20 Questions with Stephan Pastis

To newspaper comics fans, Stephan Pastis, the creator of the popular strip PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, needs no introduction.

PBS, which features Rat and Pig, is a certified hit. Syndicated in 600 papers, the strip has spawned numerous best-selling compilation books. Here’s hoping it becomes a licensing bonanza, too. I’d love to have a little plush Rat suction-cupped to my car window.

Stephan was gracious enough to answer my questions via phone a few weeks back, especially so because my cheap microphone/headphone setup made it difficult for him to hear me (curse you, Best Buy!).

Nominated four times for best newspaper comic strip by the National Cartoonist Society, Pearls has won the award twice, in 2003 and 2006.

My favorite PBS strips are from the weeklong arc in June 2005 featuring Osama Bin Laden and the Family Circus. Truly inspired!

Check out PBS daily, buy the books, read more about Stephan at his web site, and follow his blog, which is updated far more frequently (and humorously) than this one .

20 QUESTIONS WITH STEPHAN PASTIS

1. When you were a kid, did you want to be a cartoonist? Did you draw?

Oh, yes. When I came home from school, my mom would provide me with paper and it gave me something to do.

2. What was your first paying cartoon job?

I submitted a cartoon when I was 11 to the Pasadena Star News for the little children’s section of the comics page. They bought it and they paid me two dollars.

3. Describe the process you went through to get PEARLS BEFORE SWINE syndicated.

I submitted three different strips to the syndicates, maybe four, before PEARLS. They rejected all of them. And then I submitted PEARLS in 1999 and both United and King were interested and I went with United. Then Scott Adams endorsed the strip and told all his fans to read it. And that’s when it sort of took off.

4. Why doesn’t rat smile more?

Maybe I should use that Johnny Cash answer. When people asked, "Why do you wear black?" Johnny said, "When the world’s a better place, I’ll stop wearing black." Maybe that’s the answer.

5. What’s your favorite rejected strip or gag?

I once had Rat and Pig at a funeral, and they had the giggles. Rat was trying to make Pig stop giggling, so he said the name of a comic strip and immediately everyone stopped laughing. The implication being that the comic was so unfunny, it could actually make people stop laughing. No I can’t tell you the name of the strip, but that’s why they nixed it. They said, "Oh, the creator is such a nice guy, you’d really hurt his feelings."

6. Where do you stand in the print comics vs. web comics debate?

I think it’s an artificial distinction. To me there are two kinds of strips: funny strips and not-funny strips. I don’t really care how it gets transmitted to the world; I lump them into those two categories.

7. Newspaper comics are considered pretty tame compared to TV and other media. Do you find this limiting or do you welcome the challenge?

I think the challenge probably makes you a better writer, but it’s very limiting. I would much rather have the whole keyboard of comedy open to me rather than just the black notes on the piano. It’s like we have just one set of keys and everyone else gets the whole keyboard. So sure, that’s limiting.

8. Name five of your favorite comic strips or cartoonists.

THE FAR SIDE, 1960s-era PEANUTS, GET FUZZY, DILBERT, PERRY BIBLE FELLOWSHIP — that’s a great one.

9. Do you think Ziggy shaves his head or was he born without hair?

Bigger question: Why doesn’t he wear pants?

10. How do you develop ideas? Which comes first, words or pictures?

Sometimes pictures, but almost always words. I’m much more a verbal cartoonist than a visual one – out of necessity.

11. Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

No, I really don’t. I mean there are days when I don’t have anything, but there’s always stuff to make fun of. And if there’s not, I’ll just do a FAMILY CIRCUS joke.

12. Who do you want to play YOU in the PEARLS BEFORE SWINE live-action film?

Oh, I think there’s only one person who could play me: Brad Pitt.

13. What kind of editor do you prefer, hands-on or laissez-faire?

None, so I guess that would be laissez-faire.

14. What are your favorite books, TV shows, songs and films? (Yes, that counts as one question.)

Books: Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O’Toole, funniest book ever. Then the ones I re-read every couple of years…Death of a Salesman, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Great Gatsby, and Hemingway’s short stories.

TV: The British version of The Office, the other Ricky Gervais show, Extras, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Flight of the Concords.

Songs: I’m a big U2 fan with my favorite song ever being "Bad" from the Unforgettable Fire.

Films: Kill Bill is probably my favorite single film, followed closely by 8 ½ by Fellini, Ran by Kurosawa, and Lawrence of Arabia.

15. What are your tools of the trade?

Physically how I create the strip? A pen and paper. Does anyone really care about this stuff? (laughing) Does anyone really care what type of pen I use? I’ll tell ‘em. It’s a Kuretake pen and just Strathmore Bristol board. I’m very simple. If you looked at my desk you’d see pen, pencil, eraser, and paper. I use the computer to clean up the strips and add the grayscale.

16. What’s the worst job you ever had?

Well, I didn’t like being an attorney, so I’ll say that.

17. Have you met any of your cartoonist idols? Under what circumstances?

I‘ve been really lucky there. Schulz, just by stalking him and showing up where he ate breakfast; Berke Breathed, just by being on a panel with him in New Orleans; Scott Adams, because he lives not too far from me. Never met Watterson; never met Larson. I would love to meet Larson. Two people on earth I want to meet more than anybody else: I want to meet Bob Dylan and Gary Larson, neither of which will probably ever happen, but a man can dream.

18. What advice would you give aspiring cartoonists?

Entertain yourself. Sounds ridiculously simple, but it’s much harder than it looks. You think you are, but more often than not, you’re playing to an audience, trying to entertain others. When you try to do that, you entertain no one. Just try and make yourself laugh. I once asked Scott Adams that question. I said, "You’re so funny when you write; how do you do that?" He said, "I write to my brother. I imagine my brother reading it."

19. How important are awards?

When I lose, not very important. When I win, they’re everything.

20. What’s something that nobody knows about you?

I’m afraid of dogs. If there’s a barking dog in someone’s house, I won’t visit them. That’s the first question I ask. When someone invites me over I ask, "Do you have a dog?" If they say, "Yeah," I don’t go.

