One Fine Sunday in the Funny Pages

John Read is the creator and curator of the
“One Fine Sunday in the Funny Pages” exhibit. A freelance
cartoonist, John also teaches cartooning to children and
is the publisher and editor of Stay Tooned! Magazine,
considered the trade journal of the craft.
The Comic Mode
The comic strip provides a colorful and humorous respite from the serious and often tragic news that precedes it. There are
many reasons for reading the “funny pages”; from the basic need to be entertained, to the desire to escape for a moment
into what seems a playful combination of a joke and a sequence of images that illustrate the nonsense and play that
generates it.
Yet, what really constitutes the “comic” in a comic strip? Are they simply funny, as in Blondie, Garfield or Hagar the
Horrible? Or do we sense underlying tones of irony, satire, political and social commentary as evidenced in Doonesbury,
Non Sequitur, and Between Friends? How are we to understand the double entendre, the sting of wit or the twist of the
absurd that infuses so many contemporary comic strips?
It would seem that as in dreams, there are many levels to the comic mode. On the first take, the superficial or manifest
appeal generates a smile or laughter. But as with many dreams and good jokes, there is the second take, a latent need
to establish or defy meaning as embedded within the structure of the images themselves.
The paradox or playfulness of the comic strip partially lies in discovering the truth in the nonsensical aspects of
day-to-day living. Comic artists are keenly attuned to this aspect of life and seem to absorb the dialogues, actions and
entanglements of personal relationships that surround them. The condensation of these observations in a few frames of
comic imagery, along with pithy comments seems to be indicative of the comic mode.
Sigmund Freud noted in “Jokes and Their Relationship to the Unconscious” that “the factor of bewilderment and illumination;
too, leads us deeply into the problem of the relation of the joke to the comic.” Part of this combination of bewilderment
and illumination can be seen in the persona of the wise old sage as seen from of the child’s point of view in Dennis the
Menace or The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee. In both cases the tension between the joke and the comic is clearly at the
expense of the adults who preside in those worlds.
Alongside the playful and more illuminating appeal of the comics in the funny pages, many readers and viewers sense
the edgy world of surrealism and the confrontational approach of expressionism as experienced in Bizarro, Zippy the
Pinhead and Speed bump. Here we see absurdist word play working in an expressionistic or post-modern style of imagery.
The Art of the Comic Strip
Despite modern technology, many contemporary Sunday newspaper comics are still produced in black and white, using
exactly the same tools as the daily comics with simple art materials: india ink, bristol board, pen (with nibs, yet) brush,
pencil. Color is added digitally, either by an assistant or by a syndicate production company.
In this exhibit, which consists of the original pencil and ink renderings before printing, there are examples of the many
stylistic and technical approaches to creating a comic strip. Some artists make very tight pencil renderings and the inking
stays just as tight, while others work very loosely with almost no underpinnings. Often artists use lightboxes and trace their
characters over and over while others work completely freehand. In most work it is challenging to distinguish the difference
just by looking at the finished work. The newest trend of artists now work straight to digital and there is no physical original
art to speak of.
3
Surprisingly, there is no standard size template. Artists can work very large or very, very small depending on their
personal aesthetic. Short cuts and corrective measures can be used which may include the use of blue pencil, cut and
paste and use white out.
Many strips are produced by a team of writer and artist but there are other combinations as well. Zits is written by
Jerry Scott and drawn by Jim Borgman but Jerry does pencil sketches that Jim fleshes out. You can see this on the original
Zits comic in the show - Jerry does the pencil sketch in the drop panel - the rest is what it looks like after Jim finishes with
it. Doonesbury is another strip with a separate inker - Garry Trudeau does tight pencils and another artist inks it, imitating
Trudeau’s line perfectly.
The One Fine Sunday in the Funny Pages show is one of the only places left where one can see the “drop panels”;
these are the title panels that newspapers decide whether or not to run, leaving more space for more comics. The Kenosha
News, for example, does not run drop panels. All of the color comics in this show were specially printed to provide
examples of what the final comic looked like when run in the Sunday, April 11, 2010 newspapers.
The History of “One Fine Sunday in the Funny Pages”
Exhibition curator John Read’s decision to try to organize an exhibit of cartoon art didn’t just come out of the blue. Originally,
he had been dreaming about opening a cartoon art museum. There are only a few American museums that specialize in
exhibiting original cartoon art, and none of them are situated in the South, where John lives. Recognizing that he had no
experience running a museum, he sought out people with the requisite experience and whose opinions he valued. They all
recommended that he try to curate an exhibit or three, before attempting to found a museum.
So Mr. Read came up with an original concept that he figured would appeal to the public and the artists whose work
he would spotlight. He thought an exhibit of newspaper comic strip art would be something that might appeal to a broad
audience, regardless of the venue in which the art was displayed. In December 2009 he began contacting the creators of
comic strips and panels requesting they loan the art for their April 11, 2010 cartoon for what would be an unprecedented
exhibition of their craft. He imagined a show featuring the original art of 50 to 60 different comics, all published in newspapers across North America on the same Sunday, would be something exceptional to present.
