PR: Line Drives & Motion Lines: A Century of Baseball Comics Opening October 2nd

This exhibit includes artwork by Richard Thompson.

September 28, 2026 View in your browser Line Drives & Motion Lines: A Century of Baseball Comics Opening October 2 at The Center for Cartoon Studies September 28, 2026 Contact: media@cartoonstudies.org Line Drives & Motion Lines: A Century of Baseball Comics Opening October 2 at The Center for Cartoon Studies The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) presents Line Drives & Motion Lines: A Century of Baseball Comics, an exhibition exploring how generations of cartoonists have used baseball to sharpen their craft, capture movement, and tell stories through pictures. Featuring work by Bill Gallo, Ray Gotto, Ellen Lindner, Lincoln Peirce, Richard Thompson, Barney Tobey, Rich Tommaso, Gluyas Williams, Denys Wortman, Leo O’Mealia, and others, the exhibition spans newspaper spot drawings and editorial cartoons, comic strips, magazine illustrations, and graphic novels. For much of the twentieth century, sports cartoonists worked under the daily pressures of newspaper deadlines, turning games into drawings that were immediate, expressive, and observant. The sports page became a proving ground for many cartoonists, while baseball itself offered an unusually rich subject for exploring gesture, exaggeration, timing, pacing, and visual storytelling.  Although every work in the exhibition features baseball, Line Drives & Motion Lines is ultimately about cartooning at its best, by some of its greatest practitioners. Opening Reception: Friday, October 2, 5:30–7:30 p.m. Gallery Talk: 6:00 p.m. Curators: E.B. Sciales ‘22 and James Sturm Location: CCS Gallery, 94 South Main Street, White River Junction, Vermont The exhibition is part of White River Junction’s First Friday celebration. This October 2nd, First Friday includes the 5th annual TWIST (Twin State Comics and Zine Fair) hosted by Junction Arts Media! TWIST features 35 Upper Valley and New England cartoonists and zinesters, including students and alums from The Center for Cartoon Studies. This event is FREE to table and attend! The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) Gallery hours are by appointment: info@cartoonstudies.org For more information about The Center for Cartoon Studies programming, events, graduates, and this event, visit: cartoonstudies.org Cartoon by Bill Gallo Cartoon by Leo O'Mealia   The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) is America’s premier cartooning school and studio located in the historic village of White River Junction, Vermont. CCS programs include a two-year Master of Fine Arts Degree, one- and two-year certificates, Low Residency Option 2nd Year, fellowships, and workshops in Vermont and online. Faculty and visiting artists include many of today’s most celebrated cartoonists. CCS has received national acclaim for its work and prominent mention in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and other publications. cartoonstudies.org  Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email

The Center for Cartoon Studies | PO BOX 125 94 South Main Street | White River Junction, VT 05001 US

Will Henry's influences include Richard Thompson

“The GOAT. At least in my opinion."

read more at 

The 10 Cartoonists Who Influenced Will Henry

 Alan Gardner

September 8, 2026  https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2026/09/08/the-10-cartoonists-who-influenced-will-henry/

Original Cul de Sac strip offered on Heritage Auctions

Richard Thompson Cul de Sac Daily Comic Strip Original Art dated 11-3-08 (Washington Post, 2008). Bid Now |Track Item Current Bid: $220 No Reserve Live session begins at 6pm CT on Jun. 3, 2026

Letters to Dead Authors & Artists - To Richard Thompson from Dana Jeri Maier

Letter #31: To Richard Thompson from Dana Jeri Maier

 Dana Jeri Maier from Skipping to the Fun Parts /  Letters to Dead Authors & Artists  Apr 2, 2026 

 https://letterstodeadartists.substack.com/p/letter-31-to-richard-thompson-from

David Apatoff revisits his friend Richard Thompson's Santa comic

RICHARD THOMPSON'S SANTA

 I love Richard Thompson's modern celebrity Santa.  

 David Apatoff

Illustration Art December 23, 2025

https://illustrationart.blogspot.com/2025/12/richard-thompsons-santa.html

Another Richard Thompson comic strip up for auction

Richard Thompson Cul de Sac Daily Comic Strip Original Art dated 11-3-08 (Washington Post)

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/comic-strip-art/richard-thompson-cul-de-sac-daily-comic-strip-original-art-dated-11-3-08-washington-post-2008-/a/322549-46284.s 

Richard Thompson Sunday strip sells at Heritage

Lot: 97165
Richard Thompson Cul de Sac Sunday Comic Strip Original Art dated 4-6-08 (Universal Press Syndicate, 2008)....
 
