Today launched a tribute site to the classic Dick Tracy comic strip. From the press release:Almost 80 years ago, a young cartoonist sent his latest idea to Captain Joseph Patterson, who selected all the comic strips for the Chicago Tribune and NY Daily News. Chester Gould had been submitting for some time, both realistic and […]
King Feature Syndicate’s DailyINK debuted nine vintage comics to their online comic portal. The new features include: Big Ben Bolt (1950-51), Heart of Juliet Jones (1953-54), Radio Patrol (1940-41), Barney Google & Snuffy Smith (1936), Jacky?s Diary (1959-60), Mandrake (1938-39), Quicy (1971-72), Katzenjammer Kids (1937-39) and Little Iodine (1949-50).
Shaenon Garrity finds a Finnish collection of censored Mort Walker thumbnails, entitled, “Awesome Finnish Collection of Censored Mort Walker Thumbnails” containing material “rejected by the syndicate for lack of family-friendliness.” A couple of weekends back, I attended the annual meeting of the National Cartoonists Society in Jersey City. Meanwhile, the Cartoon Art Museum here in […]
The US Postal Service will hold a First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremony of the Sunday Funnies at The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum in Columbus OH. On hand for the occasion will be museum curator and professor Lucy Shelton Caswell, OSU President E. Gordon Gee, Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker, Garfield creator Jim […]
CNN Living posted an article called, “Real names of 23 fictional characters.” Since you’re a cartoonist, you’re probably expected to know certain facts that the general public doesn’t about various cartooning-related trivia, so file these two away for such a time when you can bust them out at the oohs and aaaawws of your non-cartooning […]
NPR had two stories – one on their weekend edition and another during their Morning Edition program.Jeff Stahler pays tribute in today’s Moderately Confused (see below).Ted Slampyak, who drew the strip for the last six years, was quoted in the BBC. “The appeal of Annie is simply that she doesn’t give up,” said Ted Slampyak, […]
The Humble Stumble creator Roy Schneider is now on tour with his latest album Erleichda. The album is described as folk, blues, rock, funk, jam and gypsy jazz influences blended together with a mild country edge. In June he’ll be Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California. Later months will take him up north into Montana, Minnesota, […]
Comic Riffs’ Michael Cavna has posted an open letter or invitation asking Ken Burns to consider making a new documentary of the American cartoon. Michael argues that such a movie should be made sooner rather than later for two reasons: First, the state of the American cartoon is in such tremendous flux: Staff political cartoonists […]
Comic historian R.C. Harvey writes about the history of the National Cartoonists Society. Probably, the club would never have coagulated itself into being without the reluctant sponsorship of Rube Goldberg, who, in addition to giving his name to an entry in the dictionary, was the master of ceremonies for the performances in hospitals and, as […]
Tony Dipreta who drew Joe Palooka and Rex Morgan, M.D. died last week at the age of 88. Eventually, DiPreta made his way to New York City, where he met legendary comic book writer and editor Stan Lee, who gave him “Porky Pig” to ink. From 1945 to 1955, DiPreta also worked on the popular […]
Mort Walker’s Beetle Bailey is celebrating 60 years with series of events and special strips.From the press release: The world’s most recognizable Private and funny pages icon Beetle Bailey salutes 60 years of military mirth and mayhem with a seven-month long celebration honoring the comic strip’s diamond anniversary. Beginning this month, a series of Beetle […]
Tom Spurgeon: So with the finale for the television show Lost rapidly receding into the background, the reaction to the show suggests the question: what are the best “final episodes” in comics history? Like television, some of the best ones weren’t official finales, or didn’t quite take. With that general caveat in mind, here are […]
With the announcement of the end of Little Orphan Annie, Time Magazine is looking at the best long-running comics. They also allow you to order them in your order of preference.Here’s their original list: B.C. Dennis the Menace Beetle Bailey Annie The Katzenjammer Kids Gasoline Alley Blondie Dick Tracy Prince Valiant Brenda Starr
Dynamite Entertainment, under license from King Features syndicate, returns The Phantom to comic books this August with Alex Ross at the creative helm, Scott Beatty scripting and Eduardo Ferigato on art in the ongoing series.The series begins with no Phantom. The historic line stops at Kit Walker the 21st, who has forsaken the mantle of […]
Charlos Gary isn’t saying which character, but on a recent blog post he announced that one of his characters from Cafe Con Leche “will be coming out of the closet in June.”He writes on his blog: It’s been a long time since I wrote a blog entry. I’m just writing to let you know that […]