The resulting exhibit, which is made up of virtually every comic strip and panel currently being published in North American
newspapers – or, at least, that was published on April 11, 2010, is the product of John’s desire to mount a showcase for
the incredible variety of graphic storytelling and humorous illustration presented every Sunday by cartoonists displaying a
vast spectrum of drawing styles, the aesthetic range of which offers readers of “the funnies” a diverse choice of eye-candy
entertainment.
An interesting thing John has discovered during the run of the show, was that this comics “time-capsule” offers its viewers
a trip down memory lane as much as an overview of the state of newspaper comics today. Seeing so many different
features in one place rekindles that affection, revives people’s memories of favorite characters, and reintroduces them to
comics they thought were no longer produced.
Ultimately, the approach or intentions that can be gleamed from the art of the comic strips in this exhibit are completely
subjective. If deeper meaning is to be found in these images, that is between the viewer and the work. Any relation
between the joke and the comic may be debatable as well, but most viewers will be able to discern the humor of human
foibles in whatever form it takes. As for the one-liner or the punch line of a good joke, that may depend on whether one
is looking at the outside or the inside of a dog.
— Diane Levesque and John Read
4
ANNIE
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
Ted Slampyak & Jay Maeder
Alex Saviuk & Stan Lee
5
THE ARGYLE SWEATER
B.C.
6
Scott Hilburn
John Hart Studio
BETWEEN FRIENDS
BIOGRAPHIC
Sandra Bell-Lundy
Steve McGarry
7
BRILLIANT MIND OF EDISON LEE, THE
CRANKSHAFT
8
John Hambrock
Chuck Ayers & Tom Batiuk
DICK TRACY
DOONESBURY
Dick Locher
Garry Trudeau
9
GARFIELD
POOCH CAFÉ
10
Jim Davis
Paul Gilligan
LOLA
MONTY
Todd Clark
Jim Meddick
11
FUNKY WINKERBEAN
12
NON SEQUITUR
Wiley Miller
Tom Batiuk
PRICKLY CITY
RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT
Scott Stantis
John Graziano
13
ZIGGY
ZITS
14
Tom Wilson
Jim Borgman & Jerry Scott
Read these cartoons every week. Here’s where to find more information on your favorites.
P ADAM@HOME
Rob Harrell & Brian Bassett
P DUPLEX
Glenn McCoy
Tony Cochran
K DUSTIN
Jeffry Parker & Steve Kelley
C AGNES
M ALLEY OOP
Jack & Carole Bender
C ANDY CAPP
Roger Mahoney & Roger Kettle
K THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
Alex Saviuk & Stan Lee
T ANIMAL CRACKERS
T ANNIE
Fred Wagner
Ted Slampyak & Jay Maeder
K APARTMENT 3-G
Frank Bolle & Sandra Moy
C ARCHIE
Fernando Ruiz & Craig Boldman
K ARCTIC CIRCLE
Alex Hallett
P THE ARGYLE SWEATER
Scott Hilburn
P ARLO & JANIS
Jimmy Johnson
C ASK SHAGG
Peter Guren
C B.C.
K BABY BLUES
P BALDO
Terry & Patty LaBan
K THE FAMILY CIRCUS
K FLASH GORDON
C FLO AND FRIENDS
W FORT KNOX
Adrian Raeside
Jim Keefe
M OVER THE HEDGE
T Lewis & Michael Fry
Lynn Johnston
Paul Jon
P FOXTROT
Bill Amend
M FRANK & ERNEST
Thaves Studio
M FRAZZ
Jef Mallett
C FREE RANGE
Bill Whitehead
Jim Davis
K PRINCE VALIANT
K PROS & CONS
Ralph Hagen
P GINGER MEGGS
Jason Chatfield
M REALITY CHECK
Mort Walker, Greg Walker & Brian Walker
P GRAND AVENUE
Lincoln Peirce
BIOGRAPHIC
Steve McGarry
K BIZARRO
Dan Piraro
K BLONDIE
John Marshall & Dean Young
M THE BORN LOSER
Chip Sansom
T BOUND & GAGGED
Dana Summers
T BREWSTER ROCKIT
Tim Rickard
K THE BRILLIANT MIND OF EDISON LEE
John Hambrock
K HAGAR THE HORRIBLE
Chris Browne
P HEART OF THE CITY
Mark Tatulli
C HEATHCLIFF
Peter Gallagher
K HI & LOIS
Chance Browne & Brian Walker
K JUDGE PARKER
Mike Manley & Woody Wilson
K THE KATZENJAMMER KIDS
P KID CITY
Hy Eisman
Steve McGarry
P THE KNIGHT LIFE
W LITTLE DOG LOST
Steve Boreman
K BUCKLES
David Gilbert
K THE LOCKHORNS
John Reiner & Bunny Hoest
P CATHY
Cathy Guisewite
Bill Hinds
C CHUCKLE BROS.