20 Questions with Tom Cheney

Tom Cheney is one of America’s premiere gag cartoonists.

Let’s see what Wikipedia says about Tom:

“His work has appeared in over 500 publications in the United States and other countries, including National Lampoon, The Harvard Business Review, Mad Magazine, Hustler, Penthouse, The Wall Street Journal, Punch, Barron’s Magazine, and the “Commies From Mars” comic book series. He was the 1985 winner of the Charles M. Schulz Outstanding Cartoonist Award for his work in magazine cartooning, and his work has been spotlighted on ABC Nightline, CNN, and NBC News. Tom is presently living with a harem of nubile young women on an uncharted isle.”

Apparently that last line was added by some prankster. Damn that peer-edited site.

You can check out Tom’s hilarious New Yorker cartoons here.


20 Questions with Tom Cheney


1. When you were a kid, did you want to be a cartoonist? Did you draw?

Now that I think about it, I've probably always been a cartoonist. I've been drawing ever since I can remember, and it's been a deeply ingrained pastime my whole life. Some days, after I'm done drawing for a living, I draw to relax. I'd spend hours as a kid, filing my drawing tablets with stick figure characters doing unspeakable things to each other.

2. What was your first paying cartoon job?

First cartoon sale was to Easy Riders Magazine, back in 1976. I didn't expect to find a check in my batch of rejects, and I nearly fainted when I saw it. I was expecting a rejection slip.

3. You’ve done cartoons for magazines, greeting cards, books. How did you get into the gag cartoon field?

I like all forms of cartooning, but the gag cartoon presents the biggest challenge for me. Also, there was a hot market for the gag cartoon when I was breaking into the business, and that's where some of the big money was, especially with the men's magazines. The cartoonists who inspired me the most at that time were gag cartoonists, and I felt it was something I could do well.

4. Why is the single panel gag superior to the comic strip?

The single panel gag cartoon is a bomb that goes off in your face. There's no set-up or warning, as with a comic strip. A comic strip gives the reader time to take cover. A gag cartoon sucker punches you, and it takes a lot of wit and cleverness to do that.

5. You’re incredibly prolific. How many cartoons do you draw on an average day?

These days I try for 10 really strong cartoons per week, but I used to create 7 per day; 3 per day if I was doing full page color gags for the men’s magazines. Keeping the same pace now that I did as a younger cartoonist would probably kill me.

6. What’s your favorite rejected cartoon?

An earless Vincent Van Gogh sitting in the emergency room waiting area with a bloody bandage over his groin. He says to the guy next to him. "When she said I was a bad listener, I cut off my ear...last night, she said I was a lousy lay."

7. What’s the future of gag cartooning? Magazines? The Internet?

The future of gag cartooning is grim. It's getting too expensive for magazines and newspapers to keep publishing. Getting published on the internet is like getting noticed for peeing in the pool. There's just no challenge there, because anybody can stick up a cartoon without having to deal with rejection or the editing process. Hopefully, if publications go digital, they'll continue to buy and use the gag cartoon and pay cartoonists enough to make it worth their best efforts.

8. Name five of your favorite cartoonists.

John Caldwell, Eric Decetis, Sam Gross, Charles Addams, and Charles Rodgrigues. All of these guys have walked out to the edge and given us a good look at how powerful the gag cartoon can be.

9. Who would win in a cage match, James Thurber or Charles Addams?

Charles Addams, because James Thurber only had one good eye. He'd never see those left hooks coming.

10. How do you develop ideas? Which comes first, words or pictures?

I usually start my writing sessions with a few doodles, then try to develop concepts by putting two things together that don't belong together...such as a prehistoric scene with a limo driving through it, and one of the cave men saying something like, "Well, I guess some of us just can't appreciate the Pleistocene era." I wish I had a set formula for coming up with gags. What it really boils down to is thinking, thinking, thinking. Drawing is fun...gagwriting is torture.

11. Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

I always worry about running out of ideas, but I just keep reminding myself that times are always changing, and with these changes come new annoying cliches that drive us crazy until a cartoonist relieves the tension.

12. You’re a staff cartoonist at The New Yorker. That sounds like a dream gig. How did that come about?

I submitted a batch of cartoons to The New Yorker each week for 18 years, non-stop, and they finally offered me a contract. It's been the most challenging and rewarding gig of my career, and I consider myself lucky to be with them. It's hard work, and they expect nothing less than my best efforts, but the results are always worth it. The best fan mail I get is from New Yorker readers who liked a particular cartoon I did.

13. What kind of editor do you prefer, hands-on or laissez-faire?

Ideally, the more laissez-faire the better, but a good hands-on editor can actually have a positive influence on a cartoonist's work. Lee Lorenz helped me a great deal when asking for particular drawing changes, and I learned a lot from his his editing. On the other hand, I've worked with editors who weren't qualified to compose grocery lists, let alone work with professional cartoonists.

14. What are your favorite books, TV shows, songs and films? (Yes, that counts as one question.)

Favorite books: Tattoo by Earl Thompson.
Favorite TV show: COPS
Favorite Songs: Anything Blues or Jazz
Favorite Movie: The Last Detail

15. What are your tools of the trade?

I've gone through quite a few pens. My favorite for the longest time was the Pelikan 120 medium point, but it's become a dinosaur and I can't find replacement nibs for it. Lately I'm using a filed down Crow Quill (Hunt 108.) Pencil is a 2 mm lead holder with B grade lead, and my favorite brush is the Windsor and Newton Series 7, #7 round. I used Dr. Martins for color work, along with transparent watercolors. I avoid using a computer for color, simply because I don't want my work looking like everyone else’s.

16. What’s the best part about being a cartoonist?

I don't own an alarm clock, there's no commute, I can live anywhere I want (Hawaii,) and I get paid to draw pictures of every idiotic thought that pops into my head. How can it possibly get better than that?

