The Cartoon!st - Mar-Apr 2018

from the Jovial Office . . . by Bill Morrison

All Booked Up

Over the past several decades I have amassed a huge library of books. I used to use a good deal of them for drawing reference in the days before Google searches made such things mostly obsolete. A lot of them are books on old diners, neon signs, vintage transportation, architecture, furniture, etc.

But the majority of the library consists of books on the history of comics, cartoons, illustration and animation, or collected editions of newspaper strips and comic books. I can still remember the days when I didn’t have to stack books horizontally in the empty spaces above the other books on the shelves, or pile them on the available floor space and table tops.

I was looking at this massive collection of bound paper the other day and my thoughts went back to my teenage days when I was an aspiring cartoonist/illustra-

tor, and my library of books on comics and cartoons amounted to about three volumes: The Steranko History of Comics by Jim Steranko, Comix: A History of Comic Books in America by Les Daniels, and The Penguin Book of Comics by George Perry and Alan Aldridge. There were a few other books on the art form available at the time, such as The Great Comic Book Heroes by Jules Feiffer, All in Color For a Dime by Dick Lupoff and Don Thompson, and The Comics: An Illustrated History of Comic Strip Art by Jerry Robinson, and I used to check out those and a few others from the public library on a regular basis.

But safe to say I could count the number of available book about comics and cartoons on both hands. Of course, there were several paperback collections of comics such as Peanuts, Beetle Bailey, and Dennis the Menace, and also a handful of animation histories, but the comics histories were scarce, and the collections of comic book material were nearly nonexistent.

Scanning my shelves now, I can hardly believe how much printed material on comics and cartoons is

This issue’s cover is by Mark Parisi, who went above and beyond our request to contribute an article in developing his popular middle-grade series Marty Pants . His terrific piece, which begins on Page 6, chronicles the inspiration, writing, drawing, editing and the publishing of Marty Pants – Do Not Open , the first in a three-book series.

NCS BOARD

Honorary Chairman

Mort Walker President

Bill Morrison

First Vice President

Jason Chatfield

Second Vice President

“The Cartoon!st” is the official publication of the National Cartoonists Society, P.O. Box 592927 Orlando, FL 32859-2927. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the NCS. Entire contents ©2018 National Cartoonists Society, except where other copyrights are designated.

The Cartoon!st needs your news, opinions, drawings and photos. Address all materials to: Frank Pauer, 53 Beverly Place, Dayton, OH 45419. Phone: 937-296-0502 home, 937-229-3934 days.

Email: fpauer1@udayton.edu

Deadline for the next issue: June 28

Terri Libenson

Third Vice President

Carolyn Belefski Secretary

Ed Steckley Treasurer

John Hambrock

Membership Chairman

Greg Cravens

National Representative

Maria Scrivan

NCS COMMITTEES

The Cartoon!st Frank Pauer 937-229-3934 fpauer1@udayton.edu

Ethics

Steve McGarry mac@stevemcgarry.com

Education Rob Smith Jr. (rob@robsmithjr.com)

Greeting Card Contracts

Carla Ventresca 615-480-7931

NCS FOUNDATION President Steve McGarry 714-593-0514 mac@stevemcgarry.com

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STEPHEN SILVER

available today, especially compared to ye olden days. It seems like there are collections of just about every comic book ever published, multi-omnibus libraries of the more popular features like The Justice League, Captain America, and Spider-Man, and even hardcover treatments of obscure titles like Herbie the Fat Fury, The Occult Files of Doctor Spector, and Dick Briefer’s Frankenstein. And then there are complete comic strip collections of features such as Popeye, Peanuts, Terry and the Pirates, Batman, Superman, Archie, Dick Tracy, and many more. My MAD shelves alone have several dozen books, including entire volumes on just a particular artist or theme.

And if it’s not available (yet) in print, chances are somebody with way too much time on their hands has scanned it and posted it on the internet.

And let’s not forget all the great animation histories that have cropped up in the past few decades. When I was a teen there were a few great books on Disney, one or two on the Fleischer and Warner Brothers Studios, but not

much else. Back then I would never have dreamed that one day books on all the great animation studios from Aardman to Walter Lantz would exist.

I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. As fellow cartoonists I’d wager your bookshelves are as crammed full of great cartoon-related tomes as mine are. I guess the point of this column is just to say how lucky we are to live in an age where so much of our history has been collected for us to enjoy and study.

And also to say thank you to the hard-working and obsessive writers, editors, and publishers who took the time, effort, and money necessary to make sure that these treasures found their way and back into print, or who recorded the history of the artists who created them in the first place. To the R.C. Harveys, Charlie Kochmans, Grant Geissmans, and Mark Evaniers of the world, I for one am much obliged!

10/4

Bill Morrison prez@reuben.org

CXC announces dates, programming, guests

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC) has announced its 2018 guest list for the annual, free, city-wide, four-day comic arts festival in Columbus, Ohio. This year’s festival takes place September 27-30.

The festival, which focuses more on the comics-makers and cartooning itself than as creative fodder for film, television and toys, features guests whose disciplines range from graphic novels to comic strips to political cartoons to work for smaller, independent presses.

The first two days of the festival takes place at Ohio State University at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum, Hale Hall, and the Wexner Center for the Arts. The Museum will be hosting speakers, events, tours, and a reception on Thursday and Friday, and Friday’s evening event speaker will be Lynn Johnston.

