Laugh Tracks

GoComics.com Reviewed by The Daily Cartoonist!

The new GoComics.com has been reviewed by Alan Gardner of The Daily Cartoonist, and it's safe to say he likes what he's seen:

"From where I sit, any feature launching today has about five years to battle it out for a limited newspaper slot. After that, its promise will be on the web. If I were to pick a partner with whom to launch, their digital strategy and capabilities would weigh heavily on my mind. Right now, Universal Press and Uclick has the upper hand in that department.”

Click here to read the entire post.

Mark Tatulli and Dave Coverly on Tall Tale Radio!

Mark Tatulli (Lio) and Dave Coverly (Speed Bump), winners of this year's Reuben awards for Newspaper Comic Strip and Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year, respectively, were recently interviewed by Tom Racine for Tall Tale Radio. Listen here.

A whole lotta Tweetin' goin' on

If you're addicted to Twitter - and it seems everyone is these days - here are a few GoComics-related Twitters to follow:

• GoComics (twitter.com/gocomics) - Site updates, news and information

• Roland Hedley of Doonesbury (twitter.com/Roland_Hedley) - Random tweets from the FOX News Senior Correspondent 

• Calvin and Hobbes (twitter.com/calvinandhobbes) - Daily teasers with links to the strip

• Garfield (twitter.com/Garfield_Cat) - Occassional thoughts from the famous fat cat

• Candorville (twitter.com/candorville) - Updates and info from creator Darrin Bell

• Pibgorn (twitter.com/pibgorn) - Daily teasers with links to the strip

• Legend of Bill (twitter.com/LegendofBill) - Updates and info from creator Dave Reddick

You should also check out Alan Gardner's Daily Cartoonist Twitter for news from the cartooning industry. 

Calvin and Hobbes Bento!

The Daily Cartoonist, that most excellent site for news from the cartooning industry, has posted the image and link to what can only be described as a bento artist (bento is basically lunchbox in Japanese) who created this Calvin and Hobbes bento! If you browse through her blog, you'll find lots of images of her amazing creations. She apparently made the Calvin and Hobbes bento for her boyfriend, who may now be officially considered one of the luckiest guys on earth.

New Comic: W.T. Duck!

Wow, how long has it been since we first heard that Aaron Johnson's hit webcomic What the Duck would be appearing in print? Feels like ages ago. But the day finally arrived, and yesterday W.T. Duck made its debut in newspapers nationwide and on GoComics.com.

What is W.T. Duck all about? A duck photographer. That's it. And it's really funny. Funny enough to be a finalist for the 2008 Weblog Awards comic strip of the year, even. Go read W.T. Duck!

Tim Rickard on Comics Coast to Coast!

Tim Rickard, creator of Brewster Rockit, is the featured guest on the latest Comics Coast to Coast show. Covered topics include Hee Haw, Star Trek, Lost in Space, Indiana Jones, MENSA, Dodge Coronets and more! Click here to listen.

Paul Gilligan Interviewed on UPS Editors Blog!

Pooch Cafe creator Paul Gilligan answers all of the tough questions on the Universal Press Syndicate Editors Blog today:

Q: What is the best part of being a cartoonist? Worst?

Gilligan: The best part about being a cartoonist is getting to work in your underwear.  Only we and Victoria’s Secret models get to do that, but we get to eat a lot more pudding.  The worst part is the company Christmas parties.  They’re not very entertaining when there’s only one employee.  And of course someone always ends up drunk and doing something illicit in the closet, and then it’s just awkward on Monday.

Click here to read more.

Universal Press Syndicate launches Editors Blog

Universal Press Syndicate has announced:

Inside the doors of Universal Press Syndicate a lot of smart people, but they’re busy, so the rest of us have started a blog on the inside workings of a syndicate.  While that might sound as exciting as a digestive disorder, the blog may be of some actual value to cartoonists looking for tips on how to become syndicated and for die-hard comic fans who want behind-the-scene glimpses of today’s comics.  Go to http://gocomics.typepad.com/editors/ and the next sound you hear will be that of a UPS editor giving you the uncensored truth about comics and the syndicate, while giving thanks for his/her job.

Lynn Johnston on the Shania Twain new-run

A Shania Twain reference in a recent For Better or For Worse new-run strip (below) prompted one fan to ask an interesting question in the most recent installment of 'Elly's Coffee Talk,' the blog section of FBOFW.com in which Lynn Johnston answers fan mail. Do the new-runs take place in 1981, the year they were originally created, or does the storyline now take place in the present? The reference would seem to point to the latter. Read Lynn's response here.

Lots and lots of news bits!

- Congrats to Garry Trudeau, creator of Doonesbury, for his Harvey Award win Saturday night! Doonesbury took home the award for Best Syndicated Strip or Panel.

- The first Ted Rall animation is up! (I'd post it here, but the YouTube screenshot is a bit suggestive.) The cartoon plays on the wildly unreasonable expectations of Barack Obama's very first day as President...

- Angry feedback over a recent Pat Oliphant cartoon depicting Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin speaking in tongues has led Deborah Powell, the ombudsman for the Washington Post, to speak out in an article entitled "The Power of Political Cartoons."

- Bleeker: The Rechargeable Dog was optioned for a TV show a few months back; now creator Jonathan Mahood reports on his blog that Radical Sheep Productions has reached a deal with TVO to develop 26 11-minute episodes.