Tooday is the birthday of perhaps the most accomplished Oklahoma cartoonist of all time, Chester Gould.  The creator of Dick Tracy, Gould was born in Pawnee, Oklahoma on Nov. 20, 1900.  He died on May 11, 1985.

You can see impressive items from Chester Gould’s career at the Oklahoma History Center, where the Uncanny Adventures of Okie Cartoonists exhibit continues for about another month.

- Matt Price

Bil Keane, creator of the long-running newspaper single-panel comic “Family Circus,” has died at age 89, the Associated Press reports.

The cartoon, which featured children Billy, Jeffy, Dolly, P.J. and their parents, began in February 1960.  The strip is featured in nearly 1,500 newspapers across the country, in cluding The Oklahoman.

Read the full article at www.newsok.com.

- Matt Price

How did I miss that today is National Coffee Day?  Go pick up some of Shannon Wheeler’s “Too Much Coffee Man” to celebrate – now available in an omnibus edition from Dark Horse.

Shannon Wheeler is a longtime favorite of mine, and his work is always hilarious.  His recent collection from Boom!, “I Thought You Would Be Funnier,” won an Eisner award, and his latest, “Grandpa Won’t Wake Up,” debuts at this weekend’s APE (Alternative Press Expo).

Meanwhile, here are some coffee facts from Eight O’Clock Coffee:

76% of Americans drink coffee and 58% drink it on a daily basis (over 3 cups per coffee drinker). What’s the best way to celebrate National Coffee Day on September 29? Eight O’Clock Coffee says, take a break from your barista and brew it yourself! America’s original bagged coffee offers three quick tips to make a great cup of coffee – and save time, gas and money while doing it.

1. Start with great coffee – it’s the single most important step.

2. Use a clean machine. The average coffee drinker should clean their coffee-making equipment (brewer, grinder) once a month.

3. Be creative. Test out different coffee forms, coffee blends and flavor enhancers – be your own brewista.

To encourage the brew-it-yourself movement, Eight O’Clock Coffee is celebrating National Coffee Day by giving away a year’s supply of coffee to 8 lucky fans on their Facebook page. (www.facebook.com/eightoclockcoffee)

For more information about Eight O’Clock Coffee, visit eightoclock.com.

Data Source:

2011 National Coffee Drinking Trends – National Coffee Association

- Matt Price

Charles M. Schulz’s “Peanuts” characters have been delighting readers for more than 60 years, including in the comics section of The Oklahoman. But the characters have never appeared in a graphic novel. Boom! Studios will change that this spring, when the graphic novel “Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown” is released by Boom! Studios’ new all-ages imprint, kaboom!

“We’re honored to publish such a beloved property,” BOOM! Studios founder and Chief Executive Officer Ross Richie said in a news release. “I can think of no better way to kick off our new all-ages imprint kaboom! than with the first ‘Peanuts’ graphic novel ever published!” The graphic novel will be adapted from the animated special “Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown.” While Schulz’s comic strips have often been collected in book form, and while there were “Peanuts” comic books in the past, the long-form graphic novel story in “Happiness Is a Warm Blanket” is a first for Peanuts.

Boom! was approached by Peanuts for this project, Richie told The Oklahoman.

“The Peanuts organization sought us out, which is hands-down the best compliment I’ve ever been given as a professional,” Richie said. “They are a spectacular team that truly cares about the creative heart of the brand and only about that. Excellent partners, we are tremendously honored and thrilled to be in business with them.”

The 80-page hardcover graphic novel ships this month in conjunction with the all-new “Peanuts” animated feature of the same name.

“Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown” is written by original creator Charles M. Schulz and adapted by Craig Schulz and Stephan Pastis, with art by Bob Scott, Vicki Scott and Ron Zorman.

“New original ‘Peanuts’ comic book content is a tradition that goes pretty far back in comic book publishing,” said Matt Gagnon, Boom! Studios editor-in-chief, in a release. “Dell Comics published ‘Tip Top Comics,’ which featured new ‘Peanuts’ comic book content created under the guidance of Charles Schulz. ‘Tip Top’ ran … until 1961, creating well over 40 original ‘Peanuts’ stories and countless covers. It’s exciting to be a part of the return of ‘Peanuts’ to the comic book format.”