The festival continues on Saturday and Sunday at downtown venues, including the Columbus Metropolitan Library, The Columbus Museum of Art, and Columbus College of Art and Design. Events include talks, book signings, panels, and workshops, and the Comics Expo and Marketplace. In addition to the new Kids Day on Sunday, the festival will focus on professional development, with emphasis on classes, peer-to-peer presentation, and resource gathering.

Among several other guests and featured exhibitors, creators include Derf Backderf, Brian Michael Bendis, Jessica Campbell, Kevin Czap, Matt Fraction, Kazu Kibuishi, Annie Koyama, Hartley Lin, Nate Powell, Katie Skelly, Jeff Smith, Charles Vess, and Jim Woodring.

Please visit cartooncrossroadscolumbus.com for more information, including schedule, guest lists and programming.

YadaYadaYada

I drew bachelorette party cards where the men’s “naughty bits” were left out for the women to draw. Ugh.

Rich Powell, on the first paid job he had as a cartoonist/illustrator, at david-wasting-paper.blogspot.com

Well, I’m not too proud of the stuff that I did. My wife is a public accountant. She said that you have your morality on one hand and have accounts receivable on the other.

Frank Cotham, New Yorker cartoonist, on his early work for Penthouse magazine, in an interview at cartooncompanion.com

All artists dream of being famous; if they achieve fame, they dream of being rich and famous which is even more hopeless than the original.

Michael ffolkes, British cartoonist and illustrator, in his biography ffundamental ffolkes (Costello, 1985)

I think … my father worried for some years that there wouldn’t be a living in it, and he just waited for me to pivot into a career that seemed more stable to him.

Garry Trudeau, in a 2016 interview at democracynow.org

I liked doing a few pages for a lot of money as opposed to a lot of pages for a little money.

Frank Springer, long-time comic book and comic strip artist — and NCS president in the 1990s — on working in the industry.

Gerry S hamray

Gerry Shamray is best known for his sketchy life-like drawings of Harvey Pekar in the comic book American Splendor that was later turned into a hit movie starring Paul Giamatti. He’s also worked with legendary comic strip artist/writer Tom Batiuk (Crankshaft, Funky Winkerbean) on the nationally syndicated strip, John Darling. He also self-syndicated the comic strip Wyse Advice.

While working in the newspaper business as an artist and writer, Gerry has garnered more than two dozen national and statewide awards. He also earned a regional Emmy early in his career while at Cleveland’s WVIZ-TV. Besides his published work, Gerry’s artwork has been shown in art shows, galleries and museums including the Cartoon Art Museum. One original page from American Splendor traveled to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.

His online portfolio is at www.shamray. com and he’s on Instagram. Gerry loves to work in the digital realm with a Wacom Cintiq. He is always open to new projects and freelance work. Gerry lives in Cleveland with his wife Tracy along with their cat, Pixel, and two Pomeranians, Guinness and Copper.

I began drawing caricatures professionally at age 16. I entertain as a traditional and digital caricaturist at corporate and private events. My websites are www.artips.com and  www.digitalcaricatureartist.com

I studied art at several art schools and universities across the country, and have exhibited my paintings and sculptures in national galleries. My sculptures were in a group show at the Oklahoma Art Museum in Oklahoma City. Along with my caricature business, I currently paint custom murals (www.chicagomuralpainting.com). The murals vary from whimsical children’s rooms to trompe l’oeil illusions and architectural painting. I have also worked part time at hospitals providing healing arts and craft projects to cancer patients. One other business I have is creating caricature puppets, sculpted and cast in latex. I sew and fabricate the bodies and attach personal articles for a humorous touch (www.makemeapuppet.com).

Recently, I have been collaborating with Evan Mandel, my significant other, in producing cartoons, and am currently training in drawing 3-D in hopes to design and print sculptures in 3-D.

“Are you sure your GPS is working?”

ilary C ampbell

Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell is a cartoonist, writer and director from California living in Brooklyn. Her cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Barrons, and more — and of course on Instagram every day. Mashable recently named her one of the top female artists of Instagram, which is cool. In 2016 she co-illustrated the critically acclaimed Feminist Fight Club before releasing her first book Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, But You Could’ve Done Better, which was optioned and is being developed for television.

Campbell is also currently in development on an original animation television show with Mosaic Media Group. Her films This Is Not The End and Small Talk have won top prizes at festivals across the country. Her third film Uncle Jim received the Rooftop Films Short Filmmakers Grant in 2016 and is currently in post-production.

Like her mother, she loves white wine on ice, true crime, and Turner Classic Movies. Follow her on Instagram @CartoonsbyHilary!

r obert G oodin

Robert Goodin has been a full-time animation guy for more than 20 years, having worked on As Told By Ginger, Duckman, Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys and has been on American Dad! for the last 10 years.

He’s also been drawing comics whenever he can. His first graphic novel, The Kurdles , came out from Fantagraphics in 2015, and will have the first issue of a new allages comic magazine called The Kurdles Adventure Magazine out this summer. He also occasionally does some illustration work and has been printed by the Criterion Collection, McSweeneys , and trading cards for the Los Angeles Metro.

Mark Parisi

From single-panel to full-length novel

Earth is about to be annihilated by an alien, and it’s up to Marty Pants to save the world. But can he?

The hero of a new series of books from Off the Mark’s Mark Parisi is a clueless young artist who discovers a note that says, “AN ALIEN IS OBSERVING YOU.” Marty’s overactive imagination, penchant for leaping to conclusions, and self-delusion all contribute to suspicions about his teacher, Mr. McPhee, on whose computer Marty discovers the word “annihilate.” But no one, not his friends, his family, his arch-enemy, nor the chief of police, can see what he sees. So, it’s up to Marty to save the world — his way.

