New collection of Richard Thompson art coming out next weekend

The Incomplete Art of "Why Things Are"
Art by Richard Thompson
Foreword by Joel Achenbach • Edited by Michael Rhode
The Richard Thompson Library, Volume 1

Before the incalculable capacity of the Internet to answer nearly any question put to it while allowing a legion of pedants to hold forth without constraint, getting the facts of the matter took some effort. Just before the end of those benighted times there was a Washington Post column entitled "Why Things Are" to which readers could pose everything from child-like queries to stoner hypotheticals in the hope of answers to life's arcane conundrums. That weekly column ran in the newspaper from 1990 to 1996, and it was adorned with smart, silly cartoons by then staff artist extraordinaire Richard Thompson. In retrospect, it's not surprising that those cartoons stand up quite well by themselves, getting their own laughs from the eccentric questions posed by readers. Gathered here for the first time is a (near) complete collection of Thompson's genius illustrations and cartoons for "Why Things Are," the first regular humor series in Thompson's career.
THE RICHARD THOMPSON LIBRARY

The Richard Thompson Library, published by Picture This Press, collects the work of one of the great artists working in cartooning and illustration in the last 25 years.
Paperback: $27.95 • 346 pp. • B&W • paperback • ISBN: 978-0-9906932-8-4

Hardcover: $34.95 • 346 pp. • B&W • hardcover • ISBN: 978-0-9906932-9-1


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Richard Thompson (1957-2016)

photo by Allan Janus

Thompson—one of his generation's greatest cartoonists and caricaturists—was beloved by readers and fellow artists alike. Pat Oliphant called him "Michelangelo with a sense of humor," and Bill Watterson, who had not said anything publicly in almost 20 years, broke his silence to credit Thompson with "giving me a reason to read the comics again." In a more than 35-year career, Thompson, his work appeared in U.S. News & World Report, The New Yorker, Air & Space/Smithsonian, National Geographic, and The Atlantic Monthly. He is best known for his 2004–12 syndicated comic strip, Cul de Sac.

Richard Thompson at Deep Creek Lake - previously unseen art

A local illustrator, caricaturist and courtroom artist Dana Verkouteren just shared this painting with me, noting it "was one Richard painted after he, Bono [Mitchell], and Linda Lunsford were up at Deep Creek lake with me, for a  late autumn weekend. It was an incredible thank you gift that I treasure! Honestly, even looking at it up close, I’ve no idea how he created that image. 

This was back in the early 1990s. This is a watercolor I did from a photo after the weekend from a hike. That’s Linda in front with her camera, my brother Steve is in the red shirt, and my ex-husband Bill standing. That’s a part of Richard painted in the lighter green, slightly hidden behind Steve’s backpack. That’s Steve’s dog “Lexi” happily striding on the left.

Thanks to Mike Jenkins for the tip.

George HW Bush on his birthday

Richard was doing a lot of caricatures during Bush's political heyday. Today, on his 93rd birthday, George HW Bush looks better than ever, so here's a recently-auctioned painting of him, along with two of the sketches Richard took to get to it.

 

John Cuneo draws the Otterloops for charity

Richard's good friend, the fantastic illustrator John Cuneo, did this lovely drawing of the Otterloops for the upcoming HeroesCon Drink and Draw charity auction. Money raised goes to Team Cul de Sac which presents it to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's disease research.

Donate to HeroesCon Drink & Draw to research Parkinson's Disease in Richard Thompson's name

Chris Sparks says, "The Heroescon Drink and Draw is June 16th. Artists, we would love to have some great items donated to put up to have at the beginning of the show to tempt the con attendees with. June 14th is our deadline to receive art. The sooner we get it, the sooner we can share and support you and your kindness to us.

Thank you in advance!"

