Drawn

Though I have much appreciation for many of the artists awarded this honor, I wonder who’s doing the nominating, and the politics involved. I read Concrete: The Human Dilemma for instance, and liked it very much, but to call this the best the medium had to offer this year, seems a little myopic. As for a special award for the current artist aping Chester Gould’s style, I’m not sure I see the point. L ong time industry favorites, like C.F. Payne, and Ralph Steadman, again, are artists I admire, but I wonder if there’s been any new artists to emerge in the last decade whom it might better serve to award the prize, barring lifetime achievement.

I can’t argue with the Feature Animation choice. It absolutely deserves it. But I can’t say I’m qualified to judge the editorial stuff, since I just haven’t seen that much of it. Same goes for greeting cards and advertising. As for Gag cartoons, I think they may be going by an old mindset–right now the best gag cartoons aren’t in magazines, but in comic books. I’d put my vote in for Sam Henderson, if I had a vote.

I think part of the problem, if there is a problem, is that this was originally and in some respects continues to be an award established to celebrate newspaper cartoonists, with the additional categories added later, but the mindset never quite changed, while the best cartooning currently being done no longer can be found in newspapers that fewer and fewer people read.

This sort of reminds me of when Maus got the Pulitzer. Editorial cartoons in the Journalism category never quite seemed right in the first place, but Maus was an even more awkward fit. They wanted to celebrate it, but couldn’t quite concede to call it “literature”.

In this case, I think this may be a group of people not fully informed about either the current variety of artists working in the field, or even, in the case of comics, the medium that they’re voting about. Nobody I know who makes comic books, for instance, has ever been asked to vote for the Reuben.

Though I have much appreciation for many of the artists awarded this honor, I wonder who’s doing the nominating, and the politics involved. I read Concrete: The Human Dilemma for instance, and liked it very much, but to call this the best the medium had to offer this year, seems a little myopic. As for a special award for the current artist aping Chester Gould’s style, I’m not sure I see the point. L ong time industry favorites, like C.F. Payne, and Ralph Steadman, again, are artists I admire, but I wonder if there’s been any new artists to emerge in the last decade whom it might better serve to award the prize, barring lifetime achievement.

I can’t argue with the Feature Animation choice. It absolutely deserves it. But I can’t say I’m qualified to judge the editorial stuff, since I just haven’t seen that much of it. Same goes for greeting cards and advertising. As for Gag cartoons, I think they may be going by an old mindset–right now the best gag cartoons aren’t in magazines, but in comic books. I’d put my vote in for Sam Henderson, if I had a vote.

I think part of the problem, if there is a problem, is that this was originally and in some respects continues to be an award established to celebrate newspaper cartoonists, with the additional categories added later, but the mindset never quite changed, while the best cartooning currently being done no longer can be found in newspapers that fewer and fewer people read.

This sort of reminds me of when Maus got the Pulitzer. Editorial cartoons in the Journalism category never quite seemed right in the first place, but Maus was an even more awkward fit. They wanted to celebrate it, but couldn’t quite concede to call it “literature”.

In this case, I think this may be a group of people not fully informed about either the current variety of artists working in the field, or even, in the case of comics, the medium that they’re voting about. Nobody I know who makes comic books, for instance, has ever been asked to vote for the Reuben.

Chickweed Lane? Best strip? Nothing demonstrates the sad state of the comic strip more than the fact that this strip won the Reuben for Best strip. If Newspaper cartooning isn’t dead, then it is surely in the Nursing home awaiting death.

Chickweed Lane? Best strip? Nothing demonstrates the sad state of the comic strip more than the fact that this strip won the Reuben for Best strip. If Newspaper cartooning isn’t dead, then it is surely in the Nursing home awaiting death.

Mike Luckovich is a genius. If only from the perspective of his linework. His cartoons also happen to be the bravest and truest out there, but that’s just icing, IMHO.