P CORNERED
K CRANKSHAFT
K CROCK
P CUL DE SAC
K CURTIS
C DADDY’S HOME
Brian & Ron Boychuk
Mike Baldwin
Chuck Ayers & Tom Batiuk
Bill Rechin
Richard Thompson
Ray Billingsley
T LOOSE PARTS
M ROSE IS ROSE
C RUBES
C SCARY GARY
K SHERMAN’S LAGOON
K SNUFFY SMITH
M SOUP TO NUTZ
John Graziano
Don Wimmer
Leigh Rubin
Mark Buford
Jim Toomey
Chris Cassatt & Gary Brookins
Margaret Shulock
John Rose
Rick Stromoski
Dave Coverly
John Deering
M LUANN
Greg Evans
P STONE SOUP
K MARK TRAIL
Jack Elrod
M MARMADUKE
Brad & Paul Anderson
K MARVIN
Tom Armstrong
K MARY WORTH
T THE MIDDLETONS
Joe Giella & Karen Moy
Ralph Dunagin & Dana Summers
Jeff Corriveau
M MONTY
Jim Meddick
K DENNIS THE MENACE
Ron Ferdinand
K MOTHER GOOSE & GRIMM
K MUTTS
M NANCY
Mike Peters
Patrick McDonnell
Guy Gilchrist
Brian Anderson
P NON SEQUITUR
Wiley Miller
Garry Trudeau
M OFF THE MARK
Mark Parisi
K OLLIE AND QUENTIN
Piers Baker
Kevin Fagan
Hilary Price
M RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT
C SPEED BUMP
K DEFLOCKED
M DRABBLE
Norm Feuti
Graham Nolan & Woody Wilson
C STRANGE BREW
Mell Lazarus
P DOONESBURY
Brian Basset
Todd Clark
Dave Blazek
C MOMMA
Dick Locher
Kieran Meehan
Dave Whamond
P LOLA
Gary Markstein & Tony Rubino
Brett Koth
Gary Gianni & Mark Schultz
K RHYMES WITH ORANGE
K SIX CHIX
P LIO
P CLEATS
K REX MORGAN, M.D.
Mark Tatulli
Russell Myers
Greg Cravens
Hy Eisman
Scott Stantis
K RETAIL
K SHOE
T BROOM-HILDA
Paul Gilligan
P RED AND ROVER
Keith Knight
P THE BUCKETS
T DICK TRACY
P POOCH CAFÉ
Jim Scancarelli
Mike Thompson & Steve Breen
Bud Grace
Gary Brookins
K POPEYE
T GASOLINE ALLEY
Fred Wagner & Ralph Dunagin
Brian Crane
T PLUGGERS
Jerry Van Amerongen
K GRIN AND BEAR IT
Paul Ryan & Tony DePaul
K THE PIRANHA CLUB
M PRICKLY CITY
P BIG NATE
C DOG EAT DOUG
K THE PHANTOM
J.C. Duffy
Sandra Bell-Lundy
Stephan Pastis
W PICKLES
P THE FUSCO BROTHERS
K BETWEEN FRIENDS
Tak Bui
M PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
Rick Kirkman & Jerry Scott
P GARFIELD
Terri Libenson
W PC & PIXEL
Tom Batiuk
C THE BARN
C DIAMOND LIL
K PAJAMA DIARIES
K FUNKY WINKERBEAN
Carlos Castellanos & Hector Cantu
Rick Detorie
C THE OTHER COAST
Gary McCoy
P FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE
Bill Holbrook
C ONE BIG HAPPY
Jeff Keane
Jenny Campbell
P FLYING McCOYS
Carla Ventresca & Henry Beckett
K ON THE FASTRACK
John Hart Studio
C BALLARD STREET
K BEETLE BAILEY
K EDGE CITY
C ON A CLAIRE DAY
P - Universal Press Syndicate www.amuniversal.com/ups/
C - Creator’s Syndicate www.creators.com/comics.html
M - United Media www.unitedfeatures.com
P TANK McNAMARA
K TINA’S GROOVE
K TUNDRA
P W.T. DUCK
Jan Eliot
Bill Hinds & Jeff Millar
Rina Piccolo
Chad Carpenter
Aaron Johnson
W WATCH YOUR HEAD
Cory Thomas
C WEE PALS
Morrie Turner
P WILLY ‘N ETHEL
C THE WIZARD OF ID
C ZACK HILL
P ZIGGY
K ZIPPY THE PINHEAD
K ZITS
Joe Martin
Jeff Parker
John Deering & John Newcombe
Tom Wilson
Bill Griffith
Jim Borgman & Jerry Scott
K - King Features www.kingfeatures.com
T - Tribune Media Services www.tribunemediaservices.com
W - Washington Post Writer’s Group www.postwritersgroup.com/writersgroup.htm
All art in this catalog is the property of the respective copyright holders. Reproduction in this document is by permission.
15
D i a n e L e v e s q u e, D i r e c t o r
d l e v e s q u e @ c a r t h a g e .e d u
P h o n e: ( 262) 5 51- 5 8 5 3
Mailing list
Send your name and address to Diane Levesque at
d l e v e s q u e @ c a r t h a g e .e d u
w w w.c ar t h a g e.e du/ar t g alle r y