From The Day: Donder and Blitzen (German for “thunder” and “lightning”) first made their appearance in 1823, springing from the pen of Clement Clarke Moore in his classic poem “The Night before Christmas.” Up until that time Americans were pretty hazy regarding Santa Claus, the patron saint of Christmas. Moore would help define him as […]
Asmussen’s “Bad Reporter” comic emerged shortly after the Examiner merged with the Chronicle in 2000. Delightfully deranged, Asmussen’s biweekly, syndicated strip mined culture and politics for “the lies behind the truth, and the truth behind those lies that are behind that truth.” This was where Asmussen found his stride, garnering a devoted readership. His deft […]
For a long time, cartoonist and illustrator Kevin Cannon said, he didn’t have a distinctive style. He was too busy drawing things exactly the way customers wanted. But along the way, perhaps when he started working on graphic novels, Cannon developed the clean, simple style that prompted the folks at the Minnesota State Fair to […]
Graphic artist and cartoonist Lou Brooks has passed away. Louis (Lou) Brooks September 5, 1944 – November 21, 2021 From the obituary: Known to some as “The World’s Oldest Kid”, Lou began his career as a self-taught commercial illustrator, but over 50 years expanded his talents into other creative realms as writer, graphic designer, historian, […]
It is being reported that comic artist Gérald Forton has passed away. Gérald Marcel Forton April 10, 1931 – December 18 (16?), 2021 From the JN notice (via Google Translate): Born in Brussels on April 10, 1931, Gérald Forton died Saturday 18 at the age of 90 in Apple Valley, California. He was one of […]
To celebrate the 230th anniversary of The Bill of Rights we travel back thirty years when cartoonists and syndicates collaborated with The Newspaper Features Council to mark the bicentennial of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. So, from The Iola Register of 1991, we present The Art of Democracy. Charles M. Schulz […]
Below are some comic strip and cartoon books scheduled for December 2021 release.Images and links (mostly) via Amazon,though ordering through your local comic or independent book store is a good idea. Tom the Dancing Bug Awakens Tom the Dancing Bug, Without the Bad Ones On The One Hand / On The Other Hand The Life and Comics […]
A COURTROOM sketch artist in the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking trial has told of the bizarre moment the socialite twice turned around to draw her. Illustrator Elizabeth Williams, who has been sketching people in court for 40 years, was at a pre-trial hearing in November when Maxwell began staring at her while drawing. © Associated Press/Elizabeth WilliamsElizabeth […]
Tate Britain in London has defended the approach taken in its Hogarth and Europe exhibition (until 20 March 2022) following a wave of criticism focused on wall labels written by contemporary commentators, which one critic described as “wokeish drivel”. The museum’s director, Alex Farquharson, tells The Art Newspaper that “Tate Britain has both the confidence […]
Political cartooning today is challenged by two trends: The disintegration of intelligence and substance in politics The disintegration of taste and skill in drawing. David Apatoff, at Illustration Art, discusses The Art of The Editorial Cartoon.… But achieving a reliable likeness is not the goal of the best political cartoons. The real artistry lies in […]
Original November 29 post:Eleanor Davis, who The New York Review called “one of the very best cartoonists working today,” seems to have hooked up with The New York Times for a daily spot illustrating their “Of Interest – Noteworthy Facts from Today’s Paper” column.Above is her first from November 3, 2021. As seen the artwork […]
With Thanksgiving done and gone it’s time to start thinking about buying … calendars for the upcoming year.Here we consider comics related calendars for 2022, and the Hogan’s Alley store has a fine selection of classics available. Krazy Kat, Polly and Her Pals, Little Nemo, and The Yellow Kid for those, like me, who are […]
Usually any book missed in the monthly Hey Kids! Comics! checklist would wait to be noted in the following month’s entry, but this one is too important (and deserves separate documentation anyway).PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED A Memoir By Edward Sorel The book from Penguin Random House is now available! Alongside more than 172 of his drawings, cartoons, […]
Artist/cartoonist Peter Pereira has passed away. Peter (né Pierre) Gerard Pereira May 15, 1962 – November 10, 2021 “He will be cartooning in heaven”From The Spirit obituary:Peter Pereira, an artist, illustrator, photographer and cartoonist whose work brought wit and whimsy to Straus News Manhattan’s newspapers for the past eight years, died on Nov. 10, 2021 […]
Tom Gauld comicBelow are some comic strip and cartoon books scheduled for November 2021 release.Images and links (mostly) via Amazon,though ordering through your local comic or independent book store is a good idea. American Comics: A History Pearls Awaits the Tide Graphic Witness (second edition, expanded) Rubes Twisted Pop Culture Rube Goldberg and His Amazing Machines (review) Comics and the Origins […]