Today's Guest: Nat Gertler, author, The Peanuts Collection: Treasures from the World's Most Beloved Comic Strip When you’re done reading your favorite comic strip today, wouldn’t it be cool to have some lasting ephemera to put on your desk, in your school locker, in the kitchen or on your nightstand? Something that will remind... Continue Reading →
Historian Paul Buhle talks Kurtzman, Wisconsin comics scene! PODCAST INTERVIEW
What’s so special about Wisconsin, anyway? My home state, New Jersey, has tomatoes, Sinatra, Springsteen, Atlantic City, the Turnpike and The Sopranos. What’s Wisconsin got? Cheese, the Green Bay Packers, cheese, comics, cheese—did I mention cheese? PAUL BUHLE podcast excerpt: "Al Capone vacationed and hid in Wisconsin. And was caught. That should tell you... Continue Reading →
In Pajama Diaries, Terri Libenson draws Kaplan home chaos! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Terri Libenson, cartoonist, "The Pajama Diaries" My mother’s maiden name was Kaplan. My favorite person in the whole world—after mom, of course—was my grandfather, Sam Kaplan. I even convinced my wife to give my son “Kaplan” as his middle name. So I must admit a touch of prejudice in reading cartoonist Terri Libenson’s daily... Continue Reading →
Get Syncopated with King Features comics editor Brendan Burford! PODCAST INTERVIEW
If you read the comics in your daily newspaper, my guest today has probably touched your life. Spider-Man, Hagar the Horrible and Curtis all report to him at his day job as comics editor for King Features Syndicate. But by night—and weekends, no doubt—Brendan Burford is himself a cartoonist dedicated to the notion that... Continue Reading →
Fantagraphics guys defend the art of criticism! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guests: Gary Groth, Kim Thompson, editors, The Comics Journal, Fantagraphics They are probably the best-known good cop/bad cop team in comics today. “They” are Gary Groth, the founder of The Comics Journal, and his partner in Fantagraphics—and fellow editor—Kim Thompson. Fantagraphics is a preeminent publisher of comics –related books and magazines, including the... Continue Reading →
Plop! Plop! Really weird, it’s the work of Basil Wolverton! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Monte Wolverton, author, The Wolverton Bible Cartoonist Basil Wolverton was known for his grotesque drawings, fantastically odd creatures, spaghetti-like hair, smoothly sculpted caricatures and insanely detailed crosshatching. His career in the golden age of comic books lasted from 1938 until 1952, after which his illustrations and caricatures extended into such publications as... Continue Reading →
Got Zits? Got Baby Blues? Jerry Scott is at center of both! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Jerry Scott, Jim Borgman, Rick Kirkman, comic strip co-creators, "Zits," "Baby Blues" Not too surprisingly, when my son Charlie was born, it didn’t take long for me to see the humor in the “Baby Blues” comic strip by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott. It was so relatable! And when Charlie hit 6 or 7,... 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 →
4 Universal Press Syndicate editor Lee Salem on funny pages! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Lee Salem is a guy I’ve admired for many, many years. As the president and editor of Universal Press Syndicate, he is the man responsible for recognizing a slew of creative talent that impacted American pop culture and the funny pages over the last 30-plus years. The origins of Garry Trudeau and “Doonesbury,” Gary... Continue Reading →
1 Cartoonist Mark Tatulli tattles on his weird kid, LIO! PODCAST INTERVIEW
Today's Guest: Mark Tatulli, daily cartoonist creator, "LIO," "Heart of the City." (EDITOR'S NOTE: This was the very first Mr. Media® Interviews podcast, recorded January 19, 2007. We've improved the sound a bit and hope you'll enjoy discovering it!) "LIO" is the creation of Mark Tatulli, and he’s a fresh brand of weird and... Continue Reading →