Filed under: Daily Cartoonist

I’m back from a three day trip to Island Park Idaho….  A big thanks goes out to Aaron Taylor who took over the Daily Cartoonist while I was out.

Ziggy celebrates 35 years on the comics page, which debuted on June 28, 1971. The comic is distributed to over 600 newspapers by Universal Press Syndicate.

I will be on vacation for through Friday and have turned the reins of power over to a trusted friend and talented and award-winning cartoonist Aaron Taylor.  Aaron is the editorial cartoonist for the Daily Herald in ultra-conservative Provo Utah which makes editorial cartooning too easy most days.

?We get their jaws flapping, and in Sun City we get their hearts stopping.?Benson and Fairrington, two longtime Valley political cartoonists, will be the subjects of a new art show at the Ostrovsky Fine Art Gallery in Scottsdale on Thursday.?Too Hot to Handle? will feature some of the artists? most controversial work, including cartoons that never saw the light of day.Original drawings will be available for purchase, and the artists themselves will be there to greet visitors and demonstrate some sketches.Fairrington got his start at Arizona State University, and is now nationally syndicated….  His awards include a Pulitzer Prize in 1993.Gallery owner Victor Ostrovsky said that, as an artist, he has been impressed with the cartoonists? work.?With very little effort they easily could glide into fine art and be extraordinarily successful in it,? he said.Benson said editorial cartoons generally are not categorized as art; however, they have been a very important expression of artistic opinion in the history of the United States.?You can look at the chronological stream of cartoons to see where nations are at historically,? he said.

Be back tomorrow morning!

Earlier this month, Dave Coverly opened up the second “Speed Bump” caption contest with a window of less than two months to receive submissions.  According to his web site, Dave has received nearly 4,000 entries!Originally the winner was to be announced on the 27th during the Reuben Awards weekend, but he has postponed the announcement until “mid-June” – presumably due to the large number of entries.

The Rocky Mountain News has made three changes on their comics page….  Lewis, “Lio” by Mark Tatulli and “Pajama Diaries” by Terri Libenson.To make room, “Alley Oop,” “Elderberries” and “Grand Avenue” were dropped.

Mike Belkin has decided to end “Unfit” on the 30th of this month according to Mary Anne Grimes, Executive Director at United Media. Earlier this year, Mike asked Scott Adams to help him find an artist to take over the artwork of the feature. The contest brought in over 70 submissions with Justin Thompson taking […]

This blog is certainly growing at a fast clip and in an effort to provide you with the features you requested back in early April, I’ve rethought the layout and content of this blog.� I haven’t got rid of any thing (except some advertising) but starting this week, I’ll roll out an events calendar and next Monday will debut the first “In Focus” article – where we take a look at something big happening in the cartooning community.

The Daily Cartoonist began a little over six months ago as an experiment in blogging, and a means of inserting myself into the cartooning community. The response to this blog has been inspiring. Each month the number of readers continues to grow – despite my having done no marketing.About a month ago, I posted a […]

They didn’t post many requirements if any – which means if Mike Luckovich hasn’t satisfied with the Pulitzer, and the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Award – he can enter too.We are celebrating Jim Borgman?s 30th anniversary this year as the Enquirer?s editorial cartoonist and want your help…. We will publish your cartoon and Jim?s in print and online.E-mail your entry by filling out the following form, or send your cartoon via ‘snail mail’ to: Borgman Challenge, Life section, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202.

His characters have dealt with AIDS, civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, college students, gun control and other issues.Trudeau has remained current.  Recent themes have included the problems of wounded veterans returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan — not the sort of thing you’d find in Family Circus.Almost from the first, some have argued that Doonesbury belongs on the editorial page, not in the comics.

Before I report on the survey that ran last week on this site to gauge its performance, I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those who took the time to answer the questions. Perhaps, like cartooning itself, this is a solitary effort and sometimes it’s difficult to know just how […]

Note to readers: This story will remain at the top of the page for the next little while to direct traffic to the survey. Please scroll down to see newer stories. Today is the last day to take the reader survey. The Daily Cartoonist (TDC) has passed the six month mark, and despite no marketing […]

Yesterday I received an email from Dominic Bonacci, one of the planners for the upcoming Comics Symposium sponsored by the Lakeland Community College asking for my opinion on why there is a lack of media coverage of comic strip industry. With his permission, I’ve posted his email below along with his questions. I’ve inserted my […]