The Cartoon!st asked Mark about his road taken in developing the series, from inspiration to editing, and about creating a cast after years of drawing single-panel cartoons with no recurring characters.

hen Dave the Editor at HarperCollins sent me an email asking if I’d ever thought about writing a

Wimpy Kid-style book, I told him that as a matter of fact I had! I’d never really wanted to write a typical chapter book for some reason.

I did what I think a lot of writers do. I loosely (very, very loosely) based the main character on me,  He’s an artist, wears glasses, doesn’t fit in, and is covered in cat hair.

And I wasn’t compelled to do a graphic novel either. Maybe you can guess why.

But Marty is more confident and single-minded than I could ever be. And he keeps his room a little neater.

But these middle-grade hybrid books looked like fun.

Why, you might ask, would Dave the Editor look at my Off the Mark comics and think, “This guy could write a book”? GOOD QUESTION. After all, the “stories” I write for Off the Mark are like this.

That’s about as short as stories can get.

But Dave the Editor thought I could do it, and I decided to give it a try. He asked me to write some chapters and send them along.

Suddenly, I was outside the world of panel cartoons. I needed to create characters. Develop personalities. Draw the same characters over and over? That was the curse of strip cartoonists!

The other characters were mostly based on the exaggerated personality traits of people I’ve known.

For instance, Marty’s friend Roongrat was inspired by a know-it-all kid. He would tell me all kinds of things with authority. I would assume them to be true, only to find out later he had no idea what he was talking about.

Parker is Marty’s amateur psychologist. She’s adventurous, supportive, protective, patient, understanding, confident, smart. In other words, a total fantasy on my part.

Marty’s cat Jerome was based on my childhood cat. He was cranky, but I probably got along with him the best.

McPhee, Marty’s teacher, is based on a teacher I had who I did not like. Boooo!

“Peach Fuzz” is an amalgam of bullies I knew as a kid, and more often than not, they were failing miserably at growing a mustache.

Erica is Marty’s brilliant and bratty older sister. I have an older sibling, so I know how that goes. Erika is always changing the spelling of her name, which was inspired by my daughter, Jennifer. I mean, Jenn. No, Jen.

And Simon. He’s just insipid.

The mother is overprotective and always away on business. The dad is somewhat slowwitted, lenient, and talks too much about music. (This might actually be the character based on me.)

That’s the real Jerome on the right watching TV.

Now it was time to send Dave the editor a few chapters. He gave me feedback.

resist my insecure instincts, and suck up his direction like a sponge. I also scoured the web for writing tips, asked friends like Dan Thompson who understands storytelling, and had family and friends give me feedback. I got a lot of great advice and insight. Finally, I did what seems so obvious, but no one suggested. I asked a kid who was in the target market to read it, Norm Feuti was gracious enough to offer up his son. He came back with rave reviews and that was the feedback I appreciated the most.

The whole writing process took me about 2 years because there was a lot of learning, starting, stopping, and hair pulling. (That’s why my hair is noticeably thinner.)

Dave the editor told me he’d try to push it through the three stages at HarperCollins: publisher; editorial board; acquisitions. I wasn’t sure of the odds.

Then I heard back. “Congratulations! You have a three-book deal!” It was exhilarating! I was going to be an author! And terrifying. Three books? No one told me that. I have to do this again? And this time in only 8 months? I was panicky. I also had to keep up with Off the Mark.

I originally was just trying to write a series of funny situations. Dave the editor asked for more of a story arc. I don’t know about you, but when someone with authority tells me how to do my work, my knee-jerk reaction is to think, “But you’re THE MAN! You can’t tell me how to be creative!” But I was smart enough to

This went on for a while.

And a while longer.

When I finished, no one was more surprised than me.

Having the characters already in place certainly helped. Also, I had a template to work with, albeit a convoluted one. Each book would have:

■ A note that would pique Marty’s interest.

The whole process convinced me to buy a Cintiq tablet. Colleagues had been on me to get one, but I resisted. Once I started doing the Marty books, I made the leap. The books are more than 250 pages with at least one drawing per page. The scanning and cleaning up was a time suck. It saves so much time to just draw it right on the screen.

Promotion is another thing. You may have noticed I shamelessly promote the books on social media. I’ve done some touring at schools, bookstores, libraries, and cons. The best are the schools. And not just because the kids are thrilled to get out of class. The kids are enthusiastic, responsive, and ask great questions:

Q: “Why is the word MINI in Marty’s hair?”

A: “So I could remember how to draw his hair. I know that’s lame, so in book 3 I’ve come up with a better reason.”

Q: “Will you make Marty Pants into a movie?”

A: “As soon as I hear from Spielberg.”

Q: “How old are you?”

■ A plot with two possible interpretations of what happened. A logical explanation, and a supernatural explanation.

■ Lots of funny

■ A jerk or two who get their comeuppance

■ A twist

■ Marty coming out on top, convinced he just SAVED THE WORLD.

Maybe he did, just not the way he thinks.

A: “Somewhere between 35 and 85.”

Q: “How did you get here?”

A: “I drove.”

Seriously, though, the students ask really good questions. Especially if they’ve already read the book. And the energy is wonderful. At two different schools, I turned around to take a selfie with the crowd, and the kids stormed the stage. Now, that’s energy you can feed off of! Most times students will order books through the school before the appearance, so when I arrive there’s a pile waiting to be signed.

