Updates: Coffman/Hands/Zyglis, Scott Adams, Hermes & Holbrook

D. D. Degg Published: May 23, 2025 Updated: February 17, 2026 1 minute 3 comments

A few days ago we reported on Scott Adams making public his terminal prostate cancer condition.

That was naturally big national news. Here are the Associated Press and United Press International reports. Closer to Adams’ home was the San Jose Mercury-News story of their local(ish) cartoonist’s announcement.

Later it was revealed that President Trump called Trump supporter Adams inquiring after his health.

From the right is Newsmax on the call:

According to Adams, Trump asked about his condition and offered unwavering support.

From the left is the Mediaite account:

Dilbert creator Scott Adams revealed President Donald Trump reached out to him personally to offer support following Adams announcing his cancer diagnosis.

Also we noted the Lee Enterprises presentation of Behind The Lines: Live Drawing YouTube events featuring cartoonists D. J. Coffman and Phil Hands and D. J. Coffman and Adam Zyglis in teaching and how-to videos. Those live drawing YouTube videos are available.

The Phil Hands – D.J. Coffman experience.

and

The Adam Zyglis – D.J. Coffman exercise.

You may remember that when we featured Bill Holbrook‘s new book “Dethany and The Phantom of the Swim Team” a week ago in our May Hey Kids! Comics! listing we put it n the May roll call but expressed some doubt that the book would be delivered on time.

…is published by Hermes Press so there is no guarantee for publication date

Well that May 7, 2025 release date has now been moved back two and a half months to July 22, 2025 as of this writing and it may be delayed even longer.

Hermes Press, infamous for its internal problems with distribution now has outside forces working against it.

Only this morning we were noting the lack of information and transparency in the transition from old Diamond to the new Ad Populum verison of Diamond Comic Distribution and Diamond Book Distributors. Now an email from Hermes Press, which publishes mostly art books and historical comics reprints, has sent out an email revealing that with DBD effectively shut down and Diamond Comics Distribution in a state of limbo, they now have no distribution and even books ordered through Amazon may not be fulfilled.

Heidi MacDonald at The Beat tells of Hermes Press’ difficulties since their distributor Diamond went bankrupt.

The Hermes press release regarding their situation via The Beat:

… if you ordered any of these titles or future titles from Amazon especially, or other sites, they will not be fulfilled for an undetermined amount of time as we look for a new distributor. As of now, the only way to get our books will be directly through our website.

_{feature image detail from Dethany and The Phantom of the Swim Team by Bill Holbrook and H. H. Glynn}

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Bill Holbrook

Thanks for the update! I don’t have anything additional to add; just that I do have the shipment of books that Hermes sent me, which I’ll be selling at this summer’s comics conventions. (Anthrocon and Dragoncon)

Sheila

Not to be outdone, I *also* wished Adams well, via email though. I may not be a president, landlord, TV host, or entrepreneur, but I am certainly a much bigger Dilbert fan than Trump. Trump is too foolish to realize it, but while Adams certainly markets himself as a MAGA guy today, he’s really just a pot-stirrer who contradicts himself. He said he voted for Hilary Clinton for president in 2016 despite his Trump flattery to avoid a race war. On other occasions, he had said he abstains from voting. Anyway, I hope Adams can take it easy during his sickness. He could probably expand his lifespan if he lives honestly instead of contrarily.

Unca $crooge

As a person who is in remission from prostate cancer, stage 2, I was surprised by Scott Adams’ description of his illness and prognosis. My cancer was detected in Jan 2018, I had my prostate removed in Jan 2019, and have been cancer free since. The goal with the procedure was, in the words of my urologist, to give me another twenty years of life, taking me into my mid-80s. As in the case with Joe Biden, what has puzzled me the most is why they weren’t getting regular PSA tests in addition to a prostate exam. Usually prostate cancer is a slow developing cancer that, once detected, can lead to treatments that can let patients lead a nearly normal life for many years. Maybe these two guys are a couple of the extremely rare cases where no symptoms appear until it is too late for treatment.

On the Dilbert Reddit thread, I found this interesting comment: “Well speaking as someone who had a Gleason 4-5 cancer diagnosed 8 years ago and as retired Doctor, I am surprised on the ‘months to live’. Mine hadn’t spread and after RP I am still in remission. Even if it has spread to his bones it would have to be massively advanced to only have months. Average survival after bone spread is measured in years so he would have had to be ignoring his symptoms for several years for it to be so advanced.” Once a guy hits 50, he should start getting regular prostate exams.

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Updates: Coffman/Hands/Zyglis, Scott Adams, Hermes & Holbrook

Comments 3

Bill Holbrook

Sheila

Unca $crooge

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