Mike Luckovich is a genius. If only from the perspective of his linework. His cartoons also happen to be the bravest and truest out there, but that’s just icing, IMHO.

Jed — With exception of “Cartoonist of the Year,” nominations are based on artist submissions judged by panels made up of NCS members. So artists can only be nominated if he or she submits their work for consideration. So yes, the nominees perhaps don’t represent a broad enough spectrum of the entire field, but I think it’s unfair to say it’s because the people picking the winners are not fully informed.

As for Dick Locher, I invite you to look at his non-Dick Tracy work. He’s a Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist, and that particular award (the Silver T Square) is given to individuals for service to the profession — in this case, fostering young talent by creating the John Locher Award for college editorial cartoonists.

Jed — With exception of “Cartoonist of the Year,” nominations are based on artist submissions judged by panels made up of NCS members. So artists can only be nominated if he or she submits their work for consideration. So yes, the nominees perhaps don’t represent a broad enough spectrum of the entire field, but I think it’s unfair to say it’s because the people picking the winners are not fully informed.

As for Dick Locher, I invite you to look at his non-Dick Tracy work. He’s a Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist, and that particular award (the Silver T Square) is given to individuals for service to the profession — in this case, fostering young talent by creating the John Locher Award for college editorial cartoonists.

How do you become an NCS member? Can I become one?

I have no idea who makes up the organization’s membership, so you’re right, they could really know their stuff, so that wasn’t quite fair.

But informed or not, the limited pool of material judged is also reflective of the relevancy of the award in the community of cartoonists whose work is submitted. If you don’t get many comic book submissions, it’s probably because the Eisner, the Harvey and the Ignatz are considered more relevant to the comic book community than the Reuben. The Reuben just doesn’t register on that radar, and so including the category seems to do a diservice to that medium. Relying on the artists themselves to submit material, when the majority of the people who make comic books are unaware of the awards existence, renders the idea that the award represents some kind of excellence in the field, a little pointless.

I wasn’t familiar with Dick Locher’s other contributions to the medium, but here he’s credited with Dick Tracy, Chester Gould’s creation, the reason for my assumption. And I’ve already expressed how I feel about the Pulitzer. None of which says Dick Locher is a bad cartoonist, or undeserving, But Dick Tracy is a shadow of what it once was, as is Little Orphan Annie, as is Prince Valiant. Again, this is not necessarily reflective of the talent of the artists who are doing their best to keep these strips afloat; Gary Giovanni, who took over Prince Valiant last I heard, is a very talented illustrator, but these strips just never should’ve been resusitated, and I do not admire the practice. I’d rather see them reprint Harold Gray’s Little Orphan Annie, than see Leonard Starr or his successors versions.

As for newspaper strips: I don’t know anything about Chickweed Lane, but last I checked, newspaper strips were in a sorry state. It just isn’t a form of media that continues to foster the best talents in cartooning. At the same time, on the internet and in comic books, and in the occassional Free Weekly, strips are doing just fine, which again leads me to conclude that this award and the way it’s decided, no longer gives voice to the best of what the medium has to offer.

How do you become an NCS member? Can I become one?

I have no idea who makes up the organization’s membership, so you’re right, they could really know their stuff, so that wasn’t quite fair.

But informed or not, the limited pool of material judged is also reflective of the relevancy of the award in the community of cartoonists whose work is submitted. If you don’t get many comic book submissions, it’s probably because the Eisner, the Harvey and the Ignatz are considered more relevant to the comic book community than the Reuben. The Reuben just doesn’t register on that radar, and so including the category seems to do a diservice to that medium. Relying on the artists themselves to submit material, when the majority of the people who make comic books are unaware of the awards existence, renders the idea that the award represents some kind of excellence in the field, a little pointless.