“The Happiness Is a Warm Blanket” graphic novel and DVD are part of “Peanuts” campaign for 2011, “The Year of ‘Happiness Is …” Throughout the year, the concept, which cartoonist Charles M. Schulz coined in 1960 with “Happiness Is a Warm Puppy,” will be celebrated with themed products, nationwide activities and more.

Following the “Peanuts” graphic novel in the kaboom! line from Boom! will be an all-new original series by fan-favorite Roger Langridge entitled “Snarked!” along with Scholastic’s “Word Girl.”

- By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Received from Boom! is this promotional image revealing that Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz, is coming to the Kaboom line.  It’s not clear what exactly this will involve – classic reprints, comic book reprints or all-new stories – but I look forward to seeing more information as it develops.

- Matt Price

As reported in the Washington Post and The Comics Reporter among others, “Dick Tracy” comic strip writer-artist Dick Locher will retire after 32 years.  Dick Tracy was created by Pawnee, Oklahoma’s Chester Gould.

“Dick Tracy” will continue under a new creative team, artist Joe Staton and writer Mike Curtis.

Locher, 81, will continue to draw editorial cartoons for Tribune Media Services.

Both the Post and the Comics Reporter point out that other legacy strips — Little Orphan Annie and Brenda Starr — were recently canceled.  The viability of “Dick Tracy” under a new creative team appears to reflect the strip still has either more subscribers or more visibility and viability as a continuing concern.

TMS executive Jam Guszynski tells the Washington Post that the decision to continue involved the economics of the strip.

- Matt Price

Bryan Painter of NewsOK reports on the Dick Tracy Birthday Celebration planned for this weekend in Pawnee, Oklahoma.

Painter writes:

It’s been 25 years since Chester Gould died at age 84 in Woodstock, Ill. But recognition of his work continues in Gould’s hometown of Pawnee.

On Saturday, Pawnee will be the site of the Dick Tracy 79th Birthday Celebration including a Dick Tracy Police Parade followed by a Dick Tracy Birthday Parade.

The Pawnee County Historical Society Museum has a section on Gould and Dick Tracy.  Gould was born in Pawnee in 1900 and began drawing “Dick Tracy” in 1931.   Check out the full story at NewsOK.  More information is at wimgo.com.

- Matt Price

Darrell Gambill in the Dick Tracy Headquarters in the Pawnee Historical Museum,

Original art from "Blondie."

Today, Sept. 8, is the 80th anniversary of the comic strip “Blondie” first appearing in newspapers.  “Blondie” features the married couple Blondie and Dagwood.  But when the strip started in 1930, Blondie Boopadoop was a happy-go-lucky flapper.   In 1933, she married her boyfriend Dagwood Bumstead, son of a wealthy industrialist.  His parents disowned him for marrying the flapper, and the strip became one of middle-class familial struggles.

The strip led to a long-running film series and radio program throughout the 1940s.  According to the University of Florida exhibit from the strip’s 75th anniversary, following the marriage, the dynamic of the strip changed.  Blondie, formerly portrayed as ditzy, became the sensible member of the family.  Dagwood, previously the straight man of the strip, became the comic strip’s clown, creating giant sandwiches and getting into humorous confrontations with his boss, Mr. Dithers.

Creator Chic Young drew “Blondie” until his death in 1973.  His son, Dean Young, now writes the strip.

In 2008, “Blondie” was voted the most-read comic strip in The Oklahoman.

Image via Three Men in a Tub.

- Matt Price

Cathy Guisewite in 1987 (AP)

In a story at NewsOK.com, “Cathy” creator Cathy Guisewhite talks about ending her long-running “Cathy” strip.

Q: Can you offer any insight as to how the strip might end?