17. Have you met any of your cartoonist idols? Under what circumstances?

I've met Lee Lorenz and Randy Glasbergen, but they're the only two cartoonists I've ever had the honor of meeting.

18. What advice would you give aspiring cartoonists?

Stay with it. Even though it may seem fruitless and hopeless right now, it will be worth it in the long run. Every drawing you do, no matter how complex or simple, teaches you how to do the next drawing and how to be better at what you do. Remember that you're not just telling jokes or making cute drawings...you're also in possession of a very powerful weapon. You'll be able to reach people and change minds the way no politician, clergyman, or poet could ever dream of.

19. How important are awards?

If you're a pro, then awards that offer cash are very important. If you're just getting a little statue or a plaque, hell, you can do that by baking pies for the county fair. I've seen awards go to some of the worst hacks and dullards in the business, while the greatest cartoonists I've ever known continue to quietly amaze and dazzle their readers in relative obscurity. An award that doesn't help you pay your bills or beat a deadline isn't worth that much.

20. What’s something that nobody knows about you?

If I told you that, we'd BOTH get arrested.

Wednesday's Toon

20 Questions with Mark Buford

As a lover of all things monstrous and macabre, I’m a big fan of Mark Buford’s comic strip SCARY GARY.

SCARY GARY chronicles the adventures of Gary, a suburbanized vampire, and his demonic sidekick, Leopold. One of my favorite characters, of course, is Travis, the severed head in a jar.

Mark’s strip is consistently funny, wonderfully drawn and terrifically twisted.

You can read SCARY GARY in finer newspapers and online daily at GoComics.



1. When you were a kid, did you want to be a cartoonist? Did you draw?

Yes and yes. Like a lot of cartoonists, the day I was introduced to PEANUTS, I picked up a pen and haven't put it down since. Beyond that, I guess I'm fortunate to have artistic ability (and inclination) as part of my genetic make-up (my Mom and sister are both very talented artists).

2. What was your first paying cartoon job?

In the early 90's, the late Jay Kennedy bought one of my single panels for his NEW BREED feature.

3. Newspapers haven’t run many horror-themed comics. Now, along with SCARY GARY, there’s LIO. Describe the process you went through to get SCARY GARY syndicated.

After I had the idea in mind, I went about the business of putting together about six weeks of dailies to submit to the syndicates. That part of the submission process always takes the longest for me, as I'm working with brand new characters. After I submitted to all the major syndicates I waited. One day about three months (and three rejection notes) later, Creators called. With past submissions I was used to being subjected to a development period before a final decision was made.

With SCARY GARY, however, Creator's was prepared to launch the strip as it was, offering to overnight a contract to me the day they called. I felt very fortunate (and flattered) that they had such faith in the material. About six months later the strip was officially launched.









4. Tell us a little bit about MEATLOAF NIGHT.

Ah, yes. MEATLOAF NIGHT was my first syndicated strip. It was about a bunch of kids and their pets growing up in the suburbs. Handled by United Media, the strip ran from 1997 to 2000. It was a great learning experience for me with regard to gag writing, character development and how the syndication business works in general. Ultimately, the subject matter wasn't quite right for me (I feel much more at home with acerbic, hateful monsters than with cute kids and animals), but working with U.M. was a great experience.

5. What’s your favorite rejected strip or gag?

Years ago I submitted a strip called LOUNGE LIZARDS, about a couple of cheesy, sleazy lounge singers. It didn't fly with any of the syndicates, but I really liked it.

6. Where do you stand in the print comics vs. web comics debate?

I think web comics have huge potential, at least with regard to the material. There's just so much more one can do with it. One of my favorite web comics is THE PERRY BIBLE FELLOWSHIP. I don't think it would fly in newspapers, but it's perfect for the web. I guess there are several debate points concerning web vs. print comics. I hope I got within range of one of them with my response.

7. Newspaper comics are considered pretty tame compared to TV and other mediums. SCARY GARY features a vampire, his demonic sidekick, and a disembodied head in the jar. Have you had any trouble with newspaper editors or readers objecting to the “dark” humor?

Fortunately, and surprisingly, no. I've had no issues with anything that could be regarded as too harsh or horrifying with any of our markets.









8. Name five of your favorite comic strips or cartoonists.

GILL (Norm Feuti), THE PERRY BIBLE FELLOWSHIP (Nicholas Gurewitch), DILBERT, LIO and IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU (Tony Murphy).

9. Who’s scarier, the Mother-in-Law of Frankenstein or the Teenage Daughter of Frankenstein?

Mother-in-Law. Frankenstein would have to constantly listen to her say, "You're not good enough for my undead child."

10. How do you develop ideas?

Which comes first, words or pictures? Always the words first. Cartooning is more satisfying to me if I'm able to find the funny through words rather that site gags.

11. Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

All the time. That fear is like a snarling, feral dog just outside the door of my brain. I guess it'll finally claw its way in one day.

12. Who do you want to play Leopold in the SCARY GARY live-action film?

I've never thought about SCARY GARY as a live-action film, but for an animated version, I think John C. McGinley would be perfect for Leopold. He was so wonderfully vicious and sarcastic on Scrubs.

13. What kind of editor do you prefer, hands-on or laissez-faire?

Hands on at first, then laissez-faire when the cartoonist and the strip are firing on all cylinders. Luckily, Creator's (my syndicate) feels the same way, so we've worked well together.

14. What are your favorite books, TV shows, songs and films? (Yes, that counts as one question).

My favorite TV show is 30 Rock. One of my favorite books is The Education of Little Tree by Asa Earl Carter (under the pseudonym Forrest Carter). I don't really have a favorite song, but I like Beck a lot. And I like Yo La Tengo.

15. What are your tools of the trade?

On 400 series Strathmore Bristol Board I use a mechanical pencil, a crow quill (dip ink) pen and Staedtler Mars Pigment liners for nits and nats. Then Adobe PhotoShop for zipatone patterns, lettering and coloring.

16. What’s the best part about being a cartoonist?

Getting paid for doing something I'm passionate about.

