Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Review: "The King at the Edge of the World," Arthur Phillips

Find exclusive book reviews, including this one, at The Walrus Said blog.

The New Yorker covers: September 4, 1943

The New Yorker ran many covers related to or inspired by World War II. While some of these covers carried a sober message, others used humor to illustrate interesting situations involving military personnel or civilians, at home or abroad.


Rea Irvin
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Oscar Wilde


To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.

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

"Girl with a Fan," 1881, Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Movie Posters, 1927: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!


Today in the history of the American comic strip: August 26


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.

8.26.1920: Brant Parker, who co-created The Wizard of Id with Johnny Hart and Crock with Bill Rechin, is born in Los Angeles, California. He was named 1984 Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society. The same society honored him with Newspaper Comic Strip awards in 1971, 1976, 1980, 1982 and 1983.

8.26.2007: Kudzu makes its last Sunday appearance, shortly after the death of creator Doug Marlette in a traffic accident.


8.26.2007: Triple Take, which debuted in 2005, ends its run. Created by Todd Clark and Scott Nickel, it featured three separate punch lines in each daily installment.

The Wizard of Id

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.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

The New Yorker covers: November 17, 1934

The New Yorker isn’t Sports Illustrated, of course. But a fair number of sports, from basketball and baseball to golf and hockey, have graced the magazine's covers in one form or another since its founding in 1925. 

 

Rea Irvin
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Clarence Darrow


I have suffered from being misunderstood, but I would have suffered a (heck) of a lot more if I had been understood.

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

"Dancing Ravens," 2003, Kenojuak Ashevak