Category: Cartooning

Happy birthday, Sparky Schulz

Sparky Schulz

Today, Charles M. Schulz would have been — yikes! — 86. Twenty years ago, there was a series of Peanuts animated cartoons called This is America, Charlie Brown. I’ve seen most of them and they’re a very good introduction to American history. Unfortunately, the videos are out of print, but they’re available on Netflix. I have some of them on good, ol’ LaserDisc, including “The Mayflower Voyagers”, five minutes of which you’ll find on the embedded video player. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2008/NOV/PeanutsMayflower.flv 480 360]

Sibley on Mickey’s Birthday

This morning on the BBC World Service I heard (while writhing in agony from my ailment) our blogging friend Brian Sibley talking about Mickey Mouse’s 80th birthday. There’s audio of Brian talking about Mickey, that’s a bit different from what I heard this morning, at this link. And over at this link, Brian has an essay about the significance of the mouse, all these years later.

Joe Sinnott depicted first black President in 1964

Various news services, including NPR’s website last February, picked up the story that in 1964 there was a comic book that predicted/depicted the first black candidate for American President. In January, this video about the comic book series was posted on YouTube. (Turn down the sound if you don’t like “Switched-On Bach”!)

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/2008/NOV/TreasureChest.flv 448 335]

The man who illustrated those comic books is Joe Sinnott. I took this picture of Joe with his son Mark in New York on Saturday. Dennis provided the comics.

Joe and Mark Sinnott with Treasure Chest comics

Boston Globe goes color, wimps out

The paper edition of The Boston Globe now prints the daily comics in color. They’ve gotten letters of complaint from some readers, including one old codger (are there any young codgers?) who said the only way he knows it’s Sunday is because the comics are in color, as if having them printed bigger in a separate section isn’t enough of a clue. Anyway, I’m all for it, because other cities have had color daily comics for twenty years. Back then the papers had to do their own coloring, but now the syndicate provides the color guides.

But I’m disappointed that the Globe didn’t run G.B. Trudeau’s intended installment of Doonesbury for November 5, declaring Obama the President-elect. Instead, this strip was reprinted.

Boston Globe Doonesbury, 5Nov08

Newspaper people love to rag on other newspapers, and the suburban Boston paper I get, The Metrowest Daily News, had this commentary on the Globe’s wimpery.