17. Have you met any of your cartoonist idols? Under what circumstances?

I got to meet Charles Schulz at a Reubens convention years ago. That was amazing. I also hoisted a couple of beers with Scott Adams at the same convention. Scott's work is the reason SCARY GARY is a three-panel strip. For me, his gag writing ability (and structure) is unparalleled.

18. What advice would you give aspiring cartoonists?

Never give up. Be humble enough to realize that if you're just starting out, you've got a lot to learn. Don't take rejection personally. With each rejection note (I have a drawer full of them), figure out the things that may be wrong with your material and don't do those things any more.

19. How important are awards?

Since I never won one, not very. I'm sure my answer will change if I'm ever nominated for one.

20. What’s something that nobody knows about you?

As I'm writing these responses, I'm wearing my underclothes. I just finished eating some organic hemp waffles topped with fresh berries, and there's a big blackberry stain on my undershirt. I'm slightly distressed that the stain will not completely come out. Oh, also, I have a gigantic crush on Laura Linney.

20 Questions with Andrew Feinstein

GIRLS & SPORTS is a true comic-strip phenomenon.

Created by Justin Borus and Andrew Feinstein, the strip was self-syndicated in over 100 newspapers when Creators approached the duo with a contract. If getting your strip syndicated sounds hard, try doing it all yourself—mailing sales kits, making calls, sending out material, following up – all while producing a consistently funny daily comic strip.

The G&S empire has grown even bigger, with animated shorts, greeting cards, and publishing.

I don’t know how Andrew and Justin do it. Maybe they’re juiced. But don’t worry, I won’t ask for any urine tests. However these guys produce GIRLS & SPORTS, I hope they keep it up for a long time to come.

You can read the strip online here, or in finer newspapers across the country.

Be sure to check out the G&S book, too.

1. When you were a kid, did you want to be cartoonist?

I've wanted to be a cartoonist for as long as I can remember. My mother claims that I was drawing cartoons and comics on napkins and paper place mats at restaurants from the day I could hold a crayon.

2. What was your first paying cartoon job?

Technically it was when I was in middle school drawing comics for fellow students. I'd make copies at my dad's office and sell them to my classmates. As a semi-adult, my first paying cartoon job was when I was in college and we syndicated GIRLS & SPORTS to other college newspapers.

3. Describe the process you went through to get GIRLS & SPORTS syndicated.

Like most comics, GIRLS & SPORTS was unceremoniously rejected by all the syndicates upon first and second submission. But rather than wait for another round of rejections, we self-syndicated GIRLS & SPORTS to college and mainstream newspapers ourselves. After GIRLS & SPORTS appeared in over 100 non-college newspapers in addition to over 75 college newspapers, Creators Syndicate reached out to us and offered us a deal.

4. How tough is self-syndication (and will it make you go blind)?

It's very difficult, obviously. And while it may not make you go blind, it will make you exhausted for the rest of your life! I'm still recovering from the days when I had to draw seven comics a week AND work the phones hustling my comic strip into newspapers. If I could give prospective self-syndicators some advice, it would be to have a dedicated salesman selling the comic so that you — as the cartoonist — can focus on the creative side of the comic strip.

5. What’s your favorite rejected strip or gag?

See below!









6. Where do you stand in the print comics vs. web comics debate?

I'm unclear as to what the debate is. I think web comics are great. The fact that any cartoonist anywhere can bypass newspaper editors and syndicates and get their work exposed directly to prospective readers is incredibly positive. I also think it's great that syndicated comic strips are now available to be read by anyone, anytime and in any place. And that's the way it should be.

That being said, the syndicates collectively dropped the ball by giving away their content for free years ago — just as newspapers are paying the price (literally) by giving their content away for free.

Anyone can do a web comic, but very few can produce a quality web comic that's profitable just as very few can produce a quality syndicated comic strip that's profitable. In an ideal world, syndicated comic strips that appear on the web would get paid for the amount of eyeballs they attract, rather than some tiny percentage of ad revenue.

7. Newspaper comics are considered pretty tame compared to TV and other media. Do you find this limiting or is it a welcome challenge?

Very limiting. Especially when you do a comic strip about dating, drinking and sex like we do. On the one hand, we're often "too edgy" for the newspapers, but on the other hand, we're not considered edgy enough for a web comic. So we're stuck in the middle and yes, it's a welcome challenge to make both audiences happy.

This Sunday comic strip got us in trouble in Arkansas with conservatives who lashed out about us showing a pre-married couple in bed together. This should give you an idea of the limitations out there.












8. Name five of your favorite comic strips or cartoonists.

In no particular order: THE LOCKHORNS (comic strip), PEARLS BEFORE SWINE (comic strip), Drew Litton (editorial sports cartoonist), Mike Peters and Jerry Scott (BABY BLUES and ZITS). My all-time favorite is THE FAR SIDE and I also love New Yorker cartoons.

9. How old do you think Mary Worth really is, and do you think she’s had some work done?

In the world of GIRLS & SPORTS, she's what you'd call a "cougar"!

10. How do you develop ideas? Which comes first, words or pictures?

Justin and I write jokes and pitch them to each other. If they meet our stringent (being sarcastic) internal review process, then I draw them. Justin then gives me edits based on the drawings or we argue about why they're drawn a certain way until we come to a consensus.

11. Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

All the time. But fortunately for us, there's always something happening in sports that we can tackle or relate to dating and relationships.

12. Who do you want to play Harris in the live-action GIRLS AND SPORTS movie?

Ooooh...tough question. Maybe Jonah Hill?

13. What kind of editor do you prefer, hands-on or laissez-faire?

Laissez-faire -- and to give my editors at Creators Syndicate credit, they really let us do our thing.

14. What are your favorite books, TV shows, songs and films? (Yes, that counts as one question.)

Books: historical non-fiction. TV Shows: Mad Men (if you read our comic strip closely, you'll understand why), The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld re-runs, any NBA game, but preferably featuring the Denver Nuggets. Films: Hoosiers, Caddyshack, Shawshank Redemption and Dumbo. How's that for a combination?

