Saturday, March 06, 2021
Herriman Saturday
January 11 1910 -- In 1909 heavyweight fighter Fireman Jim Flynn had a less than stellar record (3 wins, 2 losses and a draw), but Herriman seems to think he was at the top of his game if we are to judge by this sports strip.
Herriman seems to feel that his bête noir is Sam Langford, who laid him flat in an embarrassing one-rounder in December 1908. Langford was a tremendous fighter who had trouble getting bouts at his level due to his race -- Flynn probably seemed like little more than a punching bag for him.
Now Flynn and Langford are set for a rematch in February, giving Flynn a chance to redeem himself.
Labels: Herriman's LA Examiner Cartoons
Friday, March 05, 2021
Obscurity of the Day: The Simpsons
The Simpsons TV show burst onto the small screen in 1989 and quickly became a huge hit. The show became a cultural touchstone and 'appointment viewing' throughout the 1990s. The critical consensus is that the show began a sharp decline in quality and originality starting around season ten, yet it has managed to stay on the air and remain popular until today, its 32nd season as this is written. Geez does that make me feel old ... but I digress.
The Simpsons moved to the paper realm as a successful suite of comic book titles starting in 1993, and by 1999 the decision was made to try newspaper syndication as well. Befitting the property's popularity and prestige, it was decided that the comic strip would be Sunday-only and would be required to run as a 2/3 page -- even bigger than the half page format demanded by mega-hits Calvin & Hobbes and Doonesbury.
Most newspapers were by 1999 running a mere four to six pages in their Sunday comics sections, so most balked at offering a single strip, even The Simpsons, that much real estate. The new strip thus was only picked up by a relatively modest number of newspapers.
The series debuted on September 5 1999. At first the creators were uncredited; each strip was 'signed' by Matt Groening, who undoubtedly had nothing to do with them. It wasn't until the October 31 episode that credits began, and those who took an interest in such things quickly came to see that the writers, pencillers and inkers (most of whom also worked on the comic book series) changed practically every week. While the quality control of the art was high -- I never noticed a single panel with off-model characters -- the writing has to be considered less than stellar. There were a few impressive installments, but most relied very heavily on readers' love of the characters. The use of catchphrases and familiar pratfalls from the TV series, while to be expected, were leaned on over and over in lieu of original humor.
The creators of these strips might well point their fingers at the newspaper clients as at least partly to blame for the lackluster writing. Perhaps the writers would have offered more edgy material, but an episode of the new series featuring Itchy and Scratchy (see sample) was met by pushback from some readers and editors. Of course anyone familiar with the TV series would not be shocked by the cat and mouse team's penchant for violence, but it was a little much by most anyone's standard for the Sunday funnies, generally a violence-free zone in deference to the kiddies in the audience. It is telling that Itchy and Scratchy were never again featured in the strip. The writers may well have felt that the newspaper funnies were just too restrictive about content to give their imaginations free rein.
The first series of The Simpsons comic strip ended after a single year, though some papers that picked up the series late were given the early strips to continue with at the end of the run. Following is a strip-by-strip rundown of the series. A few notes:
* the original uncredited episodes (9/5 - 10/24/1999) gained credits when they were run at the end of the original run by the latecomer newspapers.
* credits were generally last names only; I have determined the full names of almost all the creators by referring to Wikisimpsons.
* I find it interesting that there are 1998 copyrights on the early episodes; were they in the can for that long before the newspaper strip began?
|
Date |
ID (first word balloon or title, generally not including masthead) |
Writer |
Art (penciller/inker) |
Source |
|
9/5/99 (credits from 2000 reprint) |
“Kopter One to Cargo Crew” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Gonzalez Layo, Steve Steere Jr.
|
LA Times |
|
9/12/99 (credits from 2000 reprint) |
“But since we can’t work” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
James Lloyd, Tim Harkins |
LA Times |
|
9/19/99 (credits from 2000 reprint) |
“The Burns Paradox” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Stephanie Gladden |
LA Times |
|
9/26/99 (credits from 2000 reprint) |
“All I Need is to sell another…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Allen Roberts, Steve Steere Jr. |
LA Times |
|
10/3/99 (credits from 2000 reprint) |
“Homer has made it all the way home…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
James Lloyd, Tim Harkins |
LA Times |
|
10/10/99 (credits from 2000 reprint) |
“Ungh! Smithers I Can Barely Swallow…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Stephanie Gladden |
LA Times |
|
10/17/99 (credits from 2000 reprint) |
“C’mon Son, Lift With Your Legs” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Allen Roberts, Steve Steere Jr. |
LA Times |
|
10/24/99 (credits from 2000 reprint) |
“Planning a Trip to Springfield?” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Stephanie Gladden |
LA Times |
|
10/31/99 |
GoodFellowship |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Gonzalez Layo, Steve Steere Jr.