The contract is for one more book, which should be out in October/November. If these are the only three books I ever write, it’s three more books than I ever thought I would. I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder on, or been prouder of, anything I’ve done in my life.

Except my daughter. She’s now a CPA, but used to lend me a hand once a year.

I’ve found one of my problems with writing books is I’m never done writing. There are always sentences, drawings, chapters that I feel I can improve. The only time I stop making changes is when I’m told, “Mark! It’s too late! The book is already printed and in the stores!”

■ Oh, and an ample amount of bathroom humor.

Marty Pants #2: Keep Your Paws Off! was published in February.

■ The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum has mounted a pair of new exhibits.

“Artistically MAD: Seven Decades of Satire.” Harvey Kurtzman’s brainchild made its debut as a comic book in 1952 before switching to a magazine format in 1955.  Over the ensuing years, MAD has featured artwork by many of the most talented cartoonists in the industry. This comprehensive exhibition will showcase original drawings and paintings by all of the top MAD contributors, including Bill Elder, Jack Davis, Wally Wood, Norman Mingo, Al Jaffee, Sergio Aragonés, Don Martin, Mort Drucker and Tom Richmond. There will also be displays of vintage MAD magazines and memorabilia.

Also: “Koyama And Friends: Publishing, Patronage, and the New Alternative Press.” In 2013, Koyama Press publisher Annie Koyama began amassing original art to donate to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum that would represent a snapshot of the contemporary alternative comics industry. This exhibit offers an introduction to a diverse network of cartoonists, small-press publishers, and collectives operating today, including works by Lisa Hanawalt, Michael DeForge, Julia Wertz, Gabrielle Bell, Noah Van Sciver and more.

Both exhibits through Oct. 21.See cartoons.osu.edu.

■ The Cartoon Art Museum presents “The Infinite Universe of Jim Starlin,” a retrospective exhibit celebrating the art and innovation of Jim Starlin. His acclaimed 1970s tenure as the writer and artist of the Marvel Comics series Captain Marvel and Warlock redefined the word

On exhibit

“cosmic” and pushed the boundaries of mainstream superhero comics to their limits — and beyond. Starlin’s signature creation, Thanos, is the featured villain in Marvel Studios’ forthcoming feature film Avengers: Infinity War, and is one of the many pieces that showcases his Marvel Comics creations.

Through Sept. 4. See cartoonart. org.

■ The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco is showing “The Art of Rube Goldberg,” an exhibit organized by Rube’s granddaughter, Jennifer George.

The exhibit displays the progression of the San Francisco-born cartoonist’s talents over his 72-year career, and includes never-before-exhibited original drawings, rare photos, letters, personal interviews, films, Goldberg family memorabilia plus a wealth of other material on display. The exhibit highlights work from Goldberg’s early sketches to more than 30 of his invention cartoons to those that led to his later Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoons. Through July 8.

■ Now at the Society of Illustrators in New York City:

“The Art of MARCH: A Civil Rights Masterpiece” walks visitors through the story of Congressman John Lewis’s experience in the civil rights movement as depicted by MARCH trilogy illustrator Nate Powell. The exhibit of Congressman Lewis’s celebrated, multiple award-winning graphic novel memoir, co-written with Andrew Aydin, takes visitors on a tour of the movement, illuminating pivotal moments, people and philosophies through the display of more than 150 pieces of original art, interactive materials, and new exhibition essays. The presentation gives a glimpse into how this graphic novel was created, with behind-the-

scenes process art and artifacts from Powell’s illustration process.

Through June 30. See societyillustrators.org for details.

■ Original works by women cartoonists and illustrators are featured in a new exhibit at the Library of Congress. Spanning the late 1800s to the present, “Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists” brings to light remarkable contributions made by women to these art forms. The exhibit features nearly 70 works by 43 artists in two rotations during its run through Oct. 20. Free and open to the public. Among the artists and works drawn from the Library’s collections are Grace Drayton’s red-cheeked Campbell Kids; Lynn Johnston’s For Better or For Worse; Persian Gulf War illustrations by Sue Coe and Frances Jetter; “Mixed Marriage” by New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast; and work by graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier.

The Library has also released an exhibit companion book. Featuring more than 240 illustrations from Library collections, “Drawn to Purpose” provides additional insights into the personal and professional experiences of more than 80 artists.

See www.loc.gov.

■ Among the many things to see and experience at the Charles M. Schulz Museum are a pair of exhibits.

“My Favorite Peanuts: Reflections of Family and Friends” takes a look at some beloved characters and strips from a family perspective. All Peanuts fans have a favorite character, storyline, or drawing. In this exhibition of original comic strips, photographs, and memories shared, Jeannie Schulz, the Schulz family children, and some of their close friends reflect on their own favorites and the stories behind them. Through Sept. 16.

“AAUGH! The Language of Peanuts” looks at familiar expressions that helped distinguish Peanuts from other cartoons, including such phrases as “Good Grief!” “Rats!” and “AAUGH!” in more than 70 comic strips. “I’m pleased that phrases I have coined have become part of the language,” Schulz once said. Through May 21.

See schulzmuseum.org for more.

Washington, D.C.

Carolyn Belefski

cartooncarolyn@hotmail.com

NCS DC members have been visiting the rich collections of the Library of Congress — including the “Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists” exhibit that brings to light contributions made by North American women to the art forms of illustration and cartooning. Spanning the late 1800s to the present, the exhibition highlights the gradual broadening in both the private and public spheres of women’s roles and interests.