15. What are your tools of the trade?

I don't quite get the question. I'm admittedly one of the least talented syndicated cartoonists in terms of my drawing ability. But if there's one thing I believe we do well, we keep the drawing simple and consistent and the drawing never gets in the way of the jokes.

16. What’s the best part about being a cartoonist?

Since our comic strip centers on dating and relationships, there's no such thing as a bad date, a bad relationship or a bad rejection in a bar. All of that is great research for GIRLS & SPORTS (and probably a write-off, too)!

17. Have you met any of your cartoonist idols? Under what circumstances?

I've several of my cartoonist idols. I met Drew Litton when I was 10 at his desk at the Rocky Mountain News (my dad arranged it). And I met him again later in life and keep in touch to this day. I also had the privilege of meeting Jerry Scott over 10 years ago because we shared the same agent. And most recently, I got to meet the New Yorker's Bob Mankoff at his office a few years ago and met Mike Peters at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con.

18. What advice would you give aspiring cartoonists?

Have a multiple set of skills. You need to be able to draw, animate and be very tech-savvy. The days of drawing a comic strip on paper, mailing your submission to the syndicates and making a living by appearing in 200 newspapers are either over or are coming to an end.

If you like drawing and storytelling, I'd encourage you to get into CGI production and/or video game development and production. This way, you can make money doing something creative while developing your own ideas on nights/weekends. I can't in good conscience encourage an aspiring cartoonist to devote all of his/her time/money to developing a comic strip. In 2009, there are so many opportunities to be creative beyond comic strips.

19. How important are awards?

I don't think they mean much to the public, but certainly mean something among fellow cartoonists. I must confess that I don't even know who won this year's Reuben Awards. Even though the Reubens weekend took place in my backyard in Hollywood, I was in Denver following my beloved Nuggets make their first Western Conference Finals appearance in 24 years. Can you blame me?!

20. What’s something that nobody knows about you?

I have the best jump shot of all professional cartoonists sans Bob Mankoff, the New Yorker cartoon editor. But I bet I'm the only syndicated cartoonist who can dunk!

20 Questions with Kevin Fagan

Kevin Fagan’s comic strip DRABBLE debuted in 1979. Thirty years later, it’s still as funny – if not funnier—than when it launched.

Just 21 when DRABBLE started, Kevin became the nation’s youngest syndicated cartoonist.

DRABBLE appears in more than 200 newspapers worldwide. If it’s not in yours, you can follow the antics of Norman, Dad Ralph, Mom June, siblings Patrick and Penny, and Weiner Dog Wally every day at comics.com.



1. When you were a kid, did you want to be a cartoonist? Did you draw?

I always drew when I was a kid. When I was about 10, my dad suggested I become a comic strip artist.

2. What was your first paying cartoon job?

When I was at Cal State University Sacramento, I was the cartoonist for the school paper. They offered to pay me $5 per cartoon. Although I was broke, I said no thanks because I didn't want them to not run my work if they didn't have the money that week. It was exposure and experience I needed. I think the first time I got paid was when the Sacramento Union asked if they could run my cartoons now and then. They gave me $5 per cartoon. Then they went out of business. I've always felt guilty.

3. Describe the process you went through to get DRABBLE syndicated.

While in college, I sent a letter to Charles M. Schulz asking how to become syndicated. To my astonishment, he sent a reply, and included a list of newspaper syndicates. United Feature Syndicate was on that list, and nine months after my first submission, they flew out an executive with a contract. I was 21 and scared to death. But I signed it. So far, so good.

4. How much are you like Norman Drabble?

When DRABBLE started, I was exactly like Norman Drabble, except Norman had more going for him. Now that I'm older, I'm more like his dad Ralph.

5. What’s your favorite rejected strip or gag?

I did a gag where Norman tried to lick the beaters that his mom was using to make a cake. Unfortunately, he didn't turn the beaters off first. My editor called to say it was too dangerous an idea, and might cause some of my readers (the incredibly stupid ones, I guess) to try it. She refused to let it go out. Less than a year later, Garfield did the same gag, coincidentally. Our editor must have thought Jim handled it more responsibly!

6. Where do you stand in the print comics vs. web comics debate?

I don't really know what the debate is. I don't get out much.

7. Newspaper comics are considered pretty tame compared to TV and other media. Do you find this limiting or do you welcome the challenge?

It is more of a challenge, I believe, to be funny and family-friendly at the same time. It's not my nature to be over the top, anyway.

8. Name five of your favorite comic strips or cartoonists.

In no particular order, Schulz (PEANUTS) because he inspired me so much. I've always admired Bil Keane's FAMILY CIRCUS because a FAMILY CIRCUS book is much cheaper than going to family therapy. He makes those little things that drive parents crazy seem sweet and funny, which can be very helpful to stressed-out parents.

I love Mell Lazarus (MOMMA and MISS PEACH) because I don't know how one guy can draw and write two great strips all by himself. I loved the wild humor of Jim Unger's HERMAN. Completely hilarious. I admire the consistency of PICKLES by Brian Crane. There are several others I could mention, but you only asked for five.

9. Who would win in a donut-eating contest, Ralph Drabble or Homer Simpson?

I didn't watch TV much in the 90's when my kids were little, and I guess I still don't watch much now. When I realized that Homer was also a donut lover, I backed off a little with Ralph, lest anyone think I was imitating Homer.

10. How do you develop ideas? Which comes first, words or pictures?

Ideas come in a variety of ways. I try to remember that this is a visual medium and funny pictures are always good.

11. Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

I remember the first time I felt like I had done every gag possible. I was a sophomore in college. I've learned since that it is impossible to run out of ideas. The problem is that we don't always recognize good ones when they come.

12. Mall cops are hot now. Who do you want to play Ralph in the live-action film?

The term "mall cop" originated in the DRABBLE strip. I can't think of a good live-action Ralph, off the top of my head.

