There are all kinds of journalistic storytelling styles, starting with your basic who/what/when/where and why. There is also “if it bleeds, it leads.” And let’s not forget the “New Journalism” class of the 1960s and ‘70s, exemplified by everyone from Tom Wolfe to Truman Capote it used dramatic literary techniques to add depth to... Continue Reading →
Digital cartoonist Jonathan Rosenberg brings Goats to life! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Jonathan Rosenberg, creator of the digital comic strip "Goats." Jon Rosenberg, you had me at the gray-skinned alien who said, “On our planet, people worship pancakes.” That’s the point—it was page three, I believe—that I realized that Goats: Infinite Typewriters was spinning out of control and I loved it. This first print... Continue Reading →
Back to the Future actress Lea Thompson doesn’t Duck Mr. Media! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Lea Thompson, actress, Back to the Future trilogy, "Caroline in the City" Actress Lea Thompson, perhaps best-known for starring in the NBC sitcom “Caroline in the City” and the Back to the Future movies with Michael J. Fox, is swallowing her pride and appearing on Mr. Media Interviews! Here is the Evelyn... Continue Reading →
Cold, wet respect at last for The History of the Snowman! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Bob Eckstein, author, The History of the Snowman My guest today is Bob Eckstein, author of The History of the Snowman and a humor columnist and cartoonist. But first, I’d like to set the tone for this interview by reading from a poem that Bob found on a needlepoint throw pillow sold... Continue Reading →
Cartoonist Patrick McDonnell loves his Mutts and so do we! PODCAST INTERVIEW
If you want to see daily comic strips in their classic form, the place I’d steer you is cartoonist Patrick McDonnell’s “Mutts.” Finely drawn, acerbic in voice yet sweet by nature, gentle in image yet often violent in humor, “Mutts” is a throwback to the earliest days of the art form, when a brick... Continue Reading →
Every day, cartoonist Mike Lynch hears, ‘Hey Kids! Comics!’ PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Mike Lynch, cartoonist. Regular Mr. Media listeners know that I have a special place in my heart for cartoonists and comics people. I admire their creativity and talent, of course, but I also envy their ability to wake up every day and invent a living from whole cloth. And probably no one... Continue Reading →
Cartoonist Charlos Gary likes his Cafe Con Leche hot! INTERVIEW
The only thing tougher than being a black man trying to hail a cab in Manhattan might be being a black man trying to sell a comic strip into a daily newspaper that already has a strip created by an African-American cartoonist. Charlos Gary knows how tough it is – he’s the man behind... Continue Reading →
Legendary cartoonist Jules Feiffer explains his Explainers! PODCAST INTERVIEW
The word that comes to mind when I think about the comic strips of Jules Feiffer is this: My Microsoft Word dictionary - hey, it's convenient! - defines it as “the act of speaking while alone, especially when used as a theatrical device that allows a character’s thoughts and ideas to be conveyed to... Continue Reading →
Cartoonist Mort Walker on creating Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Mort Walker is the dean and -- in some ways -- the curator of American cartoonists. Best known for his long-running strips “Beetle Bailey” and “Hi & Lois,” Walker, 84, is also a bedrock member of the National Cartoonists Society, and he’s the founder and energy behind the National Cartoon Museum. This is the... Continue Reading →
91 The Adventures of Aaron crack Mr. Media up! INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Aaron Warner, cartoonist, "The Adventures of Aaron" Originally published in August 1997. Are you as bored by the comic strips as I am? Finding cool new strips in local newspapers is a frustrating pursuit. Change comes more slowly on this page than any other. And when the creators of "Calvin & Hobbes," "The... Continue Reading →