It was the last Thursday of the month and that means it's time for the Long Island chapter of the NCS to get together for lunch and shop talk. We started the meeting off as we usually do, with a "Berndt Toast."
Jumpin' Joe Giella and Don Orehek
We toasted King Features Editor-in-Chief Jay Kennedy. Joe Giella talked about the time when Jay took him out to lunch and told him he knew that Joe had been doing Batman and was used to drawing superheroes smashing through windows and so on -- but -- maybe -- he'd consider drawing Mary Worth.
Al Scaduto said what a shock it all was. It was Joe who called Al to give him the sad news. Here's Al:
"Many years ago, when I was still working at Bob Dunn's office up at King Features on the 17th floor, Jay Kennedy was assigned the job of Comic Editor. He was always very 'low key' and a true gentlemen, with a tremendous knowledge of comics. I met him several times, either at cartoon conventions or at King Features affairs, as well as at NCS meetings and of course, at Bunny Hoest's Annual Bash. Talking to him on the phone one day, he praised me by saying, 'Al, you do a handsome feature.' I'll truly miss this gentle man."
Sandy Kossin, Al Scaduto, Chuck Goll, Sy Barry
I got the shocking news by phone. I'd just gone out to the store, and missed a couple of calls. Bunny Hoest had left the message and I called her back. Even though it's been a couple of weeks since Jay's death, it's all, still, just hard to believe.
Like a lot of cartoonists, I first met Jay at a cartooning get together; in this case, a NYC Reubens convention back in 2000. The first thing I said embarrasses me to this day. I blurted out something like, "I'm Mike Lynch and you rejected my strip."
Gee whiz. Not really the nicest thing to say to the guy. But I caught myself and said it was OK. It was a "good rejection," I quickly added. He'd written some notes on the standard form rejection letter. These were specific comments about the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal. I told him I appreciated the notes. I hoped he didn't think I was being insincere. He told me that he usually didn't write notes on rejection letters, and he asked my name. And he never forgot it.
Bill Kresse played us out, with a rendition of Amazing Grace on the harmonica.
A card for a friend of Sy's that we all signed.
We wished a happy birthday to our March birthday boys: Sy Barry, Dan Danglo, and Mort Drucker.
Joe Bennett and Emelio Squeglio. This is Joe's second visit this year. Joe, an SVA student, is going to do a documentary about the Gang.
Joe Giella and Bunny Hoest
Greg Fox, Helen Murdock Prep, Al Scaduto
Al favored us with a song. It was great to welcome him back (and Claire too!!!!) and hear him sing again.
Beauty, Beast, Beauty; Jeanine Manheim, Mike Lynch, Helen Murdock Prep
We put envelopes on the table to collect the lunch money. I doodled the diner, and someone else (my suspects are Dan Danglo or Bill Kresse) took the lump of food I'd drawn and transformed it into a face, complete with a word balloon. Instead of signing the envelope, Bill drew himself and Lorraine. See? You try to give a cartoonist a little structure and he rebels!
And so another lunch ends: the lovely restaurant hostess takes our money, and we are shown the door.
"Trudeau has been called an investigative cartoonist and, according to a Washington Post profile published last year, has been given extraordinary access to injured soldiers by the Pentagon for his B.D. story line" This week's strips echo the Suzanne Swift case. Story here.
Jumpin' Joe Giella and Don Orehek
Sandy Kossin, Al Scaduto, Chuck Goll, Sy Barry
A card for a friend of Sy's that we all signed.
Joe Bennett and Emelio Squeglio. This is Joe's second visit this year. Joe, an SVA student, is going to do a documentary about the Gang.
Joe Giella and Bunny Hoest
Greg Fox, Helen Murdock Prep, Al Scaduto
Beauty, Beast, Beauty; Jeanine Manheim, Mike Lynch, Helen Murdock Prep
We put envelopes on the table to collect the lunch money. I doodled the diner, and someone else (my suspects are Dan Danglo or Bill Kresse) took the lump of food I'd drawn and transformed it into a face, complete with a word balloon. Instead of signing the envelope, Bill drew himself and Lorraine. See? You try to give a cartoonist a little structure and he rebels!
And so another lunch ends: the lovely restaurant hostess takes our money, and we are shown the door.
Didja know that MAD artist Tom Richmond has a blog? Didja know that he's put up a video of his coloring technique?!?! Yeah!! He's just giving it away! Go look!!!