13. What kind of editor do you prefer, hands-on or laissez-faire?

I actually prefer the hands-on editors. I like to talk about my ideas sometimes.

14. What are your favorite books, TV shows, songs and films? (Yes, that counts as one question.)

Wow, that answer would require too much thinking.

15. What are your tools of the trade?

Paper, pencils, a B-6 speedball pen, and some fine-line technical pens. And lots of White-Out.

16. What’s the best part about being a cartoonist?

The best part about being a cartoonist is being home for my kids. They might not agree, but I liked it. It's also neat to be kind of a celebrity, but being able to go anywhere because no one knows what I look like.

17. Have you met any of your cartoonist idols? Under what circumstances?

I have met many of them at various cartoonist functions. I got to know Sparky pretty well. That was neat.

18. What advice would you give aspiring cartoonists?

Submit your work and hope for the best, and don't get discouraged easily.

19. How important are awards?

Awards are meaningless to me. Of course, if I ever win one, my opinions on the subject might change.

20. What’s something that nobody knows about you?

I don't know, either!

20 Questions with Rick Stromoski

As with Jerry King, I first noticed Rick's greeting card work. His cards were always funny and wonderfully twisted.

Rick's pretty much done it all when it comes to cartooning: comic strips, gag cartoons, greeting cards, humorous illustration, and children's books. When the Pope comes to his senses and decides to add a cartoon mural to the Sistine Chapel, Rick would be the man for the job.

Check out the daily comic, Soup 2 Nutz, at comics.com and the rest of Rick's excellent work at his very professional website (way to make the rest of us look bad, Stromoski).

1. When you were a kid, did you want to be a cartoonist? Did you draw?

I always wanted to be a cartoonist and I constantly drew. I got immense enjoyment out of drawing funny pictures. At one point I wanted to be a sports illustrator along the lines of Bart Forbes and Bernie Fuchs but I couldn't control water color like those two did...they were masters. So I stuck with what I did best and focused on humorous illustration.

2. What was your first paying cartoon job?

I sold a B/W spot cartoon to Hustler Humor magazine and I still have the check. It's framed and hanging in my studio...$7.50 signed by Lary Flynt. If it was $10, I probably would've cashed it and bought beer.

3. Describe the process you went through to get SOUP 2 NUTZ syndicated.

I'm pretty good friends with Amy Lago, who I met through attending the Reuben weekends over the years. I'd been syndicated before in the late 80's with Universal Press, but my freelance career was in full swing and I really didn't have the time to focus on developing a strip, but through gentle nudging Amy convinced me that I should give it another shot.

You're supposed to write what you know so I came up with this strip about a dysfunctional catholic family. I also wanted to create not just another family strip, but one that resonated with my childhood experiences where you built model airplanes and then set them on fire, found Playboy magazines in the woods and hid them under your mattress, have a beloved pet turtle die, bury it in the backyard and then dig him back up after a month....things you'd never see little Jeffy do in the FAMILY CIRCUS.

I also wanted to create a character you don't see in the comics pages but we all knew or were growing up as a kid in Andrew. Andrew is what you'd probably call a sissy or Nancy Boy. He plays with Barbies, sings show tunes, wears the occasional tutu, is pretty bad at sports but is the eternal optimist. His brother Royboy would bully him but nothing phases him...he's comfortable in his own skin and as he is. I get a lot of positive feedback from the gay community on Andrew.

4. You’re also an accomplished greeting card artist. How did you get started doing cards?

I always made my own birthday cards for my family members as a kid and just naturally gravitated towards that industry early in my career. The alternative card market was going full swing then and several companies were looking to freelancers to purchase designs.

I never signed an exclusive contract with any company since doing so would limit my options. Unless a company was willing to guarantee a certain amount of designs they'd buy from me, I insisted in keeping my options open. Some companies would want a right of first refusal so I'd negotiated a higher advance and/or royalty for that privilege.

Quite often a rejected design by the first company would be purchased by another on my list and become a bestseller.

5. What’s your favorite rejected strip or gag?

I had to change the third panel to "maybe he has to wear rubber pants".... not as funny.

6. Where do you stand in the print comics vs. web comics debate?

There's a debate? Like all industries, comics evolve and that evolution is leaning towards the web. When content is no longer given away for free, then creators will make a decent living there. Print will always be around.

7. Newspaper comics are considered pretty tame compared to TV and other media. Do you find this limiting or do you welcome the challenge?

I think there's room for more leniency regarding what could be seen on the comics pages, but I'd hate to see the day when the "F' bomb is acceptable. I see a lot of web comics that just drop profanity and scatology into the dialog for the only reason being because they can. I think it takes a greater skill to slip double entendres into the mix then to just hit readers over the head with a hammer. A gag is funnier if the reader is involved with figuring out the meaning, versus the anvil approach.

8. Name five of your favorite comic strips or cartoonists.

Lynda Barry is a brilliant writer. She can make you laugh and cry in the same strip; Hap Kliban was the FAR SIDE before there was a FAR SIDE and all the clones that followed; Oliver Christianson — wonderful deviant irreverence ...whenever I was looking through a magazine or collection and saw a Revilo cartoon was there, I knew I was going to be laughing out loud in about four seconds; Gahan Wilson — a complete original in style and outlook. Mell Lazarus — encouraged me when I was tending bar as a pup in L.A. He's older than dirt but is the last to go to bed Reuben weekend.

One Reubens, it was about 2:00 a.m., and Mell encouraged a group of us to raid our mini-bars and meet back down in the lobby to continue the party. At about 4:00, I announced I was going to my room when Mell said to me, "Where the hell do you think you're going?" I said, "To bed." His one word response: "pussy." I sheepishly returned to my chair... I love that man.

My favorite web cartoonist is Owen Dunne (YOU DAMN KID)...unbelievably funny man.

9. Should Sarge face a military tribunal for his incessant abuse of Beetle Bailey?

He should be waterboarded.

