James Allen‘s last Mark Trail daily comic strip was Saturday, July 25, 2020:Monday, July 27, 2020 began a different story, as a years old Jack Elrod story began running.This reminds me of when Mandrake the Magician stopped mid-story in 2013 when Fred Fredericks abruptly retired due to ill health. And like Mandrake, which went into […]
After Mike’s remarkable appreciation of Stone Soup there’s not much left to say but the basics.Jan Eliot is not her birth name nor a name she married into. It is her pen(and ink)name:: That’s also when she became Jan Eliot. Name inspired by author Her surname at birth had been Buell, and her married name […]
A quiet end to a great comic strip, and if the last episode of Stone Soup reminds you of Calvin and Hobbes heading out for new adventures, that’s not entirely inappropriate: Jan Eliot got her break in the business — after four years of pestering the syndicates with submissions — when Bill Watterson hung up […]
The San Diego Comic-Con (Comic-Con International) announced this years winners of the Eisner Awards in a virtual ceremony. There were no series or creators that dominated the awards though Raina Telgemeier (Guts), Lynda Barry (Making Comics), and Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo) were among those winning two awards. Stan Sakai was also inducted into the Hall […]
If we’re going to have a round-up, we might as well start with a round-up, and, besides, any excuse to feature Dog Eats Doug is worthy.I’m not sure anyone as young as Doug would have a fantasy this well planned out, or that kids know anything about cowboys anymore anyway, but I’m also pretty sure […]
British cartoonist Brian Walker has passed away. Brian H. N. Walker March 22, 1926 – May(?) 2020 cartoonist, author, illustratorFrom Brian’s daughter Jo writing for The Guardian:My father, Brian Walker, who has died aged 94, was a cartoonist and illustrator whose work appeared across a span of 50 years in comics such as the Beano and […]
July 23:The dearth of magazines buying gag cartoons does not bode well. ‘Nightmare!’ is how The Spectator’s cartoon editor Michael Heath has been describing cartooning for at least 30 years, but it’s truer now than ever. Eighty years ago, cartoonists were so celebrated that waxworks of Low, Strube and Poy were displayed in Madame Tussauds. […]
Let’s begin with the imminent end of the Stone Soup comic strip.The Columbus Dispatch has picked Frazz to replace the Sunday-only strip: The Sunday comic strip Stone Soup will end next Sunday, the edition of July 26. The comic Frazz will replace Stone Soup on Sunday. The Dispatch currently runs Frazz in the daily paper, […]
I will confess to feeling much like the fellow in Brewster Rockit, and I say “confess” because I feel kind of guilty over being in a state that ranks 42nd in per capita Covid cases, with most of those seeming to be in the southeast corner, or, as one might call it, “suburban Boston.”And, while […]
Seven Days, Vermont’s weekly alternative paper, is getting some negative feedback for its choices in rearranging their comics pages. As reported here earlier this month, Seven Days had decided to add Keith Knight’s The K Chronicles to their line-up. It turns out that meant cutting a comic strip, and the one they cut was Mr. […]
Adam Zyglis sets the stage for today’s ruminations, though his cartoon from a few days ago is slightly spoiled by Dear Leader’s sudden realization that his refusal to acknowledge the Covid-19 issue was costing him votes.However, going on TV and noting the importance of masks doesn’t undo the fine job his administration has done of […]
Let’s begin by wishing Disney animation veteran Ruthie Tompson a Happy 110th Birthday! She first joined the Ink and Paint Department. During the next four decades, Tompson worked in various capacities, including reviewing animation cels before they were filmed and scene planning on films such as Fantasia, Dumbo, Sleeping Beauty and Mary Poppins. More about […]
Cartoonist Dan Nakrosis has passed away. Daniel A. “Dano” Nakrosis July 4, 1963 – July 21, 2020 Comic writer, artist, letterer, editorFrom the obituary: Born in Bayonne, Dan’s coloring, lettering and artwork graced the pages of all the major comics publishers across a wide genre of books. His work history included stints at DC, Marvel, Wildstorm, […]
On today’s “Three-Word Answer” we’re talking with social/political/pop-culture/jack-of-all-genres Ruben Bolling. Ruben is the cartoonist behind the weekly comic “Tom the Dancing Bug” that can be seen on such august sites as BoingBoing, Daily Kos, The Washington Post and GoComics.If you’ll remember the format of this Q&A, we ask 20 questions and the answers MUST MUST […]
Mr. Fitz gets to open the discussion because cartoonist David Lee Finkle is a for-real teacher who not only works in the classroom but writes books to help other teachers.And who recently reposted this piece on his blog about the difference between making people behave and making them want to learn, in which he quoted […]