Politics of the absurd: Cartoonist Patrick Oliphant
January 8 2021
Friday, January 08, 2021
NPR on Priya and a census comic
India's Female Superhero And Her Flying Tiger Are Out To Fight The Pandemic
Thursday, January 07, 2021
The Lily's new cartoon
My home is full of hand-me-downs. When I feel lonely, these items raise me up.
The objects remind me of the sense of connection
and joy I take from art
https://www.thelily.com/my-home-is-full-of-hand-me-downs-when-i-feel-lonely-these-items-raise-me-up/
(Issy Manley)
Jan 25: Ryan Claytor lecture
Upcoming Artist Lecture |
|
| In...let's see...not quite 3 weeks, I'll be delivering an artist lecture for Mott Community College's Fine Arts Gallery series called "Art Talk", which will be liveStreamed at this day and time: Monday, January 25, 2020, at 10am EST/7amPST) If you're interested in watching and participating in a live Q&A session with me, you can join here: Otherwise, it'll be archived on the MCC Fine Arts Gallery Facebook page and YouTube channel after the fact. |
Cavna talks to cartoonists on coup attempt
How cartoonists are capturing the Capitol riot — and the ways Trump provoked it
Jan. 7, 2021
Wednesday, January 06, 2021
Tuesday, January 05, 2021
The Post's review of TikTok's 'Ratatouille'
Judy and Mickey would have loved the TikTok 'Ratatouille' — 2021's answer to 'Let's put on a show!' [in print as A delightful first course: TikTok's 'Ratatouille'].
Washington Post Jan. 4, 2021 : C1, 3
Monday, January 04, 2021
Yes, Virginia, Wonder Woman 1984 was filmed in Alexandria
'Wonder Woman 1984' Filmed In Landmark Mall And Alexandria Doesn't Want You To Forget It
How 'Wonder Woman 1984' took over an empty mall to create a rad '80s experience
Saturday, January 02, 2021
That darn Mark Trail and Candorville
Going off 'Trail' [Mark Trail letter]
Dan McKinnon,
Richard E. Hoagland
Washington Post January 2 2021
Comic misfire [Candorville letter]
Robert J. McManus
The Post on Zorro
Zorro at 100: Why the original swashbuckler is still the quintessential American action hero [in print as A Century On, Zorro Still Makes A Mark]
Washington Post Jan. 2, 2021 : E1, 6
Barry and Clyde in Street Sense
I bought a copy of the paper that supports the homeless today and saw that they actually have a comic strip donated by the local cartoonists and syndicate.
Friday, January 01, 2021
Deaths in the comic arts field in 2020
by Mike Rhode
COVID-19 has killed over 1,834,356 people in the world, and at least 303,823 in the U.S. as of December 31, 2020. We normally list the people who have passed in the comic book and strip, animation, editorial & political cartoon fields. This year, the list is probably the longest we've ever run. This list is excerpted from the Comics Research Bibliography (available here) which is updated daily on Facebook. 1/8/21: Additions marked with *.
