A selection of 4th of July comics strips from 2025 and 1925.

Ever get so absorbed in your work that you forget to eat? That’s nothing compared to best-selling author and cartoonist Stephan Pastis who told me, “ I kid you not, when I’m coming out of a writing session, when I walk out the front door of the studio, I don’t always do it, but I will […]

We sure do, and on both sides. Those who think we are in crisis need to settle down and come up with a plan. Running around screaming isn’t a plan, nor is hurling insults. Mass protests and voter registration drives are plans. Reclaim the flag. Celebrate the intentions. If someone quotes Stephen Decatur’s “My country, […]

Comics Kingdom subscription bargain, Cartoon Brew changes hands, Kevin Kallaugher on TV, San Diego Comic-Con panels of interest, Comics Revue ends after 42 years, seeking lost Eartha comic strips by John M. Burns, what some of those strange items advertised in old comic books really were, and a reminder to get your Reuben Playbill ad.Comics […]

“Growing Up Luann: 40 Years of Comics” Exhibit It’s been 40 years since local artist Greg Evans debuted his now famous comic strip “Luann.” That same year, he attended Comic-Con for the first time. The longtime resident of San Marcos said a lot has changed since then. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the […]

As I’m writing this, the House is in an all-night session, not so much debating Trump’s major bill as seeing which side can hold on longest. By time you read it, we may know the answer.But what we already know is that there is a cult of personality and an atmosphere of fear governing Congress. […]

Newspaper illustrator Laurie Gambill has passed away. Laurie Janette Gambill Myers April 10, 1952 – June 23, 2025From the funeral home obituary: Laurie grew up in Spokane, Washington, attended Spokane schools, and graduated from North Central High School (1970) and Whitworth College (1974). She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts, and pursued teaching credentials […]

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) has opened the window for submissions to compete for The 2025 Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning. The award recognizes editorial cartoons that focuses on state and local issues, particularly “champion[ing] those cartoonists who work for small and local newspapers.”From the AAEC: The Rex Babin […]

I’m not thinking about games and consoles, but I am taking a day for humor in hopes of distracting from the news a bit.That doesn’t mean giving in and it doesn’t mean turning off entirely. I emailed my Congressional representative before I began today’s posting. It took about two minutes, in part because I didn’t […]

The cartoon shows a bearded man wearing a top hat resembling  that of Haredi Jews saying “I’m Musa” as he shakes hands with another bearded man wearing a taqiyah—a Muslim headcover—who replies: “I’m Mohammed.” Both have wings and are depicted as hovering over burning buildings and rockets.From the Jewish News Service (which shows the cartoon): […]

note: this story has been updated to include a KAL interview with the Baltimore BrewAfter 31 years (1988-2006, 2012-2025) Kevin (KAL) Kallaugher has been let go by The Baltimore Sun.From KAL: I am disappointed to announce that after 31 years of award-winning cartoons in The Baltimore Sun, I was abruptly dismissed from the paper on […]

I’ll confess to having paid more attention to the wretched excess in Venice than it deserved, which is any. But, unlike the couple in Milbrath’s cartoon, I did have my chair swung around the other direction, and I have also been paying attention to the wretched excess being foisted upon us all in Washington.According to […]

Comic book writer and editor Jim Shooter has passed away. James Charles (Jim) Shooter September 27, 1951 – June 30, 2025it is being reported that comic book writer, editor, and publisher Jim Shooter has passed away. Comic book writer Mark Waid informed the world on his Facebook page: RIP Jim Shooter, 1951-2025. I’ve just received […]

Letters to the Editor: Praise and Religion, and The 4th of July; Government Censorship; The Ducktown Weekly; The New York Times For Kids; and more Mafalda.LoC: Praise for Some and Objections to Religious ComedyA letter writer to The Daily Hampshire Gazette: Now, more than ever, when the Gazette arrives each morning, I skip the headlines […]

No specific commentary on this one, beyond marveling that Dan Piraro makes Sundays such a pleasure. There used to be more Sunday strips that featured painstaking art, but a lot of them are gone and the two whose Sundays I enjoyed most — Mark Trail and Prince Valiant — have been converted to a simpler […]