Leigh Rubin’s Rubes collection book “The Wild Life of Cats” has won two humor awards according to E&P. The first award is a merit prize from Midwest Book Awards and the other is a bronze award by ForeWord magazine’s Book of the Year.
In a development to watch to see if it affects the number of comics run in a newspaper, Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S. will be experimenting with a new paper size that is somewhere between tabloid and broadsheet according to this story in the BBC. The first paper to make the leap will be the Indiana journal and Courier.
Back in June, I pointed out a comic book challenge that was being held in conjunction with the San Diego Comic-Con. The competition was open to anyone who wanted to submit a comic book idea, complete with sample art. All the submissions would be whittled down to the top 50 by Platinum Studios creative and development staff. Those 50 would then pitch their ideas to a celebrity panel (this part was televised) who picked the top three. Those then were presented to the public for a final winner.
In another “they stole my idea” moment, Gary Huck, a self-syndicated cartoonist, recently noticed one of his cartoon ideas used by Recycled Paper Greetings. According to E&P, he says they’re using his “concept” without permission.
Dave Astor of Editor and Publisher has written an excellent article (featured on the AAEC web site) on the changing work duties of some editorial cartoonists who have added animation and blogging to their work load. The story features Walt Handelsman of Newsday, Mike Shelton of Orange County Register, Matt Davies of The Journal News, and Clay Jones of The Free Lance-Star.
Regarding the affect of animating cartoonis:
Firstly, Darrin Bell’s Candorville will come out with its second collection this September…. The book is published through Andrews McMeel and can be pre-ordered through amazon.comSecondly, Bill Mauldin, a pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist and often best remembered for his cartoon characters of Joe and Willie during World War II, will have a series of books published by Fantagraphic according to Editor and Publisher (who cites the Comics Reporter).
The Bakersfield Californian has dropped Cleats – which it ran for a six week trial run – and has added The Pajama Diaries (registration required). The article doesn’t mention whether Terri Libenson’s feature is a permanent placement or only taking over the “test-comic position,” but the editor is inviting the public to send in their feedback.
The Daily World, (Grays Harbor and northern Pacific counties) has picked up Get Fuzzy starting today, The first eight people to e-mail the publisher will receive a free copy of a “Get Fuzzy” anthology.
Stephan Pastis’s Pearls Before Swine will be coming out in a comic collection book called “Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My!” this September. According to E&P, the book will contain a collection of unedited and unpublished strips.
The Deseret News in Salt Lake City will debut a new Sunday comic called Heaven’s Love Thrift Shop by Kevin Frank. Heaven’s Love is a Sunday only feature about a thrift shop owned by a church. The focus of the feature according to Kevin is, “to remind people there is a God, and God loves them, and then make them chuckle. But you can be sure I will avoid any heavy-handed ‘preachiness.”
Fans of Jules Fieffer will want to read this article from the Vineyard Gazette. The article covers much of Jule’s many accomplishments and that he retreats to Martha’s Vineyard to do writing, while New York City is where he does artwork. He is currently working on another children’s book, which would be his 10th.
John Rose writes in to announce that a collection of his editorial cartoons has been published by Parkway Publishers and is entitled, This Is Where I Draw the Line! John is the editorial cartoonist for the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, VA and also draws Barney Google and Snuffy Smith.
From Editorialcartoonists.com comes news that Stephan Templeton has won first place in editorial cartooning in the 2006 Excellence in Journalism Award from the Philadelphia Society of Professional Journalists. Templeton draws for the Intelligencer.
Additionally, SW Parra has taken first place in editorial cartooning from the 2005 Better Newspapers Contents by the California Newspaper Publishers Association.
With the success of the complete Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, Dennis the Menace, etc. IDW publishing will release a complete Dick Tracy collection in October.
According to the Reuter’s story the DVD will include a hybernated feature that can be activated after November 28 (presumably to coincide with peak Christmas buying season), a four minute mini-movie with all the original voice talent. The mini-movie is a parody of reality tv called “Hammy’s Boomerang Adventure.”The DVD also includes “Behind the Hedge,” a look at the real-life animals that inspired the film’s critters; filmmaker commentaries; a mock “infomercial” spoofing the career opportunities of pest control; a “making-of” documentary; cast interviews; and a virtual drawing lesson by a DreamWorks animator on how to sketch Hammy.Over the Hedge took in $151.7 million domestically.