10. How do you develop ideas? Which comes first, words or pictures?

Usually the writing comes first, but sometimes I take the Scott Adams approach and just start drawing in the first panel and a gag develops out of nowhere. The idea is to narrow your focus. I pick a subject, like toast, and free associate or brainstorm...what're all the things that can be associated with toast? Toast can burn, butter knife in the toaster can electrocute, what do you put on toast, etc., etc.

Sometimes it works; other times I just go steal something from Mark Tatulli.

11. Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

No. I worry more about whether the Pittsburgh Pirates will ever have another winning season in my lifetime.

12. Who do you want to play Royboy in the SOUP 2 NUTZ live-action film?

Steve McGarry, but he'd have to lose a few pounds.

13. What kind of editor do you prefer, hands-on or laissez-faire?

I had the privilege to work with the best editors in the business over the years: Lee Salem, Jake Morrissey, Jay Kennedy and Amy Lago. They all had one thing in common, excellent instincts. I usually yielded to their take on issues.

14. What are your favorite books, TV shows, songs and films? (Yes, that counts as one question.)

Books — Chris Van Allsburg (he’s the Rod Serling of Children's books)
TV— Anything by Ricky Gervais
Songs — Sadao Watanabe’s "No Problem"
Films —Spartacus

15. What are your tools of the trade?

I draw on 500 series Strathmore three-ply Bristol; I draw with Speedball black waterproof India ink out of an antique inkwell with a hinged brass lid; I use Esterbrook Radio nibs of various sizes from the 1950s that I buy in bulk on eBay and various watercolor brushes.

16. What’s the best part about being a cartoonist?

The wheelbarrows of money that come in and the free donuts.

17. Have you met any of your cartoonist idols? Under what circumstances?

I met most of my cartooning contemporaries at NCS conventions and local chapter meetings. Pretty much to a person the nicest people you ever want to meet. To my surprise, some of the biggest names have the humblest of egos.

18. What advice would you give aspiring cartoonists?

There are easier ways to make a living, but in my mind no better way to make a living. …And avoid posting on bulletin boards...it just gets you in trouble.

19. How important are awards?

They are nice, but ultimately meaningless because of their subjectiveness. They also do nothing for your career. Your work is what's most important. The best award is one that says "Pay to the order of..."

20. What’s something that nobody knows about you?

I hit a golf ball through a stained glass window of the Catholic Church across the street from my house when I was a kid. I was whacking golf balls with a baseball bat and one errant shot went through the depiction of the tenth station of the cross where Jesus was stripped of his garments. I put a hole right through his belly button.

The following Sunday, Father Duffy's sermon was about rampant vandalism and the deteriorating morals of our youth. I squirmed in the pew as Father Duffy got redder and redder in the face. It was as if he was speaking directly to me.

I almost dramatically confessed in front of the entire congregation ala Claude Rains at the end of Mr. Smith goes to Washington...but I thought better of it.

20 Questions with Dan Thompson

If you like rock-’em, sock-’em action-adventure strips with a healthy helping of humor, hot babes, and talking dogs, you’ll love Dan Thompson’s RIP HAYWIRE.

Dan’s a great cartoonist (and a great guy), and like the best ’toonsmiths, he just draws funny.

If RIP isn’t in your local paper, bug the editor and ask firmly, yet politely, that it be added to the comics page. You can also read it online daily here.


1. When you were a kid, did you want to be a cartoonist? Did you draw?

I only did three things as a kid:
1) Play with Star Wars action figures
2) Watch the Brady Bunch, The Monkees, and Welcome Back Kotter (occasionally What's Happenin')
3) Draw

2. What was your first paying cartoon job?

I landed a sweet gig at an animation studio in Connecticut that created children's CD-ROM games, and some direct-to-video educational cartoons. I was hired along with ten other artists — all who went to big art and animation schools. I still scratch my head how I got the job with zero skills or schooling, but they kept me around, and I landed in the inking department. I did some character designs and conceptual work for them before they laid us off three or four years later.

3. Traditional continuity strips seem to be on the wane, but humorous takes like BREWSTER ROCKIT and RIP HAYWIRE seem to have breathed new life into the old format. Describe the process you went through to get RIP HAYWIRE syndicated.

At my wit’s end with rejection from the syndicates, I decided to do the comic I always dreamed of doing, which was the adventure strip but with a humorous twist. Once I created the main characters, I banged out my 24 comic strips, and sent them to the syndicates and even though it got rejected, I received great feedback from everyone I sent RIP HAYWIRE out to.

I felt I was on the right track doing Rip, so I worked on it for the next year, developed the characters, changed their looks, and sent it out almost a year to the day.

Two days after I sent out my submission, Ted Rall over at United Feature Syndicate called me and offered me a contract. We made a couple more changes to the characters (in the submission, I had Cobra's hair in a ponytail, and they felt she should always look beautiful, so I let her hair down. TNT was a Pomeranian, and they felt he should be anything but that, so, I changed him to a Collie.)

After a couple months, they sent me a contract, and almost a year to the day that Ted called me, I was having lunch with him and my editor Reed before the sales meeting in NYC in September 2008; I launched the first week of January 2009. So, technically I've been working on RIP HAYWIRE for almost two years, and it's been a blast.

4. Tell us a little bit about LOST SHEEP.

LOST SHEEP was about a little sheep named George who wanted to be more than just part of the flock, so he threw on some clothes, grabbed a backpack, and headed off to live in the city. He became roommates with Joe, and they rescued a Parrot named Frank from a pet store, and went off on silly little adventures together. I was about to send out the submission to the syndicates when I had heard about Comics Sherpa.

So, instead I bought my spot, and within six months I was on GoComics.com. It was a lot of fun, but comic strips are time consuming, and I had my goal set on newspaper syndication, so I ended it.

5. What’s your favorite rejected strip or gag?

I can't think of one off the top of my head. But with RIP HAYWIRE I haven't had anything rejected, probably because I'm still sending in my roughs and being edited closely. I'll keep you posted.