CG: The strip will end with me weeping at my drawing board, mascara and anti-aging serum dripping all over the blank page… one hand clutching a pen, one clutching a spoon… on the speakerphone with my incredible parents, snapping at them for calling with their loving support right when I’m so busy being hysterical… frantically rethinking my whole decision… . Oh. You mean how will it end in the paper? If I had the sort of brain capable of planning two weeks ahead I never would have been able to create this strip for the last 34 years.

Visit NewsOK.com for the full Q&A.

Comic-book writers Sterling Gates and R.A. Jones were among those on hand as the Oklahoma History Center opened its exhibit, “The Uncanny Adventures of Okie Cartoonists,” focusing on comic book and comic strip writers and artists from the state of Oklahoma.

Little Orphan Annie, who survived the Great Depression in the influential comic strip by Harold Gray, won’t make it through the Great Recession.  According to the Associated Press, the strip, now carried by fewer than 20 papers, will come to an end this summer.

The comic strip was once carried in hundreds of newspapers and inspired a popular radio show.  The Broadway musical based on the comic strip opened in 1977, and inspired the 1982 movie starring Aileen Quinn.

While June 13 marks the final newspaper comic-strip appearance of Little Orphan Annie, Tribune Media Services says it is considering other plans for the character.

- Matt Price

Click past the cut for the full AP story.

From the AP:

CHICAGO (AP) — Come this summer there will be no more tomorrows for “Annie.”

The Oklahoman‘s David Zizzo recapped the career of World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin, who will be honored on a U.S. postage stamp in March, in this NewsOK article.

“Bill Mauldin’s cartoons during the war were a major source of morale enhancement,”  Mike Gonzales told Zizzo. Gonzales, As curator of the 45th Infantry Division Museum in Oklahoma City, sent photos to the Postal Service, one of which was used to create the stamp.

Gonzales recounted the popularity of Mauldin among the troops.

“Everybody knew that nobody touched the Bill Mauldin cartoon until everybody had a chance to read it,” Gonzales said. “There were some guys who didn’t read anything in the paper except the cartoon.

“‘Willie and Joe’ were of tremendous significance to soldiers over there.”

Check out the entire article at NewsOK.

- Matt Price

Even without Kristin Chenoweth, it looks like Oklahomans could put on a pretty good remake of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

Three Oklahomans are among the finalists in the Peanuts Photo Contest, which seeks look-alikes for the Peanuts comic strip characters in honor of the strip’s 60th anniversary.

Haley Bussell

“Peanuts” was created by Charles Schulz and is among the most successful comic strips of all time. The characters, including Charlie Brown and Snoopy, are known around the world.

At www.peanutsphotocontest.com, Oklahoman Haley Bussell, 8, of Broken Arrow is a finalist in the “Peppermint Patty” category.

“I just immediately thought of Haley, because she looks like Peppermint Patty!” said her mom, Kelley Bussell. “I just got a picture of her and sent it in!”

A finalist as Peppermint Patty’s pal, Marcie, is Moore resident Lindsay Riggs, 9.

Lindsay Riggs

“When I saw the picture of Marcie … I said, oh my gosh, Lindsay does look like her!” said her mom, Jamie Riggs.

And rounding out the state finalists is Wyatt Tilley of Ponca City, competing to be the look-alike of good ol’ Charlie Brown. Wyatt is six months old.

“His dad started calling him Charlie when he was born. He says he looks like a Charlie Brown,” said Wyatt’s mom, Denise Tilley. “Had we seen him before naming him, he would be named Charlie. So now his nickname is Charlie.”

Fans can vote online at www.peanutsphotocontest. com until Dec. 4. The grand prize is an all-expense-paid trip for four to Cedar Fair amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, home of Planet Snoopy.

Wyatt Tilley

The contest, which benefits Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org), attracted entrants from all over the country, with California and New York submitting the most potential look-a-likes. Oklahoma’s three finalists tied with New York and California for the state the most-represented in the finals. Illinois followed with two, and 18 other states and the District of Columbia had one. Charlie Brown received the most entries as a look-alike, followed by Linus, Snoopy and Sally.

