Filed under: Comic History

December 25, 1975* — Older Strips # — Special Materials

In 1952, a year after Associated Press Newsfeatures delivered the six part The Story of Santa Claus to newspapers, they brought out the six part Behind the Christmas Story. Again drawn by AP art director Ed Gunder and probably (there is no proof) written by AP correspondent Sherry Bowen who had written AP’s The Story […]

Nancy is one of a handful of ongoing comic strips that can trace its origins back to over a hundred years, the others include Gasoline Alley, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, and Popeye.*So naturally those comics pass into other cartoonists’ hands over time. That time has come for Nancy.GoComics’ latest […]

Leman No More From Balkan Insight: For 40 years the weekly satirical magazine Leman was published in Turkey. But on June 26, a cartoon appeared depicting Gaza under fire and featuring two figures named Muhammed and Musa [Moses]. Five employees were arrested; the editor-in-chief could not be, however, as he was abroad. Meanwhile, prison sentences ranging […]

“The joy of Dilbert: Scott Adams brightened our lives by mocking everyday indignities” James Bovard of The New York Post writes a eulogy for the still-living Scott Adams: Scott Adams, the cartoonist who gave the world “Dilbert,” is suffering mightily in the final throes of cancer. After he departs this vale of tears, his glorious […]

The top tier of Jeff Mallett‘s treatise on Christmas traditions in today’s Frazz hits on the American Santa Claus as a long-standing part of Yuletide season, ending with Thomas Nast‘s personification of the elflord. The Birth of a Holiday and the American Santa ClausYesterday Talmadge Boston for The Dallas Morning News told us the story […]

With Calvin and Hobbes, Lum and Abner, Dick Tracy, Luann, Patrick McDonnell (Mutts) and Tom Toro, and Dee Parson (Rosebuds).a boy and his tiger still matter Bradley Worrell for Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine writes of the eduring love for Calvin and Hobbes: When teaching his popular course on comic books and graphic novels, William Kuskin’s classroom […]

“For those who came in late.” The Phantom Story: A lone survivor of a pirate raid is washed ashore on a Bangalla beach and vows to fight injustice. But what happened between those two panels of survivor and oath?We have occasionally had hints. Earlier this year DePaul and Mike Manley gave a two week treatment […]

Featuring Lynda Barry on museums, Liam Francis Walsh too soon?, Charlie Daniel and Brad Boring for the kids, Joel Pett standup cartoonist, Russell Taylor and Charles Peattie create Alex, but we start with senior stripper Sidney Harris at the gym.Sidney Harris at the Gym for a Pop-Up Exhibit Sidney Harris, 92, walked into a gym, […]

Among the cartoonists who were members of the famed Mort Walker Studio it could be argued that none were more involved and important than Jerry Dumas. Certainly none lasted longer in the partnership.From Timothy Dumas: In June of 1956 [Jerry Dumas] rolled into the Belle Haven driveway of Mort Walker, creator of the popular comic […]

I wasn’t paying attention when I noted Emma Allen‘s article about Otto Soglow. It was only one small part of The New Yorker’s annual Cartoons & Puzzles edition for 2025.The highlight of the issue are the “comic strip” profiles of a half dozen former New Yorker cartoonists by current New Yorker cartoonists. Michael Maslin offers […]

Below are some comic and cartoon books scheduled for December 2025 release (or so). Images and links from a variety of publishers and outlets, though ordering through your local comic shop or independent book store is a good idea. The Smythes by Rea Irvin (update: much more about The Smythes and Rea Irvin) Rea Irvin […]

Otto Soglow’s New Yorker Spot ArtNew Yorker cartoon editor Emma Allen waxes wonderfully over the magazine’s Otto Soglow spot art. The New Yorker doesn’t easily let go of the old stuff. Recently, our copy department retired the hyphen we’d kept in “in-box” for longer than anyone should keep anything in an inbox. But “teen-ager” clings […]

Dr. Bruce MacKinnon Editorial cartoonist Bruce MacKinnon joins a small group in the cartooning community who can legitimately put the honorific “Dr.” before his name.From St. Francis Xavier University and Education News Canada: St. Francis Xavier University graduated nearly 300 students during its Fall Convocation 2025 today. Bruce MacKinnon, one of Canada’s foremost editorial cartoonists, […]

God Bless The Child That Got Their OwnIt’s very possible that the ages of the kids in Crabgrass and Frazz has been mentioned before and I never paid attention to it, but I always figured that they were a couple years older than what was established in today’s strips. Having grandchildren currently in the 7-9 […]