I don’t mind opposing points of view, but I get tired of citing Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and I get particularly tired of political commentators who make it hard to distinguish avoidable ignorance from intentional lying. In case you missed the impetus for Lisa Benson (Counterpoint)’s current cartoon, President Biden attended a conference in Europe that […]
Below are some comic strip and cartoon books scheduled for June 2024 release.Images and links from a variety of publishers and outlets,though ordering through your local comic shop or independent book store is a good idea. Stan Mack’s Real Life Funnies by Stan Mack (Village Voice review) Sketchbook in hand, Stan Mack haunted the New […]
If “timing is everything in comedy,” this is a darned hilarious F-Minus (AMS), because I dreamt all night of laying out pages and this morning I feel like I might as well have stayed up and done it for real. Your mileage may vary and I hope it does, but while I make some more […]
Steven Heller, Harvey Kurtzman, and Alfred E. Neuman; Comics Conventions and Artists Alleys; a 1950s mania; Carol Lay’s new science fiction graphic novel; the comics page of The Bradford Era; the Derf Backderf interview. Origins of Kurtzman’s New York Times Origins of Alfred E. Neuman Indirectly, Kurtzman helped change my life, and so did his […]
The end of Spring can only mean that with the heat SLUDGEZILLA RETURNS! Shrimp & Grits conjecture on the reality of the mythical monster this week. I’m quite sure I am not the only person to complain about the awful features page. No Pickles , lousy crossword puzzle and no cryptograph. Renewal will probably not […]
Clay Bennett (CTFP) marks Flag Day with a display of US flags flown respectfully over the years, contrasted with the improper display of the flag currently practiced by the New Confederacy. Respect for the flag is a tradition, not a law, but if you read the current United States Flag Code, you’ll find all sorts […]
Keith Knight! Brian Fies! Sergio Aragonés! Al Jaffee! Lalo Alcaraz! Keefer Got The Key! From Keith Knight: Holy smokes! One pleasant surprise that I made reference to in this week’s strip [link added] was the mayor of my hometown showed up to my slideshow and gave me the key to the city! I can now […]
Harper’s Weekly compiler/indexer and Thomas Nast biographer John Adler has passed away. John Adler September 29, 1927 – June 11, 2024 From the Sarasota Herald Tribune obituary: John Adler, 96, passed away June 11, 2024 in Greenwich, CT. In the early 1970’s John acquired a full set of Harper’s Weekly Magazines (which were published between […]
We’ll start with something that hardly counts in the Grand Scheme of Things, except that accuracy does matter, even when good intentions only pave the road to Heck, not Hell. Clay Jones has a point to make in observing that Trump can no longer shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a single vote […]
Stan and Jan Berenstain, the Philly natives who created [The Berenstain Bears], met as art students at the Philadelphia Museum and School of Industrial Arts — most recently known as the University of the Arts. It was during their time there in the 1940s that they honed their illustration skills. Stanley Melvin Berenstain and Janice Marian Grant were […]
A London woman rediscovered original cartoon art including seven Andy Capp strips by Reg Smythe. Andy Lines reports for The Daily Mirror: Rare original Andy Capp strips have been found in a cellar, 30 years after they were hidden away there. The signed Reg Smythe works were among 2,222 Daily Mirror toons from the 20th […]
There used to be a Sunday talking heads show called Issues and Answers, which was a pretty ambitious promise, though back then they tried. Today, it would be called “Issues and Talking Points” and I don’t watch Sunday political chat shows because I’m old enough to remember when politicians who went on “Meet the Press” […]
Ninety years ago Lee Falk began his 65 years in comic stripping by writing and drawing the first two weeks of Mandrake the Magician from June 11 to June 23, 1934. After that he continued as the creator and writer of Mandrake (and later The Phantom) but turned the art duties over to Phil Davis. […]
From Iran International: The Revolutionary Court of Tehran has handed down a six-year prison sentence to Atena Farghadani, a cartoonist targeted for her critique of the government. According to her attorney, Mohammad Moqimi, Farghadani has been behind bars since her arrest on April 13, charged with “insulting sacred values and propagating against the ruling system”. Farghadani received […]
Prickly City (AMS) reiterates the high-minded, analytical approach familiar to grade-school alumni: “I know you are, but what am I?” Trump having been seen dozing off while he was on trial, the response is to declare that Biden dozes off all the time. It’s not the only example, particularly if you plumb the depths of […]