I wasn’t familiar with Dick Locher’s other contributions to the medium, but here he’s credited with Dick Tracy, Chester Gould’s creation, the reason for my assumption. And I’ve already expressed how I feel about the Pulitzer. None of which says Dick Locher is a bad cartoonist, or undeserving, But Dick Tracy is a shadow of what it once was, as is Little Orphan Annie, as is Prince Valiant. Again, this is not necessarily reflective of the talent of the artists who are doing their best to keep these strips afloat; Gary Giovanni, who took over Prince Valiant last I heard, is a very talented illustrator, but these strips just never should’ve been resusitated, and I do not admire the practice. I’d rather see them reprint Harold Gray’s Little Orphan Annie, than see Leonard Starr or his successors versions.

As for newspaper strips: I don’t know anything about Chickweed Lane, but last I checked, newspaper strips were in a sorry state. It just isn’t a form of media that continues to foster the best talents in cartooning. At the same time, on the internet and in comic books, and in the occassional Free Weekly, strips are doing just fine, which again leads me to conclude that this award and the way it’s decided, no longer gives voice to the best of what the medium has to offer.

Ok. This pretty much says it all for me: Savage Dragon is among the final three for best comic book. I think even people who LIKE this book, wouldn’t call it the best book of the year, except if they were Erik Larson. This, for me, contributes largely to my opinion that the category holds little relevance in the industry, mainstream and small press both. It’s sort of like: if Fear Factor or Punk’d got nominated for an Emmy, or Home Alone 2 for an Oscar. It goes beyond hi-brow vs. Lowbrow–I really don’t think I’m being a snob with this one–it just doesn’t qualify as exceptional in any regard. A nice, throwaway entertainment, maybe. But among the three best of the year? No way.

If the pool of nominees was so thin that Savage Dragon was the best they could do, winning a Reuben for best comic book can’t exactly be called the most auspicious honor. Either some sort of outreach effort needs to be made to the comics community to let people who make comics know that this is an award for which they are eligable, or the category needs to be eliminated entirely–otherwise, including it is less than a half measure–it’s an embarassment.

Ok. This pretty much says it all for me: Savage Dragon is among the final three for best comic book. I think even people who LIKE this book, wouldn’t call it the best book of the year, except if they were Erik Larson. This, for me, contributes largely to my opinion that the category holds little relevance in the industry, mainstream and small press both. It’s sort of like: if Fear Factor or Punk’d got nominated for an Emmy, or Home Alone 2 for an Oscar. It goes beyond hi-brow vs. Lowbrow–I really don’t think I’m being a snob with this one–it just doesn’t qualify as exceptional in any regard. A nice, throwaway entertainment, maybe. But among the three best of the year? No way.

If the pool of nominees was so thin that Savage Dragon was the best they could do, winning a Reuben for best comic book can’t exactly be called the most auspicious honor. Either some sort of outreach effort needs to be made to the comics community to let people who make comics know that this is an award for which they are eligable, or the category needs to be eliminated entirely–otherwise, including it is less than a half measure–it’s an embarassment.

Dear Jed. In a nutshell, the comic strip community (which the NCS is, primarily, despite having it’s doors open to all cartooning disciplines) knows and cares about the comic book industry about as much as the comic book crowd respects the strips. Sad and true, but as simple as that. How many comic book nerds understand how great Dilbert is? My point exactly… totally different disciplines with different qualifiers for sucess. The juries for these things revolve to different chapters every year, and the membership is still heavily skewed to strip cartoonists, hence the continuously horrible Comic Book category. I have aired my complaints about this before, and so has the former NCS chair, Steve McGarry to all the chapter heads… everyone knows how crappy the nominees have been! As John mentions, it’s up to the creators to submit their work to the juries, and hardly any comic book creators are even aware of the NCS, let alone up to submitting work at their own cost every year. What John forgets is that the juries have the power to reject submissions in favor of work they themselves deem more worty… something I will be more than happy to do if the Canadian Chapter ever gets its hands on the Comic Book category.

