Filed under: Comic Strips

Patrick McDonnell (Mutts) has been a big supporter of Animal rights. Not only has he been nominated for a third term on the board of directors of The Humane Society of the United States, but he’s championed programs to reunite lost animals with their owners after Hurricane Katrina.  Last year, he ran a six day series depicting the rescue of a dog stranded on a New Orleans rooftop.  That series has now been made available as unsigned collectible posters.

Lynn Johnston has a new For Better or For Worse book collection coming out in the coming weeks. This one entitled, She’s Turning Into One Of Them is a daily and Sunday collection and is published through Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Okay, the title got you, but Dave Astor does make a pretty bold declaration in a recent column over at Editor and Publisher stating that Lynn Johnston’s For Better or For Worse is the best comic strip. Ever. Better than Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, and other early features such as Little Nemo and Krazy Kat.

Darrin Bell has mentioned on his blog that his feature, Candorville, along with eight other features are part of a comic survey at St. Paul Pioneer Press. Readers are encouraged to vote for their favorite and can vote once a day.

Phi Frank, who draws Farley, one of the few local comic strips left in the U.S., will be the featured speaker at the Yosemite Association’s 31st annual member’s meeting on September 9th at the Pioneer Yosemite History Center in Wawona, Yosemite National Park.  He will also be on hand to sign books and sell original drawings.

The Daily American (PA) is asking readers to rate the comics. The online article didn’t mention which features they currently run, but listed a few that are not in the current line up that might be picked up if survey results are good:  Lio, Non Sequitur, The Pajama Diaries, Stone Soup, and Zits.

Last week, I reported that the 60+ year old comic Mary Worth was getting some attention with a new story line of a potential stalker named Aldo. E&P points out that a humorous video called “Aldo Stalks Mary Worth.” It reminds me of the Benny Hill closing credits, but humorous none the less.

Steve Moore, creator of In the Bleachers, has received the inaugural Certificate of Recognition from the Boston University Athletic Training Program for his “[accuracy] in his portrayal of the athletic training profession.

According to E&P, several cartoonists will be on hand at the sixth annual “Toonfest” on September 15-16 in Marceline MO.

I’m not a Mary Worth reader, but after reading an entertaining article in the The Palm Beach Post about how Mary Worth has morphed into a more hip-per comic strip, I’ve decided I’ll give the 60+ year old strip a good read for the next couple of weeks. Recent story lines have include a new character “Aldo” who might be crazy (and a murderer) and there is the possibility of a “secret lover” from Mary’s past.  The article also talks about the various artists over the years that have worked on the strip and how they’ve made Mary look much younger (which created a stir among readers).