In the fall of 1930, George “Swan” Swanson wrote and illustrated this essay on what he called a “bang finish,” but which is more commonly known as a plop take. Arguably, in Swan’s hands, the plop take – where a character flies out of the last panel – ascends to an art form in itself. […]
Monthly Archives: September 2020
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Sep
Sep
Today is Chuck Jones’s birthday. If he were still alive today, he would be 108! On his birthday, I have made it an annual tradition to take Chuck Jones: The Dream That Never Was off my bookshelf and re-read my introduction. It is hard to believe that this book came out 9 years ago! I […]
20
Sep
Sep
In the fall of 1930, George “Swan” Swanson wrote and illustrated an illuminating essay on comic exaggeration in cartoons. His pointers succinctly outline his methods and provide insight into the art of over-the-top screwball cartooning. His lessons work as well today as they did 90 years ago. Chapter 12 in LOAC’s Screwball! The Cartoonists Who […]
Screwball, Uncategorized
Screwball Sunday: A Crazy Cat in George Herriman’s 1903 Jolly Jackies Farce
13
Sep
Sep
“Kitty! Kitty!” by George Herriman, September 6, 1903 Freshly hired as a staff cartoonist at the New York World, George Herriman scored an early success with his January-to-November 1903 Sunday series, Two Jolly Jackies, about the misadventures of two sailors on shore leave. “Jacky” was a popular term for a sailor, coming from “Jack Tar,” […]
06
Sep
Sep
Smokey Stover and Spooky, August 8, 1936 For a while, Bill Holman’s silent Spooky topper strip enjoyed as much space as his top, um, Bill-ed star: Smokey Stover. Readers in 1936 were treated to two fine comics, each a celebration of nutty, over-the-top comedy. Today’s Screwball Sunday comic comes from Smokey Stover’s first year of […]
Corto Maltese
Cause for Celebration! The Complete CORTO MALTESE by Hugo Pratt is finally available in English!
03
Sep
Sep
“Simultaneous waves of joy and sadness surround Hugo Pratt’s Corto Maltese: Mu – The Lost Continent,” says Jeff Vaughn at Scoop. “There is good cause for celebration in that this dreamlike, frequently surreal installment of the adventures of Pratt’s title figure and its excellent new translation by Dean Mullaney and Simone Castaldi. The remorse that […]