Becoming a great comedian or cartoonist doesn’t happen overnight. As with many professions, it takes tremendous commitment and practice, a bit of failure and some luck along the way. For Bob Mankoff ’66, these were all part of his journey to becoming a prominent cartoonist and cartoon editor for major publications such as The New Yorker and Esquire.
Mankoff grew up in Queens, New York, and was recognized for his artistic talents from an early age. He attended the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, a specialized school in Manhattan for students who excelled in fine arts. Each day, he would take a bus and three subway trains to get to school.
The Robert Mankoff archive of cartoons at CartoonStock
Eventually, after submitting around 2,000 cartoons to The New Yorker, he finally got his big break and had one of his comics published. Soon after, he signed a contract with The New Yorker, solidifying his budding cartoon career. Over the next 20 years, he would publish nearly 1,000 cartoons in that magazine, including his most popular and best-selling comic, “How About Never—Is Never Good for You?”
“How About Never—Is Never Good for You?” by Mankoff became The New Yorker’s all-time best-selling cartoon.
Syracuse University profiles cartoonist Robert Mankoff.
feature image from How About Never–Is Never Good for You?: My Life in Cartoons by Robert Mankoff