The blog of Richard Thompson, caricaturist, creator of "Cul de Sac," and winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Columbus, Ohio


If I'd've had my druthers, I'd've gone to the ninth triennial Festival of Cartoon Art at Ohio State in Columbus this weekend. Did anybody here go? Show of hands please (Heath, are you doodling frogs and not paying attention? good, keep it up). I went to the Festival in '86 and stayed with an old friend and his wife then living in Columbus. The highlights for me were: attending a chalktalk by Arnold Roth on the lawn of the Thurber House (above) on a brilliant, sunny day; laughing really hard at a show of old animated cartoons, some of which I'd seen a dozen times but which became irresistably funny when watched with a crowd in an actual theater; recognizing Bill Watterson, attending but not featured, by his name tag and chatting with him for a few minutes; my friend and I laughing really, really hard at an inapropriate moment during a panel discussion and having to leave the room before we suffocated from holding it in, while his wife just said, You guys. I also remember getting a Big Mac that was unique in my experience for not looking like somebody had stepped on it.

Ah, memories. My wife's from Columbus and we sometimes go back there. What a nice town, especially for cartoonists.

3 comments:

Mike Rhode said...

I was there. Had a similar experience in the hotel bar last night with Amend of Foxtrot. Will post on my blog sometime soon about the trip.

Kid Shay said...

It sounds like a blast.

I went to college in Ohio, although not the same one as Watterson. I went to Columbus last summer to see the Cartoon Research Library. What a collection. Looking at Calvin & Hobbes originals was unspeakably awesome. Go Buckeyes.

here today, gone tomorrow said...

Your labels are becoming little works of art in and of themselves...