6. Where do you stand in the print comics vs. web comics debate?

I'm Switzerland. Like most cartoonists, I get frustrated with some of the people who speak for print comics and who speak for web comics, but I can't sway either party on their feelings, so I stay out of it and do my work. It is all about money, which is very important. I'm a big fan of it.

7. Newspaper comics are considered pretty tame compared to TV and other media. Do you find this limiting or do you welcome the challenge?

This is a lot like having Grandma in the car while listening to DMX. While the younger people love it, Grandma is horrified. So trying to have new edgier comics and strips that were relevant in 1940 and 1950 on the same newspaper page will force the editor to try to appease the group who's going to complain the most, which is Grandma. But on the other hand, trying to appeal to a larger audience and not just a group you identify with, is a welcome challenge. I also think the people that don't understand the new edgy comics, forget that Dick Tracy was shooting people in the head, Captain Easy had naked women running around the jungle, Mickey Mouse tried to commit suicide, Olive Oyl was always talking about Popeye making love to her.

That stuff was pretty edgy for its time, and it made people laugh, and also sit on the edge of their seats. The main problem is space, and the amount of comics a newspaper is willing to buy. If that weren’t an issue, then probably there would be a kids’ section, and vintage section, and a section for edgier new strips.

8. Name five of your favorite comic strips or cartoonists.

I can name more than five:
Jim Borgman and Jerry Scott: ZITS
Stephan Pastis: PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
Brian Crane: PICKLES
Roy Crane: CAPTAIN EASY and BUZZ SAWYER
Milton Caniff : TERRY AND THE PIRATES and STEVE CANYON
Chester Gould: DICK TRACY

9. Who’s a bigger chick magnet, Steve Canyon or Prince Valiant?

Steve Canyon.

10. How do you develop ideas? Which comes first, words or pictures?

Words, and hopefully words that lead to action. I really dislike talking head strips in a medium that should have a lot more action and life in it. If you look at all the comics that are successful, nine times out of ten, they’re much more than talking heads. The artist can write visual ideas into his/her strip.

11. Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

All the time; that's when you have to step back and try it from another direction.

12. Who do you want to play Cobra in the RIP HAYWIRE live-action film?

Megan Fox.

13. What kind of editor do you prefer, hands-on or laissez-faire?

"Hands on" right now; I'm still in my first year, and I want to learn as much as I can from all their experience in crafting ideas. Ted Rall always told me his job was to AMP things up, and he and my current editor are hilarious.

14. What are your favorite books, TV shows, songs and films? (Yes, that counts as one question.)

Books: The Terry and the Pirates, Dick Tracy collections from the Library of American Comics Collection.

TV Shows: Burn Notice, Lost, 24, Ghost Hunters, and Cheyenne (Encore westerns -- yee-haw!)

Songs: Recently "We have all the time in the world" by Louis Armstrong from the James Bond movie Her Majesty's Secret Service.

All-time music: Anything from Pearl Jam, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Robert Cray and Dave Matthews.

Films: All the Indiana Jones movies, The first four James Bond movies, the first three Star Wars films, The Jason Bourne Movies, and any Clint Eastwood or John Wayne movie ever made.

15. What are your tools of the trade?

I use Micron pens .05 .08 and a Pentel brush on either Bristol board or copy paper, and Photoshop

16. What’s the best part about being a cartoonist?

Working at home, working on projects that are fun, creative, and working your own hours.

17. Have you met any of your cartoonist idols? Under what circumstances?

Sadly, the majority of my cartoonist idols have passed away. I did meet a lot of cartoonists I really admire at the Reubens a couple years ago in Scottsdale, AZ: Bill Amend (FOXTROT), Paul Gilligan (POOCH CAFE), Dave Coverly (SPEED BUMP), Mark Pett (LUCKY COW), Rob Harrell (BIG TOP, ADAM@HOME), Mark Tatulli (LIO), Mark Parisi (OFF THE MARK), Glenn and Gary McCoy (THE FLYING MCCOYS, DUPLEX); (I roomed with Gary McCoy and Jerry King); Darrin Bell (CANDORVILLE, RUDY PARK) drove me to the airport.

I met a legend : Mell Lazarus walked into the bar I was sitting at and called me a sissy for drinking a Pina Colada.

18. What advice would you give aspiring cartoonists?

Johnny Hart was quoted to say "think funny." And I don't think there's really anything else I could add to that.

19. How important are awards?

Well, I don't like to brag but I won a 2nd place ribbon back in 1st grade at my schools art fair, and a year later took honorable mention. So, winning awards is pretty commonplace to me.

20. What’s something that nobody knows about you?

My dream job would be to pilot those little transportation boats on the Seven Seas Lagoon/Bay Lake inside Walt Disney World. The ones that take you to and from the Magic Kingdom to your resort lodging.

My Slice of SciFi Interview

A few weeks back, the nice folks at Slice of SciFi interviewed my by phone for their online show. Slice of SciFi #218 is now up for your listening pleasure.

The show will also air on Sirius 117 and XM 163 several times during the week of June 28... Sunday 8 p.m., Tuesday 5 p.m., Wednesday 8 p.m. and Friday 12 noon (Pacific time). So all you satellite radio listeners, be sure to tune in.

Slice of SciFi runs news, interviews and all sorts of good stuff about the science-fiction, horror, and fantasy scene. They routinely speak to some rather prominent names in movies and TV, including Ray Wise (The Devil) from the TV show "Reaper"; Antonio Elias from "Star Trek"; Peter Knight, creator of Comedy Central's "Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire." Which was why I was genuinely surprised that they wanted to talk with me. Turns out, the show's host, Michael Mennenga, is a big fan of EEK!, and especially the brain-in-the-jar gags.

I was a little nervous about the interview -- I've never been "on the air" before. The good news is that I sound a lot less dorky than I feared I would.

Thanks again, Michael, Brian, and Summer!

Saturday's Toon

Cartoonist's note:

Lay off the ice cream -- and the estrogen -- Dad!