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 Claus Yesterday Talmadge Boston for The Dallas Morning News told us the […]
Comic artist and ed-op page illustrator Randy Jones has passed away. Randy Glenn Jones May 7, 1949 – December 12, 2025 From the Randy Jones entry at Lambiek: [Jones] received his artistic training at H.B. Beal Technical school in London, Ontario. Upon graduation, Jones moved to Toronto, where his first illustration job was ‘Goethe’s Faust’ […]
Calling it “abhorrent” Katie Miller is not happy about the illustration of her husband that accompanied The New Republic feature article delineating the lineage of Deputy Chief of Staff to the White House Stephen Miller as his ancestors immigrated from the Russian Empire (now Belarus) to the United States and comparing that background to Miller […]
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 […]
Science Fiction artist and cartoonist Grant Canfield has passed away. Robert Grant Canfield November 21, 1945 – October 21, 2025 From the obituary: He was born in Belmond, Iowa, making his way through high school and the Eagle Scouts in Decatur, IL, then heading west for college and continuing west until 1970, when he arrived […]
Featuring Tom Toro, Cathy Guisewite, Tomi Ungerer, Denis Kitchen, Hunt Emerson, and some comics Boomers may remember. Tom Toro: New Book and New Interview Nicole Kinning from GoComics interviews Tom Toro about his new book from Andrews McMeel. In October, Andrews McMeel Publishing released Tom Toro’s debut cartoon collection, And to Think We Started as […]
Illustrating the Progress of Art in Journalism (1897) It started a few days ago when Tony Rose uncovered a startling item in an old Editor and Publisher. A 1925 obituary for Albert Wilbur Steele includes a claim that he was “the first American cartoonist to draw a daily cartoon for a newspaper.” Steele, who had […]
Cartoonist, illustrator, and musician J. D. King has passed away. John David (J.D.) King May 3, 1951 – “on or about October 27,” 2025 Word spread on social media that illustrator J. D. King had passed away. From Thurston Joseph Michael Moore’s Facebook page of November 6: J.D. King, comics illustrator, and founder of 1979 […]
NPR has released their list of Best Books published in the year 2025. The Graphic Novels category includes a few books whose authors have comic strip credentials. J vs. K by Jerry Craft and Kwame Alexander – – – Buy the book Two bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning kids’ book authors and friendly rivals team up to […]
Below are some comic and cartoon books scheduled for November 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. Terry and the Pirates: The Master Collection, vol. 12 by Milton Caniff The saga continues in Terry […]
Clay Jones draws! The Norman Rockwell Comic Strip! Score Bunny by Henrik! The Award Winning Peter Kuper! A Clay Jones Update and New Drawing Clay Jones is making remarkable progress with an attitude that is positive and retaining his sense of humor. Clay writes: This caricature of Trump is the first drawing I have attempted […]
Bookstores are rebounding, The Philosophical Implications in Calvin and Hobbes, Go with King Features’ Popeye, The Phantom, and others on a Sea Cruise, and cherished children’s book covers are transform into ecological posters. But we start with the non-anniversary of a political animal. November 7, 1874 – First cartoon of the Republican Party elephant (Not) […]
Below are some comic and cartoon books scheduled for October 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. Our mid-month October Hey Kids! Comics! list had scores of books. When we started getting news […]
Frew’s The Phantom reaches #2000, Walt Handelsman The Saints Caption Contest sets a record, a new Bob Staake book coming, news deserts and digitals – a report, Jason Chatfield on Substack as an alternative revenue stream, and The Kinks get a comic strip mention. The Phantom #2000 Missed it. Frew Publications in Australia earlier this […]
Cartoonist Beth Wolfensberger Singer‘s comic strip for The Boston Globe today reminds me that there are a few Edward Gorey items waiting in the queue to be cued up, and what better time than the eve of Halloween Eve eve eve eve to do so. And how better to start than with Edward Gorey’s recently […]