Nooks and Crannies (Roundup)
Skip to comments
It’s National Popeye the Sailor Man Day; Alison Bechdel on the what is needed to start a commune; the complete (not an exaggeration) history of the Museum of Cartoon Art by Brian Walker; and the Society of Illustraor’s 2026 Hamilton King Award goes to The BalbussoTwins.
The 2026 Hamilton King Award
The Society of Illustrators has announced twin sisters Anna & Elena Balbusso as recipients of their 2026 Hamilton King Award.
ANNA AND ELENA BALBUSSO, twin sisters also known as the BalbussoTwins, are an international recognized award-winning Italian artist duo living in Milan. Their work has been published by major international publishers and companies across the world on various media. They’ve illustrated more than 50 illustrated books , including the luxury limited edition of The Great Gatsby for Beehive Books, the deluxe Folio Society editions of The Handmaid’s Tale, Pride and Prejudice, and Atlas Shrugged. Their work has been featured in numerous publications, including The Economist, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New York Times Book review, Reader’s Digest, and Corriere Della Sera. In their career they received more than 100 international honors & awards
The Hamilton King Award [link added] … is presented annually for the best work in the Annual Exhibition executed by a member of the Society. One of the industry’s most prestigious awards, the selection is made by former recipients of this award and may be won only once.
National Popeye the Sailor Man Day
As The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee and MazeToons tell us January 17 is National Popeye the Sailor Man Day.
The South Florida Reporter has gathered a list of notable events of Popeye‘s Life and times.
Why was Popeye banned? Popeye has been certified with an age rating of 18 because he smokes a pipe.
How many Popeye TV shows are there? 220 episodes were made for television in two years.
Popeye is the first cartoon character to have a public sculpture.
Alison Bechdel, Here and There
Last Sunday cartoonist Alison Bechdel drew “8 Things You Need to Start Your Own Commune” as eight panels for The New York Times opinion section (or here).
And then a few days ago Alison sat for an interview with David Goodman at VT Digger.
You wrote on social media [link added] while sharing your New York Times op-ed that you were especially moved by the murder of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, because it occurred in a neighborhood that you lived in. Can you say more about that?
I was living in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis in the late 1980s when I was starting to create the characters of my comic strip, Dykes to Watch Out For, who I’ve continued to write about over the years, and sort of resurrected quite recently in my latest book, Spent. This cartoon in the New York Times was just a little funny glimpse at the world of this Vermont goat farm I invented for my book, and I’ve brought my old comic strip characters into this world. They live in a group household together, even though they’re in their 60s, they’ve always lived the same way they did when I started the strip out and I was in my 20s.
It was strange to be working on this cartoon for the New York Times with these characters as that whole terrible story was unfolding…
The Museum of Cartoon Art – A History
The International Journal of Comic Art Vol. 27, No. 1 is out and among the numerous articles about Comic Art is an updated history of Mort Walker and Joe D’Angelo’s Museum of Cartoon Art by Brian Walker.
The Museum of Cartoon Art opened its doors to the public on August 11, 1974. Press coverage, from local newspapers and the national media, helped spread the word. Although some visitors didn’t know what to expect when they came in, most left with a smile on their face and a promise to return. We soon had to expand the parking lot to accommodate the crowds.
In the first issue of the Museum’s newsletter, Inklings, Mort wrote, “We feel the Museum is a living, breathing, bustling entity. It isn’t a place where people walk in, look at drawings on the wall and walk out. There are slide shows, animated cartoons, life-sized sculptures and activities of all kinds.”
Brian details the museum’s successes and travails (moving three times) until its contents finally end up at The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum.
Mort announced in May 2008 that the Museum had signed an agreement with The Ohio State University to transfer its collection to the Cartoon Research Library, which was later renamed the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. In the press release, Lucy said, “We are honored that the IMCA’s board has placed its treasures in our care.”
Get comfortable, it’s a long and detailed read.
Comments 3
Comments are closed.