The exhibit includes work by Lynn Johnston, Alison Bechdel, Hilary Price, Lynda Barry, Lilli Carré, Trina Robbins, Signe Wilkinson, Ann Telnaes, Jen Sorensen, Roz Chast, Anita Kunz and many more.

There will be two rotations of this show — the second one will go up in May and run until Oct. 20.

View more information about the exhibit online: www.loc.gov/exhibitions/ drawn-to-purpose/about-this-exhibition.

On Feb. 2, we celebrated Ann Telnaes’s  Trump’s ABC — an all-new collection of cartoons presented in children’s board

North Central

Paul Fell pfell@nebr.rr.com

Report by Mike Edholm

As the seasons of spring and summer draw to a close and we prepare for autumn and winter, we are reminded that… Huh? Wait a minute! Spring and summer haven’t happened yet? That can’t be. We had 84 degrees on a Friday and 24 degrees the next day! And summer is close behind? At this rate, summer could be here the next week. North Central weather is freaky! Back to business. The North Central Chapter has been working to get our annual fall meeting lined up. Our folks are hard at it. No doubt the returns will be coming in as they prepare for this year’s Reuben Awards and prepping for next year’s Reubens.

Last September the chapter meeting featured resident members and speakers Tom Kerr and John Hambrock, along with guest

Chapter News

book form for adults. Ann is traveling to do book signings, so look for her if she is com-

speaker Steve Brodner. That was then, this is now: Our fall 2018 meeting will feature cartoonist and University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty member Richie Graham, author of the new book about Rose O’Neill, creator of those very popular Kewpie Dolls. Also in the lineup is Eric Scott from Universal Press, known for his greeting card work. Then to cap the list is none other than the magnificent Wiley Miller, creator of th e comic strip Non Sequitur (and the guy who loves to rearrange comic pages in newspapers).

Our friends at the Disney Toonfest in Marceline, Missouri, will host a few familiar names as well, come the third weekend in September. North Central’s own Ken Alvine along with Paul Trap will take the stage. New Yorker Cartoonist and CBS News resident cartoonist Liza Donnelly will be featured, as well as Disney

ing to your town!

Members and friends took part in the NCS Foundation’s “Cartooning For Kids” program by visiting Inova Children’s Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia on Feb. 12. We split up into pairs to cover three floors and drew caricatures, trains, dinosaurs and other requests for the children and their families. The program sent 50 goody bags filled with coloring books, crayons, comics and other fun materials to be distributed to all the children in the hospital. This was our second appearance at this hospital and we hope to do more in the future.

sculptor Kent Melton will round out the cast.

Once again, the NCS North Central Chapter will be busy as ever when we’re not sitting around, playing video games and dreaming of a lawn free of crabgrass and those huge lottery winnings.

Speaking of a lawn free of crabgrass, a photo (above) from Bucky Jones.

Florida

Nathan Archer

nathan@nathanarcher.com

Greetings from the Sunshine State! The Florida Chapter held its first meet-up of 2018 on Feb. 24 in Orlando to jury Silver Reuben Award entries, meet new members and, of course, drink beer.

The Chapter will be busy this summer

NCS members living in an area served by a regional chapter should contact the chairman, or contact national representative Maria Scrivan at maria@mariascrivan.com. Chairmen, please send news, photos, artwork and information about your chapter to The Cartoon!st, in care of Frank Pauer, 53 Beverly Place, Dayton, OH 45419, or fpauer1@udayton.edu. Deadline for the next issue is June 28.

At the women illustrators exhibit are T.R. Logan,  Carolyn Belefski, Martha Kennedy (curator of popular and applied graphic art) and Barbara Dale.

“Cartooning for Kids” participants included Kevin Rechin, Umme Bukhari, Sean Causley, Carolyn Belefski, Mike Jenkins and Tom Reintal.

Ann Telnaes and friends celebrate the release of her new book, Trump’s ABC.

Wiley Miller Richie Graham

preparing its members’ cartoon collection for a North Florida exhibition next year. Also in the planning: a chapter meet-up at Panama City’s Creative Conference Sept. 22-23.

Great Lakes Polly Keener

pollytoon@aol.com

On Saturday, Feb. 24, Great Lakes Chapter folks met to judge four Reuben categories — and had lunch, including Reuben sandwiches. Several new members joined us in judging, but several of our faithful “old guard” couldn’t be with us. Present were Craig Boldman, Polly Keener, Don Peoples, David Schwartz, Duane Abel, Nate Fakes, Gerry Shamray, Daniel Gorman and Douglas Laubacher.

Significant others and family such as Bob Keener, Whitney and John Dronzek, Katie Gall and Sheila Heyman rounded out the group.

Chip Bok had hoped to be with us, but had a terrible leg injury, followed by a shoulder and hand injury — we hope he’s still able to draw. Then, Daryll Collins, while moving to a new house, got knocked out. The concussion and, apparently, subdural hematoma prompted skull surgery. All is well now, though. Also now doing well, Jerry Dowling had additional surgery recently. He and his wife, Gerri, have just moved to a new home in Hebron, Kentucky —“dangerously close to Bob Queen,” he writes.

At our Reuben judging, each member received a commemorative T-shirt and a chance at winning a door prize, with several donated by GLC’ers, including a much-coveted original Speed Bump art by our own Dave Coverly. The art was won by Gerry Shamray, who was also celebrating his birthday with us.

