Comic Strips

The Penmen and Penwomen of Nancy

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D. D. Degg Published: October 16, 2026 Updated: October 16, 2026 1 minute 0 comments

For the GoComics Blog Natalie Finander gives us a rundown of “The Cartoonists Who Made ‘Nancy.'”

“When the character of Nancy was introduced to the world, she was only meant to stick around for a week. Ernie Bushmiller added her to the “Fritzi Ritz” strip in 1933 as an incidental character; he planned to drop her soon after. Instead, she stole the show, and five years later, the daily strip was renamed for her (very on-brand for our famously self-assured heroine).”

The article rightfully cheats a bit by starting with cartoonist Larry Whittington who created the Fritzi Ritz comic strip from 1922 to 1925 but was long gone by the time Ernie Bushmiller introduced Nancy as Fritzi’s niece.

Finander gives a decent timeline of the cartoonists who took on Nancy and Sluggo on the newspaper pages following Whittington with Bushmiller until the current Caroline Cash.

“Bushmiller took over “Fritzi Ritz” in 1925 and stayed for 57 years [1982].”

“Bushmiller’s death in 1982 led to a series of short-lived replacements.”

“Mark Lasky took up the daily from Aug. 29, 1982, to July 9, 1983.”

“[A]n uncredited artist continued the daily from July 11 to Oct. 8, 1983.”

For some reason the only artist not shown in the article is Plastino so…

“Guy Gilchrist, along with his brother Brad, took over “Nancy” in September 1995, returning to an art style that more closely mimicked Bushmiller’s. The tone, though, softened … In February 2018, Gilchrist penned a sort-of ending to ‘Nancy'”

“Two months later, the comic was revived once more by the mysterious Olivia Jaimes … Jaimes quietly left the strip in September 2025.”

“‘Nancy’ is now headed by another woman, Caroline Cash, who took over on Jan. 1, 2026“

Soon The Daily Cartoonist will try uncover the details of an often-named but mysterious long-time assistant.