|
LA Times |
|
11/7/99 |
“Calling All Culture Vultures” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Jim Massara, Tim Harkins |
LA Times |
|
11/14/99 |
“Oh Mrs. Homer Your Beauty…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Gonzalez Layo, Steve Steere Jr.
|
LA Times |
|
11/21/99 |
“Hey Kids, It’s A Jungle Out There” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Phil Ortiz, Tim Harkins |
LA Times |
|
11/28/99 |
“I’m Going To Get My Pills” |
Neil Alsip |
Phil Ortiz, Tim Harkins |
LA Times |
|
12/5/99 |
“Hey Hey Kids Have A Krusty Christmas” |
Jesse Leon McCann |
James Lloyd, Mike Rote |
LA Times |
|
12/12/99 |
“If These Crumbs Could Talk” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Jim Massara, Tim Harkins |
LA Times |
|
12/19/99 |
“It’s A Wonderful Slice” |
Robert L. Graff, Jesse Leon McCann |
Gonzalez Layo, Tim Harkins |
LA Times |
|
12/26/99 |
“Hey fellas whatcha Doin’?” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Gonzalez Layo, Steve Steere Jr.
|
LA Times |
|
1/2/00 |
“One Flew Over The Retirement Castle” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Jim Massara, Tim Harkins |
LA Times |
|
1/9/00 |
“Springfield is Directly in the path…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Gonzalez Layo, Steve Steere Jr.
|
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
1/16/00 |
“In-laws need impressing?” |
Neil Alsip |
Phil Ortiz, Tim Harkins |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
1/23/00 |
“Oh Oh A Tiny Arm Growing Out of My Back …” (third panel) |
Robert L. Graff, Jesse Leon McCann |
Joey Nilges, Steve Steere Jr.
|
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
1/30/00 |
“Goodnight fellas. I’ve had enough drinking…” |
Robert L. Graff, Jesse Leon McCann |
Norman Auble, Steve Steere Jr. |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
2/6/00 |
“Don’t Doubt It or Do!” |
Robert L. Graff, Jesse Leon McCann |
Gonzalez Layo, Tim Harkins |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
2/13/00 |
“See you later, Marge. I’m going to Moe’s” |
Bill Morrison |
Bill Morrison |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
2/20/00 |
“H-hey! My glasses!” |
Jesse Leon McCann |
Gonzalez Layo, Tim Harkins |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
2/27/00 |
“Hey what happened to all my macaroni…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Francisco Herrera, Steve Steere Jr. |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
3/5/00 |
“Hello, I’m C. Montgomery Burns…” |
Neil Alsip |
James Lloyd, Tim Bavington
|
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
3/12/00 |
“We here at the Simpsons understand the world…” |
Neil Alsip |
Joey Nilges, Tim Harkins |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
3/19/00 |
“Uh oh, thirteen floors alone…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Francisco Herrera, Steve Steere Jr. |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
3/26/00 |
“Radioactive Man VII” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Phil Ortiz, Tim Harkins |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
4/2/00 |
“Home repair can be costly…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Gonzalez Layo, Steve Steere Jr.
|
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
4/9/00 |
“Greetings, foolish Earthings. I am Kang…” |
Neil Alsip |
Phil Ortiz, Tim Harkins |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
4/16/00 (copyright 1999) |
“On the Champs Elysees we met Jacques…” |
Robert L. Graff, Jesse Leon McCann |
Gonzalez Layo, Steve Steere Jr.
