Cartoonist and comics historian Ed Black has passed away. Joseph Edward (Ed) Black March 12, 1944 – November 26, 2020 From the obituary:Ed served in the U.S Army during the Vietnam War. Ed worked for the Mahoning County Clerk of Courts. Prior to the clerk of Courts Office Ed was a Bailiff for Judge Economus. He […]
Noting the adage that one is never too old to make new friends the Ginger Meggs comic strip, in its 99th year, has introduced a new character this week. © Jason Chatfield; Ginger Meggs ™ Winslow Investments Pty LtdSays cartoonist Jason Chatfield:Gloria is a bright and energetic young Aboriginal girl who loves nothing more than […]
Stuart Carlson (AMS) picks up on a twisted saying that I’ve just noticed entering the conversation, and which we need to nip in the bud.It’s different than my oft-raged-upon misuse of “rats leaving a sinking ship,” of which I spotted two examples today, both by cartoonists I greatly admire. As noted before, there is some […]
Amusement and pleasant surprises – and the laughter they can trigger – add texture to the fabric of daily life.Those giggles and guffaws can seem like just silly throwaways. But laughter, in response to funny events, actually takes a lot of work, because it activates many areas of the brain: areas that control motor, emotional, […]
Animator Helen Komar has passed away.Helen (Sobkow) KomarSeptember 4, 1927 – November 27, 2020 From the obituary: Helen was an accomplished artist who enjoyed illustrating, cartooning, and portraiture. She was a master of pastel, pencil, oil and acrylic mediums. Millions of people are unaware that they have seen her animated work on TV and in movies. […]
Forbes‘ list of The Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities of 2020 include two cartoonists. Charles Schulz, with his Peanuts empire, is a regular member of this group since his death twenty years ago. Helping Schulz to remain on the list this year was a nice Peanuts deal with Apple TV+ (you may have heard about the Peanuts […]
We’re entering the holiday season, which is normal, but still in lockdown mode, which, of course, is not, and Joe Heller (AMS) remarks on a year that has somehow managed to have troughs without peaks.Which is, of course, ridiculous: You can’t have troughs without peaks. It’s just that the troughs seemed very low and the […]
With Thanksgiving over and by now all your Christmas shopping done it’s time to start thinking about 2021 – and calendars. Certainly many people are thinking about next year, about half the best sellers on the Amazon comic strip book list are calendars at the moment. The Far Side has two in the Top Ten!Over […]
Pam Sander, the Southeast Regional Editor of Gannett newspapers has announced a mid January 2021 change in the Sunday comics sections of her papers in The Carolinas: Even in an age of digital-first media, the print comics have an important place in our lives. We know how sacred they are to you. That’s why we’re […]
So Joe Biden was playing with one of his German shepherds and managed to break a small bone in his foot, which would be small potatoes if it were one of us, but matters because he is (whether or not you accept the fact) the President-elect of These United States.And also because we are all […]
Below are some comic strip and cartoon books scheduled for November 2020 release.Images and links (mostly) via Amazon,though ordering through your local comic or independent book store is a good idea.A number of November books have come to notice since the mid-month list.The Undiscovered Master: Bob Briare: The Story of a Man, His Angel and […]
Mr. Smith Goes to The Big CityIn a 180 of the usual, Snuffy Smith and Loweezy are going to visit Barney Google. From the Comics Kingdom blog:This week, Snuffy Smith is going to the big city to visit Barney Google. That’s right, the tables have turned and the Hootin’ Holler Mountaineer is leaving the Kentucky […]
Zippy © Bill Griffith; Gnome and Hitchhiker © King Features SyndicateToday’s Zippy, featuring The Pinhead visiting Paul Bunyan and The Little Hitchhiker in Foozland (or are they meeting Zippy on Earth-Z?), may need some explaining.The confusing Foozland was created by Gene Ahern in his weird and fascinating comic strip The Squirrel Cage. Paul Bunyan was […]
As today’s Non Sequitur (AMS) points out, there isn’t any going back to normal anymore.To start with, as seen here, if you relax all the rules because the curve has peaked and is receding, you will guarantee that the curve has not peaked after all. Unless you are in a church or synagogue, in which […]
We open with a couple of cheats. Everyone knows there were Superman and Batman comic strips, but these Jacob Edgar Sunday pages, drawn in Jacob’s own version of the Bruce Timm animated style, were never syndicated to newspapers; rather just Jacob having fun and passing it on to us. Batman and Superman © DC ComicsJacob […]