Dear Jed. In a nutshell, the comic strip community (which the NCS is, primarily, despite having it’s doors open to all cartooning disciplines) knows and cares about the comic book industry about as much as the comic book crowd respects the strips. Sad and true, but as simple as that. How many comic book nerds understand how great Dilbert is? My point exactly… totally different disciplines with different qualifiers for sucess. The juries for these things revolve to different chapters every year, and the membership is still heavily skewed to strip cartoonists, hence the continuously horrible Comic Book category. I have aired my complaints about this before, and so has the former NCS chair, Steve McGarry to all the chapter heads… everyone knows how crappy the nominees have been! As John mentions, it’s up to the creators to submit their work to the juries, and hardly any comic book creators are even aware of the NCS, let alone up to submitting work at their own cost every year. What John forgets is that the juries have the power to reject submissions in favor of work they themselves deem more worty… something I will be more than happy to do if the Canadian Chapter ever gets its hands on the Comic Book category.

Jay: you’re just the kind of artist the organization needs, and I can only hope that more people like you enter into its membership, since you have a hand in both comics and animation, and a wide knowledge and understanding of both, but I guess I don’t entirely agree with you about the strips being so different a discipline than comic books.

Just off the top of my head: Tony Millionaire’s Maakies is a fantastic example of the form. Yes it’s a weekly strip, but it’s still a strip, with continuity, and a punchline at the end. Linda Barry’s Ernie Pooks Comeek, or not so long ago, 100 Demons, both weekly strips. Marc Bell has been doing some pretty amazing stuff in free weeklies as well.Tom Hart has recently been doing some compelling experiments with both daily and weekly strips online, and I reccomend http://www.serializer.com for some other examples of exciting stuff happening in the form. If by “success” you mean, excellence in the form, theres an abundance of successful strips outside of daily newspapers. Do I respect comic strips as a form? You bet. Which is all the more reason why I’m dissapointed with the current state of daily newspaper strips.

I don’t know that it’s a question of understanding or not understanding how great Dilbert is, so much as looking beyond syndicated strips and panels in daily newspapers with a little more interest and curiosity.

What it comes down to for me, is: the Reuben just doesn’t mean much anymore, because it’s no longer genuinely competitive in a relevant way.

Jay: you’re just the kind of artist the organization needs, and I can only hope that more people like you enter into its membership, since you have a hand in both comics and animation, and a wide knowledge and understanding of both, but I guess I don’t entirely agree with you about the strips being so different a discipline than comic books.

Just off the top of my head: Tony Millionaire’s Maakies is a fantastic example of the form. Yes it’s a weekly strip, but it’s still a strip, with continuity, and a punchline at the end. Linda Barry’s Ernie Pooks Comeek, or not so long ago, 100 Demons, both weekly strips. Marc Bell has been doing some pretty amazing stuff in free weeklies as well.Tom Hart has recently been doing some compelling experiments with both daily and weekly strips online, and I reccomend http://www.serializer.com for some other examples of exciting stuff happening in the form. If by “success” you mean, excellence in the form, theres an abundance of successful strips outside of daily newspapers. Do I respect comic strips as a form? You bet. Which is all the more reason why I’m dissapointed with the current state of daily newspaper strips.

I don’t know that it’s a question of understanding or not understanding how great Dilbert is, so much as looking beyond syndicated strips and panels in daily newspapers with a little more interest and curiosity.

What it comes down to for me, is: the Reuben just doesn’t mean much anymore, because it’s no longer genuinely competitive in a relevant way.

You’re making an underground versus overground argument that doesn’t really apply here. I do a weekly newspaper strip, too, but I don’t expect it to win any Reubens (though I do submit it). You’re taking a lot of space to say you prefer quirky, idiosyncratic, non commercial work, which is fine. You’re not a Reubens kind of guy. The National Cartoonists Society is definately not your cup of tea… the membership is for working proffessional cartoonists like myself… commercial artists all, and not ashamed to say so. The Reuben Awards mean a great deal to us. And Dilbert is ‘better’ than Maakies in so many ways I can’t even begin to list them… at least by my personal standards.