Auction Results: $2,600.00
($3,250.00 w/BP)

Richard Thompson "Cul de Sac" Sunday on Heritage Auctions

A classic, but too rich for my blood

Richard Thompson Cul de Sac Sunday Comic Strip Original Art dated 4-6-08 (Universal Press Syndicate)

Current Bid:

$1,100

w/ Buyer's Premium (BP) : $1,375.00

Status: No Reserve

Time Left:  17 days

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/comic-strip-art/richard-thompson-cul-de-sac-sunday-comic-strip-original-art-dated-4-6-08-universal-press-syndicate-2008-/a/7438-97165.s?ic4=OtherResults-SampleItem-022817&tab=SearchResults-120115#

Santa Rosa Press Democrat considering adding Cul de Sac to current comics page

Read the story here - 

Press Democrat Adding Two Strips

 D. D. Degg  

October 21, 2025  

https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2025/10/20/press-democrat-adding-two-comics/ 

DD says, "The paper is giving comic fans the choice of six comic strips – Arctic Circle, Crabgrass, Cul de Sac, Dumplings, Macanudo, and Sherman's Lagoon."

My comment on the Daily Cartoonist site is "As much as I love him, and his strip, there's no way Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac should be considered for this. It's not even a zombie comic strip. He's been gone for years now, and the comics page should belong to living cartoonists."

Alan Gardner remembers meeting Richard Thompson (on what would have been his 68th birthday)

TDC @ 20: Meeting Your Heroes

 Alan Gardner  

October 8, 2025  

https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2025/10/08/tdc-20-meeting-your-heroes/

Danielle Corsetto draws Alice for Team Cul de Sac

Chris Sparks will be doing the annual Drink and Draw at Heroes Con this summer. Danielle Corsetto, who was a big fan of Richard's, was in Asheville this weekend and drew this coaster (along with another of her characters) for fundraising for Parkinson's disease research.

Comic Culture at HeroesCon 2024, part 4 [Team Cul-De-Sac]

terence dollard

May 14, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCxNqIT97uE

Part four of Comic Culture's annual pilgrimage to the largest comic-only convention, HeroesCon. Discover the charitable side of the convention, Team Cul-De-Sac, and more interviews from the show floor. Comic Culture is directed and crewed by students at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. I'm posting the video as producer/host and not as an official University publication.

Jason Chatfield: "I consider Richard Thompson to maybe be one of the best cartoonists that ever lived."

Jason Chatfield did a live drawing talk on one of his Substacks today.

I asked him to draw Mr. Danders - he pulled out Richard's Poor Almanac (9:15), and said, "I keep this book at arm's reach from my drawing board at all times... I consider Richard Thompson to maybe be one of the best cartoonists that ever lived. Up there with Ronald Searle, Sergio Aragones, Steadman, Scarfe... these guys who have their very distinct styles... This book - on days when I don't feel like being creative or drawing - I just flip through it and snap myself out of my funk. If you haven't heard of Richard Thompson, I'm jealous that you get to discover his work for the first time. If you have, I implore you to go back to it."

And then he drew Mr. Danders from memory.

"I really, really adore Richard Thompson."

See the whole video at:

Jason Chatfield

DMA#1: Draw Me Anything!

Process Junkie! Apr 3, 2025
https://www.process-junkie.com/p/dma1-draw-me-anything

PS. I subscribe to Jason's other Substack, New York Cartoons @ https://www.newyorkcartoons.com/

Pete Docter shout-out to the world’s greatest unknown cartoonist

Oscar-Winning Pixar Animator Pete Docter On 30 Years of 'Toy Story,' the Future of AI in Animation and New Sequel (Exclusive)
Danielle Directo-Meston
March 24, 2025

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/shopping/toy-story-5-pete-docter-interview-future-of-pixar-animation-new-products-1236170265/

Lastly, what are those two pieces of art hanging on your wall behind you?

This is from the world's greatest unknown cartoonist, it's called "Cul de Sac" by Richard Thompson. And if you're not familiar with it, check it out. It's brilliant. The other one is Mary Blair, she was a brilliant animator at the Disney Studios, and this was from Saludos Amigos. I just love the character of those birds.

