Oooh, Mr. Geisel

You gotta love this! Thank you Jim Benton.

Movies Featuring Cartoonists Part 1

Columbia just released the 1944 Screwball comedy "She Wouldn't Say Yes" on DVD starring Rosalind Russell. The plot centers around Russell who plays a psychiatrist (the immovable object) and Lee Bowman, a wartime cartoonist (the irresistible force) who draws a comic strip called "The Nixie". Rosalind Russell is such an interesting leading lady since physically she was a long way from the classic petite leggy blond so beloved in wartime pictures, although she looks pretty dashing in Travis Bainton's wardrobe.

The comic strip is about a little whistling pixie who helps people banish inhibitions. It's drawn in a four panel pantomime format and incredibly (by today's standard anyway) runs the full width of the page! Sadly the real cartoonist doesn't get a credit.

Comics Sherpa

An ad for Comics Sherpa featuring alumni Mythtickle, Imagine This, The Argyle Sweater, Bob the Squirrel, Bleeker: the Rechargeable Dog and Rabbits Against Magic, all now on GoComics along with fellow ex-Sherpa strip 2 Cows and a Chicken.

APE with a Twist

From Tom's highly complimentary intro: "Roving Tall Tale Radio reporter and master cartoonist Jonathan Lemon returns! Lemon headed off to the Alternative Press Expo (APE) up in San Francisco last week, and snagged interviews with the likes of Ted Rall, Keith Knight, Shannon Wheeler, Stephanie McMillan, Paige Braddock and Lex Fajardo, along with several others! Lemon always classes up the joint with his charm and sex-ayyy accent, and as the brilliant mind behind “Rabbits Against Magic,” he knows what questions to ask. There’s great stuff in here from some of the best in the biz up at one of the coolest conventions around. Take a listen, and be sure to check out “Rabbits Against Magic” over at Go Comics!, as well as his always funny and insightful blog!"

Man Showing of his Cabbages

Spreckles, California is an odd town. It's where John Steinbeck worked as a kid in the sugar refinery (now a national monument) and there's really not much else there. Recently, the town installed huge twenty foot tall cut out farm workers in the fields which are still worked by regular sized 3D farm workers. I really liked this proud farmer with his cabbages.

The Subtle Hues of Pigmented Liquid

This is a close up of a strip which I water-colored as a gift to Ollie and Quentin creator Piers Baker. I usually color my strips in Photoshop which is a lot quicker and reproduces better.

The Black Bird

My favorite mystery/crime author of all time is the great Dashiell Hammett who wrote The "Maltese Falcon" in 1930. He also wrote four other novels: "Red Harvest" (1929), "The Dain Curse" (1929), "The Glass Key" (1931) and "The Thin Man" (1934)) all of which were made into movies. Here in San Francisco where he lived and worked, there are numerous monuments and landmarks featured in the films, life and writing. John's Grill downtown is the ground zero for Hammett enthusiasts with what is essentially a Hammett museum. Above you can see me in front of a case containing a replica Maltese Falcon. The previous bird (one of the several made for the 1941 movie with Humphrey Bogart) was stolen last year! Not many people know Hammett also wrote a comic strip back in 1934 called Secret Agent X-9.

I Suck

Of course the real reason that the vacuum cleaner isn't working is that I forgot the draw a power cord on it.

Gorillas in the Mix

The Cartoon Art Museum had a party for the Monsters of Webcomics exhibition on Saturday. He's me (on right with magnifying glass) with a gorilla (left) who answered to the name of Mike.

Lumpy

I don't drink coffee for this very reason. Apparently instant coffee used to be sold in cubes. I'm glad they stopped otherwise this cartoon would not have worked.

I Saw it on the Comic Vine

The Comic Vine people talked me into appearing on camera during the APE show. My few seconds of fame start around the 6:30 mark. I look (and felt) very uncomfortable but I sure look tall. Thankfully the always amusing Michael Capozzolla came on after me to save the show.

Sticky Issues

Originally I had "Superglue" as the punchline instead of "Epoxy". In the end I thought Epoxy was a funnier word and probably would adhere more than Superglue.

Ape Man

I had a lot of fun at APE this weekend! Thanks to everyone who stopped by and donated money to the Cartoon Art Museum.

SPF

Jo Jo over at GoComics commented that this must be the Shroud of Daytona.

Dog Headed Victorians

This is from my new favorite blog, Mostly Forbidden Zone. Nothing fancy, just wonderful ephemera and curious images.

Cash for Comic Strips Clunkers

It was just pointed out to me that Weenus made an honorary appearance in the most excellent "The Knight Life" by the uber-talented Keith Knight a few weeks ago (alongside Gary the vampire from the wonderful Scary Gary, Michael from It's All About You, and Alice from the Cul-de-Sac). I think that according to the rules of the Cartoon Union, Keith now gets to appear in a Rabbits Against Magic strip.

What was I smoking?

The Sunday "DSL" strip I ran on September 27th was a "Take 2" after my first effort (above) was deemed "too druggy". Well, I can't really argue and I think it worked out better in the end (below) plus I didn't have to do the psychedelic coloring and probably avoided a copyright infringement from Gilbert Shelton for my "Fat Freddy's Rabbit".

Anthropoid Antics

I'll be at APE this weekend doing original sketches for donations (any amount) to benefit the Cartoon Art Museum. If you happen to be at the con, come find me at booth 364.

Mime Crimes

Mime gags = easy humor.

Bubblicious!

It happened again! Just to prove that great minds think alike.... after I drew this strip, which ran today...:
...fellow Brit, Piers Baker who draws one of my favorite strips, Ollie and Quentin ran this:Piers clearly wins the prize for best rendered bubble wrap. Strangely enough, here's a bubblewrap cartoon I did back in April!

The House of Cartoons

From Ediciones B in Spain comes this amazing house of cartoons from cartoonist Francisco Ibáñez for his strip"13, Rue del Percebe". It's all crazy pop-up, push out, books within books with characters included. Francisco Ibáñez is also the cartoonist responsible for the more famous "Mortadelo y Filemón". Awesome.

Cheap Plug

I always draw those little electrical sockets in my backgrounds to fill space. The rules of the Cartoonist's Union require that all regular props like this are required to have at least one major role during the course of a strips lifetime.

Bunny the Frankenstein Slayer

This is another strip I had to do a bunch of research for in order to avoid a strew of comments from sharp-eyed readers. Frankenstein's monster didn't actually die in Mary Shelly's book. He was abandoned in the North Pole. Obviously Hollywood thinks flaming torches and pitchforks make a much better ending. I don't think the monster wore jeans either. I see him more as a slacks man.

Curried Britania

Of course it's okay to make fun of British food when you spent the first 25 years of your life there. I'm happy to say when I visit the land of my birth these days the food is always sensational thanks to immigration for the Asian sub-continent.

Gel Wristbands

This cartoon took quite a lot of research. It seems that all the good colors are taken so a lot of charities have to share. They've even started doing striped ones. Apparently there is a brown one that is claimed by anti-tobacco, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome and colorectal cancer. Who knew! I guess that's why they're called "awareness" bracelets.