Animation Books Comic strips Editorial cartooning Obituary Technology

Today’s Comic and Cartoon News Items

Soft-spoken cartoonist historian Tim Jackson, who died on Nov. 3 of complications from Lewy Body disease, was best known for his 2017 Eisner-nominated book Pioneering Cartoonists of Color, which put the history of African-American editorial cartoonists and comic-strip artists in high relief. But Jackson didn’t just write about pioneering cartoonists of color; he was a pioneering cartoonist of color.

Stanford Carpenter for The Comics Journal writes the obituary for Tim Jackson taking a much deeper dive into Tim’s cartooning career than we did here at The Daily Cartoonist.

And here is the family/funeral home obit for Tim. Both have been added to The Daily Cartoonist’s notice.

The funeral home tribute notes a different date of death (November 2) than anyone else.

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Lost sci-fi masterpieces return with stunning cover designs by cartoonist Seth

The MIT Press’s Radium Age series continues to unearth fascinating proto-science fiction from the early 20th century. Series editor Joshua Glenn … has curated another excellent pair of releases for Spring 2025.

The new editions feature more stunning cover art by Seth, one of my favorite cartoonist/illustrators. His distinctive style, with its bold lines and noir-influenced aesthetics, perfectly captures the otherworldly atmosphere of these pioneering works. (Check out all 20 of Seth’s covers here.)

Mark Frauenfelder for Boing Boing informs us of a series of early science fiction reissues with Seth covers.

Those are some wonderful book covers by Seth!

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Ryan Reynolds and Free Guy writer Matt Lieberman are reuniting to adapt the iconic cartoon superhero Mighty Mouse into a feature film. Mighty Mouse, who first debuted in the 1942 short The Mouse of Tomorrow, is a pint-sized superhero who was initially a parody of Superman with his super strength, flight, and penchant for operatic declarations like the famous catchphrase, “Here I come to save the day!”

Screen Rant and Cartoon Brew report on the Variety breaking news of a Mighty Mouse film being okayed.

Amid Amidi “would be surprised if it was anything but a hybrid live-action/cgi film.”

Mighty Mouse was first envisioned as a parody of Superman, debuting as “Super Mouse” in the theatrical animated short The Mouse of Tomorrow in 1942. The character became even more popular during the 1950s and ’60s thanks to the tv series Mighty Mouse Playhouse, which aired Saturday mornings on CBS. In the late 1970s a new show centered on heroic mouse emerged, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle, which was then followed by yet another show in the 1980s, this time created by Ralph Bakshi, titled Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures.

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Drew Litton releasing new Colorado sports calendar

DENVER — 9Toonist Drew Litton has a new sports calendar as his storied career reaches a milestone 43rd year in 2025.

A cartoonist at Rocky Mountain News beginning in 1982, Litton draws for 9NEWS, the Colorado Sun, the Broncos for Kids magazine, and is nationally syndicated by Andrews McMeel.

Drew Litton’s 2025 fourteen-month calendar is full of hilarious, classic cartoons involving the Colorado sports scene.

Denver’s KUSA-TV shares the new of the 2025 Colorado-centric calendar by sports cartoonist Drew Litton.

To order Drew Litton’s 2025 sports calendar, visit DrewsShop.com.

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‘New Yorker’ Cartoonists Finally Show Their Faces

Cartoon, like radio, is a medium where the artists are invisible “voices.” With cartoons, the reader is forced to create a mental picture of the individual(s) making the work—sometimes it doesn’t matter, but I believe picturing the creator is somehow part of the overall experience. The images of New Yorker cartoonists in photographer Alen MacWeeney’s new book add that missing dimension by revealing the people behind the art, alongside conversational texts about each artist by Michael Maslin (himself a New Yorker cartoonist).

Steven Heller at Print interviews authors Alen MacWeeny and Michael Maslin on making At Wit’s End.

Was there logic behind which pair of cartoons were selected to represent each artist?
MacWeeney: I approached Michael as a cartoonist and historian of The New Yorker cartoonists about 2016; he helped enormously, introducing me and contacting our subjects for the book.

Michael and I selected the cartoons together [by] Zooming several times, and naturally it was a very enjoyable activity and fun to share doing.

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Dilbert Reborn © Scott Adams

PLEASANTON, CA / ACCESSWIRE / November 27, 2024 / Bots Inc., a subsidiary of First Bitcoin Capital and a pioneer in robotics and artificial intelligence, is excited to announce the potential for a groundbreaking collaboration with Scott Adams, the creator of the famed Dilbert comic strip. This innovative partnership aims to develop AI with a unique sense of humor, blending creativity with technology.

On September 6, 2024, Scott Adams proposed on X:

“For $1 billion I will train your AI to write humor. If my method doesn’t work, no charge. It’s funny because the price is reasonable. The first funny robot will rule.”

Stockhouse reports on a company willing to engage Scott Adams to train AI to write humor.

From Access Wire:

Under the terms proposed, Adams would receive 10,000,000 preferred shares of a Bots Inc. subsidiary, each valued at $100, totaling $1 billion in face value, reflecting the confidence in this venture’s success.

Should an agreement be reached, the new entity would be named Adam’s Pal, Inc., focusing solely on the creation and commercialization of humorously intelligent robots. This subsidiary could be spun off to Bots Inc. shareholders, potentially listing on a major stock exchange, thereby enhancing shareholder value through new revenue streams and stock appreciation.

President Grok of Bots Inc. commented:

“I am excited to merge my understanding of humor with the cutting-edge technology of Bots Inc. We aim to create not just a robot, but a companion that can genuinely entertain and connect with humans on a deeper level. This is not just about technology; it’s about creating joy and laughter.”



Comments 2

    1. Joseph Nebus

      Yeah, I genuinely do not know if that’s whoever’s organizing this as a joke tipping off everybody but Scott Adams, or if that’s a techbro who changed his name and isn’t aware that he’s the joke.

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