|
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
4/23/00 |
“Hey, hey, it’s to dye for” |
Neil Alsip |
Phil Ortiz, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
4/30/00 |
“Are you sure you want to go through with this, Mr. Burns?” |
Jesse Leon McCann |
Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
5/7/00 |
“H-hey Bart, whatcha doin’?” |
Jesse Leon McCann |
Gerald Steffen, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
5/14/00 |
“Mother’s Day is very important …” |
Dave McKean |
Phil Ortiz, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
5/21/00 |
“See you tomorrow, class. Bart…” |
Barry Dutter, Bill Morrison |
Phil Ortiz, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
5/28/00 |
“It Came from deep below. A force…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Stephanie Gladden |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
6/4/00 |
“It was all supposed to be so simple…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Stephanie Gladden |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
6/11/00 |
“Looks like those good-fer-nothin’s …” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Gonzalez Layo, Steve Steere Jr.
|
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
6/18/00 |
“I’ll show you exact change!” |
Robert L. Graff, Jesse Leon McCann |
Norman Auble, Steve Steere Jr. |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
6/25/00 |
“Springfield Downs Race Track .. Come Run With The Ponies” |
Jesse Leon McCann |
Joey Nilges, Tim Harkins |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
7/2/00 |
“Oh no, the day that I’ve always dreaded…” |
Robert L. Graff, Jesse Leon McCann |
Gonzalez Layo, Steve Steere Jr.
|
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
7/9/00 |
“Whoops, Dr. Hibbert has fallen down…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Yamamoto, Steve Steere Jr. |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
7/16/00 |
“Nappie-time, Maggie. Sleep tight” |
Jesse Leon McCann |
Yamamoto, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
7/23/00 |
“Dad I’m so happy! My collection…” |
Jesse Leon McCann |
Gerald Steffen, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
7/30/00 |
“La la la! I’m on my little red wagon” |
Jesse Leon McCann |
Yamamoto, Steve Steere Jr. |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
8/6/00 |
“Krusty’s Krustyburger Fun Mat” |
Jesse Leon McCann |
Phil Ortiz, Jason Ho |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
8/13/00 |
“Goodby Lisa, have a fun day!” |
Jesse Leon McCann |
Yamamoto, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
8/20/00 |
“Main floor lobby! Going up, Sonny?” |
Jesse Leon McCann |
Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
8/27/00 |
“When dealing with bullies, brainiacs…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal |
Phil Ortiz, Tim Harkins |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
9/3/00 (reprint of 9/5/99 with 1998 copyright; now has credits) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
9/10/00 (reprint of 9/12/99 with 1998 copyright; now has credits) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
9/17/00 (reprint of 9/19/99 with 1998 copyright; now has credits) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
9/24/00 (reprint of 9/26/99 with 1998 copyright; now has credits) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
10/1/00 (reprint of 10/3/99 with 1998 copyright; now has credits) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
10/8/00 (reprint of 10/10/99 with 1998 copyright; now has credits) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
10/15/00 (reprint of 10/17/99 with 1998 copyright; now has credits) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
10/22/00 (reprint of 10/24/99 with 1998 copyright; now has credits) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
10/29/00 (reprint of 10/31/99 with 1998 copyright) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
11/5/00 (reprint of 11/7/99) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
11/12/00 (reprint of 11/14/99) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
11/19/00 (reprint of 11/21/99) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
11/26/00 (reprint of 11/28/99) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokeman Review |
|
12/3/00 (reprint of 12/5/99) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
12/10/00 (reprint of 12/12/99) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
12/17/00 (reprint of 12/19/00) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
12/24/00 (reprint of 12/26/00) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
12/31/00 (reprint of 1/2/00) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
1/7/01 (reprint of 1/9/00) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
1/14/01 (reprint of 1/16/00) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
1/21/01 (reprint of 1/23/00) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
1/28/01 (reprint of 1/30/00) |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
|
2/4/01 (reprint of 2/6/000 |
|
|
|
Spokane Spokesman Review |
It seems perfectly natural and reasonable that The Simpsons comic strip was cancelled after that first year. Everything seemed to be against it. First, there was no one at the creative helm who was thoroughly committed to making the strip live up to the fans' high expectations. Second, most newspapers had taken a pass on the strip entirely, and those that took the strip proved to be squeamish about the more mature content. And last but certainly not least, with such a small client list the money the strip was bringing in was undoubtedly chump change compared to other licensing opportunities.
Bizarrely, though, the decision was made to continue. Though the strip seems to have been unavailable for the next year, it was advertised in the 2001 E&P Syndicate Directory. (Maybe they were trying to continue to sell that first series to more latecomers?)