Deaths in 2020 (with thanks to Randy Tischler of the Baltimore Comic Con, D.D. Degg of the Daily Cartoonist, Cartoon Brew’s animation list by Alex Dudok de Wit, and Animation Magazine’s list) included voice actress Patricia Alice Albrecht, comics journalist Bob “Mr. Media” Andelman, “Thomas & Friends” narrator Michael Angelis, comic strip artist and animator Román Arámbula, animator Kelly Asbury, Golden Age artist Allen Bellman, Vagrancy Comics’ Justin Benedict, voice actress Julie Bennett, assistant animator Dorris Bergstrom, Belgian cartoonist Arthur “Berck“ Berckmans, "Comics I Don't Understand" blogger Bill Bickel, cartoonist and comics historian Ed Black, animation matte painter Denise Blakely Fuller, “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman, Frank Bolle, Claire Bretécher, “Norse by Norsewest” strip writer John Brinkerhoff, “Dear Basketball” star Kobe Bryant, animation background artist Alfred Budnick, editorial & sports cartoonist Bil Canfield, “Snow White” model Marge Champion, French cartoonist André Chéret, animation character designer and story artist Curtis Cim, Ron Cobb, comics collector & publisher Russ Cochran, 102-year-old “Buck Rogers” fan Jim Coffeen, Richard Corben, animator Doug Crane, Croatian cartoonist Alem Ćurin, Nick Cuti, animation & gag cartoonist Dan Danglo, animator Bill Davis, voice actor Jason Davis, British illustrator Jon Davis, Marvel television art director Matteo De Cosmo, animator Gene Deitch, French comic book creator François Dermaut, Mort Drucker, voice actor William Dufris, Ralph Dunagin, animator Tony Eastman, comic book artist Hy Fleishman, “PS Magazine” editor Paul Fitzgerald, Latin America specialist scholar David William Foster, German historian and translator Wolfgang J. Fuchs, Bob Fujitani, Carl Gafford, gag cartoon and fumetti writer Gerald Gardner, illustrator Hector Garrido, underground comix cartoonist David Geiser, Thomas Gianni, Pixar’s Rob Gibbs, Argentine comic book artist Juan Giménez Lopez, animator Mark Glamack, DC Comics logo designer Milton Glaser, Peanuts correspondent Harriet Glickman, Swedish cartoonist Rolf Gohs, voice actor Danny Goldman, homeless cartoonist Ronnie Goodman, Archie Comics editor-in-chief Victor Gorelick, amateur cartoonist Carl Granath, X-Men cartoon’s Magneto voice actor David Hemblen, animator & Astrodome scoreboard cartoonist Ed Henderson, “Bill and Sue” comic strip illustrator Dorothy Henry, animator Harry “Bud” Hester, Grand Comics Database indexer and editor Jerry Hilligas, cartoon editor & gag writer Phil Hirsch, Marvel vice president Mike Hobson, voice actor Sir Ian Holm, animation director Cullen Blaine Houghtaling, political cartoonist Sandy Huffaker, gag writer Choc Hutcheson, Jim Janes, comic book & strip cartoonist Frank Johnson, African-American editorial cartoonist Samuel Joyner, French cartoonist Edmond Kiraz, Canadian animator Blair Kitchen, animator Bill Knoll, animator Helen Komar, Canadian animator/director Hana Kukal, SpongeBob ‘Sweet Victory’ songwriter Bob Kulick, Jiro Kuwata, voice actor David Lander, animation artist Nancy Lane, *Golden Age collector Lamont Larson, *Congressman and ‘March’ writer John Lewis, Belgium’s Ronald “Bing” Libin, editorial cartoonist Robert "RWL" Light, British small press cartoonist Marleen Starksfield Lowe, illustrator Annie Lunsford, Richard A. “Dick” Lupoff, Disney animation artist Sue Nichols Maciorowski, British pocket cartoonist Ken Mahood, Viz anime production assistant Peer Makepeace, comic book store owner Tommy Maletta, Belgian comic book author Malik (aka William Tai), Italian animator and cartoonist Ro Marcenaro, gag cartoonist Henry Martin, “Doc and Raider” webcartoonist Sean Stephane Martin, Izumi Matsumoto, amateur cartoonist Duane McKenna, comic book artist Frank McLaughlin, animation concept artist Syd Mead, Mexican voice actor Luis Alfonso Mendoza, Croatian animator Vatroslav Mimica, indy cartoonist Kurt Mitchell, animation timer Maureen Mlynarczyk, animation cel servicer Francisca Moralde, voice actor Kirby Morrow, British amateur cartoonist Rose Mortleman, Minnesota comics and animation fan & historian David Mruz, “The