Celebrity judges Jill Schulz (daughter of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz), country music performers Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, “Supernanny” Jo Frost, “America’s Next Top Model” judge and fashion photographer Nigel Barker, and KTLA news anchor Victoria Recano selected the 30 finalists.

by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

Kristin Chenoweth, left, was chosen as a celebrity look-alike for Sally Brown, right.

Is your child a ringer for Linus, with or without security blanket? If your son or daughter has the look of a “Peanuts” comic strip character, you can submit photos at www.peanutsphotocontest.com.

Entries can be submitted through Nov. 3, and the grand prize is an all-expense-paid trip for four to Cedar Fair amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, home of Planet Snoopy.

Jill Schulz, daughter of “Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz, will join judge Jo Frost (“Supernanny”) and two Oklahomans — Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood — in selecting finalists. The public vote begins Nov. 11.

Brooks and Yearwood are fans of the “Peanuts” characters, Jill Schulz said.

“They are also great role models for parents today and advocates for children in general,” Schulz said in an e-mail interview. “And, they know the work involved in posing for the camera — not to mention getting your kids to do it!”

Schulz says that, over the years, she’s heard from many fans about “Peanuts” look-alikes.

“Practically every fan we’ve ever met has told us that they have a particular Peanuts character they relate to — or that a family member, friend or child reminds them of a certain ‘Peanuts’ character,” Jill Schulz said. “With the 60th anniversary coming up, this seemed like the perfect time to give people the chance to share their stories — and their pictures!

“Also, our team met Simon Pegg at Comic-Con a year ago, and he said that people are always telling him he looks like Charlie Brown. That inspired us to follow up with a gallery of celebrity look-alikes.”

The celebrity look-alikes include Oklahoma’s Kristin Chenoweth, who is matched with Sally, Charlie Brown’s younger sisters. Chenoweth even played Sally in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” on Broadway.

“Whether in costume for ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ or not, Kristin really captures the essence of Sally’s personality,” Jill Schulz said. “Their physical resemblance is remarkable, of course. Both are petite perky blondes who look great in pink — with spunky attitudes to match, too!”

Jill Schulz is a former professional ice skater, dancer and actress and now oversees Woodstock Ice Productions and also directs and choreographs the All Wheels Xtreme sports entertainment shows. She lives in Santa Barbara, Calif., with her husband, Aaron, and children, Kylie, 11, and Tyler, 7.

“I know my dad would have loved this project,” Jill Schulz said. “Growing up, I would always hear fans ask him, ‘Which character are you most like?’ Occasionally, he would say ‘Charlie Brown,’ but more often than not, he would simply say, ‘Read the strip, and you will know me.’ Personally, I believe there was a little bit of each character in him — and I know he would have enjoyed seeing how other people had fun with it all!”

- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman ]]> http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/10/23/contest-to-reward-peanuts-look-alikes/feed/ 0 http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/10/23/qa-with-jill-schulz-about-peanuts-60th-anniversary-and-more/ http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/2009/10/23/qa-with-jill-schulz-about-peanuts-60th-anniversary-and-more/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:02:33 +0000 nerdblog http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/?p=5558 Jill Schulz, daughter of Charles Schulz, talked to The Oklahoman about the Peanuts comic strip and the plans for the 60th anniversary.

Matt Price: What do you think accounts for the enduring popularity of the Charlie Brown characters?

Jill Schulz: My Dad was a great observer of people throughout his …

Read more here

Jill Schulz

Jill Schulz, daughter of Charles Schulz, talked to The Oklahoman about the Peanuts comic strip and the plans for the 60th anniversary.

Matt Price: What do you think accounts for the enduring popularity of the Charlie Brown characters?