The chapter was very pleased to welcome our newest members: Bob East, Gerry Shamray, Douglas Laubacher, Nate Fakes, and new applicant Daniel Gorman. Douglas Laubacher has the comic strip Unbound syndicated to area newspapers and teaches cartooning at Malone University, area libraries and art centers.

David Schwartz announced that he is marrying his fiancée, Sheila Heyman, on May 11 in Youngstown, Ohio. Congratulations!

Bob East graciously agreed to assemble our GLC group ad for this year’s Reuben Journal. In the full page ad, look for the individual ads by — at last count — Chip Sansom, Terri Libenson, Jim Allen, Bob East,

Manhattan

Ed Steckley

ed@edsteckley.com

Spring has sprung, the grass is rizz... I wonder where the birdies is?

It’s Spring here in NYC, and we’re enjoying

a busy 2018.

After the big annual holiday bash in December, once again at the Society of Illustrators, our next event was just around the corner. We were to meet up on the Upper West Side and attend a viewing of a collection of the great Charles Addams’ illustrations and cartoons. Unfortunately, just a few days before our excursion, a nor’easter hit the city and burst a number of pipes in the museum — so that one’s indefinitely postponed. Once rescheduled it’ll be posted on our blog and Facebook page.

In March we hosted the NCS booth at the annual Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art Festival (MoCCAfest). This one’s always the little sister to the big daddy of local comic cons, New York ComicCon in October.

Any NCS member interested in doing table time at any of these events is encouraged to contact Ed for more info!

Other than that, our happy hours are once again in full swing, generally falling on the last Monday of the month. Again, check out the Facebook page for all the most up to date info on all this.

New Jersey

Dan Nakrosis Report by Tom Stemmle

On Feb. 24, members of the New Jersey Chapter met at the home of Tom a nd Marie Stemmle to vote for the best in category for

Silver Reuben consideration.

Upstate New York

Scott Jensen

jensencreative@stny.rr.com

The grayest of the chapter's graybeards gathered in Auburn, NY, in February for Reubens jury duty. From left: Frank Marinari, Scott Jensen, and Graham Nolan. “Ron Ferdinand and Bill Abbott also participated,” Scott writes, “but their beards weren’t gray enough.”

The best in comic strip art, comic panel art, editorial art and gag cartoon art were the categories that were under appraisal. Chapter Chairman Dan Nakrosis, along with Tom Stemmle, Laurie Triefeldt, Ken Branch, Don Wimmer and Jim McWeeney voted on the ten possible winners in each of the four disciplines. After approximately an hour’s worth of judging, votes were tallied and were then forwarded for the final steps of voting to take place.

The afternoon activities were augmented by a full hot and cold and delicious buffet with appropriately delicious beverages! Unfortunatel y, the only hitch we incurred was that somehow our group pictures did not turn out. Next time we plan to use more than one camera to record our exploits!

Jerry Dowling, Jason Platt, Don Peoples, Jenny Campbell, John Steventon, Duane Abel, Ed Black, Jeff Knurek, Polly Keener, and a lovely tribute in memory of Roy Doty, by his very special friend, Nancy Maar.

Above left, Gerry Shamray with his just-won original Speed Bump panel from Dave Coverly. Right, the Great Lakes judging group.

Nate Fakes Duane Abel Douglas Laubacher and Katie Gall

Southeastern

John Sheppard shepart@aol.com

The Western North Carolina (WNC-Asheville) group of the SEC visited the VA hospital twice this month. The first time was in participation of Volunteer Week and the cartoonists did such a great job they were asked to return the following week! Kudos to Doodle Lyle and the Asheville gang for providing enjoyment to our veterans.

The Memphis group of the SEC led by the always busy Greg Cravens has been leading regular visits to the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. One of the popular activities, in addition to Greg’s awesome caricatures, is playing Pictionary through their in-house TV studio.

Charlotte group lead Andy Smith and his partners at Omni Press have released their first book via IDW called Demi God . Good luck guys!

Initial planning has started for the annual SEC/NCS Fall Meeting. We are looking

Chicago

T. Brian Kelly ragstandman@msn.com

It’s hard to believe that 2018 is almost a third over. Time flies when you’re having fun, and we continue to have fun promoting the NCS and the chapter here in what we call Chicagoland.

Our Reuben jury this year gathered in February at the RAM Brewery in the west suburban village of Schaumburg for the time-honored ritual known as the Judging of the Cartoons. Thanks to the gradually improving online NCS voting process and the sage advice of technical mentor Ed Steckley (Dilly-Dilly!), we made it through voting with no serious injuries, unlike previous years when the threat of paper cuts kept many of our more squeamish cartoonists away.

Also in February the Chicago chapter celebrated our fifth appearance (over 10 years) in doing presentations for the biannual Odyssey Festival at Adlai Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. Mark Anderson, Jim McGreal, Spencer McGreal and I did presentations on single panel cartooning, animation technique, business applications of comic illustration skills, editorial cartooning composition and other topics. Also, progressive doodling.

Our get-acquainted cartoonist outreach program known as Cartoonists Anonymous is still going strong. Our meeting in Oak Park in late January welcomed two newcomers to the appetizer table: MAD Magazine cartoonist and New York Times feature

Connecticut

Maria Scrivan maria@mariascrivan.com

The Connecticut Chapter of the NCS spent a chilly afternoon between nor’easters at chez Scrivan on March 3 to have lunch and judge some really amazing Reuben Award submissions for the divisional awards. It was also a really good excuse for me to bake cookies.