Climax” comic panel cartoonist Ted Mullings, color flatter Garth Murphy, comic book artist Daniel Nakrosis, “Funny Fizzles” cartoonist Bill Nellor, Japanese voice actress Kumiko Okae (aka Kumiko Owada), sports cartoonist Murray Olderman, Denny O’Neill, animation storyboard artist Dominic Orlando, animation ink & paint supervisor Joan Orloff, Cuban animator Juan Padrón, Martin Pasko, animation checker Lisa Poitevint, illustrator Jason Polan, political cartoonist Stu Pomeroy, Wall Street Journal cartoon editor Charles Preston, Russian animator Anatoly Prokhorov, Malibu Times editorial cartoonist Fred Purucker, Canadian amateur cartoonist Qinni Qing, Quino, visual effects producer Rebecca Ramsey, “Pete’s Dragon” actress Helen Reddy, Grand Comics Database member Gene Reed, Canadian animator Nick Rijgersberg, gag and editorial cartoonist Marty Riskin, African-American political cartoonist Ron Rogers, Italian comic book artist Giovanni Romanini, stop-motion costumer and puppet maker Cesar Romero, executive director of Toronto Animation Arts Festival International John Rooney, Savannah political cartoonist and animator Jim Rose, Jumbo Pictures production manager Pamela Ross, animator Joe Ruby, Richard Sala, “Bev Hills” cartoonist Janet Salter, Russian animator Boris Savin, animation songwriter Adam Schlesinger, advertising artist Don Schnably, effects animator and teacher Gary Schumer, editorial cartoonist Tip Sempliner, Joe Sinnott, Sesame Street animation sound designer Jerry Slick, New York animator Ed Smith, animator Ken Spears, Canadian voice actor Norm Spencer, German cartoonist Uli Stein, underground cartoonist Steve Stiles, animation layout and background artist and art director Herbert Stott, animation designer and background and layout artist Marty Strudler, Disney animator Ann Sullivan, animation checker Rudy Tomaselli, animator Tuck Tucker, Asterix creator Albert Uderzo, Belgian animation designer and director Pino Van Lamsweerde, comic book inker Juan Vlasco, minicomics cartoonist Morgan Vogel, Alex Raymond background artist Mary Frances “Mae” Von Egidy, Wonder Woman TV show’s Lyle Waggoner, British cartoonist Brian Walker, animatio writer Phillip Walsh, Tom Ward, comics collector and Grand Comics Database member Gary Watson, Bob Weber Sr., voice actor Fred Willard, TV animation writer David Wise, animation director William “Bill” Wolf, No Huddle comic strip writer Sam Wyche, sports and editorial cartoonist Joe Yeninas, voice actress Hikari Yono, editor and translator of Tintin albums in Spain Conchita Zendrera, “B.C.” and “Wizard of Id” gag writer Elmer Zinner, Belgian comic artist Ward Zwart. Cartoon Brew listed the following people as “other members of the animation community” - Patricia Blackburn, Maureen Crane, James P. Finch, Hubert Gagnon, Michèle Pauzé, Al Sens, Craig Welch, and Catherine Zar - without any additional information as to their roles in the field.
Thursday, December 31, 2020
The Lily's latest comic
Comics // Perspective
I visited New York museums as soon as they reopened. There was an essential element missing.
Before the pandemic, I used to spend hours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA and the Brooklyn Museum
By Pepita Sándwich
|
Cavna's perspective on Wonder Woman, Calvin & Hobbes, and Bill Watterson
7 movies that do the same things 'Wonder Woman 1984' does, but better [in print as 'WW84' lacks these movies super powers]
Washington Post Dec. 30, 2020 C1, 8
'Calvin and Hobbes' said goodbye 25 years ago. Here's why Bill Watterson's masterwork enchants us still.
Dec. 31, 2020
Bill Watterson and other artists reflect on 1995, the year that comics changed forever
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
A Chat with DC-Born Cartoonist Liza Donnelly
 |
| Liza Donnelly by Elena Rossini |
by Mike Rhode
We're going to wrap up this crummy, lousy, bad year with an interview with an excellent, world-class, funny cartoonist to put a hopeful spin on starting 2021. The Washington Post ran an excellent article by Liza Donnelly earlier this year in which she pointed out that she was born in DC. With this hook, she's agreed to answer our usual questions.