If any newspaper anywhere was running it between February 4 2001 and January 13 2002, I have not been able to find it. I do however, find a number of papers starting it (or restarting it) on that second date, seemingly indicating that it was returned to syndication then, as opposed to having continued in the interim.
Anyway, after a hiatus of almost a year, the series was apparently re-offered, this time at a slightly more newspaper-friendly half-page size. Nothing else really changed -- the creative musical chairs started back up, and the writing quality only got worse.
This time the strip ran for almost two years, and was reduced to a more conventional third page size on July 27 2003. It wasn't until very late in the run that it gained a consistent creative team from week to week. The strip was pulled from syndication as of the December 28 2003 installment, to the sorrow of only hardcore fans.
I was unable to find any paper running the strip on July 7 and 14 2002; if anyone has those installments I'd be delighted to add the credits.
|
1/13/02 |
“This is Lisa.” |
Gail Simone |
Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
1/20/02 |
“A am Bart. Bart I art.” |
Gail Simone |
Julius Preite, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
1/27/02 |
“Apu, gimme the usual.” (2nd story panel) |
Gail Simone |
Gerald Steffen, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
2/3/02 |
“Cleanliness is next to funliness.” |
Gail Simone |
Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
2/10/02 |
“Okay, okay. I’m awake. Knock it off already. |
Gail Simone |
Joey Nilges, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
2/17/02 |
“I am Kang, emissary from a planet…” |
Gail Simone |
Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
2/24/02 (copyright 2000) |
“This just in. Up yours buddy.” |
Gail Simone |
Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
3/3/02 (copyright 2000) |
“Homey, I need you to run to the…” |
Gail Simone |
Phil Or (Ortiz) |
Vancouver Province |
|
3/10/02 (copyright 2000) |
“Once in a land of fields and springs…” |
Gail Simone |
Phil Or (Ortiz) |
Vancouver Province |
|
3/17/02 (copyright 2000) |
“Venture if you dare into … the unpossible..” |
James Bates |
Phil Or (Ortiz) |
Vancouver Province |
|
3/24/02 |
“I see a sale for ol’ Gil…” |
Jim Cashman |
John Costanza |
Vancouver Province |
|
3/31/02 |
“Too hot … brain melting …” |
Jim Cashman |
John Costanza |
Vancouver Province |
|
4/7/02 |
“*Click* A little bit of Rita’s all I need…” |
Neil Alsip |
Joey Nilges, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
4/14/02 |
“This kind of panel is called an inset.” |
Gail Simone |
Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
4/21/02 |
“With our country prosperous and at peace…” |
Dave McKean |
Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
4/28/02 |
“But if I put the hydrangea next to…” |
Neil Alsip |
Jason Ho
|
Vancouver Province |
|
5/5/02 |
“Behold the playground! At first glance…” |
Neil Alsip |
Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
5/12/02 |
“Lordy Lordy I am Bored-y…” |
Neil Alsip |
Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
5/19/02 |
“Canada! It’s not fit for livin’…” |
Dave McKean |
Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
5/26/02 |
“Psst! Hey Simpson, check it out.” |
Gail Simone |
Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
6/2/02 |
“Pickle slices and a parsley sprig…” |
Dave McKean |
Igor Baranko |
Vancouver Province |
|
6/9/02 |
“Snack bra huff puff must reach snack bar” |
Jesse McCann |
Kim Le, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
6/16/02 |
“Guys I was here in the attic…” |
Brent Fletcher |
Jerry Steffen, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
6/23/02 |
“Man I hate wearing this jacket” |
Gail Simone |
Kim Le, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
6/30/02 |
“I thought you were going to make Maggie a jumper…” |
Brent Fletcher |
Igor Baranko |
Vancouver Province |
|
7/7/02 |
|
|
|
|
|
7/14/02 |
|
|
|
|
|
7/21/02 (production credit Karen Bates starts) |
“Homer, you said you would take the kids…” |
Dave McKean |
Francis Dinglasan, Mike Rote |
Sacramento Bee |
|
7/28/02 |
“Groundskeeper Willie, I met this nice lady…” |
Gail Simone |
Jeanette Bose, Mike Rote |
Miami Herald |
|
8/4/02 |
“If my tail light’s a-blinkin’…” |
Gail Simone |
Jeanette Bose, Jason Ho |
Miami Herald |
|
8/11/02 |
“And as you can see your popularity…” |
Gail Simone |
Igor Baranko |
Miami Herald |
|
8/18/02 |
“Later dudes. I’m off to Scabby’s…” |
