Nik Kowsar and Daily Cartoonists on Robert Russell of Cartoonists Rights

Nik Kowsar

Bro [Robert Russell of CRNI]

Nik’s Substack  Sep 14, 2026 

https://nkowsar.substack.com/p/bro

Cartoonists Rights Founder Robert ‘Bro’ Russell Passes
 Alan Gardner
September 13, 2026  https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2026/09/13/cartoonists-rights-founder-robert-bro-russell-passes/

Robert "Bro" Russell: 1942-2026 - Cartoonists Rights notification

Bro lived outside DC and he and I would run into each other at events. He and John Lent were ferocious supporters of human rights and free speech and worked together for years at CRNI. - Mike Rhode

Sad news from CARTOONISTS RIGHTS

SPECIAL MAILING Robert "Bro" Russell (center) at the presentation of our Courage in Cartooning Award, 2017. Since his retirement two years later, the award has borne his name. Dr. Robert I. Russell: 1942-2026 The board of directors of CARTOONISTS RIGHTS, our staff members and volunteers past and present, and – most of all – the many, many cartoonists whose human rights he championed over the years are greatly saddened to learn that our organization's founder, and for two decades its Executive Director Dr. Robert "Bro" Russell died yesterday. A short acknowledgment from our current leadership has been posted online, with a fuller appreciation to follow as we receive tributes from friends and colleagues. Further remembrances are already being written. Anyone who wishes to share an image or anecdote of Bro is welcome to send them to director@cartoonistsrights.org NB – at this time, we have no further information concerning memorial arrangements.

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 9/12-13/2026

  *Tinguu and Ryan Holmberg. 2026. Fantom Book Launch for The Cannibals by Tinguu. Washington, DC: Fantom Comics (September 11): audio and photos, https://archive.org/details/tinguu-interviewed-by-ryan-holmberg-fantom-comics-260911

  *Rhode, Mike. 2026. Small Press Expo 2026, Day One in Photos. ComicsDC (September 12): https://comicsdc.blogspot.com/2026/09/small-press-expo-2026-day-one-in-photos.html

Gardner, Alan. 2026. The Long Struggle to Get Safaa Odah to Safety [Palestine]. Daily Cartoonist (September 11): https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2026/09/11/the-long-struggle-to-get-safaa-odah-to-safety/

  *Degg, D. D. 2026. Down Under Uproar Over Animated Political Cartoon [Please Explain]. Daily Cartoonist (September 11): https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2026/09/11/down-under-uproar-over-animated-political-cartoon/

  *Kenny, Chris. 2023. The Geniuses Behind Pauline Hanson’s Hit ‘Please Explain’ Cartoon. Sky News24 (November 29): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgN7zM8Mbw8

  *Unknown. 2026. Pauline Hanson Defends One Nation Cartoon Targeting Andrew Hastie. 7NEWS Australia (September 10): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDNTBJK-V_s

  *Pett, Joel. 2026. 75 Months, 40 Panels, 0 Sense at All: September 11, 2001 to December 2, 2007. Joel Pett's Substack (September 11): https://joelpett.substack.com/p/75-months-40-panels-0-sense-at-all

Wallace, Peter M. 2026. In Praise of the Comic Strip: A small daily art form we should not be so quick to lose. Peter Wallace's Substack (September 11): https://petermwallace.substack.com/p/in-praise-of-the-comic-strip

Edmond, Yahri. 2026. Former DE Cartoonist turns newspaper decline into artwork at Sharp Museum: Atseff’s exhibit explores history of journalism through art. Daily Egyptian (September 11): https://dailyegyptian.com/125108/showcase/former-de-cartoonist-turns-newspaper-decline-into-artwork-at-sharp-museum/

  *Hullinger, Jeff. 2026. Drawing through grief: The Atlanta cartoonist who captured the nation after 9/11 [Mike Luckovich]. GPB (September 10): https://www.gpb.org/blogs/hullingers-musings/2026/09/10/drawing-through-grief-the-atlanta-cartoonist-who-captured-the

  *Andrade, Carl. 2026. Letter: Lindsay Clancy cartoon makes light of deaths [Steve Kelley]. New Hampshire Union Leader (September 10): https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-lindsay-clancy-cartoon-makes-light-of-deaths/article_bf3eec01-94b9-4b00-9541-0d35f9bb4bd8.html

  *Hedges, Chris. 2026. The Dissidents (w/ Cartoonist Derf Backderf). Chris Hedges Report (September 10): https://scheerpost.com/2026/09/10/the-dissidents-w-cartoonist-derf-backderf-tchr/, and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkZ1tugtXT0

  *Nickoloff, Annie. 2026. Graphic Novelist Derf Talks Ohio Comic History, Wartime Cartoons and New Book in Q&A. Cleveland Magazine (September 12): https://clevelandmagazine.com/articles/graphic-novelist-derf-talks-ohio-comic-history-wartime-cartoons-and-new-book-in-qa/

