Academy Award-winning animation producer David DePatie has passed away. David Hudson DePatie December 24, 1929 – September 23, 2021 From cartoon historian Jerry Beck’s memoriam: There is much to say about DePatie, but I’ll start with the fact he was the last producer of the Warner Bros. Animation Division in 1961-62 – the department that […]
Animator Sam Cornell has passed away.Samuel Miller (Sam) Cornell June 1939 – May 1, 2021 From the IMDb:From Pegboard, the Animation Guild’s newsletter: Sam Cornell d. 5/01/2021 – Industry veteran Sam Cornell is known for his varied work on Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Rugrats Movie, The Wuzzles, and Shinbone Alley. His many roles included […]
Disney Legend Ruthie Tompson has passed away at age 111.Ruthie Tompson July 22, 1910 – September 10, 2021 From Variety:Ruthie Tompson, who began her career at the Walt Disney Studios as a painter in the Ink and Paint Department during the first golden age of Disney animation, died peacefully in her sleep at her home […]
This week, we published a book by the talented Jaime Weinman on the history of the Looney Tunes cartoon franchise, which he considers the high-water mark of American filmed comedy. About six months ago, as the manuscript was being copyedited, we began working on the promotional copy. At the same time we were writing promo […]
Woody Woodpecker no longer exists according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Woody Woodpecker is an iconic American cartoon character. He first debuted in the early 1940s, becoming the official mascot of Universal Studios along the way. In multiple cartoons starring Woody, he’s identified as a “Campephilus principalis.” More casually known as an ivory-billed […]
Dale Messick and Floyd Norman are the comic artists inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame this year. Known as the “Grand Dame of the Funnies,” Dale Messick … for creating the popular adventure comic strip Brenda Starr, Reporter. Debuting in June of 1940, it was an immediate hit. Each week […]
Cartoonist and illustrator Bob Kain has passed away. Robert (Bob) Kain August 12, 1932 – August 31, 2021 From the obituary:His great love of cartooning took him to study at The Ontario College of Art, and then to New York City to attend The School of Visual Arts. For 35 years he ran Videoart, a […]
Sunday is Ron’s day but we’re here for Marcus, the week day Dennis the Menace cartoonist.From The Salisbury (North Carolina) Post: On Thursday, Aug. 26, at 12:30 p.m., Marcus Hamilton will illuminate visitors to his artistic collections named, “Two Dream Careers: From Illustrator to Cartoonist,” now showing as part of Waterworks’ summer exhibition, IMAGINE. During […]
The National Cartoonists Society has announced the second round of nominees for their 75th Annual Divisional Reuben Awards for work in 2020. (Earlier nominees announced here.)MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION: Tom Chitty; Peter Kuper; Bob LizarragaADVERTISING/PRODUCT ILLUSTRATION: Chad Frye; Pat Higgins; Luke McGarry; Patrick Merrell; Dave WhammondCOMIC BOOKS: Brahm Revel; Stan Sakai; Walter SimonsonGRAPHIC NOVELS: Jared Cullum; […]
Bloomberg breaks the story:The creators of “South Park” have signed a new deal with ViacomCBS Inc. that will pay them more than $900 million over the next six years, one of the richest deals in TV history. Trey Parker and Matt Stone will use the money to make new episodes of “South Park” for Viacom’s […]
When you think about Mickey Mouse, one name comes to mind, Walt Disney. But here’s the thing – Walt Disney didn’t create Mickey Mouse alone. It was actually his best friend, Ub Iwerks, who designed the iconic cartoon in 1928. He was the person who was doing most of the behind-the-scenes work, and when Walt […]
CDC warns of swimming with diarrhea in animated tweet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made a splash on social media when it warned Americans against swimming with diarrhea this summer — with some joking the agency’s animation went poo far. The N. Y. Post reports the Twitterverse ran with it. Marvel does not permit […]
Dennis the Menace Gets Royal Stamp Treatment The Beano comic is celebrating its 70th anniversary and to mark the milestone Royal Mail has released 10 special stamps using pictures from the comic strip. Dennis was first brought to life in a pencil sketch in January 1951 by Scottish illustrator and cartoonist David Law along with […]
Female Phantom and Female Phantom Writers Folklore has that Lee Falk’s widow finished some scripts when the creator passed away. That would be, if true, the only known instance of a woman writing The Phantom comic strip. But there was a time when a woman wrote for The Phantom comic book in the U.S. Long […]
Bazooka Joe in Israel © ToppsThe Virtual Museum of Israel Chewing Gum Wrappers looks at the Bazooka Joe chewing gum there since at least the 1960s. Pulp Fiction© the respective copyright owners A scarce first edition of The Shadow, published in April 1931, recently sold for $156,000 at Heritage Auctions, setting a world record as the […]