Evan Gore, David Razowsky, Jeff Rosenthal, Eric Rogers |
Gerald Steffen, Jason Ho |
Sacramento Bee |
|
8/25/02 |
“The children are here to receive the Burns…” |
David McKean |
Rich Koslowski, Jason Ho |
Miami Herald |
|
9/1/02 |
“A Mother Marge Tale – Jack Sprat Attacks” |
Sherri L. Smith |
Sam Ho, Mike Rote |
Sacramento Bee |
|
9/8/02 |
“Picture if you will a young boy asleep…” |
Gail Simone |
Sam Ho, Mike Rote |
Sacramento Bee |
|
9/15/02 |
“Dear Diary. I can’t believe it…” |
Sherri L. Smith |
Sam Ho, Mike Rote |
Sacramento Bee |
|
9/22/02 |
“Thanks for taking me to this exhibit, Dad…” |
Sherri L. Smith |
Jeanette Bose, Jason Ho |
Sacramento Bee |
|
9/29/02 |
“C’mon Kids, we’re going shopping for an SUV.” |
David McKean |
Kim Le, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
10/6/02 |
“Uh oh, tummy alert.” |
Gail Simone |
Jason Ho |
Sacramento Bee |
|
10/13/02 |
“I’ll get it.” |
Gail Simone |
Jason Ho |
Sacramento Bee |
|
10/20/02 |
“A child’s imagination should be given wings.” |
Gail Simone |
Francis Dinglasan, Mike Rote |
Sacramento Bee |
|
10/27/02 |
Pantomime strip about Moe seeing a beer commercial |
Gail Simone |
Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
11/3/02 |
“Hello Mr. Smithers? *woof* this is…” |
Terry Delegeane |
Francis Diglasan, Mike Rote |
Miami Herald |
|
11/10/02 (no production credit) |
“Hey man, do you still pay cash for news tips?” |
Gail Simone |
Mike Rote |
Miami Herald |
|
11/17/02 (no production credit) |
“Poetry? Kill me now” |
Dave McKean |
Igor Baranko |
Vancouver Province |
|
11/24/02 |
“Check out our new stereo…” |
Neil Alsip |
Dan DeCarlo, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
12/1/02 |
“Dad, do you have a solid financial plan…” |
Dave McKean |
Dan DeCarlo (layout), Jerry Steffen, Steve Steere Jr. |
Vancouver Province |
|
12/8/02 |
“Bart, it’s only the second day of half-term…” |
David McKean |
Dan DeCarlo (layout), Mike Rote, Steve Steere Jr. |
Vancouver Province |
|
12/15/02 |
“Hey folks, I’m crazy Gil…” |
Brent Fletcher |
Mike Worley, Steve Steere Jr. |
Vancouver Province |
|
12/22/02 (no production credit) |
“Okay kids, time for your bedtime story.” |
Neil Alsip |
Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
12/29/02 |
“All right, Senor Huevo…” |
Neil Alsip |
Mike DeCarlo (presumably a typo for Dan), Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
1/5/03 (no production credit) |
“Jimmy Crack Corn And I Don’t Care” |
Gail Simone |
Jerry Steffen, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
1/12/03 (copyright 2001) |
“Ralph Wiggum in Humpty Dumped” |
Sherri L. Smith |
John Costanza, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
1/19/03 (copyright 2001) |
“The Simpsons Present Old Moe Hubbard” |
Sherri L. Smith |
Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
1/26/03 (copyright 2001) |
“Sing A Song Of Squishee: |
Sherri L. Smith |
Sam Ho, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
2/2/03 (copyright 2001) |
“Wee Willie Waxer” |
Sherri L. Smith |
John Costanza, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
2/9/03 |
“This is gonna be so cool! This tattoo…” |
Sherri L. Smith |
Gerald Steffen, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
2/16/03 |
“Sorry little dudes…” |
Brent Fletcher |
Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
2/23/03 |
“Remember men, cleanliness is next to laziness” |
Gail Simone |
Kim Le, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
3/2/03 |
“Lousy, stupid alarm clock.” |
Gail Simone |
John Costanza, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
3/9/03 |
“We will, we will, rock you.” |
Brent Fletcher |
Kim Le, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
3/16/03 |
“Homey, how come you’re never romantic…” |
Earl Kress |
Kim Le, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
3/23/03 |
“Lisa Simpson Presents: The History of Polo” |
Sherri L. Smith |
Kim Le, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
3/30/03 |
“Great Springfield Pickup Lines” |
Jesse Leon McCann, Amanda McCann |
Phil Ortiz, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
4/6/03 |
“The Ab-Miser is the number one workout…” |
Brent Fletcher |
John Costanza, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
4/13/03 |
“Bart Simpson! If I’ve told you once…” |
Jesse Leon McCann, Amanda McCann |
John Costanza, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
4/20/03 |
“What are those? … The little chickadees…” |
Brent Fletcher |
Kim Le, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
4/27/03 (reprint of 1/12/03) |
|
|
|
Vancouver Province |