  *Schneider, Michael. 2026. ‘Spider-Noir’ Boss on What Season 2 Would’ve Looked Like and the Canceled Show’s ‘Bittersweet’ Five Emmy Wins. Variety (September 10): https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/spider-noir-creator-canceled-season-2-plans-emmy-wins-1236856982/

Metropolitan Newspaper Service. 1929. How Many Readers Write Letters to Newspapers? [Ella Cinders advertisement]. Editor and Publisher and the Fourth Estate 62 (13; August 17): 33. Online at https://archive.org/details/sim_editor-publisher_1929-08-17_62_13/page/32/mode/2up

Unknown. 1929. Rollin Kirby Back. Editor and Publisher and the Fourth Estate 62 (13; August 17): 8. Online at https://archive.org/details/sim_editor-publisher_1929-08-17_62_13/page/8/mode/2up

Unknown. 2026. New Carlson Library Exhibit Explores Evolution of War Comics [University of Toledo]. University of Toledo [OH] (January 15): https://news.utoledo.edu/index.php/01_15_2026/new-carlson-library-exhibit-explores-evolution-of-war-comics

von Hahn, Rachel. 2026. The art of visual storytelling. Artist-in-residence Alex Assan on comics, craft, and creative growth. Mount Royal University [AB] (January 14): https://www.mtroyal.ca/AboutMountRoyal/MediaRoom/Stories/2026/01/writer-in-residence-alex-assan-mount-royal-university.htm

Unknown. 1929. Appoint Sports Cartoonist. Gus Edson of Brooklyn Standard Joins N. Y. Evening Post. Editor and Publisher and the Fourth Estate 62 (14; August 24): 49. Online at https://archive.org/details/sim_editor-publisher_1929-08-24_62_14/page/48/mode/2up

Unknown. 1929. ["Reginald V. Tribe, cartoonist for the Springfield [MA] Union, is filling in on the copy desk during the vacation season"]. Editor and Publisher and the Fourth Estate 62 (14; August 24): 32. Online at https://archive.org/details/sim_editor-publisher_1929-08-24_62_14/page/32/mode/2up

Metropolitan Newspaper Service. 1929. A Sporting Proposition -- [Feg Murray; advertisement]. Editor and Publisher and the Fourth Estate 62 (14; August 24): 30. Online at https://archive.org/details/sim_editor-publisher_1929-08-24_62_14/page/30/mode/2up

McClure Newspaper Syndicate. 1929. Read what editors say about Bobby Thatcher [advertisement]. Editor and Publisher and the Fourth Estate 62 (14; August 24): 22-23. Online at https://archive.org/details/sim_editor-publisher_1929-08-24_62_14/page/22/mode/2up

Schwartz, John. 2026. A Zippy Graphic Novel About Man vs. Machine at the Chessboard [in print as Gen Z Chess Fans Meet Kasparov vs. Deep Blue]. New York Times Book Review (September 11): 18. Online at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/books/review/chess-garry-kasparov-deep-blue-mind-vs-machine-maurice-ashley-steve-sheinkin.html

Ashley, Maurice, Steve Sheinkin, and Thien Pham (ill.). 2026. Mind vs. Machine: The Chess Match That Changed the World. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

Gachman, Dina. 2026. 5 Children’s Movies to Stream Now: This month’s picks include sequels galore, among them installments of the “Super Mario” and “Star Wars” franchises. New York Times (September 11): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/movies/kids-movies-streaming-now.html

Kit, Borys. 2026. A $100M Pokémon Card? Meet the Man Spending Millions on Comics and Other “Alternative Assets”: AJ Scaramucci's new venture just bought the first appearance of Iron Man for $2 million. And he's just getting started. Hollywood Reporter (September 11): https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/pokemon-cards-iron-man-comic-millions-1236697661/

*Harper, David. 2026. Cape & Cowl Con is Building a Community — and One of the Coolest Comic Shows in the Country. SKTCHD (September 9): https://sktchd.com/longform/cape-cowl-con-2026-feature/

*Harper, David. 2026. From Oakland to Lexington: On the Things That Stood Out About My First Experiences as a Comic Con Guest. SKTCHD (September 11): https://sktchd.com/longform/comic-con-guest-feature/

Harper, David. 2026. “Now It’s Our Turn”: Astrolabe’s François Hercouet on Building a New Comic Publisher in France. SKTCHD (September 2): https://sktchd.com/interview/astrolabe-interview-francois-hercouet/

Harper, David. 2026. Prima with Olivia Dufault. SKTCHD's Off Panel (569; September 7): https://sktchd.com/podcast/off-panel-569-prima-with-olivia-dufault/, and https://traffic.libsyn.com/sktchd/Olivia_Dufault.mp3

Harper, David. 2026. Celtics Shaq with Jack Mulqueen. SKTCHD's Off Panel (568; August 31): https://sktchd.com/podcast/off-panel-568-celtics-shaq-with-jack-mulqueen/, and https://traffic.libsyn.com/sktchd/Jack_Mulqueen.mp3

Dong, Bamboo. 2026. Sound Euphonium Chief Director Tatsuya Ishihara on Portraying Genuine Emotions. Anime News Network (September 9): https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2026/all-the-news-and-reviews-from-anime-expo/sound-euphonium-chief-director-tatsuya-ishihara-on-portraying-genuine-emotions/.240067