What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
I do a variety of things, but I am
perhaps most known for my New Yorker cartoons. These are typically single
panel drawings with a caption below them, although I have done many for The New
Yorker that are sequential and sometimes without captions. For other
publications, I have done comic-like narratives, and I do a lot of political
cartoons as well. Some for The New Yorker, some for CNN, Medium, Politico and
others. Lately, I am the innovator of live digital drawing wherein I draw
on my tablet and share immediately on social channels. Sometimes it’s
just a visual reportage, other times I offer my commentary in the drawing of
what I am seeing. I have done this for a variety of outlets: New Yorker,
CNN, CBS, Fusion, others.
How do you do it? Traditional pen and
ink, computer or a combination?
I work in both digital and traditional
pen and ink. It depends on the job. All of my New Yorker finished drawings are
on paper with a crow quill pen and ink. No Photoshop with those. I use an
iPad for my digital work and sometimes enhance or fix with Photoshop.
When (within a decade is fine) and where
were you born? What neighborhood or area did you live in?
I was born in 1955 in Washington and was
raised near Chevy Chase Circle.
What is your training and/or education
in cartooning? Did you leave DC for it?
I began cartooning when I was around 7
years old. I traced two cartoonists I liked— Charles Schulz and James Thurber.
So I am self-taught from early on. I left DC to go to college, and art
study was only part of my plan. I went to the liberal arts college Earlham College
and thought my career would be in biology (my other interest), but eventually my
cartooning took over and I became an art major.
Who are your influences?
As I said, Schultz and Thurber.
But also Herblock, Garry Trudeau, Ben Shahn, Jules Feiffer, Dr. Seuss,
WIlliam Stieg, Saul Steinberg, Claire Bretecher, Nicole Hollander, R.O
Blechman. There are many others, and many more New Yorker cartoonists.
Did you see any of the comics exhibits
or talks that started appearing in DC as the Smithsonian, Corcoran or Kennedy
Center in the late 1960s or early 1970s? If so, any memories to share with us?
Sadly, no. But I do remember when
Saul Steinberg had a big show at the Whitney (or was it the MoMA?) in the late
70’s. That blew me away that a cartoonist could be in a museum show. I
was happy that cartoons could be considered art.
If you could, what in your career would
you do-over or change?
I would not waste so much time worrying
about whether I was good enough. And just draw!
What work are you best-known for?
Probably my New Yorker cartoons, I have
been there over 40 years and counting. But now I am being known for all
my work on social media, including my live drawing and I am known for being an
early feminist cartoonist, although not the first of course. I draw and give
talks about women’s rights a lot.
What work are you most proud of?
Getting into The New Yorker,
particularly at age 24. I am also very proud of the book that I wrote, Funny
Ladies: The New Yorker’s Greatest Women Cartoonists. I am writing an
updated version to be published next year. I am proud to have brought the
history of the women drawing cartoons to light.
What would you like to do or work on in
the future?
I hope to continue at The New Yorker,
but I really also want to develop my live drawing journalism. I feel what
I am doing is a way to look at the news in a fresh and innovative way, and I
have been told by many of my fans that it is a rewarding and interesting way to
experience the news. It’s hard to get the large outlets to hire me, but I keep
pushing forward. I also am trying my hand at screenwriting.
What prompted you to compile a book on
woman cartoonists? How do you feel the field has changed since you did that
book? (for example, I see a lot of woman comic book/ graphic novel and web
cartoonists now, even as the editorial cartoon field continues to be mostly white
men.
I became aware of the notion that there
weren’t many women in cartoon field when I was in college. Before that, I just wanted to be a cartoonist and gender was not on my mind. This was at the
tail end of the second wave of feminism, and I felt that equal rights was
achieved pretty much, and didn’t examine my professional world very much.
Boy, was I misguided. As I said, I knew I was in the minority, but it
wasn’t until 1999 when I was invited to be on a panel of women cartoonists at the
American Association of Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) convention (which I think was in DC that year). There were five (I
think) of us women at a table for the panel. I was not even a member of the
AAEC, but they asked me to be on the panel because there were/are so few women
drawing political cartoons. I was already doing some political cartoons for The
New Yorker. In preparation for the panel, along with sitting there and
looking out into the room and seeing a standing-room only audience of male
cartoonists—it struck me. What is going on? Why is it there are so
few women doing this? I began my search for answers and it led to me
writing Funny Ladies. I spent a year in the NYC Public Library
researching the archives of the magazine going back to 1925 when it was
founded. The field has changed tremendously. There are so many more
women drawing cartoons now, that is what inspired me to write a new edition of
the book.