Please mail it to:
Team Cul de Sac
C/O Chris Sparks
54 Herron Ave
Asheville NC 28806

Charity interview with Dana Maeir (with a Richard Thompson mention)

WPA Auction Gala Preview

svetlana | Mar 17, 2017
https://brightestyoungthings.com/articles/wpa-auction-gala-preview

International Journal of Comic Art 18-2 Fall / Winter 2016 is out

See http://www.ijoca.com for ordering details. On a personal note, I have a remembrance of my friend Richard Thompson in it.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMIC ART

Vol. 18, No. 2 Fall/Winter 2016

Remembering Richard Thompson (1957-2016)

Mike Rhode

417-420

New donation page for Team Cul de Sac

A new donation page for Team Cul de Sac is at https://fundraise.michaeljfox.org/teamculdesac

It's been about six months since we lost Richard Thompson to Parkinson's disease.

Happy Beethoven's birthday

Richard Thompson traditionally wished all his fans a Happy Beethoven birthday. In his memory, I do so today. - Mike Rhode

Richard Thompson remembered in Montgomery College alumni magazine

Richard Thompson '78; Cartoonist Richard Thompson made us laugh.

Gail Rubin
Montgomery College's INSIGHTS Fall 2016, p. 44
online (December 6 2016) at http://mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/insights/2016/12/06/cartoonist-richard-thompson-made-us-laugh/

Richard's earliest paid work.

Richard's old friend Brian Nicklas posted this on Facebook this morning. These are from the late 1970s.

The deli has moved to VA and has some of Richard's artwork still up, according to his friend Scott Stewart.

Art of RT for sale in Singapore

CT Lim found The Art of Richard Thompson in his local bookshop Kinokuniya, in Singapore, and kindly sent me this photo.

Rex Morgan, MD dedicated to Richard Thompson's memory today

See the strip by Terry Beatty at

http://comicskingdom.com/shared_comics/63e5dcec-5a43-43f1-be30-d0a18db4776e

Thompson for Hillary (maybe)

With the election just days away, the keepers of Richard's flame finally realized he must have drawn the candidates since they've been in the public eye for years. Here's him on Hillary.

Thompson on Trump

With the election just days away, the keepers of Richard's flame finally realized he must have drawn the candidates since they've been in the public eye for years. Here's Thompson on Trump.

SPX 2016 Panel - Richard Thompson: A Celebration of His Life and Art

SmallPressExpo

 Oct 16, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9KvGvp0E2c

Richard Thompson (1957-2016)—one of his generation's greatest cartoonists and caricaturists—was beloved by readers and fellow artists alike. Pat Oliphant called him "Michelangelo with a sense of humor," and Bill Watterson, who had not said anything publicly in almost 20 years, sent out a note crediting Thompson with "giving me a reason to read the comics again." A short documentary celebrating Thompson's art and generous spirit is followed by a conversation among Thompson's long-time intimates—his close friend and fellow cartoonist Nick Galifianakis, Shena Wolf, who is the Uclick acquisitions editor and was Richard's editor on Cul De Sac, as well as friend and art historian David Apatoff—concluding with questions and reflections from the audience. Moderated by publisher (Lost Art Books) and editor of the forthcoming Richard Thompson Library series, Joseph Procopio.

Alex Hallatt on Richard Thompson

Alex Hallatt was interviewed last month and had some kind things to say about Cul de Sac and Richard Thompson.

Alex Hallatt interview

by chh01

September 12, 2016
https://webcomicsinterviews.com/2016/09/12/alex-hallatt-interview/

Remembering Richard Thompson, by two of his friends

Between the Stacks - Remembering Richard Thompson, cartoonist and illustrator

By Susan Frohnsdorff and Gregory Frohnsdorff

Moultrie News October 5, 2016

http://www.moultrienews.com/20161005/161009896/between-the-stacks---remembering-richard-thompson-cartoonist-and-illustrator

Note that the presentation mentioned has been postponed to October 22 due to the hurricane.

Oct 22: Mount Pleasant Library talk moved to new date

Due to the possibility of a hurricane this weekend, Richard Thompson, Cartoonist and Illustrator - A Tribute has been moved to a later date.

Richard Thompson, creator of the comic strip Cul de Sac, passed away from complications of Parkinson's disease this summer. Learn more about this Reuben Award-winning artist through a screening of the 2014 documentary The Art of Richard Thompson and a presentation on Thompson's background and accomplishments by one of the late cartoonist's friends.

