My Current Comic Strip Favorites

I’ve been working on a few different comic strip ideas lately (although sometimes I wonder why, but that’s another blog) and have been exploring what’s out there.

To be honest, between my stay-at-home dad duties and cartooning deadlines I rarely have time to sit down and read the funnies. But there are a few I keep bookmarked on the ol’ laptop, as well as some newer discoveries, and I thought it might be interesting to showcase my current faves.

Pearls Before Swine

Pastis’ simple graphic style and outrageously funny writing make this strip a daily must read.

Rhymes With Orange

Fresh and pulpy indeed! Hilary Price’s hysterically original panel/strip keeps me inspired to write better cartoons.

Sherman’s Lagoon

It seems like the Lagoon took a few years to climb out of the primordial comic ooze and get the attention it deserves, but I’m so glad it finally has.

Speed Bump

Dave Coverly’s cartoons are loverly. (I couldn’t resist!) Honestly, it’s the funniest panel out there. Period.

Liberty Meadows

Cho’s beautiful art and smart writing make me really really jealous. And you can’t beat Brandy! GRRR-OWL!

(Note – I used to love this strip in the paper, and it looks like it’s still appearing on Comics.com, but I think it was/is(?) also a comic book from Image. Anyone know the current status?)

Frazz

I don’t remember my school janitor being this funny. Don’t miss some great stuff, and it’s only getting better!

Spot the Frog

Mark Heath’s sweetly funny strip continues to dazzle me. Whimsical and clever, it stands out in a sea of stagnant strips.

And finally…

Get Fuzzy

I named my dog after Conley’s delightfully dumb Satchel and the strip continues to live up to its own incredibly high standards day after day. In a word – wow!

Well, that about does it. Give ’em a try if you haven’t already. I think you’ll really enjoy each and every one of them!

Christmas Cartoons in December ’04 Good Housekeeping

Talk about a wonderful Christmas gift!

The folks at Good Housekeeping were kind enough to print two of my holiday cartoons in their December 2004 issue.

I thought the Atkins reference in this Christmas cartoon might be a little dated, but apparently the low carb thing is still very popular.

I figured this Christmas cartoon had a limited shelf life as well. Another year or so, and Lord of the Rings references will be pass̩ for sure. Looks like I just made it Рwhew!

Check them out in Good Housekeeping to see them in color!

Hang In There! (Meow!)

To paraphrase that infamous “cat hanging from the branch” poster, “Hang in there! A Better Andertoons is Coming!”

There’s a lot of goofy stuff happening with our favorite cartoon website. You might notice some new fonts, links that are kinda screwy and some stuff that just plain doesn’t work very well.

But that’s because we’re doing some redesigns behind the scenes to make Andertoons.com an even easier and more fun cartoon website!

I’ll fill you in more fully when everything is working correctly again, but in the mean time… Hang in there!

“Playboy: 50 Years: The Cartoons” – Review

The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker has been receiving the lion’s share of the cartoon press lately (and indeed I’ll also review it soon), but one outstanding cartoon collection that seems to have been largely ignored this year is the wonderful Playboy – 50 Years: The Cartoons.

This beautifully realized 368-page volume contains such legends as Eldon Dedini, Jules Feiffer, Shel Silverstein, Erich Sokol (one of my personal favorites) and Gahan Wilson as well as a host of other brilliant artists (including some great Vargas).

OK, a lot of the material involves sex and nudity, but what’s surprising is how honestly inoffensive the material is. Playboy has always been the classiest of the men’s magazines and it presents cartoons that are titillating without being overtly graphic (think sexy, not filthy).

Take Kilban’s wife in a nighty remarking to her cymbal clasping husband as he climbs into bed, “Not tonight dear… I have a headache.”

Or Erickson’s woman having just disrobed for her physical finding a naked doctor shouting “Surprise!”

Of course there’s a lot of material that has nothing to do with sex at all. LeLievre’s “Mach 10” razor includes blades that “read the whiskers its rights” and “counsels the whisker and gives it a hug.”

And there are few cartoon books out there that present such beautiful full page full color cartoons, much less the treasure trove that Playboy has.

My wife was a little concerned about me buying this huge chunk of Playboy, but even she laughed at the cartoons as I showed them to her (although she still won’t let me get a subscription).

Please don’t miss your opportunity to pick up Playboy – 50 Years: The Cartoons in hardcover. It’s a brilliant collection that will keep any cartoon fan blushing and laughing for years to come.