Books Cartooning Comic Books Editorial cartooning

The Wonder of Weekend Whatnots

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D. D. Degg February 25, 2024 1 minute 0 comments

Featuring Lalo Alcaraz, Julia Wertz, Flash Gordon, Herblock

What makes more noise than the hundreds of thousands of vehicles barreling down the intersection of the 60 and 605 freeways? Ask Lalo Alcaraz.

“Can someone turn down the freeway?” the two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist asked at the unveiling of a new 80-foot-long mural he drew with artist Levi Ponce on the side of the El Monte Union Bus Depot in South El Monte.

The artwork, proclaiming “The Future Is Emission Free!”, features characters Alcaraz drew for two animated shorts he produced for El Monte Union High School District’s Clean Mobility in Schools pilot project.

Anissa Rivera for The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports on Lalo Alcaraz’s three month project.

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Cheryl has a cartoonist daughter of considerable renown. Publishers pay to print her books. Several have been translated into French. She appears regularly in The New Yorker.

Julia Wertz is probably the most famous person I know, but here’s the thing: I’ve hardly given her artistic achievements the time of day.

While proud of her success, I ignored her early “Fart Party” books, I only flipped through a 2010 autobiographical work, “Drinking at the Movies,” I paid scant attention to “Tenements, Towers & Trash,” her tribute to New York City.

Julia never made a big deal of her stepfather’s aloofness — boomers weren’t necessarily her target audience. But she did notice.

A step-father finally gets around to reading his step-daughters graphic novel about beating addiction and the relationship grows closer. Kevin Courtney tells a family story for The Napa Valley Register.

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“Flash Gordon is a multigenerational character that means something different for every fan. Some got into the character through the serials and comics, while others have fond memories of TV shows and movies,” said Mad Cave Studios Senior Editor, Chas! Pangburn. “Thankfully, our partnership with King Features allows us to deliver exciting tales for fans new and old. Be it classic/retro-inspired stories, expanding the world of existing Flash tales (film, comics, TV), and even wholly unique takes on the character, we’re strongly leaning into finding a Flash for everyone.”

Keith Davidsen and Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool reveal the Flash Gordon comic books for 2024.

I’m not too sure about the umteenth collection of Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon.

FLASH GORDON: THE COMPLETE LIBRARY OF NEWSPAPER STRIPS (October)

(Tentative title) Essential reading for Flash Gordon enthusiasts. A gorgeous archival 200-page hardcover series of Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon newspaper strips comprise legendary strips from the 1930s and throughout the decades. Solicitation begins July 2024.

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Counterpoint is pleased to add a new weekly offering starting on Friday, Feb. 23: Today in Herblock History. With the kind assistance of The Herb Block Foundation*, CP will bring you a Herblock blast from the past each and every Friday.

You will have to be a paying subscriber to see this special feature, so we hope you’ll take advantage of our limited-time offer: 40% off for one year!**

*Counterpoint is grateful to The Herb Block Foundation for allowing us to bring you this tremendous body of editorial cartoon work. The foundation is committed to defending the basic freedoms guaranteed all Americans, combating discrimination and prejudice, and providing educational opportunity through post-secondary education scholarships, as well as to promoting editorial cartooning through continued research.

**Hurry! This offer expires on March 9, 2024.

Counterpoint adds classic goodies to its substack.