Protesting cartoonist offers maverick strip
By Don Maley (E&P, 12/7/1968)
Can a cartoonist who has some 3,000 contemporary greeting card designs to his credit find happiness on the comic pages of a newspaper? Can he even eke out a living drawing comics?
Ted Sherman, the ‘T’ of the newly - formed T/M/F Syndicate (1404 Stotesbury, Philadelphia, Pa. 19118) will soon find out. Sherman’s combined 15-years of cartooning experience with another solid six-month stretch at his drawing board to develop “Uptight,” a six-a-week strip slated to make its national debut on January 6.
“The transition isn’t difficult,” Sherman declares. “Each greeting card I do starts with a cartoon and ends with a punch line, the same as with most strips and single panels. I figure I’ve drawn the equivalent of 10 years worth of cartoon strips in creating those thousands of cards I’ve drawn.
But why the switch from cards to comics?
“Other than the obvious financial possibilities,” Sherman admits, “I was motivated by the same kind of anger I felt 15 years ago when I started peddling my card ideas. At the time, the typical greeting card pictured bunny rabbits or angels, with insipid copy to match. There hadn’t been an original idea in 30 years. Then studio cards came along and changed all that, and I’m proud of the role I played in the breakthrough.
“In ‘Uptight’ I tried to come up with something new and I think I’ve succeeded. The characters in the strip are certainly contemporary — although the protest marchers I use in the strip may invoke some editorial ire — and the reader will see that the strip covers the whole spectrum of today’s humor. ‘Uptight’ isn’t a social or political crusade, nor an attempt to put anyone down. If there is a message it’s ‘let’s have fun,’ and I want the strip’s enjoyment to be shared by readers of all age levels.”
[Allan's note: I've never found this strip running anywhere. If anyone knows where it appeared or has samples I'd love to hear from you! I've tried to find Ted Sherman online and sent queries to a few likely suspects with no luck so far.]
No samples but go to newspaperarchive.com and check out the Corpus Christi (Tx.)Times for August 15, 1952, page 9.
ReplyDeleteDon't you think that is probably this Ted Sherman (and likely that one on the Helium website).
Hi DD -
ReplyDeleteYup, probably our guy in the Times. But I couldn't go to this Helium site you mentioned -- my browser says it is trying to run a malicious script.
--Allan
Hello, Allan---I don't know what the "angry" Mr. Sherman thought he was going to do with a strip about lovable hippie protesters, vicious police and unenlightened squares. I'm sure 99% of editors, as well as people in general in 1968, did not exactly identify with the hairy heroes of this effort.---Cole Johnson.
ReplyDeleteIf you tried to google Sherman and Helium Saturday you may want to try it again. News says that for an hour or two Saturday Google was showing all (most)it's results as harmful.
ReplyDeleteI get that site with no ill effects,
but in order to contact that Ted Sherman one has to join so I passed on trying to contact him.
Ted is my father, I believe this strip became what what known as OUTER SIGHT published in 1972 by the Chicago Tribune - NY News Syndicate. Fred Sherman fredinc1@yahoo.com. Yes, he writes on helium.com and associatedcontent.com as well as his own senior travel site at http://www.travel4seniors.com
ReplyDeleteYes, I do have his Outer Site feature in my listings. Perhaps you could suggest to your dad to drop in and enlighten us about the full history of his feature(s)?
ReplyDelete--Allan