Jill Schulz: My Dad was a great observer of people throughout his entire life and I know he had great empathy for children and how cruel they can be to each other on the playgrounds and neighborhoods. I know my Dad had a great understanding and very clear memories of what it is like learning to fit in and negotiate social interaction even as a child, which is something we all go through whether we were a very shy child or the leader of the group. In the comic strip we are always seeing the challenges between the characters, their personalities ,and situations which are so familiar to us all, it gives us a chance to relate and say “oh, yeah, my sister is crabby” or “yes, I feel alone at lunch time,” … and of course who doesn’t experience the Little Red Haired girl or some other kind of rejection in their lifetime. These are issues that have been and will always be there for everyone ,which I believe is why Peanuts has become such a timeless strip for all of our generations.

MP:  What kind of events are planned for the 60th anniversary?

JS: Because my Dad created over 18,000 comic strips touching on so many themes and covering every season of the year—from Charlie Brown’s lovelorn Valentine’s Day to Snoopy as the Easter Beagle, from baseball season to Peppermint Patty’s dread at the beginning of the school year, from Linus and the Great Pumpkin right through Christmas and Charlie Brown’s pathetic little tree—we decided to celebrate for a full year.  We’ve kicked things off with the look-a-like contest this fall.  We’re also celebrating at various baseball stadiums around the country.  Earlier this month, we celebrated with The Mets at Citifield.  Next spring, we have stadium events planned with the Twins, the Giants and the Angels.  In November, the Gaylord Opryland Resort will unveil ICE! A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is a colorful, interactive ice sculpture experience.  My Dad’s beloved story will be told with two million pounds of ice!

Also in November, we’re introducing Celebrating Peanuts: 60 Years, a commemorative coffee table book from Andrews McMeel Publishing, and for the holidays, there will be 60 Years of Snoopy Plush at CVS, featuring five different Snoopys looking just as he did in each of the five decades my Dad drew him. But this is just the beginning…there are a host of other events and collectibles in the works for 2010; stay tuned for details!

MP:  Garth Brooks, an Oklahoman who is a judge for the contest, announced recently he’s coming out of retirement. How have Brooks and his wife Trisha Yearwood been involved with the photo contest? Are they longtime fans of the characters?

JS: Yes, they are Peanuts fans!  They are also great role models for parents today and advocates for children in general.  And, they know the work involved in posing for the camera—not to mention getting your kids to do it!   And It was great to hear that Garth was going to be performing again!

]]>

Congratulations to former Oklahoma resident David Gallaher, whose “High Moon” was named Best Online Comics Work at this weekend’s Harvey Awards in Baltimore.

Check out the comic for yourself at http://www.zudacomics.com/high_moon or in the recent print collection.

The Beat has the full list of winners.

- Matt Price

Related posts:

Oklahoma among inspirations for High Moon series.

High Moon continues on Zuda.

A page from "Lovecraft is Missing."

If you watched cartoons in the 1980s, odds are you were exposed to the work of Tulsa’s Larry Latham. The 1975 University of Oklahoma graduate is an Emmy nominee, working on shows including “DuckTales,” “Smurfs,” “TaleSpin” and “Super Friends.”

Larry Latham

“I worked on a wide diversity of stuff,” Latham said. “When I started at Hanna Barbera, the first show I worked on was the Godzilla Power Hour, with Doug Wildey, one of the greats of comic books, and Dave Stevens of ‘The Rocketeer.’”

Now returned to Oklahoma from Los Angeles, Latham creates the Web comic “Lovecraft is Missing.”

Latham says he’s always been a fan of author H.P. Lovecraft, and was even part of the group helped raise money to provide a grave marker for the author. He’s turning that love into a mystery comic that takes the premise: What if Lovecraft’s stories were real?

New “Lovecraft is Missing” pages go up every Friday at lovecraftismissing.com.

While Lovecraft’s Chthulu tales are horror classics, Lovecraft has a science fictional basis, Latham said.

“One of his key precepts is that this stuff isn’t supernatural, it’s alien,” Latham said. “It’s so advanced it appears to be magic.”

Latham first developed “Lovecraft is Missing” as a CD-ROM game back in 1994. But after the crash of the CD-ROM market, the concept went back on the shelf. It was under development as an animated series in the late 1990s by Film Roman, but after some creative differences, the rights reverted back to Latham.