You’re making an underground versus overground argument that doesn’t really apply here. I do a weekly newspaper strip, too, but I don’t expect it to win any Reubens (though I do submit it). You’re taking a lot of space to say you prefer quirky, idiosyncratic, non commercial work, which is fine. You’re not a Reubens kind of guy. The National Cartoonists Society is definately not your cup of tea… the membership is for working proffessional cartoonists like myself… commercial artists all, and not ashamed to say so. The Reuben Awards mean a great deal to us. And Dilbert is ‘better’ than Maakies in so many ways I can’t even begin to list them… at least by my personal standards.

I can see how the examples I listed may have given that impression, and we’ll have to agree to disagree about Maakies. But I just praised a Toth “Hotwheels” story in the previous thread for cry’in out loud, so how “underground” can my tastes be? I’m a commercial artist too, (especially more recently), and equally proud to be making some sort of income at least, from making pictures, though you may be right about what the Reuben represents–maybe it isn’t my cup of tea. At the same time, the daily newspaper is rapidly being replaced by other media, the audience is shrinking, and the potential mainstream audience for comic strips and gag panels are likely to look elsewhere. All I’m saying is that, wherever they choose to throw it, I think the NCS can benefit from casting a wider net. Anyway Jay, it already sounds like you’re trying to do just that, particularly when it comes to the comics category. so I’ll stop my long-winded yammering, and let somebody else have a chance, fair enough?

I can see how the examples I listed may have given that impression, and we’ll have to agree to disagree about Maakies. But I just praised a Toth “Hotwheels” story in the previous thread for cry’in out loud, so how “underground” can my tastes be? I’m a commercial artist too, (especially more recently), and equally proud to be making some sort of income at least, from making pictures, though you may be right about what the Reuben represents–maybe it isn’t my cup of tea. At the same time, the daily newspaper is rapidly being replaced by other media, the audience is shrinking, and the potential mainstream audience for comic strips and gag panels are likely to look elsewhere. All I’m saying is that, wherever they choose to throw it, I think the NCS can benefit from casting a wider net. Anyway Jay, it already sounds like you’re trying to do just that, particularly when it comes to the comics category. so I’ll stop my long-winded yammering, and let somebody else have a chance, fair enough?

I love you Jed.

I love you Jed.

I’m sorry. I think Mike Luckovich is a hack. The fact that he won a Reuben deomstrates how far down the CRAFT of cartooning (and especially editorial cartooning) has sunk. His cartoons are certainly NOT funny and they are so poorly drawn they are painful to look at. Perhaps as others have intimated, he won because the competition is so weak. While that’s no excuse to seek better than what he has to offer, it may sadly, have the ring of truth. It’s like many other aspects of our society – we are simply rewarding the highest of the lowest common denominator.

I’m sorry. I think Mike Luckovich is a hack. The fact that he won a Reuben deomstrates how far down the CRAFT of cartooning (and especially editorial cartooning) has sunk. His cartoons are certainly NOT funny and they are so poorly drawn they are painful to look at. Perhaps as others have intimated, he won because the competition is so weak. While that’s no excuse to seek better than what he has to offer, it may sadly, have the ring of truth. It’s like many other aspects of our society – we are simply rewarding the highest of the lowest common denominator.

Wow, the first time I check in to read Responses to anything, and some guy named Greg is calling Mike Luckovich a hack. That is quite possibly the most ignorant cartoon comment I’ve ever heard–and as someone who has attended the Reubens for over a decade, I’ve heard a lot of them. I guess the people judging the other 8 or so awards Mike won this year, including the Pulitzer, are also far less wise and insightful than you, Greg. So, what is it exactly that YOU do that’s so noteworthy? I’d be curious to take a peek. I’m sure it’s brilliant.