Mt. Pleasant Regional Library
1133 Mathis Ferry Road
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
843.849.6161 ~ http://www.ccpl.org

Richard Thompson remembered in Air & Space Magazine

We've been tipped that the "October/November 2016 Air & Space/Smithsonian Magazine is now out. "Sightings" on page 68-69 is a salute to Richard Thompson. Check your local newstands."

Chris Mautner on Cul de Sac

Comic Connections: Revisiting Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac.

By Chris Mautner

The Smart Set 09/22/2016

http://thesmartset.com/comic-connections/

More on Richard's Redskin drawings

Yesterday, I posted an image of a handkerchief with a Redskins bandwagon drawn by Richard, and gave some of the history I could find.

Tipped off by Nick Galifianakis, I poked around a bit more last night and found the images that Richard drew to illustrate Tony Kornheiser's columns on the Redskin's winning season and his idea of a Redskin Bandwagon. I found drawings from October - January, and don't know if I caught them all.

 

A Redskins handkerchief

Richard did this "I'm on the Redskins Bandwagon" handkerchief in 1991 for Tony Kornheiser's Washington Post column.

Here's the relevant information from TK's Wikipedia page: "In 1991, Kornheiser created a string of now-famous Bandwagon columns to describe the Washington Redskins' Super Bowl run that year.^[7] He started the idea when the Redskins trounced the Detroit Lions 41-10. He officially unveiled the first Bandwagon column when the team had an undefeated 4-0 record. From then on, the Bandwagon column appeared weekly. When the Redskins advanced to Super Bowl XXVI, Kornheiser and his Post colleagues Jeanne McManus and Norman Chad rode a handcar on a railroad track decorated as the Bandwagon for a 1,200-mile journey to Minneapolis, Minnesota. A Washington Post chat from January 26, 2012 has a picture of the artwork decorating an RV and quotes TK,“We had t-shirts made that we gave out with the great sort of drawings of Richard Thompson on the t shirts. We had handkerchiefs made — get on the bandwagon — whatever those things were. I have a t-shirt somewhere that’s mildewed and disgusting, and I have some of these handkerchiefs somewhere."

Barney & Clyde's Richard Thompson tribute

Gene Weingarten and Dave Clarke did a tribute to their friend Richard Thompson in today's strip - http://www.gocomics.com/barneyandclyde/2016/09/04

One final goodbye to Richard Thompson at Small Press Expo

Richard Thompson: A Celebration of His Life and Art

White Flint Auditorium September 17, 2016 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Richard Thompson (1957-2016)—one his generation's greatest cartoonists and caricaturists—was beloved by readers and fellow artists alike. Pat Oliphant called him "Michelangelo with a sense of humor," and Bill Watterson, who had not said anything publicly in almost 20 years, sent out a note crediting Thompson with "giving me a reason to read the comics again." A short documentary celebrating Thompson's art and generous spirit will be followed by a conversation among Thompson's long-time intimates—his close friend and fellow cartoonist Nick Galifianakis, Shena Wolf, who is the Uclick acquisitions editor and was Richard's editor on Cul De Sac, as well as friend and art historian David Apatoff—concluding with an opportunity for questions and reflections from the audience. Moderated by publisher (Lost Art Books) and editor of the forthcoming Richard Thompson Library series, Joseph Procopio.

Dr. Anita Auerbach's eulogy for Richard Thompson

"ARE YOU READY?" "NOOOO!"
Dr. Anita Auerbach
https://findthequiet.com/2016/08/30/are-you-ready-noooo/

Michael Cavna remembers Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson: The art of being a smart, humane artist in a vitriolic, wired world

By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs August 29 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/08/29/richard-thompson-the-art-of-a-being-a-smart-humane-artist-in-a-vitriolic-wired-world/

Richard Thompson Memorial Celebration photographs

Richard's old friend Bruce Guthrie photographed the service and the 'mingling' before and afterwards. See the pictures at

http://www.bguthriephotos.com/graphlib.nsf/keys/2016_08_27B3_RThompson_Memorial3

http://www.bguthriephotos.com/graphlib.nsf/keys/2016_08_27B1_RThompson_Memorial

Gail Rubin remembers Richard Thompson

Cartoonist Richard Thompson Made Us Laugh

by Gail Rubin

A Good Goodbye blog August 26th, 2016
http://agoodgoodbye.com/notable-obituaries/cartoonist-richard-thompson-made-us-laugh/

Before you read that -

The service for Richard Thompson will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, this Saturday, August 27th at 1pm.

