Through the years with Chet Gould’s Fearless Detective
11
Oct
Oct
Say “howdy” to Sam Howdy! Our previous last two Screwball Sundays have shared recently discovered vintage essays by George Swanson on screwball cartooning (see here and here). Today we share three prime examples of $alesman $am in 1924, when Swanson’s cartooning reached its peak of manic intensity. There’s never been a comic strip quite like […]
09
Oct
Oct
Here’s a game unique to all kinds of comics!
"Cap" Stubbs & Tippie, General News
Plates from The Iron Gate — and a Key Historical Note, Too (Coda to the Series)
05
Oct
Oct
Say WHAT? Read on, MacDuff …
01
Oct
Oct
I’ve been having severe pains and weakness in my right hand/arm for the past several months. After undergoing a series of tests, the good news is that I don’t have Carpal Tunnel syndrome; the bad news is that my problems stem from spending 10-14 hours a day on the computer for so many years. The […]
27
Sep
Sep
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. […]
21
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 […]