After first pitching the project as a graphic novel, Latham in 2008 began working to bring his story to the Internet as a Web comic. Eric Lee, co-creator of the web comic Boodachitaville, helped Latham learn some of the tricks of the Web comic trade.

Latham’s comic fandom goes way back, as he was a founding member of the Oklahoma Alliance of Fans, a pioneering comic fan club that began in the late 1960s.

“We moved a lot when I was a kid. About every 18 months, my dad just had to move. And yet we stayed within Oklahoma City, Tulsa, once we moved down to a little town called Wewoka,” Latham said. “But pretty much every year I was going to a new school. And I got real comfortable, made good friends, but I didn’t keep friends because we didn’t stay around. And comic books were, they were my friends. I read a lot, I loved reading, and wanted to be a comic book artist.”

And now, Latham has achieved that childhood dream.

From Tuesday’s The Oklahoman
By Matthew Price

Former Oklahoma resident David Gallaher and collaborator Steve Ellis won the online Zuda Comics competition in 2007. Now, his winning submission comes to print this October. “High Moon” is the horror-Western hybrid that was recently nominated for two Harvey Awards.

“High Moon” takes Western tropes and mixes them with supernatural and science fictional elements, said Gallaher, the writer of the series.

“The original story was going to be a retelling and re-imagining of the American Civil War with vampires and werewolves,” Gallaher said. “As I started to dig deeper and deeper into the research, ‘High Moon’ sort of grew from there – with elements of ‘Gunsmoke,’ Jim Bowie, Tom Waits, and Celtic mythology thrown in for good measure.”

The story begins with Matthew MacGregor investigating unusual happenings the Old West town of Blest, Texas. But the detective MacGregor has his own lycanthropic secret to keep.

“The theme of ‘an unchanging man in a changing time’ sort of stuck with me, and the story came out of that,” Gallaher said. “With few exceptions, I hate Westerns … and with this project I was able to write a Western that I enjoyed creating and enjoyed reading.”

“High Moon” is rich in Oklahoma connections, particularly in the comic’s second “season.” Seasons 1-3 will be collected in the print edition. The second season deals with a series of murders in Ragged Rock, OK.

“I spent my quite some time living in Norman, Oklahoma,” Gallaher said. “I was in this wicked class called ‘Monsters, Aliens, and Cyborgs’ that totally stuck with me. I was also enrolled in a Cherokee language course that really made an impression on me.”

These Oklahoma experiences became part of the genesis of High Moon’s second stanza.

“When it came to developing the second season, I wanted to do something that felt authentic to me,” Gallaher said. “The first thing that came to mind were my experiences in Oklahoma. I thought about the geography, the Arbuckle Mountain Range, all-black towns – like Langston – and everything developed from there.”

Creating for the Web first offers many advantages, Gallaher said.

“From a creative standpoint, it’s pretty similar. We have to keep the story fun, fast, engaging, and compelling,” Gallaher said. “But, in terms of distribution, the web offers an incredible place to bring your ideas to market, without the financial burden and liability that comes with print.”

- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

If you can’t find a comic book this week, you’re not trying hard enough.

It’s simply a great week to buy comics.  Let’s look at some of the highlights.

Like classic comic strips? New collections of “Little Orphan Annie” and “Dick Tracy” hit stores today.

Like well-written, literary comics? There’s a new “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” by Alan Moore.

Best value of the week? The first issue of “The Unwritten” by Mike Carey and Peter Gross.  It’s just $1 for 48 pages!  This was probably my favorite Vertigo first issue since “Y: The Last Man” #1.  If you like intelligent comics, there’s no reason you shouldn’t at least try it out for $1. Like I said after reading a preview copy at the ComicsPRO meeting in Memphis: “The Unwritten” looks to be a must for Harry Potter fans over the age of 17.

In the mood for a big superhero crossover? “Fusion” features the Avengers, the Thunderbolts, Cyberforce and Hunter/Killer.

Want a mystery? Mark Waid’s new “Unknown” is said to be in the vein of his award-winning mystery series “Ruse.”

