Mercy! Today is the 40th Anniversary of the founding of Universal Press Syndicate. So many memories ... golly. So many great properties, books, creators, salespeople, editors ...
Two friends (John McMeel and Jim Andrews) from Notre Dame who had the dream (and delusion) that they could compete with the newspaper-chain-owned big syndicates.
And it all started with a omninous bang, when Jim Andrews was considering a religion column that was running in the Yale Daily News, but his eye kept being drawn to the comic across from it. That comic was the college strip, "Bull Tales." The strip that was the precursor to UPS' first comic launch -- Garry Trudeau's "Doonesbury."
Doonesbury was not an immediate hit. Comics were not overtly political in that day and John McMeel was even asked by an editor at the Baltimore Sun, "What's a good Catholic boy like you doing selling crap like this?"
Doonesbury launched with a modest client list in October of 1970. Forty years later it remains the standard for political and social comics.
Money was tight in the beginning, and Andrews and McMeel didn't have the funds to compete with the fancy New York and Chicago offices of the big syndicates. They initially worked in a makeshift office over O'Briens bar near Grand Central Station ... however, they were smart enough to get a mail drop box service that had a 5th Avenue address in a posh office building.
That allowed them to put that 5th Avenue address on their stationary to give them an air of respectability. And if someone insisted on visiting them at their "5th Avenue offices," they'd arrive at the drop box building 10 minutes prior to the meeting and then come down the elevator to the lobby, the doors would open and they'd meet their guests.
Then they'd launch into a spiel where they would tell their guests that the office was "too crazy" and maybe they should run to the coffee shop across the street for quieter conversation.
We'll give more stories (some true) as we celebrate this month and the rest of the year.
-JG
Cheers to all! Jeers to none! Cake for some?
Posted by: Fake Rockstar | 02/10/2010 at 09:00 AM
Calvin & Hobbes, Doonesbury, Ziggy, Foxtrot, The Far Side, Cul De Sac, Lio, Ink Pen, Non Sequitur, Boondocks, LaCucaracha, Oliphant, Toles, Auth, Argyle Sweater, The Duplex, Pooch Cafe, Stone Soup, Real Life Adventures, In the Bleachers, Garfield, Elderberries, Tom the Dancing Bug, Bad Reporter, Heart of the City, Flying McCoys, What the Duck. So many good comics.
They just need to add Luckovich, Dilbert, Pearls Before Swine, Get Fuzzy, Frazz and Speed Bump and I wouldn't need anyone else.
Posted by: Koyo | 02/10/2010 at 09:12 AM
Viva Calvin! Viva Far Side! Viva Boondocks! Viva Foxtrot weekdays!
Posted by: Random Genius | 02/10/2010 at 11:09 AM
Why can;t we have Clavin reruns in the newspaper?
Posted by: Tre | 02/10/2010 at 01:39 PM
If I ever got syndicated, I rank my desire to work with the syndicates thusly:
!) Universal
2) United
3) Washington Post
4) Creators
5) King
6) Who else is there?
Posted by: Anonymous | 02/10/2010 at 06:06 PM
I like Lio and Non Sequitur best!
Posted by: BaylorBear | 02/10/2010 at 07:10 PM
Calvin, Foxtrot and Cul de Sac!
Posted by: Bonervision | 02/10/2010 at 08:08 PM
Hey Universal is almost as old as I am!
Posted by: Garey Mckee | 02/10/2010 at 09:11 PM
Universal has a wealth of great cartoons. They are the Pixar of newspaper comics.
Posted by: 0101010101 | 02/10/2010 at 09:59 PM
I do not like the comic called Mutts. I do not get it.
Posted by: Teagan Lane | 02/10/2010 at 11:33 PM
Why do people even need a syndicate anymore. If I had a great comic I would do it by myself.
Posted by: 21st Century Fox | 02/11/2010 at 12:22 AM
Because, my dear Fox, syndicates bring joy to the world, and Pooch Cafe to Hong Kong.
Glad to have been a part of a few of these 40, and congrats.
Posted by: LW | 02/11/2010 at 02:04 AM
Nicely played, Lucas! And I couldn't agree more! Now what are we going to do about the person who came hear to complain about MUTTS?
Posted by: mtatulli | 02/11/2010 at 08:30 AM
This is what happens when Senor B. Amend tweets about this post.
Posted by: John Glynn | 02/11/2010 at 08:52 AM
I do not like the comic called Dane Cook. I do not get him.
Posted by: Fake Rockstar | 02/11/2010 at 09:32 AM
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Lucy
http://dataentryjob-s.com
Posted by: Susan | 02/12/2010 at 07:57 AM
40 years! Congratulations to all the terrific folks at UPS, especially Lee and my editor Sue. It's been an honor to work with you these last dozen years, and be part of such an amazing lineup of talented folks.
Here's the the next 40!
Posted by: Mike Baldwin | 02/15/2010 at 09:36 PM
My list for syndicates to lobby (and lobby and lobby) was---
1. Universal Press
2. Universal Press
3. Universal Press
My association with them has been a dream come true. The best people, the best cartoonists. And yes, thanks to syndication for getting Stone Soup in places like Shanghai and Singapore!
Posted by: Jan Eliot | 02/16/2010 at 12:43 PM