Pictured at left, from left, are Bob Rich, Brian Walker, Bob Englehart, Sean Kelly, Greg Walker and Mary Anne Case. We also had a fun conversation and cocktail-filled happy hour on March 29 Bar Taco in Westport with some new attendees, including Bill and Lisa Hernandez and Chris and Maria Hart. Other familiar faces were Sean Kelly, Brian and Abby Walker, Greg Walker and John Lind.

at Asheville, N.C., as a possible location and are in the process of obtaining speakers for this year’s agenda. We’re thinking it’s going

to be another awesome event as they usually turn out to be! All NCSers are welcome and encouraged to attend.

illustrator Johnny Sampson, and humorous illustrator David Alvarado. Johnny is considering NCS membership and just recently picked up a couple of Silver Reuben Division Award nominations this year for advertising/product illustration and magazine feature illustration. Good luck to him in Philadelphia! In March we moved Cartoonists Anonymous up to Evanston and managed to squeeze 18 cartoonists into a room made for half that number. We met web cartoonist Elizabeth Bjornseth, Columbia College professor and editorial cartoonist Richard Laurent, and

humorous illustrator Rich Sparks that night. We had plans to show off our two new vertical comic con banners and 4-foot-by-7-foot wood structures to hold Jon Plotkin’s cartoon enlargements, but there was not enough room in the room for it all.

The vertical banners show art samples and names of 24 NCS Chicago chapter members, including chapter founder Ann Farrell, “Compu-toon” creator Charles Boyce, Rockford Register-Star editorial cartoonist Bruce Qwast, Tim Jackson (AAEC member and author of the 2017 book Pioneering Cartoonists of Color), and comic/fantasy illustrator Tom Gianni. We have started a waiting list for another banner already. Thanks to our vice-chair Brian Diskin for spearheading this noble effort.

Our chapter launched its redesigned chapter website in early April and it can be found as before at www. ncs-chicagocartoonists. com. It has lots of new

Matt Hansel (Underdog), Pat Byrnes (The Rejection Collection), and Tim Jackson (Pioneering Cartoonists of Color) display copies of their work at C2E2 in Chicago in April.

Left, Richard Pietrzyk and Jim McGreal, former assistants on Dale Messick’s Brenda Starr, check out a new collection on Brenda. Right, John — and a partially obscured Anne — Hambrock sign copies of The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee collection.

material and is ready for more as we move forward. Our eternal and undying gratitude is extended to Jim and Spencer McGreal and JMC Studios for their website design services and extreme patience in dealing with a variety of issues in getting this up and running.

Our biggest event in 2018 by far was our very first official appearance at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) the weekend of April 6-8. A total of 16 NCS cartoonists appeared in the booth at one time or another over the three-day event and we had a fine time explaining the history and purpose of the NCS to a wide audience of cartoonists, fans and various cosplay characters. We invited a pirate/ cartoonist, among many others, to our next Cartoonists Anonymous in May. I hope he brings his sword to help cut the appetizers into smaller pieces since, based on our sign-up list, we think it may be our biggest one yet. We met Jim Keefe, NCS North Central member (former Flash Gordon artist, currently drawing Sally Forth) at the show, along with caricaturist Chuck Senties, and invited NCS member Bill Whitehead, creator of the single panel cartoon Free Range to attend as well. We also want to extend our thanks to visiting artists John and Anne Hambrock, creators of The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee, and SEC-NCS member Charles Brubaker, creator of the comic strips Ask a Cat and The Fuzzy Princess, who volunteered to spend many hours signing books and postcards while talking cartoons in the NCS booth.

We are very proud to announce that we have finally found a location for our first NCS Chicago Cartoon Art Show and Sale and expect it to go up in October of 2019. No contract is signed yet, but we expect that soon. The management of the art museum is very excited about the show and offered us their publicity department, the opportunity to hold opening and closing receptions, use of their theatre for themed panel discussions and videography, and a couple of classrooms for student and adult workshops in cartoon topics of our choosing. We hope to have at least 25 cartoonists represented in the show and a total of 70-80 pieces overall.

That’s about it for now. We hope everyone is doing well and look forward to seeing some of you soon!

Lee Holley, 1932-2018

Lee Holley, best known for creating the syndicated panel featuring the teenage girl Ponytail, died tragically when the airplane he was piloting crashed into a field next to the runway shortly after taking off on March 26, 2018.

Ponytail revolved around the culture of the 1960s, in which Ponytail Johnson was the archetypal teenager with the dilemmas of dating, coping with parents and enduring school. The panel began in 1960, and ended in 1988.

Born in Phoenix, Holley attended the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. He sold his first cartoons at age 15, and was later hired by Warner Bros. in 1954, where he worked on properties including Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and Daffy Duck. In 1957, he became an assistant to Hank Ketcham, for whom he ghosted the Sunday Dennis the Menace for three years.

Holley gave up the Dennis page when King Features Syndicate picked up his panel. Launched as a daily on in November, 1960, a Sunday page was added in January, 1962 — with the feature eventually reaching a peak of more than 300 papers.

“I’ve decided to go steady with Stanley … he doesn’t know about it yet, though!”

The title character also starred in her own line of comic books, appearing in 12 issues from Dell Comics.

Holley also worked on other comic books, including stories featuring “The Jetsons,” and in the 1970s, he contributed to Western’s Gold Key line, with stories starring several Warner Bros. characters. Holley and Frank Hill also took over as artist and writer of Bugs Bunny for NEA between 1980 and 1988.

After his retirement, Holley was occupied with flying his own airplane, giving talks about cartooning at schools, and attending comics festivals.

