Comic Strips

It’s Noel Season

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D. D. Degg Published: October 6, 2026 Updated: October 6, 2026 1 minute 0 comments

Believe it or not this is another post about Howie Noel, the new Dick Tracy artist, only this time we are focusing on his Ripley’s Believe It or Not cartoon panel gig which he took over earlier this year.

Jordan Neese for Ripley Entertainment interviewed the new artist for the 108 year old comic panel in an article titled, “Drawn to the Weird: Meet Howie Noel, the Ninth Cartoonist for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”

Ripley’s makes it official that Noel is the new regular cartoonist for the oddities feature:

“Ripley’s Believe It or Not! World Entertainment is excited to announce illustrator Howie Noel as the ninth cartoonist for its syndicated feature, the daily panel Robert Ripley started in 1918, and the very foundation Ripley’s was built on.”

After a brief profile the interview gets underway.

You’ve worked across comics, editorial illustration, album art, and more. What has each taught you, and do you bring aspects of all of them to your work? 

One important thing I’ve learned from all my projects is to meet deadlines and adjust the art as needed in order to hit them. Comic strips are daily, so it’s important to get them done in advance.

The process teaches you to draw quicker and plan each comic in a way that looks great but also allows you time to hit the project’s due date.