I'm very interested that you're doing a new edition of the book. How current are you going?
Cartoon editor Emma Allen's added a lot of women to the roster. And are you
including the web-site-only ones?
What do you do when you're in a rut or
have writer's block?
I do something else for a while, non-cartoon related. It helps to put it
down and return later.
What do you think will be the future of
your field?
I really don't know. I think perhaps The New Yorker will go to an online version and continue to run cartoons, so that's good. Although online payment is much less than in print it is hard to make a living. Thankfully, graphic novels are very popular and I think that's the future of our craft--graphic narratives.
What's your favorite thing about DC?
Growing up, I enjoyed being in the center of the political world. The monuments
and museums are beautiful and I like being close to the ocean. The
diversity was also something I now realize I benefited from. Washington has an
international feel to it, with all the Embassies, and I enjoyed that. I love
the proximity to the Eastern Shore and the Delaware beaches.
Least favorite?
When I grew up in DC it was a heavily segregated city, and I hated that
feeling. I rode the bus a lot to get to downtown or school--there was no
Metro back then-- but hated the car culture. Our neighborhood was just a block
from the DC line with Maryland, but you had to drive everywhere to get
groceries etc.
How often (pre-covid) do you get back?
I don't have family there anymore, so I go back every five years for my
high school reunion, or for a political event. I live draw the ICFJ Gala every
year, which I really enjoy, so that brings me back every year.
What monument or museum do you like to
return to?
I love walking around the Mall and just soaking up the atmosphere, the history.
All the museums are great. My favorite museum in my teens was the Hirshhorn
Museum. I interned when I was in college at the Natural History Museum,
cleaning bat skulls and cataloguing South American rodents (my other love
besides cartooning was biology and I thought that was the field I might end up
in).
How about a favorite local restaurant?
Past or present or both.
Remember, I didn't live in DC as an adult. When I was a kid, we rarely ate out.
But there was a fancy steakhouse downtown that we sometimes went to for special
occasions, name forgotten. There was a Chinese restaurant near Chevy
Chase Circle where we used to get take-out from and sometimes eat there, called
Peking Palace. I don't know if it's still there, but I loved it.
Do you have a website or blog?
Yes, Lizadonnelly.com and my illustrated column on Medium:
LizaDonnelly.Medium.com
How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected
you, personally and professionally?
I have been lucky not to have been affected health-wise, and no one in my immediate life has either.
Professionally, it has given me time to work on long-term writing projects and try some new ones. Also, because I can't go places and live draw, I began live drawing every day from my studio. I hold my phone over my hand and draw something and talk about it. During the pandemic, it made me feel connected to people and I was told the same by others and they said watching me was meditative. I would talk about the pandemic and draw aspects of it, then Black Lives Matter, then the election. Sometimes it's an illustration of an event or people (George Floyd, for instance), sometimes a real political cartoon created in real time for my audience. It was and is therapeutic for me and I get a lot of drawings created while gaining new followers. I learned to loosen up as well and draw freehand in front of an audience, with no preparation. It is a combination of my political cartoons and my video reportage -- a new type of editorial cartooning, if you will, with commentary. I now do this each weekday on Instagram Live (@lizadonnelly) and on a new startup called HappsTV, who approached me to work with them (Happs.tv/@liza).
Liza can also be found at the following links.
New Yorker
lizadonnelly.com
12/30/20 9:30 PM - updated with question about current cartoonists in new book.
Cavna talks to Pete Docter about Soul
Pixar's 'Soul' raises a big question for our surreal year: 'What am I doing with my time on earth?' [in print as 'Soul' crosses street to get to the Other Side]
Washington Post Dec. 29, 2020, C1, 4
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