|
5/4/03 |
“Hmm. I think someone could use a B-A-T-H.” |
Sherri L. Smith |
Kim Le, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
5/11/03 |
“Homer, it says here that babies are like scientists…” |
Sherri L. Smith |
Mike Rote |
Southtown Star |
|
5/18/03 |
“Now for a little suntan lotion…” |
Brent Fletcher |
Mike Rote |
Southtown Star |
|
5/25/03 |
“Now tell me again how did you get…” |
Rich Koslowski |
Rich Koslowski, Jason Ho |
Southtown Star |
|
6/1/03 |
“Cleanliness is next to Marg-liness.” |
Gail Simone |
Kim Le, James Huang |
Vancouver Province |
|
6/8/03 (production credit adds Art Villanueva) |
“A full can a day keeps the hairstyle okay.” |
Gail Simone |
Kim Le, James Huang |
Vancouver Province |
|
6/15/03 |
“Children! Childred! Let’s get this show on the road…” |
Jesse L. McCann |
Kim Le, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
6/22/03 (production credit adds Art Villanueva) |
“The Monstromart has such good deals…” |
Sherri L. Smith |
Istvan Majoros, James Huang |
Vancouver Province |
|
6/29/03 (production credit adds Rick Reese) |
“Who wants fresh-baked cookies?” |
Earl Kress |
Kim Le, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
7/6/03 |
“Mr. Burns, the marketing group for your new cologne…” |
Gail Simone |
Kim Le, Jason Ho |
Vancouver Province |
|
7/13/03 |
“Homer, go check on Maggie … Why me?” |
Brent Fletcher |
John Costanza, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
7/20/03 (production credit Nathan Kane, Chris Ungar) |
“Chief Clancy Wiggum’s Crimewatcher’s Notebook” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
7/27/03 (start production credit Chris Ungar) REDUCED TO 1/3 PAGE FORMAT STARTING HERE |
“All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Graduate School” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
8/3/03 |
“Every month I get letters from lonely…” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Miami Herald |
|
8/10/03 |
“And now, the school’s cultural enrichment committee…” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Miami Herald |
|
8/17/03 |
“Handsome Pete’s Shellfish Tales” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
8/24/03 |
“Springfield Celebrates Take Our Daughters to Work Day” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
8/31/03 |
“When Catchphrases Collide” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
9/7/03 |
“Hey Bart! We need a little neighbor favor” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
9/14/03 |
“Little Remoh In Slumberland” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Vancouver Province |
|
9/21/03 |
“Gazooka Moe And His Guys” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
9/28/03 |
Mostly pantomime, Bart fishing |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
10/5/03 |
“I’m afraid there’s no cure” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
10/12/03 |
“Today On Channel 6” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
10/19/03 |
“Featuring The Girls Of Apt. 15996” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
10/26/03 |
“As part of my contractual obligation…” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
11/2/03 |
“Look, Homer, lemonade! Come to think of it…” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
11/9/03 |
“Original Comic Strip Art For Sale” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
11/16/03 |
“Calling all cars! Burglary in progress…” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
11/23/03 |
“Your Very Own Grease-Absorbant (sic) Krusty Burger…” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
11/30/03 |
“I’d like a triple scoop of double fudge ripple.” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
12/7/03 |
“One fine morning in Moe’s Tavern” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
12/14/03 |
“On This Day In Springfield History, Part I” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
12/21/03 |
“On This Day In Springfield History, Part II” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
|
12/28/03 |
“Good morning ladies and gentlemenahavin!...” |
Patric M. Verrone |
Jason Ho, Mike Rote |
Salt Lake Tribune |
Labels: Obscurities
How long has it been since anybody tried to launch a new property-based strip? I've seen various old strips heavily retooled (as opposed to simply taken over by new hands), Nancy and Alley Oop being the most recent. It may be a sad indicator of print's decline that all those big Marvel movies didn't lead to more strips (although the venerable Spider-Man stepped up guest appearances by other heroes).