Jones, Grant. 2026. Director Hiroshi Ikehata Aims for Big Laughs in Giant Ojō-sama Anime. Anime News Network (September 11): https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2026-09-11/director-hiroshi-ikehata-aims-for-big-laughs-in-giant-ojo-sama-anime/.241045

Iikura-Gross, Ken. 2026. Autism Society Japan Issues Statement on Mii-chan and Miss Yamada Manga. Anime News Network (September 11): https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2026-09-11/autism-society-japan-issues-statement-on-mii-chan-and-miss-yamada-manga/.241634

Mather, Victor. 2026. Photo of Road Runner Snagged by Coyote Shows That Cartoons Were a Lie. New York Times (September 4): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/us/road-runner-coyote-photograph.html

*Rhode, Mike. 2026. Small Press Expo 2026, Day Two in Photos. ComicsDC (September 13): https://comicsdc.blogspot.com/2026/09/small-press-expo-2026-day-two-in-photos.html

*Rhode, Mike. 2026. Small Press Expo Lecture at Library of Congress by Kim Deitch in Photos. ComicsDC (September 13): https://comicsdc.blogspot.com/2026/09/small-press-expo-lecture-at-library-of.html

Cole, Yussef. 2026. A Moody Wolverine Lets His Claws Do the Talking [videogame, in print as Letting His Claws Do All the Talking]. New York Times (September 12): C4. Online at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/arts/marvels-wolverine-review.html
 
Johnston, Rich. 2026. Spawn 77 & Transformers Top The Top 10 Weekend Comics Bestseller Chart [sales]. Bleeding Cool (September 12): https://bleedingcool.com/comics/spawn-77-transformers-top-the-top-10-weekend-comics-bestseller-chart/

Smith, Steve. 2026. The Obsessive American: Fixations, Tics and Mania in Early Comicdom [comic strips history]. Panels & Prose (September 13): https://panelsandprose.com/2026/09/13/the-obsessive-american-fixations-tics-and-mania-in-early-comicdom/

Adams, Lucas. 2026. ‘You’ll Never Catch Him!’: Coyote vs. Acme is an inventive, remarkably wistful movie that confronts the Looney Tunes with the grind of contemporary capitalism. New York Review of Books (August 30): https://www.nybooks.com/online/2026/08/30/youll-never-catch-him-coyote-vs-acme-road-runner/

Drake, Daniel. 2026. [[Lucas] Adams is the editor of New York Review Comics, which publishes lost classics and new translations of comics, manga, and graphic novels... This week I wrote to Adams to ask him about the Looney Tunes, the comics industry, and growing up humorless.]. New York Review of Books Newsletter (September 13): https://email.nybooks.com/t/y-e-ftkjlkl-tiitsyhky-jy/

Morrow, Gray (ill.). 1972. Cheetah in... "What Do You Do About Rules?" Part 1-2. Guidance Associates. Online at https://archive.org/details/uncommon-ephemera-filmstrip-319-044-what-do-you-do-about-rules-part-1-guidance-associates-1972 and https://archive.org/details/uncommon-ephemera-filmstrip-319-044-what-do-you-do-about-rules-part-2-guidance-associates-1972

Freeman, John. 2026. Undiscovered Work by Countdown Artist Jon Davis MBE Rediscovered – But It’s Not Comics…. downthetubes (September 12): https://downthetubes.net/undiscovered-work-by-countdown-artist-jon-davis-mbe-rediscovered-but-its-not-comics/

Secret History of Comics - Gray Morrow's Cheetah film strip

This one is for his Gray Morrow's good friend Mark Wheatley, thus providing our local connection.

Uncommon Ephemera, a one-man preservation mission for saving film strips, posted a two-parter by Grey Morrow to the Internet Archive.

Cheetah in... "What Do You Do About Rules?" Part 1-2

Gray Morrow (ill.)
 Guidance Associates  1972

https://archive.org/details/uncommon-ephemera-filmstrip-319-044-what-do-you-do-about-rules-part-1-guidance-associates-1972

https://archive.org/details/uncommon-ephemera-filmstrip-319-044-what-do-you-do-about-rules-part-2-guidance-associates-1972

Click through for more details and to download the filmstrips as Quicktime videos.

There's a lot of other cartoon-related film strips in the collection that may be of interest.

Rise of the Robot Artist by Daniel Boris

Small Press Expo 2026, day two in photos

 It was very busy at 12:30 when I arrived, but had calmed down a lot by 4:30. Captions and resizing coming soon.

Sofia Warren and Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell

Gemma Correll

Gemma Correll and her staff

MK Reed

Small Press Expo lecture at Library of Congress by Kim Deitch in photos

 Deitch is working on his autobiography, which sounds fascinating, and he was reading from it. It was fascinating, and video will be available from the LOC soon, so here's some photos in the meantime. At theend is the Deitch exhibit set up at his talk, followed  by the current periodicals exhibit on 9-11 with the DC Comics and Spiegelman books.