Happy New Year

When I was a kid, we'd watch Guy Lombardo and at midnight, under the watchful eyes of my parents, we'd go outside, bang pot lids together and yell Happy New Year. And we still do, only without Guy.

The Rest

Here are the other 2,500 drawings I did for the Dave Barry piece. As you can see, I didn't exaggerate the work involved. My many thanks to the mighty J Porter, Art Director nonpareil, who somehow managed to shoehorn all these into a 30 page magazine and still leave room for the words.

Year In Review

The Wash Post Mag with Dave Barry's Year In Review comes out today. Here are some of the 5,000 drawings I did for it.

Francis Pharcellus Church

I did this in 1997, on the 100th anniversary of the editorial. It's all true, though I might've exaggerated the moustache.

Stay Tooned

This was for Mr. John Read, who edits & publishes Stay Tooned, with the combined energy, charm & talent of ten men. Plus two!

Today's Cul de Sac

This is the original version of today's Sunday strip. It ran in the Post Magazine two years ago. What I like is the tree vender, who's pretty much a funeral director, if not an outright mortician. Weirdly enough, yesterday's Lio plays around with a Frankenstein tree too, only differently http://www.gocomics.com/lio/2008/12/20/. I'd sure like to arrange a playdate with Mark Tatulli's kids.

Christmas Fun

The fun in doing this was turning off my mind and doing 90 billion little scratchy lines in a zen state. I wish all drawings could be done like that. Or better yet, while fast asleep.

-Another Crummy Commercial-

If you clicked on the link to the Cartoon Bank below, then threw up your hands in dismay at the very-reasonable-yet-maybe-a-little-steep prices, try the Click Here to Buy link below the Obamables button to your right>. That opens a Cafe Press page full of every kind of tchotchke with the Obama print on it that you could need. And stop throwing up your hands in dismay; people only do that in comic strips.

-Advertisement-

Prints now available at the Cartoon Bank! Right here http://www.cartoonbank.com/item/126269.

Did you know that the Cartoon Bank is the safest place for your money in these rough economic times? You don't see them lining up for a government bailout, no sirree bob! Not yet.

Christmas Rerun

I think I posted this last year, but not formatted correctly. It's drawn from life, at least as far as the subject matter, and it's kinda pretty.

Happy Birthday, Ludwig van

All together now-

Santa Advisory, Again

Here's yesterday's Almanack, which is a sorta retread of one from last year, which is below. Only of course, the new one is much, much better, as I've improved immeasurably since last year.

Where I Wish I'd Been

You may recall the Totoro Forest Project mentioned here previously. I got an email from the live-wire fire-balls who ran the auction, saying they'd presented $185,221 toward the purchase of two sections of land to the Totoro Forest Foundation in Japan. And they sent photos. Here are a few of them. Please allow your mind to take a little walk in them.

Ah, that felt good.

Where I've Been

I spent the last week doing 5,000 drawings for a Post Magazine Year in Review special issue. I subsequently came down with some kind of deadline poisoning. So that's where I've been. Some lucky people got to go see an R. Crumb show in Philly, and eat cheesesteaks. http://comicsdc.blogspot.com/ , see? But not me, I've still got deadline poisoning.

Shown: a sketch and final for the Post Mag, one image of 5,000.

December Linus

Yikes! Nobody ever tells me anything. How'd this happen?

The Universal Press Blog

Kathie Kerr, the hard-working director of communications at my syndicate, Universal Press, sent me an actual press release this morning. Since I've got my hands full and nothing worth saying, I'll post it for your entertainment.

Inside the doors of Universal Press Syndicate are a lot of smart people, but they’re busy, so the rest of us have started a blog on the inside workings of a syndicate. While that might sound as exciting as a digestive disorder, the blog may be of some actual value to cartoonists looking for tips on how to become syndicated and for die-hard comic fans who want behind-the-scene glimpses of today’s comics. Go to http://gocomics.typepad.com/editors/ and the next sound you hear will be that of an UPS editor giving you the uncensored truth about comics and the syndicate, while giving thanks for his/her job.

There ya go! When you go to the blog, scroll down to the short film "Thanksgiving Disaster" by W.T.Duck creator Aaron Johnson; jeez, it's good.

  Above is a picture of UPS's new headquarters, the Bolley Building in Kansas City. It no longer has the word Bolley's in electric lights on top, but there is a mural on the ground floor with lots of cartoon characters cavorting.