The New Yorker covers: December 15, 1928

I don’t get too excited about holidays, with one major exception. I’ve always had a warm spot in my heart for Christmas. The New Yorker has run many Christmas covers over the years, some of which, such as those by the late George Booth, are quite memorable.

Julian de Miskey
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Henry "Chips" Channon

What is more dull than a discreet diary? One might as well have a discreet soul.

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

"Young Women Crocheting," 1875, Giovanni Boldini

Movie Posters, 2015: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: July 11

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.

 

7.11.1942: Joe Btfsplk makes his first appearance in Al Capp's  Li’l Abner. The character has no vowels in his surname, is badly jinxed, and walks around with a constant rain cloud over his head.

7.11.1975: Crockett Johnson, the creator of Barnaby, dies of lung cancer at 68. He is best known as the author of Harold and the Purple Crayon, and other books in that series.

7.11.2004: Scott Stantis debuts Prickly City, which follows the adventures of Carmen, a young girl of color, and a coyote pup named Winslow. The strip frequently presents a politically conservative viewpoint.

 

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: May 11 & 18, 2026

The New Yorker has repeatedly rebuked or ridiculed Donald Trump on its covers since at least 2015. Several artists have contributed to the effort, with Barry Blitt seemingly serving as the most frequent go-to guy when the times call for yet another cutting reference.

Barry Blitt
"Red, White and Kinda Blue"

And now, a few words from . . . Leo Tolstoy

And how much he suffered merely to appear in his own eyes what he wished to be.

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

"For he's a jolly good fellow and so say all of us," before 1897, Walter Dendy Sadler

Movie Posters, 2026: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!