 (courtesy of Pete, here's the strip)

Richard's art from the January/February 1993 issue of Contingencies Magazine

Thanks to Joe Sutliff.

 

Nancy Beiman's FurBabies pays tribute to Cul de Sac

Pop Culture and a little tribute to another cartoonist
Nancy Beiman

FurBabies Jan 05, 2025

https://nancybeiman.substack.com/p/pop-culture

Click through the link to spot Petey and Alice in her strip, 2nd tier, first panel.

In her Substack email, Ms. Beiman noted,

One of my favorites, Richard Thompson's CUL DE SAC, is a good one to study. It had a short run, only six years, since Richard sadly left us at an early age. You can see it from beginning to end and two collections feature the original weekly strips that appeared in the Washington POST for comparison together with informative interviews with Thompson. The characters changed slightly (he eliminated Mr. Danvers the talking guinea pig fairly early on) but he never lost the focus on the eccentric children and equally eccentric adults. I've read about his working methods and discovered that he also sometimes had trouble coming up with new ideas for his projects. We all do. That doesn't always make me feel better but it helps me think in a new way.

So, there is a little 'tribute' featuring Alice and Petey Otterloop in today's strip. I figured that Mrs. Oldman could have traveled to Washington, D.C. for a Santa Claus parade that was affected by cutbacks.

I think the collections she refers to are The Complete Cul de Sac and Compleating Cul de Sac that is available for purchase online and benefits Team Cul de Sac for Parkinson's disease research.

Danielle Corsetto would save her Richard Thompson artwork

From her Patreon page - Happy Pre-Halloween Dailies Day! (used with permission)

No offense, Fennel.

I can't share this comic without sharing the original art I'd regret losing. My beloved Richard Thompson originals (forgive the reflections):

Dave Kellett's original Richard Thompson art at 1 hr 57 minutes

COMIC LAB CROSSOVER (GUIGAR + KELLETT) | PENCIL TO PENCIL } 9/18/24

JAMAR NICHOLAS, STEVE CONLEY and MIKE MANLEY

Pencil to Pencil

Sep 18, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY_TO1X4ois

WELCOME BACK to Pencil to Pencil, the creative livecast where YOU, dear viewer, get to interact LIVE with expert comic book creators. This week, your hosts, JAMAR NICHOLAS, STEVE CONLEY and MIKE MANLEY have an epic podcast crossover with the titans of creativity, BRAD GUIGAR and DAVE KELLETT of COMIC LAB PODCAST! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Guigar (Evil, Inc.) and Kellett (Sheldon, Drive, STRIPPED) are master modern cartoonists and have become a noted source on the business of comics and doing business in a changing landscape. What happens when we put our peanut butter in their chocolate?

Jason Chatfield quotes Richard Thompson 3x in his new newsletter

Jason (if I may) talks about meeting one of Richard's heroes, Edward Sorel, and then looks to Richard for some nib thoughts.  Read it here at 

'How do you decide who you're going to be when you get up in the morning?'

How one piece of advice from Edward Sorel changed my career and helped me finally find my own style.

JASON CHATFIELD

AUG 13, 2024

https://www.process-junkie.com/p/how-do-you-decide-who-youre-going

Team Cul de Sac fundraiser t-shirt by Sergio Aragones info

Hi everyone, Chris Sparks. 

Sergio Aragones was kind enough to do the art for our Team Cul de Sac shirt to raise funds for Parkinson's research.

 

I have a few xs,s and m left and more of the large, xl and 2x.

It's $35 a shirt including the shipping, supplies and fees, in the USA. 

Email me at teamculdesac@gmail.com

If you want a shirt and my PayPal email is JEDITRUE@GMAIL.COM

I will contact you as I work through the orders and wait for payment. 

I accept paypal goods and services unless it's a friend we can do friends and family.

All the shirts are WHITE. The back has the Heroescon logo! On front, it's a logo that Richard Thompson did in his own style for his first appearance in 2008.

If you have never been to Heroescon, you should plan for next year. 

Oh BTW, we made 20k at this year's drink and draw!!!!! All for Parkinson's research!

If you need multiple shirts I can do 3 per box. 

Remember, we only have White shirts. 

Invoices will be sent through my personal pp account jeditrue@gmail.com. 

Thank you Christen Ryan-Sanchez and Sergio Aragones!!!!