How about a thriller? The third “un” title of the week is Mark Sable’s “Unthinkable” about a writer tasked to come up with doomsday scenarios for the government — that later end up coming true.

Want a collection of one of the most brilliant comics of the modern era? Fantagraphics has released a collection of Gilbert Hernandez’s “Luba.”

Want an action-packed superhero adventure? Check out “Superman: New Krypton” (partially written by OU graduate Sterling Gates)!

Want a jumping-on point for a popular Marvel hero?  Marvel’s provided just that in “Wolverine” #73. (Just don’t ask about #72. It’s complicated. It’ll be here eventually.)

Want to read one of the most ridiculous crossovers in human history? Check out the omnibus to “Secret Wars II.”

Looking for a new comic written by Ivan Brandon, writer of the buzz book “Viking”?  His “Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape” hits this week.

How about a nostalgic trip to the 1980s? Archie is reprinting its first “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” issues.

Seriously. Go to your comic-book store this week.  It’s a great week for comics.

– Matt Price

– Matt Price

Announced at The Beat, IDW is adding Alex Raymond’s “Rip Kirby” to its Library of American Comics series.  The five-volume archival hardcover series  will contain every daily from the strip’s inception in 1946 through Alex Raymond’s tragic death in 1956.

More info from the  release, from the blog of Chris Ryall, editor in chief and publisher of IDW:

Rip Kirby was the first hip and cool detective in newspaper comics. Created by Alex Raymond when he was deactivated from the Marines after World War II, it was a fresh approach to the genre, a departure from the prevailing hard-boiled style of detective fiction. Rip Kirby was urbane and cerebral, and used scientific methods as often as he used his fists when solving crimes and mysteries. But there was still plenty of action — Kirby was an All-American athlete and decorated war hero.

Co-written with Ward Greene, Rip Kirby often addressed contemporary issues, including trafficking in black market babies and the attempt to limit the proliferation of atomic and biological weapons. The supporting cast was comprised of Rip’s valet and assistant, Desmond, and plenty of breathtaking women, particularly Rip’s girlfriend, Honey Dorian, and the raven-haired and aptly-named Pagan Lee. Highly conscious of the fashions of the day, Raymond brought post-war and early-50s chic and fashion to the comics page, dressing his female characters in ultra-chic clothes obviously inspired by Dior’s “New Look.” 

Dave Sim has been pontificating on Alex Raymond quite a bit in his series “Glamourpuss,” and “Rip Kirby” has seemed to be one of the big remaining comic-strip reprint projects that no one had taken on.  Dean Mullaney, formerly of Eclipse, and IDW have done a great job bringing classic strips to the fore, including recent reprint projects “Little Orphan Annie,” “Dick Tracy” and “Terry and the Pirates.”

– Matt Price

WORD BALLOONS

Comic strip fans had much to choose from in 2008. Several classic strips have been reprinted in new formats, many for the first time. While all the news for the future of the newspaper comic strip isn’t good – comic strip space in newspapers continued to be at a premium, and several editorial cartoonists were laid off in 2008 – the year did provide a window into the past with several top-notch collections.

Two of the reprint projects have Oklahoma connections – IDW continued its comprehensive “The Complete Dick Tracy” reprints, and Fantagraphics reprinted almost all of Bill Mauldin’s “Willie and Joe” panels.

Willie and Joe: The World War II Years collects 600 cartoons, many never-before reprinted, of Bill Mauldin’s cartoons from the front lines. Bill Mauldin’s early cartoons were published in The Oklahoman. Mauldin served with the 45th Infantry Division, and more than 200 of his cartoons are collected at the 45th Infantry Division Museum, 2145 N.E. 36th Street.

“The Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy” volumes 4 and 5 were released in 2008. Volume 4 contains comic strips from July 1936 through January 1938. Storylines in volume 5 include “Chief Shellberry,” “Karpse,” “Scardol” and “Whip Chute,” which ran January 1938 through July 1939. Gould was born in Pawnee, and his hard-bitten police detective Dick Tracy is one of the world’s best-known comic-strip characters.

