The New Yorker covers: August 4, 1975

Over the years, there have been many magazines whose covers have featured the work of highly talented artists and illustrators. But probably no magazine has had more varied and memorable covers, over a longer period of time, than The New Yorker, which was founded in 1925.

Arthur Getz
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Jane Austen

The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.

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

"The Brook,"1907, John Singer Sargent

Movie Posters, 1961: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: October 12

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.

10.12.1947: Pat Brady, the creator of Rose Is Rose, is born in Louisville, Kentucky. The strip, which launched in 1984, revolves around Rose and Jimbo Gumbo, their son Pasquale, and the family cat, Peekaboo.

 

10.12.2020: Cartoonist Jules Rivera takes over the legendary Mark Trail strip, which launched in 1946. The New York Times reports that Rivera “plans to to keep the focus on environmentalism, but give the stories and the Trail family — Mark, Rusty, Andy the dog, and Cherry — a modern sensibility.”

Rose Is Rose

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: December 9, 1967

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.

Charles E. Martin
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Allen Saunders

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

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

"Music Room," 1965, Edward Gordon

Movie Posters, 1942: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: October 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.

10.11.1903: Gustave Verbeek begins a weekly run of The Upside Downs of Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffaroo (1903-1905), a strip in which the first half of the story was captioned right-side-up and the second half upside-down.

10.11.1931: Mobster Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice makes his first published appearance in Dick Tracy, when Tracy leads a raid on Big Boy's nightclub and is able to thwart his escape. Dick Tracy launched in 1931 and remains in syndication.

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: April 21, 1956

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.

Abe Birnbaum
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . René Magritte

The mind loves the unknown. It loves images whose meaning is unknown, since the meaning of the mind itself is unknown.

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

"Wash Day on the Maine Coast," ca. 1934, N.C. Wyeth

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

Today in the history of the American comic strip: October 10

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.

10.10.1922: Russ Westover's Tillie the Toiler expands from a daily strip by adding a Sunday feature.

10.10.1947: Ferd’nand, a pantomime strip devoid of dialogue or text that was first published in Denmark in 1937, appears in the United States.

10.10.1959: Carl Ed, the creator of Harold Teen, dies at 69. His strip died with him, ending its 40-year run.

10.10.1965: In Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts, Snoopy makes his first appearance as the World War One Flying Ace.

10.10.1986: Frank O’Neal dies in California, at 64. He launched Short Ribs in 1958, and turned the strip over to an assistant in 1973.

 

10.10.2023: Andrews McMeel Publishing releases The Mysteries, by Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson and caricaturist John Kascht. Amazon.com describes the book as "a mysterious and beautifully illustrated fable about what lies beyond human understanding."
 

Ferd'nand

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: December 25, 1948

Over the years, there have been many magazines whose covers have featured the work of highly talented artists and illustrators. But probably no magazine has had more varied and memorable covers, over a longer period of time, than The New Yorker, which was founded in 1925.

Peter Arno
(covers untitled until February 1993)

And now, a few words from . . . Robert Benchley

The surest way to make a monkey of a man is to quote him.

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

"Blossom," no date, Phil Greenwood

Movie Posters, 1924: Two adults, please, and a large popcorn!

Today in the history of the American comic strip: October 9

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.

10.9.1922: Created by Larry Whittington, Fritzi Ritz begins its run, with Ernie Bushmiller taking the helm in 1925. 
 

10.9.1943: Mike Peters, the creator of Mother Goose and Grimm, is born in St. Louis, Missouri.

10.9.1954: Michael Catron, co-founder (with Gary Groth) of Fantagraphics Books, is born. Created in 1976, Fantagraphics publishes anthologies of classic comic strips, among other works.
 

Mother Goose and Grimm

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.