Happy Birthday, Mort Drucker!
My pal Mark Anderson writes about a trip to a fire station and how cool it was to wear a fireman's hat. Mark's blog entry and photo here.
Johnny C. shares some more vintage risque cartoons from his MORE JOKES FROM THE JOHN book.
The Captain is dead, long live the Captain.
I have a cartoon in the April 2007 Funny Times.
I think that if you're going to have a mid-life crisis, then buying some low-riders is easier on the ol' budget than a sports car or hair plugs. I remember drawing this quickly and just knocking in the kitchen. Looking at it now, I can see how wobbly the lines are -- as well as how downright wispy they are! This was during my love affair with the Micron #02 pen, whose tip is razor thin.
The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Project Blog has reams of material: in depth selections of comic strips, magazine cartoons and comic book images; a selection of Eldon Dedini Playboy cartoons with a video interview of Mr. Dedini; and you will see links to Sokol, Kurtzman, Elder and others.
Above: George McManus looks like he's channeling McCay in his NIBSY strip.
Mad mag's Tom Richmond has posted the art for this year's Reuben Awards. And hang around his site for the complete list of NCS Division Award nominees.
BATTLESTAR has been renewed for a full 22-episode season, including "a special two-hour extended event that will air during fourth quarter 2007." Good news since the season ender airs tomorrow.
Happy Belated Birthday, that is.
The New York Observer has an excellent write up on Mr. Kennedy's life by David Foxley here.
Nick Bertozzi, whose book THE SALON is coming out next month, has a cool alternative to a business card. He has a long, accordion style card that unfolds to show Nick's sketches and some contact information. A great idea and a fun alternative to a plain ol' business card.
Just a note to say what a grand time I had talking about comics, science fiction, the frequency of dirty jokes in Shakespeare and all sorts of things with my friends Trade Loeffler and Jim Salicrup at Dempsey's Pub last night while my wife played some traditional Irish music (with about 20 other musicians).
The rates are going up for US Postage retail rate letters effective May 14. 2007.
I was talking to Mark the other day about Big Chains v. those Mom & Pop Stores. I like the stores where the people there have a stake in keeping me as a customer. More and more of the stores in my neighborhood are chains, where young, transient, disgruntled people work for a while, save up just enough money for a new video iPod or whatever, and then leave. None of them know nor care about helping us. A lot of these big stores just don't care much beyond getting that sale (see Mark Evanier's write up on the soon-to-be demise of the CompUSA chain), and if you do get any attention while you're there, it's attention forged in corporate meetings. Such was the case at Staples last month when the employee had to say four corporate-speak kinda things to me while I bought my overpriced ink cartridge.
The Voco Clock will awaken you with the dulcet tones of Stephen Fry's voice:
Imagine you get a campy old movie and are told to serious-it-up.
Look! I found a Card catalog generator! What fun!
Because I can't pour out a glass o' Guinness and hand it thru the screen, here's a St. Patty's Day Little Lulu comic.
Jay Kennedy, Editor-in-Chief at King Features, passed away yesterday while on vacation in Costa Rica. The cause of death was drowning.
Femme Fatales magazine has taken some old Bill Ward gag cartoons (a cartoonist best known for the busty ladies in his cartoons) and Photoshopped real women into them. Here's Aria Giovanni, who Playboy calls a "pin-up girl."
If you watched TV in the 1970s, or, for that matter, watch reruns today, then you know the face of child actor Robbie Rist (far left). Rist was a popular actor, appearing in The Brady Bunch, The Bionic Woman, Mary Tyler Moore, CHiPS, Galactica 1980 and others. He was cute, perky and credited with ruining TV shows. For instance, he appeared on the final handful of episodes of Galactica 1980 and The Brady Bunch, cementing his rep as a cute kid who caused a television program to "jump the shark; to die.
Just a tiny little fluff piece from Italy about the recent NY Comicon.
Rob Stolzer bought some original Billy DeBeck sketches and he shares them with all of us here.
DeBeck is another cartoonist that is languishing and deserves rediscovery ala Frank King and Segar. His scratchy, nervous, inky bigfoot style echoes Herriman, but DeBeck is his own man. If you're interested in reading Brian Walker's and Fred Lasswell's informative book, Barney Google & Snuffy Smith: 75 Years of an American Legend, it's $45 used at Amazon -- but OSU has it for sale for $5. 
