A Somali man was shot by Danish police after he had gained entrance into Kurt Westergaard’s home with a knife and an axe. He is accused of trying to kill the famous Mohammad cartoonist. Kurt was home at the time, along with a five-year-old granddaughter. Both were able to find safety in a panic room. […]
Shahid Mahmood, a Toronto-born architect and cartoonist has not been able to fly into the U.S. since 2004 after Air Canada placed him on their no-fly list. He and the Human Rights Commission have been investigating why his name was placed on the list and if racial profiling was involved. So far they’ve only found […]
Peter Brookes, editorial cartoonist for the Times (UK), has been honored as this year’s “Cartoonist of the Year” by the Political Cartoon Society. This is his second such honor. He said that he was more proud of some drawings than others. “The great thing about working for daily papers is that if you feel you […]
Editor’s note: Some of the items below were set to publish on Dec. 2, but didn’t. They might be old news now, but for archive purposes, I’ve included them.Animation» USA Today reports that a fourth (and final) Shrek feature film is in the works for a May 21 release next year. The movie will be […]
The two Chicago area men arrested last month who were allegedly plotting to kill Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard had ties to Pakistani army officers. According to a McClatchy article in the Miami Herald, five Pakistani army officers were taken in for questioning because of communications discovered between themselves and the two Chicago men. The five […]
Voltaire Press at Duke University has published a book “Muhammad: The “Banned” Images” by Dr. Gary Hull that includes reprinting the 12 cartoons that originally ran in the Jyllands-Posten that ignited an international violent reaction in the Muslim world. The book also includes several other images from William Blake, Gustave Dore, Salvador Dali, and several […]
Rob Tornoe reports that Iranian cartoonist Hadi Heidari has been released from prison. Hadi was arrested October 22 while attending a religious ceremony honoring political prisoners.
We have three reports from cartoonists regarding their trips to the Middle East region. MAD Magazine artist Tom Richmond was part of the NCS/USO group that went to Iraq, Jan Eliot and Daryl Cagle went to Algiers for the 2009 Festival International de la Bande Dessinee d’Alger and then went on to Morocco (Eliot), Egypt […]
From an AP story comes news that two men from Chicago were arrested for allegedly plotting attacks on overseas targets including Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard. Federal prosecutors have charged 49-year-old David Coleman Headley and 48-year-old Tahawwur Hussain Rana. Prosecutors contend Headley told FBI agents that the initial plan called for an attack against the newspaper […]
Jan Eliot was invited to speak at the 2eme Festival International de la Bande Dessinee in Algiers. The festival was an international event with cartoonists coming from all over Africa. She’s back and has a write-up of her experience on her blog. It was a real honor to meet these and other women cartoonists at […]
Iranian cartoonist Hadi Heidari was arrested on October 22 according to Reporters without Borders. Heidari and several others were arrested in Tehran during a religious ceremony honoring political prisoners. Heidari was cultural editor of the banned daily Etemad-e Melli.
South Korean cartoonist “Choi” has been ordered to pay $20 million won (about $17,000) by the Chuncheon District Court to Wonju City who sued the cartoonist for including offensive words about President Lee Myung-bak. The cartoon depicted family members paying respect to a soldier’s monument, but included offensive words hidden in the pattern of the […]
French comic strip characters Asterix and Obelix will turn 50 at the end of this month. The comic strip is based on these two Gallic friends and their adventures with the Romans. Commemorating the anniversary is the release of “Asterix and Obelix’s Birthday: The Golden Book” which will be released in 15 countries. Additionally, Asterix […]
Back in September I reported that Daryl Cagle and Jan Eliot were heading to Algiers to participate in their international cartooning festival. Jan is still traveling but posted news on her blog regarding her initial days there. Daryl has written a longer review of his experience there and has also included photos.
Books» Monte Schulz, son of Charles M. Schulz, has a new novel out entitled “This Side of Jordan.” It will be the first of three that will be published by Fantagraphic books. Comic Strips» Leigh Rubin will be offering a free presentation about creativity and perseverance and the comics life.Editorial Cartoons» The Sunday Mail editorial […]