Sunday Funnies - Library of Congress - 3 of 3

Happy Sunday and time for part 3 of 3 of "Featuring the Funnies" from The Library of Congress.

This week featuring glimpses at "Child's Play" (Ray Billingsly, Charles Schulz), "WorkingWomen" (Martin Micheal Branner, Dale Messick, Alfred E. Hayward), "Crime Pays" (Alex Raymond, Chester Gould, Charles W. Kahles), "Masterpiece Theatre" (Winsor McCay, Walt Kelly, Martha Orr) and "Gags" (Mike Peters).

It would have been grand to see this exhibit for real and see the other works featured in the articles.  Original inks by Segar, McCay, Kelly and all the grand masters.  To be in the same room as works by Schulz, Herriman and Grey.  My head and heart reel.

sigh.

Talk to you soon.

Lost Charles Schulz Interview?

While digging through some boxes of magazines, hoping to come across the missing 2 issues of "Nemo" to post here, I came across a few issues of something called "The Aspiring Cartoonist". I have no recolection of buying these, but I have a few scattered issues. It's a simple 2 color 16 page saddle stitched newsletter which touted itself as the "Newsletter for the professional, non-professional, and curious in the cartooning community.


Here in the second issue it's got a slick little chat with Charles M. Schulz hisself, and I'm thinking this is an interview not seen by many. Either back in the day this was printed (early 90's I'd guess) and certainly not since.

I hope you enjoy!

Talk to you soon.

"The Schulz System" - Nemo #31 part 2 of 2

I don't care for the title of this article, "The Schulz System: Why Peanuts Works", the second half of "Nemo: the Classic Comics Library" issue 31. It sounds like the work of an artist can be broken down into spreadsheets and pie-charts and analyzed by some part of your right-brain and then recreated and duplicated in a lab by an intern.

But the article is good.

The things Charles Schulz brought to the drawing board were inherent, and examining each facet can add to our appreciation of his work and the art form of the comic strip itself. And this article does add to our appreciation, for sure.

Enjoy!

Talk to you soon.

"Charles Schulz Interview" - Nemo #31 part 1

"Nemo: the Classic Comics Library" ended it's run with issue #31...kind of.

Almost 3 years after #30, #31 was published as a farewell to a proud run of outstanding tributes to a true American art form and if you flipped the book over...printed upside down in the back half (this issue was thicker than the rest and square bound) was a posthumous issue #32. I treated it as a gift from some folks who had given me a lot already.

Alphabetically listed (there's no other fair way) Hal Foster, Chester Gould, Harold Gray, George Herriman, Walt Kelly, Gary Larsen, Winsor McCay, E.C. Segar, Charles Schulz, Bill Watterson are my top 10 favorite comic strip artists. A unique category of cartoonists who, unlike comic books or animation, are the sole progenitor of their own vision. A one-man-army of creativity that is a constant fascination to me.

#31 of "Nemo" devoted itself whole-heartedly to one of these men, Charles Schulz.

It's a good read. Enjoy.

Talk to you soon.