And Jed, there are many, many of us within the NCS trying to cast as wide a net as possible. If you take into consideration how many cartoons and cartoonists there are in the country, and then factor in that the organization and voting for these awards is done by NCS members on a volunteer basis in addition to their full-time-and-then-some careers (because, yes, it is a professional society), you might begin to get an idea of how difficult this can be. I don’t think any of us would argue that we nail every category every time. We often lament the thin pickings (although judges are encouraged to go outside of submissions) in certain divisions. On the other hand, just because someone is younger and hipper doesn’t necessarily make him better, and frankly, I’ve seen very few cartoon illustrators who have a higher standard of excellence than CF Payne…Just as an example.

Jay, my friend, are you volunteering for the comic book judging??? That can be arranged…ha ha…

Wow, the first time I check in to read Responses to anything, and some guy named Greg is calling Mike Luckovich a hack. That is quite possibly the most ignorant cartoon comment I’ve ever heard–and as someone who has attended the Reubens for over a decade, I’ve heard a lot of them. I guess the people judging the other 8 or so awards Mike won this year, including the Pulitzer, are also far less wise and insightful than you, Greg. So, what is it exactly that YOU do that’s so noteworthy? I’d be curious to take a peek. I’m sure it’s brilliant.

And Jed, there are many, many of us within the NCS trying to cast as wide a net as possible. If you take into consideration how many cartoons and cartoonists there are in the country, and then factor in that the organization and voting for these awards is done by NCS members on a volunteer basis in addition to their full-time-and-then-some careers (because, yes, it is a professional society), you might begin to get an idea of how difficult this can be. I don’t think any of us would argue that we nail every category every time. We often lament the thin pickings (although judges are encouraged to go outside of submissions) in certain divisions. On the other hand, just because someone is younger and hipper doesn’t necessarily make him better, and frankly, I’ve seen very few cartoon illustrators who have a higher standard of excellence than CF Payne…Just as an example.

Jay, my friend, are you volunteering for the comic book judging??? That can be arranged…ha ha…

I promise, this is my last last last long winded post on this thread–

In defense of Greg:

Greg is entitled to an opinion without having to defend himself as an authority, and without having to have his accomplishments compared to the artist in question. Greg doesn’t have to be a superior talent, or even an artist at all to express his opinion about this artist, and to have his opinion heard.

I do, however, think it’s incumbent on any critic to pose thoughtful and constructive analysis, and I do think that Greg’s remarks could’ve been a little more of both. I should probably say the same about myself, when it comes to my remarks about Erik Larson, so you know, mea culpa and like that.

But at this point, I really don’t think this board is the venue for this kind of debate despite what I’ve probably incited, and I will make an effort to make my contributions less inflamatory in the future.

As for C.F. Payne:

“Younger and Hipper” wasn’t quite what I had in mind, and really, I don’t begrudge Payne the award. If it sounded like I did, it’s probably because I hadn’t really considered it as fully as I could’ve, and you’re right, Payne is a very accomplished illustrator. Is this his first award in this category? If it is, he deserves it even more. If not, in the spirit of, “lets give someone else a try”, it might be nice to see a different name up there, since Payne is already one of the most celebrated illustrators out there, but then again, in the end,I can’t really begrudge him the honor.

And lastly:

Even though i’m not an NCS member, I second the nomination for Jay as a judge for the comic book category. He knows his stuff.

I promise, this is my last last last long winded post on this thread–

In defense of Greg:

Greg is entitled to an opinion without having to defend himself as an authority, and without having to have his accomplishments compared to the artist in question. Greg doesn’t have to be a superior talent, or even an artist at all to express his opinion about this artist, and to have his opinion heard.

I do, however, think it’s incumbent on any critic to pose thoughtful and constructive analysis, and I do think that Greg’s remarks could’ve been a little more of both. I should probably say the same about myself, when it comes to my remarks about Erik Larson, so you know, mea culpa and like that.

But at this point, I really don’t think this board is the venue for this kind of debate despite what I’ve probably incited, and I will make an effort to make my contributions less inflamatory in the future.

