Review: "My Father's House," Joseph O'Connor

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The New Yorker covers: August 22, 1970

Humans domesticated horses thousands of years ago, but they didn't appear on the cover of The New Yorker until the 20th century. Which makes perfect sense because the magazine wasn't founded until 1925! Since then, horses have periodically graced the magazine's cover in various guises: realistic, stylized, and comical.

James Stevenson
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Joss Whedon

Remember to always be yourself. Unless you suck.

"What is art but a way of seeing?" Saul Bellow

"Ice House, Coldwell, Lake Superior," 1923, Lawren Harris

Movie Posters, 2025: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: January 23

American cartoonists and writers may not have invented the comic strip, but some argue that the comics, as we know them today, are an American creation. Clearly, the United States has played an outsize role in the development of this underappreciated art form.

1.23.1884: George McManus, best known for creating Bringing Up Father, is born in St. Louis, Missouri. The strip ran from 1913 until 2000.
 
1.23.1898: The Yellow Kid makes his last regular appearance in a newspaper strip, although he will later make sporadic appearances in print.

Bringing Up Father

Most of the information listed here from one day to the next comes from two online sites -- Wikipedia, and Don Markstein's Toonopedia -- as well as 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics, edited by Maurice Horn. Note that my focus is on American newspaper comic strips (and the occasional foreign strip that gained popularity in the United States). Thus, comic books and exclusively online comics are not included here.

The New Yorker covers: February 11, 1961

Valentine's Day (aka, Saint Valentine's Day) is both a secular holiday and, in its religious context, a holy day as well. Celebrated on February 14, it originated as “a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine,” according to Wikipedia. It later became a celebration of  love, which is how many of us know it today.

Charles Addams
(covers untitled until February 1993)