I’m not going to make a habit of commenting on things I’ve drawn, but I think I do need to say a few things about “Club Nematoda,” a kind of Village Vanguard I had imagined for some hipster worms. Saying nothing would have been like a cartoon hit-and-run; I had to go back and explain […]
Tain’t Funny McGee McPherson © John McPhersonA New Castle News reader finds no humor in a Close to Home comic:I no longer “read” The News but scan for something of local or personal interest, such as Dr. Roach’s “Your Health.” As on Saturday when a “cartoon” of God’s chosen man, Moses, was right beside it. […]
Animator Ron Campbell has passed away. Ron Campbell December 26, 1939 – January 22, 2021 From the Ron Campbell Cartoon Pop Art Facebook page:It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have received news that famed animator/producer/director/storyboard artist Ron Campbell has passed away at age 81. Ron was a dear friend and my […]
The National Cartoonists Society has begun its annual call for entries for consideration for the NCS Divisional Reuben Awards recognizing excellence in professional cartooning. As always, you DO NOT have to be a member of the NCS to have your work considered for a divisional award. All that is required is that the work be […]
Some miscellaneous items from the recent past.On this day 25 years ago, Bill Watterson’s iconic comic strip Calvin and Hobbes bid us farewell. To take us on a path down memory lane, here are some of the best Calvin and Hobbes strips created.Well, some of the best as decided by Mackenzie Cummings-Grady. Comics were so central […]
Over 1200 pages long with more than 1200 new entries, this is a bibliography of articles and books on all aspects of comic and cartoon art including comic books, comic strips, cartoons, animation, editorial cartoons, newly updated as of the end of 2018. The electronic book, a non DRM PDF, includes tens of thousands of […]
Comics and animation historian David Mruz has passed away. David Richard Mruz February 11, 1951 – December 20. 2020Comics and animation historian, fanzine publisher: Mindrot/AnimaniaWhen most of us think of Minneapolis cartoonists our thoughts go back to Charles Schulz, for native Minnesotan David Mruz his thoughts go back much further to another Charles:For comics historian […]
Year-end lists are starting to show up.A couple In Memoriam on animation sites have been posted.Cartoon Brew documented obituaries in the animation industry. The past 12 months, in which the spectre of disease and death loomed over everything, saw Cartoon Brew chalk up a sad record: we have never published so many obituaries in one […]
Famed animator Bill Plympton has three days to raise $40,000 for his independent animated feature. As a kid growing up among the tall timbers of Oregon, I wanted to create a Western that takes place in the evergreen-covered mountains. It’s 50 years later, I’ve had Oscar nominations and won Cannes Festival awards, and it’s time […]
For some reason I have a few stories relating to animation in the queue.A Charlie Brown Christmas at 55 Multiple generations of kids will agree that it doesn’t really begin to look a lot like Christmas until A Charlie Brown Christmas graces the airwaves. Premiering 55 years ago on Dec. 9, 1965, the beloved animated […]
Animator Helen Komar has passed away.Helen (Sobkow) KomarSeptember 4, 1927 – November 27, 2020 From the obituary: Helen was an accomplished artist who enjoyed illustrating, cartooning, and portraiture. She was a master of pastel, pencil, oil and acrylic mediums. Millions of people are unaware that they have seen her animated work on TV and in movies. […]
Fans of Clifford The Big Red Dog are upset about the live-action movie since they saw CGI Clifford in the newly released movie teaser.Fans say Clifford is the size of a monster and the shade of red is all wrong.Clifford looks weird I don’t like it, why is it realistic clifford is already drenched in […]
Early Daily Peanuts Comic Strip Auctions for $192,000From Bleeding Cool: Charles Schulz‘s Peanuts syndicated comic strip began its 17897 strip, 50-year run on October 2, 1950. Snoopy first appeared just two days later on October 4, 1950. An earliest-days Peanuts comic strip from November 17, 1950 has just hammered at Heritage Auctions for $192,000 — […]
Accounts of comic/cartoon history that we stumbled on this past week.Eustace Tilley: Origins of an IconAlex Jay’s short pictorial… leads us to R. C. Harvey’s 2017 True History of Eustace Tilley essay at The Comics Journal. Eustace Tilley is the name given to the 19th century boulevardier languidly inspecting a passing butterfly through his […]
Small Newspapers and Freelance CartoonistsSmall Market Sports © Bill CharbonneauDarren Johnson on getting cartoons for small newspapers: Still, when I started publishing newspapers 11 years ago – after working at other publications – I imagined that a cartoonist would be important to this hoped-for media empire. I did an Internet search and found a young […]