IT WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC from 1pm until 2:30 pm, after which there will be a private reception for friends and family.

RICHARD THOMPSON MEMORIAL SERVICE

RICHARD THOMPSON MEMORIAL SERVICE
A service for Richard will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, this Saturday, August 27th at 1pm.

IT WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC from 1pm until 2:30 pm, after which there will be a private reception for friends and family.

Again, the family asks that in lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, either directly or through Team Cul De Sac (https://www.michaeljfox.org/get-involved/teamfox.php).

A Richard Thompson tribute in Betty

Betty by Gary Delainey and Gerry Rasmussen

August 20, 2016
http://www.gocomics.com/betty/2016/08/20

(thanks to Carol Tilley for pointing it out)

Anne Morse-Hambrock remembers Richard Thompson

For Richard

Anne & God webcomic (08/16/2016)

http://overbookedandunderpaid.typepad.com/anne_and_god/2016/08/for-richard.html

Nick Galifianakis on Richard Thompson's death

Somehow we missed the announcement by Richard's best friend to his colleagues at the National Cartoonists Society:

Richard Thompson 1957-2016

– Nick Galifianakis

July 27th, 2016
http://www.reuben.org/2016/07/richard-thompson-1957-2016/

Pat Oliphant's thoughts on Richard Thompson in 2004

Andrews McMeel has put Pat Oliphant's introductory comic strip from the 2004 collection of Richard's Poor Almanac online. Oliphant compared Richard to Michelangelo which probably made him squirm, but grin.

His next book was blurbed by Bill Watterson, which shocked him, since he knew Pat, but not Bill.

Comic scholar John Lent on Richard Thompson's last books

"Scratchy sketchbook drawings, doodlings, exquisite caricatures and humorous paintings": Reviewing Richard Thompson's last books

by John A. Lent, publisher and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Comic Art.
International Journal of Comic Art blog August 10, 2016
http://ijoca.blogspot.com/2016/08/scratchy-sketchbook-drawings-doodlings.html

This review will appear in print in the Spring/Summer 2016 IJOCA issue later this summer.

Richard saw all three of the books reviewed here, and approved them. - MR

Oct 8: Richard Thompson, Cartoonist and Illustrator -- A Tribute

Richard Thompson, Cartoonist and Illustrator -- A Tribute

Richard Thompson, creator of the comic strip Cul de Sac, passed away from complications of  Parkinson's disease this summer. Learn more about this Reuben Award-winning artist through a screening of the 2014 documentary The Art of Richard Thompson and a presentation on Thompson's background and accomplishments by one of the late cartoonist's friends.

Saturday, October 8, 2016
1:00 p.m.

Mt. Pleasant Regional Library
1133 Mathis Ferry Road
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
843.849.6161
http://www.ccpl.org

Donna Lewis' Reply All tribute to Richard Thompson

http://www.gocomics.com/replyall/2016/08/08

The Post's Letter page on Richard Thompson

Letters to the Editor

'Cul de Sac' creator Richard Thompson, a charming man who made charming art [in print as A charming creator of charming art].

Lewis Sorley, Potomac

Washington Post August 6 2016, p. A11

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/cul-de-sac-creator-richard-thompson-a-charming-man-who-made-charming-art/2016/08/04/4cdadbba-58ed-11e6-8b48-0cb344221131_story.html

Dana Maier remembers Richard Thompson

RIP Richard Thompson

Dana Jeri Maier

August 4, 2016
http://www.danajerimaier.com/writing/rip-richard-thompson

Andrew Farago's Comics Journal obituary for Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson, 1957-2016

BY Andrew Farago Aug 4, 2016
www.tcj.com/richard-thompson-1957-2016