As for C.F. Payne:

“Younger and Hipper” wasn’t quite what I had in mind, and really, I don’t begrudge Payne the award. If it sounded like I did, it’s probably because I hadn’t really considered it as fully as I could’ve, and you’re right, Payne is a very accomplished illustrator. Is this his first award in this category? If it is, he deserves it even more. If not, in the spirit of, “lets give someone else a try”, it might be nice to see a different name up there, since Payne is already one of the most celebrated illustrators out there, but then again, in the end,I can’t really begrudge him the honor.

And lastly:

Even though i’m not an NCS member, I second the nomination for Jay as a judge for the comic book category. He knows his stuff.

Yes, Jed, Greg does have a right to express his opinions. But like you also expressed, his post would have been much more effective had he explained with some shred of intelligence why he doesn’t like the work of Mike Luckovich. To call this highly respected and acclaimed cartoonist a hack, without having a working email and/or web site to link to, gives Greg even less credibility. It smacks of the jealous petulant brat who insults the popular kid, then runs desperately into the arms of his mother for protection.

And regarding your other comment, “I don’t think this board is the venue for this kind of debate” I thought the whole point of DRAWN was to have a board for intelligent and sensitive debate on all forms of art. At least, that’s what I hope it is.

Yes, Jed, Greg does have a right to express his opinions. But like you also expressed, his post would have been much more effective had he explained with some shred of intelligence why he doesn’t like the work of Mike Luckovich. To call this highly respected and acclaimed cartoonist a hack, without having a working email and/or web site to link to, gives Greg even less credibility. It smacks of the jealous petulant brat who insults the popular kid, then runs desperately into the arms of his mother for protection.

And regarding your other comment, “I don’t think this board is the venue for this kind of debate” I thought the whole point of DRAWN was to have a board for intelligent and sensitive debate on all forms of art. At least, that’s what I hope it is.

Let me clarify: it’s not a place for pissy, angry, virulent unconstructive debate.

As for Greg: no matter what his opinion happens to be, or how he chooses to express it, it’s not Greg, but his opinion that should be addressed if we want to keep the dialogue constructive, rather than petty and personal. This said, I’m not exactly a role model in this regard–but I’d like to try to be better. If we can concentrate more on a qualative discussion of the art itself, maybe we’ll all be less likely to act like jerks.

Let me clarify: it’s not a place for pissy, angry, virulent unconstructive debate.

As for Greg: no matter what his opinion happens to be, or how he chooses to express it, it’s not Greg, but his opinion that should be addressed if we want to keep the dialogue constructive, rather than petty and personal. This said, I’m not exactly a role model in this regard–but I’d like to try to be better. If we can concentrate more on a qualative discussion of the art itself, maybe we’ll all be less likely to act like jerks.

[...] As a follow-up to the Reubens post, here’s one from Craig Yoe… On his Arf Lovers Blog he’s posted the story by Mort Walker of how the statue was created, and drawings of the award by Hank Ketcham, Chester Gould, Alfred Andriola, Johnny Hart, Bud Blake, and Harold Foster. [...]

Did this guy win an award for best Michael Keaton impression? Wow.

Did this guy win an award for best Michael Keaton impression? Wow.

Michael Keaton? It’s Tony Blair himself!

Michael Keaton? It’s Tony Blair himself!

Hi All:

Although it’s probably a little too long after the fact to add a comment here that has any relevance, I wanted to try and do so to clarify my earlier post which may have come off a little high-handed and mean-spirited which I did not intend to happen. Iwanted to let some time pass so that I could really think about what it is that I wanted to say and do so in a positive and constructive way. Justifiably, Dave took umbrage to me calling Mike Luckovich a “hack”, presumably because what qualifies me to refer to anyone as a “hack?” Certainly he is entitled to want to see what it is that I do that is so brilliant, that I would be qualified to refer to him as a “hack.”