If you want a broader overview of the history of the comic-strip, “The Comics: The Complete Collection,” a Borders-exclusive book from Brian Walker, will do just that. The book is a compilation of his two previous books, “The Comics: Before 1945″ and “The Comics: Since 1945.” This book is lushly illustrated. Early color Sunday comic strips like “Flash Gordon” receive full-page reprints; the oversized trim of “The Complete Collection” gives readers a feel for what these comic strips looked like to readers of the time. Covering “The Yellow Kid” to “Zits,” Walker’s book is an excellent primer to learn what’s been great about comic strips through the years.

By Matthew Price
From the Dec. 19 edition of The Oklahoman

– Matt Price

The Gaylord Herald-Times, quoting from R.C. Harvey’s site, indicate that “Dick Tracy” writer-artist Dick Locher may retire at the end of this year.  Tribune Media Services has made no official announcement, but speculation is that the service may end the strip.

“Dick Tracy” was created by cartoonist Chester Gould, who was born in Pawnee, Oklahoma.

PAULS VALLEY – Oklahoma cartoonists and famous toy lines were among the honorees Saturday as the Toy and Action Figure Museum, 111 S. Chickasaw, celebrated its third anniversary.

Joining the museum’s action figure Hall of Fame were two action-figure lines that took the 1980s by storm: Masters of the Universe and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.

Masters of the Universe were supremely muscled characters who lived on the planet Eternia. The star of this line was He-Man, who gained his strength when he held aloft his magic sword and repeated the phrase “by the power of Grayskull.”

“G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” was a 1980s update of the classic Joe action figure, which had been a 12-inch figure. “A Real American Hero” was in the 3 and ¾-inch size and introduced G.I. Joe, a special missions force for the U.S. military, who defended freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world. Rather than just one “G.I. Joe,” the brand now introduced a line full of characters, developed by comics and animation writer Larry Hama, including the ninja Snake-Eyes, leader Duke and counter-intelligence specialist Scarlett.

Introduced into the Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection Hall of Fame were four cartoonists – and it came as a surprise to one of them. Museum curator Kevin Stark, creator of the comic strip and comic book “Geezer,” was named to the Hall of Fame. “Geezer” ran for seven years in the Pauls Valley Daily Democrat, and further comic books are in development.

Also honored:

Russell Myers, the creator of “Broom Hilda,” who was raised and attended college in Tulsa.

George Storm, who created adventure strips “Phil Hardy” in 1925 and “Bobby Thatcher” in 1927. He co-created The Hangman for MLJ and drew Bugs Bunny for Dell. He died in 1976.

Terry Tidwell, who was born and raised in Claremore. He worked on “The Green Hornet” and “Conan.” Tidwell, who was in attendance at the ceremony, also co-created the Tulsa-based hero “The Twilight Avenger.”

– Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

I went to the Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley on Saturday to celebrate the 75th birthday of “Alley Oop” with Jack and Carole Bender, who are the creative team for the comic strip.  Congratulations to them on their success! “Alley Oop” was  created in 1933 by V.T. Hamlin.  Jack Bender became an assistant on”Alley Oop” in 1990, and the full-time artist in 1991.  Carole Bender has written the strip since 2001.

The Oklahoma-based Benders also work with the Oklahoma Cartoonists’ Collection, housed at the museum.

– Matt Price

Much thanks to my mom, my kids’ mom, and all the other moms out there. You don’t get enough credit.  (Calvin and Hobbes comic from Simply Calvin and Hobbes; check out http://www.simplych.com for more information about the strip.)

– Matt Price 

Good to see some love for longtime Nerdage faves Matt Fraction and Matt Silady.

And since I’m on a Caniff kick, it’s gratifying to see IDW’s “Terry and the Pirates” reprints getting some love as well.

– Matt Price

– Matt Price

The Chicago Tribune reports the Gould estate could no longer fund the museum, which opened in 1991, and it will close in June.   Family members plan to make an internet site highlighting some of Gould’s letters and strips as a more accessible replacement.

– Matt Price