Month: July 2007

Other Cartoon Blogs You Should Be Reading #3

andertoons1 Comment

Spot-2Mark Heath creates Spot the Frog for millions of newspaper fans everywhere.  He also creates the STF Radio Theater, is a stand-up guy, and, of course, pens a top-notch blog.

Wanna read what an honest-to-goondess comic strip artist/writer thinks about?  Sure you do!  So go read the Spot the Frog Blog!

And then return to me!  Like a bloggy boomerang!

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Other Cartoon Blogs You Should Be Reading #2

andertoons2 Comments

RichmondTom Richmond is one of those guys you idolize as a kid; he’s an artist for Mad, he’s huge, and he’s got his own Batman outfit.  (OK, truth be told, I wanna be Tom too.)

Plus he finds the time for really interesting in-depth blog posts that make you admire him even more!

Curse you, Richmond!  (Now, back to reading your blog…)

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Other Cartoon Blogs You Should Be Reading #1

andertoons3 Comments

This week I’m gonna take the focus off of me and either remind you of, or introduce you to some other great cartoon blogs.

Today’s pick?  Mike Lynch Cartoons!

Mike WebRegular readers will recognize ol’ Lynchy McLynch (as he likes, nay, demands, to be called) from his many comments (and awkward come ons), but if you aren’t reading his blog you’re really missing out.

Mike has some of the best insights into gag cartooning around, and, except for the occasional Star Trek foray, he pretty much stays on topic (unlike another cartoonist you’re reading right now.  Seriously, I blogged about an orange stool last week.  What the hell?!).

And if you wanna see lots and lot of pics of cartoonists, Mike’s blog is the place!

Also, go read his cartoons.  He’s really really really funny!

I could continue raving about Mike, but I still want someone reading my blog occasionally, so that’s enough.

Another great cartoon blog tomorrow!

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Today’s Writing

andertoons3 Comments

One of the tricks I use when writing is to scan the newspaper for catch phrases and/or idioms I can twist around for gags.

Today, went quicker than most (about a half hour for four gags), and I thought with the extra time I’d show you how it went:

Writing1



I just sorta scribble down words and phrases as I find them, and then go back to the paper for more.  As I’m reading and scribbling, stuff ferments a little and ideas start coming:

  • "Job Security" is one I’ve done a lot with, so no surprise that there’s nothing there today.
  • "Sexual Tension" for some reason brought out the Sidney Harris is me.  I thought it would be funny to have sexual tension as part of some sort of complicated formula.  A little later I thought of the male and female symbols, and it all sort of fell together.
  • "Legal Maneuvers" brought the Heimlich maneuver to mind, and although it took a little to whittle down the caption, I think it worked out nicely.
  • "High Profile" wrote itself, and I have no idea why my sketch of a man in profile includes a ponytail.
  • "Track Record" was percolating for a bit with a man interviewing in track shoes, but it never really materialized.
  • "Boxed Wines" went nowhere fast.
  • "Hall Czar" came from a headline about a "Telecom Czar."  "War Czar" is abuzz right now, so I thought taking it down to a kid’s level would be a good way to poke some fun.  It ended up a little more political and topical than I like to get, but it is what it is.

Here are the gags rewritten for further marinating in the ol’ idea box:

Writing2

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