The answer is, nothing.

While I am a cartoonist, and have done several things in the context of humorous illustration for advertising, nothing I do even remotely compares to the body of work Mike does and continues to do. However poorly I may have expressed myself, my statement reflects how I personally feel about what Mike does, and how his work affects me on a personal level. And personally, Mike’s work leaves me very cold.

I live in the Atlanta area and see Mike’s work on a very regular basis. While I might be considered “old school” by many, I prefer the work of folks like Steve Sack, Bob Gorrell, Dick Wright, Jeff MacNelly, HerbBlock, and (remember this guy, anyone? L.D. Warren – Google him.) etc. I DO NOT have to agree with the political leanings of a cartoonist to enjoy his/her work, I just prefer someone who is a “craftsman” if you will, even under the extreme pressures of producing a daily cartoon under the auspices of the editorial staff.

(Personally, again) I find Mike’s work too “scratchy” and “unpolished to suit my taste. I think for Mike, it’s all too personal – his work (to me, again) is just too mean-spirited and PERSONAL to appeal to me. I appreciate the ability of a political cartoonist to deliver a barb in a way that makes his/her point without being overly heavy-handed. I dunno, maybe it’s just me, but I prefer my humor without a good, swift kick in the groin.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, I hope I have tempered my comments a little. Dave, I am sorry if I offended your sensibilities – perhaps you know Mike personally – I do not. Jed – thanks for coming to my defense – I’m sorry I needed it.

This is a remarkable blog – I find inspiration and enlightenment every time I visit. Thanks for the opportunity to experience it. ;-)

Hi All:

Although it’s probably a little too long after the fact to add a comment here that has any relevance, I wanted to try and do so to clarify my earlier post which may have come off a little high-handed and mean-spirited which I did not intend to happen. Iwanted to let some time pass so that I could really think about what it is that I wanted to say and do so in a positive and constructive way. Justifiably, Dave took umbrage to me calling Mike Luckovich a “hack”, presumably because what qualifies me to refer to anyone as a “hack?” Certainly he is entitled to want to see what it is that I do that is so brilliant, that I would be qualified to refer to him as a “hack.”

The answer is, nothing.

While I am a cartoonist, and have done several things in the context of humorous illustration for advertising, nothing I do even remotely compares to the body of work Mike does and continues to do. However poorly I may have expressed myself, my statement reflects how I personally feel about what Mike does, and how his work affects me on a personal level. And personally, Mike’s work leaves me very cold.

I live in the Atlanta area and see Mike’s work on a very regular basis. While I might be considered “old school” by many, I prefer the work of folks like Steve Sack, Bob Gorrell, Dick Wright, Jeff MacNelly, HerbBlock, and (remember this guy, anyone? L.D. Warren – Google him.) etc. I DO NOT have to agree with the political leanings of a cartoonist to enjoy his/her work, I just prefer someone who is a “craftsman” if you will, even under the extreme pressures of producing a daily cartoon under the auspices of the editorial staff.

(Personally, again) I find Mike’s work too “scratchy” and “unpolished to suit my taste. I think for Mike, it’s all too personal – his work (to me, again) is just too mean-spirited and PERSONAL to appeal to me. I appreciate the ability of a political cartoonist to deliver a barb in a way that makes his/her point without being overly heavy-handed. I dunno, maybe it’s just me, but I prefer my humor without a good, swift kick in the groin.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, I hope I have tempered my comments a little. Dave, I am sorry if I offended your sensibilities – perhaps you know Mike personally – I do not. Jed – thanks for coming to my defense – I’m sorry I needed it.

This is a remarkable blog – I find inspiration and enlightenment every time I visit. Thanks for the opportunity to experience it. ;-)

Congratulations to all the winners

I can't argue with the Feature Animation choice. It absolutely deserves it. But I can't say I'm qualified to judge the editorial stuff, since I just haven't seen that much of it. Same goes for greeting cards and advertising.