The New Thatababy – Now By Jonathan Lemon
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We were anticipating Caroline Cash taking over the Nancy comic strip for a few months before her New Year’s Day debut, unanticipated was Jonathan Lemon‘s takeover on that same New Year’s Day of Thatababy. Unexpected by those of us not paying close attention anyway.
Thatababy by Jonathan Lemon – January 1, 2026
When The Daily Cartoonist asked Jonathan Lemon about the transfer he allowed that it was with some trepidation that he accepted Paul Trap’s offer to take over the strip. Said Lemon:
I did have a long think about taking on a third strip. Paul told me he was retiring and asked if I’d be interested in keeping it going. I have nothing but the utmost respect for his strip. I’ve been a huge fan since the beginning and I was sad that he was going to step away. I hope I can maintain the high standard of art and humor he gave it, but I also hope to give it my own spin. The general premise of new parenthood mixed with roadside Americana and pop culture will remain since that’s something both Paul and I share a passion for.
Yes Jonathan was Paul’s first, and really only, choice to continue his creation. It was not a syndicate selection. Part of the above quote is in response to our asking if a New Year’s goal for Lemon was exhaustion. He will be doing three strips: the daily Alley Oop and that Sunday page, the seven day a week Rabbits Against Magic, with the daily and Sunday Thatababy now added to his schedule.
We wondered if some altering of the other strips were in the future, like less backgrounds in Alley Oop:
There’s no plan to compromise the quality on AO. That still takes top priority although since I don’t write it, which saves time.
But he does write Rabbits and Thatababy and draws all three along with lettering and coloring. Whew!
It sounds like a lot of work but it fits into my working week quite nicely. I’m also working on a couple of graphic novels.
There are a couple of other cartoonists who are/have worked on three strips (Dan Thompson [Brevity, KidSpot, RipHaywire], Corey Pandolph [Barkeater Lake, The Elderberries, Toby Robot Satan]), so I know it’s possible.
And Bill Holbrook has been doing his three (On the Fastrack, Safe Havens, Kevin and Kell) for decades.
As for taking on another legacy strip:
I’ll just add that I’m generally against “legacy” strips, but the economic reality is that real estate on the comics page is a valuable commodity. Cartoonists can make a living keeping strips like Nancy, Heart of the City and Mark Trail alive while potentially working on their own creations, too. Sadly, when a strip goes away these days it’s more likely to be replaced with nothing.
But let’s note a detail. When Mark Tatulli passed Heart of the City to Steenz and when Guy and Rodd passed Brevity to Dan Thompson it was the syndicate who snatched the copyright ownership; in Thatababy’s swap Lemon got the copyright from Trap as seen in the gutter between panels one and two of the January 1 strip. Jonathan is working on a strip that what he creates he owns.
Paul very generously handed the copyright of the strip over to me. He is really exciting to see where I take it and I hope I don’t let him down.
Paul Trap set up the midweek exchange by thanking all for his 15 years during the first half of the week. Jonathan himself had clued us in to an Easter Egg we missed about the coming change in Trap’s last Sunday. Can you spot it?
We thank Jonathan Lemon for his time and patience with us.
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