In Which Perhaps You Have A Newsy Tid-Bit
Monday, April 21, 2008 at 1:30PM 
Three Rocks
by Molly Lambert
I love comics. And by comics I mean things that are funny and drawn weird, not just stories about Superhuman Superbeings playing games of Space Risk. I doodled my way through twenty plus years of school. I used to read A Smithsonian Book Of Comic Book Comics practically every night, when I wasn't chowing down Archies, Lil' Abners, Uncle Scrooges, and Krazy Kats.
Yup, that about sums it up right there.
My definition of comics expands pretty wide to include illustration and doesn't mind crude drawing styles, as long as they're as awesome as Julia Wertz's Fart Party. Tess and I drew comic style notes all through high school that had a lot of caricatures and little narratives. It was very Heavenly Creatures but without any murgering.
Alan Moore reading Little Lulu on The Simpsons
I wonder if I would've drawn as much if text messaging had existed (way back then, you had to wait for like 3rd period to find out gossip.) I imagine I would have. The desire to draw, like writing or playing music or anything else, is impossible to stop.
I am basically Brenda Starr, Reporter with a sweet blog.
The artistic process is not some magical fancy pants spiritual calling. It's a basic stupid physical need, like eating or sleeping. And it's not like there was any way I was ever gonna pay attention in math.
Me before my pupil transplant
Dale Messick, the creator of Brenda Starr is the only woman in the Will Eisner Hall Of Fame so far.
Ms. Dale Messick at work
Messick's break came when she came to the attention of another woman, Mollie Slott, who worked as a "girl Friday" (à la His Girl Friday) for New York Daily News publisher (and syndicate head) Joseph Medill Patterson.
Patterson, reputedly biased against women cartoonists, wouldn't sign her up for daily publication but accepted Brenda Starr, Reporter for syndication as a Sunday comic, and it made its debut on June 30, 1940. It was quickly a success; its mixture of adventure and romance was popular with both male and female readers.
As a Ginger chauvinist, my favorite X-Man is obviously superhot redhead cum Dark Phoenix Jean Grey.
Stripper's Guide: The History Of Newspaper Comic Strips
I'm in love with Mary Jane. She's my main thang.
Plan 59: Retro Graphics Archive
By 1969, the author John Updike, who had entertained ideas of becoming a cartoonist in his youth, addressed the Bristol Literary Society, on "the death of the novel". Updike offered examples of new areas of exploration for novelists, declaring "I see no intrinsic reason why a doubly talented artist might not arise and create a comic strip novel masterpiece"
Eddie Fitzgerald's Comicsatorium
To tell the truth I'm really like 25% (John Stanley's) Little Lulu, 25% (Ernie Bushmiller's) Nancy, and 50% (Carl Barks's) Uncle Scrooge.
My co-editor Alex Carnevale is Spidey's J. Jonah Jameson, natch.
Denis Kitchen: Keeper Of The Eternal Comic Book Flame
The Perfect Planet: Dylan Horrocks on Comics, Games, and World-Building
Alex's favorite X-Man is Nightcrawler, BAMF!
"I am here to tell you about John Ashbery! BAMF!"
The Universe of Scrooge McDuck
Gemstone Publishing: Uncle Scrooge reprints
Molly "Mammy Yokum" Lambert is the editor of This Recording.
LEARN FROM MR. HATHAWAY
"I Believe To My Soul" - Donny Hathaway
"Misty" - Donny Hathaway
"Sugar Lee" - Donny Hathaway
"The Ghetto" - Donny Hathaway
"To Be Young, Gifted, And Black" - Donny Hathaway
PREVIOUSLY ON THIS RECORDING:
Best Superhero Comics Part One
Best Superhero Comics Part Two
The Anatomy Of Charlie's Brown's Melancholy
Reader Comments (4)
God bless you, you little keeper of the flame, you. I can only think of one other girl your age who knows the meaning of
POTZREBIE!
Love
Mimi
[...] I got another angry e-mail from Alex (he is the J. Jonah Jameson of blogs) where he was like “rawr rawr rawr” and I was like FINE and I started a [...]
[...] Roz Chast, Charles Addams, Peter Bagge, Chick Tracts, Carl Barks, Lynda Barry, R. Crumb, Archie, Krazy Kat, Nancy, Little Lulu, Plastic Man, Julia [...]
[...] Roz Chast, Charles Addams, Peter Bagge, Chick Tracts, Carl Barks, Lynda Barry, R. Crumb, Archie, Krazy Kat, Nancy, Little Lulu, Plastic Man, Julia [...]