Silver Strips Among the Gold
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Nancy, Li’l Abner, Ziggy, Crankshaft, Barney Google, Mallard Fillmore, The Shadow, Pearls Before Swine, Working Cats, Rosebuds, Goomer, Suburban Fairy Tales, and, believe it or not, even more.
Rick Kogan of The Chicago Tribune was surprised to come across an old man (no, not me) reading the funny pages in a print format on a recent visit to a lake front event..
You could see, of course, airborne antics, parachutists, a biplane. The Blue Angels. Two men playing chess. There was a man with a colorful parrot on his shoulder and a woman whose face was painted red, white and blue. And near Oak Street, I saw an older man in a chair reading comics.
These days it’s a rarity, seeing a person reading a newspaper the old-fashioned way, which is ink on paper and not on a phone or laptop. But comics?
The man, who told me he lived in Kenosha, said he had been reading comics since he was a kid, “and that was a long time ago.” There was a newspaper on the ground at his side and the comics were in his hands. We talked for a while and then his two grandkids ran over and the Saturday sky show started.
“Have a look,” he said, handing me the comics.
I assume it was The Sunday Funnies since Kogan mentions Doonesbury. Back to Kogan:
I was more than surprised to find Dick Tracy in the pages that Campbell had given me, “Doonesbury” too. I did not recognize such other strips as “Wumo,” “Frazz,” “Bound & Gagged,” or “Sherman’s Lagoon,” but assume they are popular with some people.
The pages also told me there was a place to “check out more than 75 other strips.” Seventy-five! Among them I found an offering called “Breaking Cat News” by Georgia Dunn. Ever seen it?
Yeah, I’ve seen it.
On to other comics.
Let’s begin by noting that Megan McKay is now taking her turn on the Nancy comic strip beginning August 12, 2024 while Olivia Jaimes is on her Summer sabbatical.
I had the extreme pleasure and honor of making guest comics for Nancy! For the next three weeks, you can see them at http://gocomics.com/nancy
Anniversary!
Li’l Abner by Al Capp debuted 90 years ago on August 13, 1934. GoComics has most of the first six months.
Lead Time??
Yesterday’s Ziggy references an event that took place a year and a half ago, which makes me think that Tom II is way ahead of schedule. Whereas it has long been established that Tom Batiuk has plenty of leeway as far as deadlines are concerned. Today’s Crankshaft has Jeff checking for tickets to a Peter (of Peter and Gordon) and Jeremy (of Chad and Jeremy) concert in Kent Ohio that happened in June 2023.
Comics Kingdom Vintage Oddity
We’re used to a strip or a week of strips to go missing from the King Features archives, but just bit of a comic? Anyway here’s the full strip of today’s Vintage Barney Google and Snuffy Smith.
Mallard Fillmore Impressed
Loren Fishman does a pretty good caricature of Kamala Harris in today’s Mallard Fillmore.
Not quite up to Neil Jamieson‘s Time cover, but they’re two completely different art forms.
The Weed of Crime Bears Bitter Fruit
Dan (Flash Gordon) Schkade defines The Shadow in three panels.
Cartoonist Stepan Pastis is begging for letters of comment from his Christian fans with Pearls Before Swine from yesterday. Though given the origins of the title maybe more religion should appear.
Comics Kingdom has released Digital Press Kits for four of their new comic strips.
Note that all four are only available as digital comics, not syndicated for print at this time.
Working Cats by Maritsa Patrinos … on Comics Kingdom
Rosebuds by Deon Parsons … on Comics Kingdom
Goomer by Ricardo Martinez … on Comics Kingdom
Suburban Fairy Tales by Francis Bonnet … on Comics Kingdom
A last Comics Kingdom note: Bob Mankoff Presents: Show Me The Funny (Animal Edition) has disappeared from the Comics Kingdom Features A – Z list. Bob Mankoff Presents: Show Me The Funny remains has also been dropped.
August 19, 2024 edit: The Daily Cartoonist sent an inquiry to Bob Mankoff about Show Me The Funny having gone missing from Comics Kingdom and he graciously responded saying, “CartoonStock and Comics Kingdom came to an amicable parting of the ways after Comics Kingdom decided they wanted their brand in one location.”
feature image from Oscar #10 (April 1949) – artist unknown
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