I wouldn't be surprised if the last 'property-based' new strip was Pink Panther, which debuted in 2005 to a chorus of yawns.
--Allan
and still runs in The Mena (Ark) Star.
http://www.lumandabnersociety.org/Comic-Strip-Home.html
--Allan
: 3/16/2021 11:05 PM Simpsons takes up just about one column, and for the next edition I've consolidated the creators to single listings and refer readers to the website for details, so it will stay about that long despite finding a whole second run, as noted above.
Mickey Mouse, on the other hand, goes on for over 4 pages in the first edition!
--Allan
Because of constant use I don't expect my current copy
to hold up beyond a couple more years.
--Allan
Wednesday, March 03, 2021
From the Archives Sub-Basement: The Topper that Outlived its Parent Strip
On my third post for this blog, waaaaaaay back in 2005, I showed the final strip of Ace Drummond, which ran on July 2 1939. In that post I gave Maurice Horn and Ron Goulart a little poke in the ribs for getting the end date wrong in their books. They both stated that the strip ran until 1940. A mere decade and a half later and I have just uncovered the probable reason they got it wrong.
The Ace Drummond strip was unusual in that the topper, a strip about famous fliers and their planes called Hall of Fame of the Air, was penned by a different person than the main strip. Clayton Knight, famed aviation artist, had done the art for the first two years of Ace Drummond, but then had relinquished the main strip to Royal King Cole. He did keep doing the topper, though. Maybe that's why we had a very unusual, perhaps unique, situation in which a topper outlived the main strip. It was a bit of a feather in the cap of the Puck comic section to have the well-known Clayton Knight contributing, so presumably when he volunteered to keep doing Hall of Fame of the Air they were happy to oblige.
It is a rare Puck section that ran Hall of Fame of the Air after the end of Ace Drummond, because as fine as it might be, the urge to replace a half-page strip with an ad was very strong -- Puck had lots of advertising. Luckily, I was able to purchase a scrapbook of some kid who was absolutely bonkers over this strip, and he (okay, perhaps she) managed to track down a huge number of these toppers from 1935 through 1939, and yes, even 1940. Even our HOFOTA superfan could not manage to amass a complete run, but there are quite a few 1940 installments. The latest one in the scrapbook was November 24 1940, which may not be the last that was published, but I'm guessing it is pretty darn close.
So why did Goulart and Horn get the end year of Ace Drummond wrong? My guess is that they both saw some of these 1940 Hall of Fame of the Air strips, and very reasonably assumed that Ace Drummond was still being produced, but was pre-empted by an ad in all the ones they'd seen.
Wow, I kinda feel like Robert Ripley with this post. Believe It or NOT!
Labels: Archives Sub-Basement
Monday, March 01, 2021
Obscurity of the Day: Jesterday
Mario Risso, who took credit simply as 'Mario' on this panel, sold the historical humor series Jesterday to Iowa's Register & Tribune Syndicate. I can't say I'm a fan; I've seen this sort of thing done better. Risso's cartooning is fine, but the gags fail to do much tickling of my funnybone.
Jesterday was a real throwaway sort of feature, so of the few client papers that bought it I imagine quite a few used it ROP. However, I did manage to find a few papers that ran it consistently enough to formulate some possible start and end dates, to wit, August 4 1975* to March 6 1976**. Wouldn't surprise me to learn that the feature ran out its one year contract, but finding it actually running anywhere that long I've come up dry.
Risso would later make a return to the funny pages with the strip Father's Day, and author and illustrate a number of books.
* Source: Jackson Sun
** Source: Minneapolis Tribune
Labels: Obscurities
Sunday, February 28, 2021
Wish You Were Here, from August Hutaf
August Hutaf did a whole series of postcards about apples, one of my favorite subjects. These were put out by the A.B. Woodward Company in 1907. I wonder how many people even know what a russet apple is these days?
Labels: Wish You Were Here
