Filed under: Comic Strips

There’s an interesting article over on the Associate Baptist Press about the newly launched Heaven’s Love Thrift Shop and its potential to survive in “secular” newspapers….  Frank, a self-styled ?connoisseur of thrift stores,? said his thrift store and charity experience helped him learn that ?charitable outreach? appeals to most people, while outright Bible lessons are often dismissed by non-Christians.?That [charity aspect] sort of gives me a vehicle to discuss matters of faith in a way that is more palatable to people, because nobody disagrees with charity,? he said.

The Taunton Daily Gazette is reporting that this Sunday and every Sunday until December 17 that subscribers will receive a free Spider-Man comic book with their paper.  The comic is presented by Marvel Comics and News America Marketing.

Yesterday’s Candorville by Darrin Bell paid tribute to the late Bob Thaves who created Frank & Ernest.  The comic depicts Frank and Ernest as angels above two homeless people asking if they could share the alley because, “Ernie’s allergic to clouds.”According to E&P: “‘Frank & Ernest’ was one of the first strips I remember ever reading, and it was an inspiration to me,” Bell told E&P.

Last May, I told you that Jef Mallett, creator of Frazz, was participating in a this year’s Nevada Passage – a 1000 mile adventure race….  The event has been filmed and will be airing on select stations around the country between now and February.

After years of placing number one, Lynn Johnston’s For Better or For Worse has been beat out as the top comic in the Wichita Eagle….  They are dropping Slylock Fox, Shoe, One Big Happy and Peanuts.Over the next two weeks, Mother Goose and Grimm, Sherman’s Lagoon, Six Chix and Bliss will run in the daily and Sunday slots, then starting August 27 – for another two weeks – Pearls Before Swine, Cow and Boy, Over the Hedge, and Bizarro will each take a turn.

Several puzzle pieces point to the possibility of Berkeley Breathed’s Opus making the leap to the big screen. Coming Soon.net has an entry for a Opus film entitled “Opus: The Last Christmas” with a release date of December 19, 2008. The production studio is The Weinstein Company, the same company behind CG animated films such […]

E&P reports that Dave Coverly has finally picked the winner of his second annual caption contest. The contest drew over 4,000 entries.  The winner is Pete Battistini of Avon IN.  Dave’s cartoon depicted a police line up with a woman looking at the line up. The winning zinger is, “Oh, that reminds me. I need […]

The September 10th Prickly City by Scott Stantis will include a tribute to Bob Thaves, the creator of Frank & Earnest.”I had assisted Bob on his strip ‘King Baloo’ many years ago.” Stantis told E&P.  “He was a good one to learn from.”Stantis added that he thinks Thaves — who began “Frank & Ernest” in 1972 — helped “pave the way” for comics such as “The Far Side,” “Mother Goose and Grimm,” and “Non Sequitur.”

Bob Thaves, who created Frank & Ernest in 1972 has died at age 81 in Torrance California.  He leaves behind his wife, Katie, of 52 years, his son Tom, daughter Sara.