The New Yorker covers: November 6, 1989

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. 

John O'Brien
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Jerry Seinfeld

Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.

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

"Symphony of Color #8," 2018, Hisako Kobayashi

Movie Posters, 2002: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: March 29

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.

3.29.1915: W. W. Denslow dies. The famed illustrator, who worked with author L. Frank Baum to illustrate The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, also created the comic strip Billy Bounce, in 1901. It was one of the earliest strips in which the protagonist had superpowers.

3.29.1981: Gene Ahern's Our Boarding House, which debuted in 1921, discontinues its Sunday strip. The daily feature survived until 1984. Set in Mrs. Hoople's boarding house, the comic found humor in her grandiose husband's interactions with the residents and other people.

3.29.1983: Alfred Andriola, the artist on Kerry Drake, dies at 70 in New York City. Launched in 1943, the detective comic ran for four decades.

3.29.1987: Bob Weber Jr. unveils Slylock Fox & Comics for Kids, a strip for young children featuring logic puzzles and starring an anthropomorphic fox detective.

3.29.1987: What a Guy! debuts, Created by Bill Hoest and Bunny Hoest, the comic featured a young boy who questions life's complexities and repeats adult concepts overheard from his parents. The strip ended in 1996.

 

3.29.2011: Ivan Brunetti, a cartoonist and scholar of comics, releases a book entitled Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice.

Kerry Drake

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: October 31, 1970

October 31 is commonly associated with trick-or-treating, costume parties, haunted houses and jack-o’-lanterns, but Halloween also has religious roots as All Hallows' Eve, which precedes a Christian holy day honoring saints. The origins of the holiday are open to dispute. Just make sure you get the candy ready!

William Steig
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . H. L. Mencken

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.