Posted on: September 11, 2010

This Cul de Sac comes a day after I ordered a couple of things for upcoming grandchild birthdays. I’m sure I’m just as tuned in to their interests as Alice’s dad.It was always like this with their parents.

Mark your calendar if you live in the Pittsburg area. The Toonseum is presenting the first ever Pittsburgh Indy Comics Expo (PIX) this October. The expo is devoted to “creator-owned, self-published, small-press, and handmade comics.” PIX will be held at the newly refurbished 17,000 square foot top floor of the Guardian Storage facility located at […]

This year’s Penny Arcade Expo boasts its attendance has set a record at 67,000 attendees and that future events may be limited not by interest, but by the size of the venue. The expo is a spin off to the gaming webcomic Penny Arcade created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik.

Bill Boyarsky, writing for LA Observed, recounts the rocky history of Paul Conrad’s employment with the LA Times toward the end of his official career with the paper in the mid-90’s. Otis Chandler steadfastly protected Conrad from criticisms from conservative Chandler family members and Times Mirror executives, who didn’t feel the camaraderie that Conrad shared […]

In today’s Non Sequitur, Wiley Miller imagines a world in which people get what they ask for. The theoretical argument that we don’t need a nanny state tends to break down quickly as soon as some individual realizes that government exists for a purpose, and it isn’t simply to pave the roads. Or build nice […]

Universal Uclick has announced that this February they will be the syndicating Charles Schulz’ classic comic strip Peanuts. The acquisition was made possible after the Schulz family formed Peanuts Worldwide LLC, a joint venture owned 80% by Iconix Brand Group, Inc. and 20% by members of the family, and purchased the copyrights from United Media. […]

A comic strip biography of Lady Gaga has been hit with a legal action by the singer. While the comic strip, “Fame: Lady Gaga” has sold out, she contends that it was not authorized. She joins Justin Bieber who is also suing the comic strip creators Bluewater Productions. His book is due out in October. […]

Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard has come out against the US church that plans on burning the Koran on September 11. “Satire is provocation. Picasso painted the town of Guernica after it was destroyed by German bombers (in 1937),” Kurt Westergaard told the Die Welt daily in Germany, where he won an award last night. “Provocation […]

Daryl Cagle’s cartoon depicting the eagle on the Mexican flag shot dead in a stream of bullet holes has raised complaints from the Mexican community in and out of the United States. Daryl has appeared on CNN (see below) to discuss the cartoon and the reaction its received.

Universal Uclick has launched a new corporate website. From their press release:Universal Uclick, the world’s largest independent syndication company, announces the launch of UniversalUclick.com, a website designed to showcase the company’s diverse selection of comics, editorial cartoons, text features, games and puzzles available in print, online and on mobile phones worldwide. The new site features […]

Apple has relaxed some of their requirements for its App Store apps. The clause regarding defamatory or offensive material is still in the guidelines, but they’ve explicitly made it clear that “professional political satirists and humorists” were exempt. Here’s how the two clauses are written: 14.1 Any app that is defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited, or likely […]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be honoring Kurt Westergaard for “defending democratic values in all circumstances.” The chancellor is speaking at Sanssouci Colloquium on the defense of press freedom. The event will award Kurt a prize for his “unbending engagement for freedom of the press and freedom of opinion was incredible.” “Kurt Westergaard is a […]

Chicago Tribune editorial cartoonist Scott Stantis has had a busy week. With the announcement of Mayor Richard Daley not seeking another term, Scott has had to quickly change gears. At the last moment, he and Tribune columnist Eric Zorn had to quickly rework their weekly podcast and he’s becoming a regular feature on WGN where […]

There are a number of cartoons about this topic floating around, but this is the one I liked most. Ed Stein was the editorial cartoonist at the Rocky Mountain News for about 30 years, until it folded, and he is now self-syndicating. His stuff is worth looking at, and that link will also give you […]

Good to see Jeff Stahler on CNN.