are reading this, please don’t chime in with a comment about how many copies of American Bungalow you have for reference. Just let me cherish my illusions.
I thought colorization back in those days was done at Reed-Brennan.
Back when Jim started there was no Reed Brennan, which began in 1993. Not sure when it started coloring daily strips.
In 2015 editor Tea visited RB and noted “While Sunday strips are colored by their respective artists, most daily strips are colored by the coloring team at RBMA.”
https://comicskingdom.com/trending/blog/2015/08/03/editor-s-dispatch-our-friends-in-orlando