Howard Sparber, 1921-2018

Howard Sparber, a cartoonist best known for his daily Timmy, passed away in Morristown, New Jersey, on Feb. 25, 2018.

Born in Brooklyn, he attended Brooklyn College and the Cooper Union School of Art. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and saw his first cartoons published in the military magazine Yank. He was later on the staff of the New York daily newspaper PM, and contributed panel gags and cartoons to magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Look, and Liberty.

Sparber’s character Timmy first appeared in single-panel cartoons in Collier’s, and was picked up for daily syndication in 1947. A companion Sunday page was added in 1948. The feature was in syndication until 1959.

He was also the creator of Crax and Jax’(1949-1959), The Byrd House (1960-1961) and Trix of the Trade (1965-1967).

Sparber was also an assistant for two years to Crockett Johnson on Barnaby.

He later focused on graphic design and creating “concept cartoons” for institutional and corporate clients, and was also an active watercolorist and sculptor.

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is one of two new kids’ series created for Amazon Prime Video by DreamWorks Animation Television, in a report from cartoonbrew.com. The second will be Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny. Rocky and Bullwinkle are, of course, based on the classic cartoon series starring the inimitable pair of moose and squirrel that first appeared in 1959. The Cold War-era series pitted them against a pair of adversaries — Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale — from the fictional eastern European country of Pottsylvania. The new series is co-produced by Tiffany Ward, daughter of the original series producer Jay Ward, and features Tara Strong as the voice of Rocket J. Squirrel and Brad Norman as Bullwinkle J. Moose. … The Goat Getters: Jack Johnson, the Fight of the Century, and How a Bunch of Raucous Cartoonists Reinvented Comics is a new book written by cartoonist Eddie Campbell. With more than 500 period cartoons, The Goat Getters illustrates how comics were developed by such luminaries as Rube Goldberg, Tad Dorgan and George Herriman in the sports and lurid crime pages of the daily newspaper. This group of West Coast-based cartoonists established the dynamic anatomy and bold, tough style that continue to influence comics today, as well as their own goofy slang that

Terri Libenson , author of the bestselling Invisible Emmie, returns with a companion graphic novel that captures the drama, angst and humor of middle-school life. Positively Izzy tells parallel stories of two very different girls. Izzy is the dreamer. There’s nothing Izzy loves more than acting in skits and making up funny stories. The downside? She can never quite focus enough to get her schoolwork done. Brianna is the brain. But she wants people to see there’s more to her than just a report card full of As. At the same time, she wishes her mom would accept her the way she is and stop bugging her to “break out of her shell.” The girls’ lives converge in unexpected ways on the day of a school talent show, a pivotal moment which turns out to be even more dramatic than either Bri or Izzy could have imagined.

enriched the popular lexicon. The book also captures early twentieth century history through the lens of the newspaper comics, including the landmark 1910 boxing match between Jim Jeffries, the “Great White Hope,” and Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight champion, and the nationwide race riots that followed. Also includes work by Nell Brinkley, Jimmy Swinnerton and others. From IDW publishing. … Bob Montana’s Archie will be brought to life — size — in a bronze statue to be unveiled in August in Meredith, New Hampshire, where Montana lived and worked for 35 years. The statue of Archie sitting on a park bench will be located in a community park across from Montana’s former studio. The building, a former Esso station, was converted into a studio and gallery, though Montana’s fame soon made it too popular a place for visitors, and he retreated to work at the farm he’d bought in the area in the late 1940s. Meredith became the basis for many of the people and locations that would appear in Archie, even though the character’s high school was based on Montana’s three years as a resident of Haverhill, Massachusetts. The community’s goal was to raise $50,000, but the campaign brought in $56,880 to cover not only the statue but also its installation and site improvements. …

In editorial cartooning award-season news , Clay Bennett has won his third Thomas Nast Award from the Overseas Press Club of America. The Chattanooga Times Free Press cartoonist was honored for his portfolio of cartoons on international affairs. The Press Club noted Bennett’s “deceptively simple cartoons, often without captions, drive home strong, perceptive messages on topics ranging from global warming, immigration, North Korea’s nuclear program and Vladimir Putin, to Donald Trump’s handling of complex foreign policy issues.” The Press Club also named Kevin “KAL” Kallaugher international cartoonist in The Economist, a Citation Winner for his work in the magazine.

Bennett also garnered this year’s Sigma Delta Chi Award for editorial cartooning from the Society of Professional Journalists. Bennett’s portfolio satirized President Trump, the Russia investigation, Alabama candidate Roy Moore and gun sales. Walt Handelsman of the Advocate (La.) won the editorial car-

tooning prize for lower-circulation, non-daily or independent online publications.

From the newspaper that rarely runs cartoons otherwise, The New York Times picked up this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. Writer Jake Halpern and cartoonist Michael Sloan’s “Welcome to the New World” is more an ongoing comic strip than a traditional editorial cartoon. Halpern describes the work as a “nonfiction graphic novel,” as it follows the story of a Syrian refugee family navigating the United States.

And Ward Sutton has been named the winner of the 2018 Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning. Sutton, who has been at the The Boston Globe since 2008, experiments with size and format, often producing multi-panel cartoons that can read like a graphic novel. The Herblock Prize is awarded annually by The Herb Block Foundation for “distinguished examples of editorial cartooning that exemplify the courageous independent standard set by Herblock.” The winner receives a $15,000 after-tax cash prize and a sterling silver Tiffany trophy.