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Sunday Social – News & Notes

Notables: Keith Williams, Al Milgrom, Nick Anderson, S D Phadnis, Stan Kelly, James Thurber, and more.

Inkwell Award to The Phantom Artist Keith Williams

Among the awards handed out lately let’s not overlook The Inkwell given to Keith Williams.

From the Inkwell Awards announcement:

New Bedford, MA/USA–July 22, 2025) The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit devoted to promoting the art of comic book inking, has announced the winners of their lifetime achievement awards, The Joe Sinnott Hall Of Fame and The Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA) at their new host show the Hershey Comic Con’s awards ceremony on June 19.

The two winners of Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award are Allen Milgrom and Keith Williams.

Keith was George Olesen‘s inker on the daily Phantom comic strip as Chronicle Chamber mentioned:

From a Phantom perspective, Keith Williams is known for his inking work on the Phantom daily newspaper stories from 1994 to 2005.

Al Milgrom, the other Hall of Fame Award winner, inked two Sunday Amazing Spider-Man strips in Spring 1998.

The Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Alex Saviuk/Al Milgrom – May 17, 1998

Long time comic book and comic strip artist Larry Lieber was also honored:

An honorary KEEPER OF THE FLAME AWARD was also presented for Larry Lieber, 93, younger brother of Stan Lee, who was planning to attend but subsequently had to back out for health reasons. It was to honor him for seven decades of career achievement in the industry as a writer, editor and artist which includes INKING.

Nick Anderson Recognized

Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett used a Texas Cartoonist Nick Anderson recent cartoon as a prop.

U. S. Conresswoman Jasmine Crockett with Nick Anderson cartoon

As Daily Kos tells it:

Jasmine Crockett lets a Nick Anderson cartoon say it all about Trump and Abbott.

She blew the cartoon up huge on poster board to make a point. Her expression is priceless.

Centennial Birthday

Cartoonist Shivram Dattatreya Phadnis, famous for his caption-less cartoons, was born on July 29, 1925.

The Times of India celebrates the upcoming 100th birthday of S. D. Phadnis:

Caricatures are funny and their punchlines drip with wit but captionless cartoons, if they are S D Phadnis’s, are a class apart.

Popular as Shi Da, his caricatures that have maintained appeal for seven decades, stick to anatomical accuracy, an uncommon practice. “I capture the distortions of thought and behaviour, not physical features,” the man, who will turn a 100 years old on Tuesday, said.

Aren’t Little Free Libraries (LFLs) wonderful? They’re such a convenient way to find new books and pass along books that you no longer have room for at home — all for free.

Little Free Library

Eileen Gonzalez at Book Riot asks us comics fans to donate comic books to Little Free Libraries.

It seems like I’m maybe the only person donating comic books around here. I have only ever seen one graphic novel that wasn’t put in there by me. Boo!

I have to admit my failure in this effort. My contributions are pretty much limited to spreading leftover mini-Halloween comic books after the holiday passes.

Onion Cartoonist Kelly to do Simpson Opening

The Simpsons taps The Onion cartoonist Stan Kelly for “Treehouse Of Horror XXXVI.”

Little Free Library by Stan Kelly at The Onion

From AV Club:

The Simpsons announced a whole smattering of cool guest stars for its upcoming 37th season… But it also announced a pretty cool (if we do say so ourselves) guest artist for this year’s “Treehouse Of Horror XXXVI”: cartoonist Stan Kelly, whose work you may recognize from our former sibling publication The Onion. Per Variety, the animator will contribute the opening of the Halloween-themed episode, which typically expand beyond the confines of the typical couch gag (even if those couch gags themselves have also expanded in recent years). 

In Defense of James Thurber as Cartoonist

Whenever James Thurber’s drawings come up in conversation (outside of this household) it almost never fails that someone will say, almost as an aside, “But of course he couldn’t draw.” For me, those have always been fightin’ words.

James Thurber, New Yorker – November 28, 1936 (original art via Christies)

Michael Maslin doesn’t take kindly to those who berate James Thurber‘s cartoon art.

While never thinking Thurber had the drawing abilities of Peter Arno or George Price I have always considered him a peer of his fellow New Yorker cartoonists from Charles Addams to Jack Ziegler.

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Comments 4

  1. I see that the New Yorker had established the tradition of unfunny cartoons by 1936 at least!

    1. Thurber’s handwritten caption has been cut off: “I don’t want any part of it!”

      I’m not sure that helps a great deal, but the cartoon should be judged entire.

      1. Thank you! I needed that caption.

  2. Nice to see my hometown of New Bedford mentioned in the Inkwell Awards post.

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