News
September 21st, 2007 | Posted in MAD Magazine
I nearly fell out of my chair watching this: The video above contains highlights (term used loosely) from a press conference by O.J. Simpson‘s lawyer the other day. Watch the guy on the right in the ballcap… see the oily lawyer squirm. You have to love it when some clown like this lawyer is trying to act like a big shot and puff up in front of the cameras, only to have someone demonstrate how utterly ridiculous and unimportant the whole circus is. The “high five” comment had me practically in tears from laughing. The bit with the cell phone also was a hoot. Anyone… READ MORE
September 11th, 2007 | Posted in News
A few months ago I wrote about my appreciation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories, and especially about the audiobook readings by the incomparable David Ian Davies. I lamented that there was no complete, downloadable audiobook collection of the entire series of Conan Doyle Holmes stories (called by Sherlockians “The Canon”) in unabridged form. A bit later I was fortunate enough to get contacted by Mr. Davies about doing some art for a new collection he and One Voice Recordings were doing of the complete Canon in just such a format, called “One Voice Chronological: The Consummate Holmes Canon“. I did a… READ MORE
September 6th, 2007 | Posted in News
Writer and blogger extraordinare Mark Evanier reminds us that today is the birthday of one of the most beloved and talented cartoonists of the last half century… the great Sergio Aragon?¬©s. Sergio’s work needs no description. He’s been a staple at MAD for 45 years, done about a billion issues of Groo the Wanderer and several billion other cartoons in almost every conceivable forum. To call him merely prolific is an insult. As Mark wrote in his book “MAD Art”: Since his sudden takeover, Aragon?¬©s has been in every issue (of MAD) but one (he had the flu). So let’s crunch some numbers: Figure 8-12… READ MORE
August 28th, 2007 | Posted in News
It’s “back to school” time! In honor of that, and because I am way too busy right now to write any meaningful blog posts, I am reminding everybody about the scholarships in cartooning that the National Cartoonist Society’s NCS Foundation have available. Again, the scholarships are not tied to a single school or even to an art major. They are about encouraging young artists to pursue careers in cartooning, be they animators, comic book artists, editorial cartoonists, strip cartoonists… you name it. You apply by filling out an application and sending in 5 samples of your cartooning. The amounts and number of scholarships are up… READ MORE
August 2nd, 2007 | Posted in News
My inbox and phone have been buzzing since last night’s Minneapolis bridge collapse disaster checking to see if we are all right. Yes, I was slaving away on my latest MAD job when the accident happened, and none of my family or friends were on it at the time (so far as I know right now). I have been over that bridge many times and can hardly believe it just fell into the river. So far seven dead and that would be getting off easy by the looks of it. It’s odd how your life can just be chugging along as usual and suddenly something… READ MORE
July 31st, 2007 | Posted in News
A bit of news through the National Cartoonists Society: The ToonSeum Gallery at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh In October 2007, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh will open the ToonSeum Gallery, a space dedicated to rotating exhibits of cartoon art featuring the genres of comic book, comic strip, illustration, editorial and animation. The gallery will kick off with an exhibit titled “From Illustration to Animation: Picture Books Come Alive Through the Art of Animation” and feature production art from classics such as “Lord of the Rings,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Raggedy Ann” and “Horton Hears a Who.” Upcoming exhibits include “Drawn in Black and White: The Portrayal… READ MORE
July 27th, 2007 | Posted in News
As thousands of cartoonists head to the west coast for this year’s San Diego Comic Con, I’m on the east coast for a short visit to New York City. We are meeting good friends here and went to see “Grease” on Broadway last night, among other things we’ll do in the big city. Why “Grease”? Well, some may recall a reality TV show this spring called “You’re the One that I Want”, which was an “American Idol”-like competition for the leads (Danny and Sandy) of this Broadway revival of “Grease”. The winner of the Sandy role was Laura Osnes, who happens to have grown up… READ MORE
July 20th, 2007 | Posted in News
As previously stated I am afraid I cannot make the San Diego Comic Con again this year. I’m a little depressed about that if for no other reason that it’s a blast to hang out with a bunch of talented cartoonists at the National Cartoonist Society‘s booth. Speaking of which, this year the charity part of the NCS, The NCS Foundation, will be holding a silent auction to raise funds for it’s various activities. The Foundation is a fairly new part of the NCS, and is actually it’s own 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (for legal reasons). It administers the formerly privately handled Milt Gross Fund, which… READ MORE
