Comic Strip News and Nonsense
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Count Me Out/In
After 11 and a half years cartoonist Graham Nolan has moved his weekly Sunshine State comic strip from GoComics to his own Compass Comics site. It sounds as if the archives at GoComics will not be there for long:
To have it in two places is to fracture the audience. I want fans of the strip to become customers of my graphic novels. I plan on doing a hardcover collection of Sunshine State and it will only be available over there.
Alex Segura and Nickoleg Villiger keep teasing us with continuing the tale of Mara Llave, Keeper of Time, but teasers are all we’re getting. The strip had kept a weekly schedule for the better part of last year before actual paying gigs interrupted (a guess). As seen in the 2025 King Features Directory they have another weekly scheduled planned. Time will tell.
Do Overs
Among the items mentioned here was Tony DePaul and Mike Manley‘s deep dive into The Origin of The Phantom. The Comics Kingdom News blog has “reprinted” Tony’s essay about his thoughts in plotting the expanded origin: Unmasking The Ghost Who Walks: Exploring The Phantom’s Legendary Origin.
Some things in life are just not meant to be. At least that’s what I told myself when my dream project, a graphic adaptation of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, was suddenly terminated in 1998.
The job began with a call from an editor at Dark Horse Comics who asked me if I would be interested in writing and drawing a 48-page adaptation of the famed, animated Beatles feature film. He explained that Dark Horse would be releasing the comic in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the 1968 movie.
Bill Morrison relates the ups and downs, the yeas and nays, of adapting The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine animated movie into a 96 page comic book.
To get the book finished in time for the anniversary in 2018, I put together my own Fab Four, comprised of me on script and pencils, Andrew Pepoy and Tone Rodriguez on inks, and Nathan Kane on colors!
After finishing the book, the folks at Titan asked me about the possibility of doing an expanded edition… I got the OK to produce the extra pages, but when they were finished I was told that Apple wanted Titan to hold off… so, there are 22 pages of unpublished Yellow Submarine comic art sitting in a flat file drawer in my studio. Once again… some things in life are just not meant to be…
Though once a dominant strip, Prince Valiant has fallen out of prominence. Those who still read newspapers regularly may remain familiar with its ongoing stories, but most viewers have moved on to movies and TV shows. Instead of seeing Valiant saving lives worldwide, they are watching Marvel heroes flying across the skies. If Prince Valiant wants to catch up, it must rely on a new adaptation.
Lukas Shayo for CBR argues that if Prince Valiant is to remain in people’s consciousness King Features must get it on the Big or Silver Screens. He looks at past adaptations, both live action and animated, and proclaims that other comic strip adaptations have met with success:
Prince Valiant would not be the only strip to receive a recent movie. After all, the past 10 years alone have seen numerous on-screen adaptations. The Garfield Movie (2024), The Peanuts Movie (2015), and Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) are all ranked in the top 5 highest-grossing comic strip adaptations of all time.
The stretch of comparing Garfield and Peanuts to Prince Valiant is not broached.
Another List: 10 Funniest Kids In Comic Strips
The best cartoonists have had to learn what it takes to keep readers engaged. From absurd topics, like the ones featured in The Far Side, to developed and emotional storylines, many artists have gotten their strips solidified with readers across the nation.
However, integrating hilarious kids into storylines is one of the most underrated methods of keeping fans engaged. Sure, comics like Doonesbury that are more relatable to adults do great, but series like Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes seem to stick with people for generations after they’ve already been concluded.
Yeah, in a list of funniest kids we know who will come in at #1 and #2: Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes and Charlie Brown of Peanuts, respectively. But who else would be included? How about that hilarious redhead Little Orphan Annie? Well, she is on CBR’s list of 10 Funniest Kids In Comic Strips, Ranked as compiles by Morgan Brady.
No Miles and Kevin of Crabgrass, none of Cul de Sac‘s Otterloops, not Andrew of Soup to Nutz, Norm Feuti’s Gil or Syd Hoff’s Tuffy are left off the list. Tiger? Nope. Credit for including Wallace the Brave.
Teresa and Rubin Leigh Fundraiser Update
February 20th, 2025 by Leigh Rubin, Beneficiary
Dear Friends,
Just a quick update…
Very pleased that Teresa has been breathing on her own, without the ventilator for just shy of three days. Moving forward, the next steps involving the removal of the tracheal tube.
Thank you to all of you again for the love you continue to share with Teresa.
It means the world both of us!
Reminder that if you have a couple bucks after your bills think about giving a bit to Teresa & Leigh Rubin.
Yesterday [February 23, 2025] by Leigh Rubin, Beneficiary
Dear Friends,
Thankfully, due to Teresa’s steady progress she will be transferred shortly to a sub-acute facility with the goal of eventually removing her trach tube. So this is another very positive step in her recovery process.
Many thanks to each and every one of you who are part of her healing journey!
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