tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71315302011-04-21T14:53:45.268-04:00When reading the strip just isn't enough.Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comBlogger2551100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112931084163768772005-04-07T23:28:00.000-04:002005-04-13T00:15:55.600-04:00

Blogger has foiled me too often. If you'd like to follow me to my new location, where I continue to talk about my strip, cartoons in general, and the odds and ends that catch my fancy, here it is.If you've stumbled here courtesy of the Blogger Next button, you're reading the semi-discarded shell of my blog. Until I manage to transfer the old posts to the new site, I'll treat this as an archive.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112919523201026322005-04-07T20:18:00.000-04:002005-04-07T20:18:43.203-04:00

Here's a clip from the May 22 Sunday. Spot and I don't share the same appetites, but in this case we share the same menu. Ice cream is simply the perfect food. But perfection rarely fits in the real world. I would eat ice cream on the hour, only stopping when the mortuary shut tight my coffin. That's how good ice cream is. And how bad it is.The classic definition of tragedy, I think, is when a

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112909176645977082005-04-07T17:25:00.000-04:002005-04-07T17:26:16.646-04:00

Here's a clip from the May 22 Sunday. Spot and I don't share the same appetites, but in this case we share the same menu. Ice cream is simply the perfect food. But perfection rarely fits in the real world. I would eat ice cream on the hour, only stopping when the mortuary shut tight my coffin. That's how good ice cream is. And how bad it is.The classic definition of tragedy, I think, is when a

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112872440247000082005-04-07T06:58:00.000-04:002005-04-07T08:06:35.470-04:00

Says Browen:There are comic strip artists in Maine? :D And here I grew up thinking it was just lobsters and moose. The things you learn! :DIf you ever choose to take a tour of the stars' homes, Maine also offers: Big Nate artist Lincoln Peirce; Bud Blake, who drew Tiger for so many years (the strip isn't retired, but I think Blake is); and most recently Wiley Miller, who draws Non Sequitur, has

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112666716259030632005-04-04T20:21:00.000-04:002005-04-04T22:41:25.956-04:00

In the paper this Sunday, Spot and Buddy passed the time with snowballs. This jarred me a bit since there's grass on the ground and rain water in the basement.There's a reason for this. The strip was originally intended for March 27, which, in New Hampshire Time, is still winter, despite the Vernal Equinox.But I wasn't alone in heaping snow on the comics section. If you're a cartoonist who lives

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112462245276268802005-04-02T12:08:00.000-05:002005-04-02T12:21:41.403-05:00

Kitsune points out:Somehow, I like Buddy with his hat better than without. It kinda looks like a woodsman's hat to me. Since Buddy is a frog of the wild and all... I've gotten used to the hat this winter so now, without it, he looks sort of, well, bald.There's no reason why a frog couldn't have hair in the strip. It wouldn't be the first liberty I've taken with a frog's biology. But there are

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112459218076242412005-04-02T11:26:00.000-05:002005-04-02T11:42:20.780-05:00

Brad Fitzpatrick keeps a blog of sketches and this one caught my eye and tugged at my heart. Not so much for the moose -- which I saw occasionally when I lived up north -- but for the insects keeping it company, which I saw more often (except for the no-see-ums, of course.) There are bugs in Rhode Island, but I've never noticed the ubiquitous (though apparently not so ubiquitous) black fly. And

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112364592089335462005-04-01T09:03:00.000-05:002005-04-01T09:09:52.090-05:00

Excitement in Wheaton (from the April 17 Sunday.)Though it hasn't been mentioned in the strip and perhaps never will be, Spot and Karl live in the town of Wheaton, NH. As far as I know, there isn't a Wheaton, NH. But there is an Eaton, NH, where I lived in a cabin on a lake for a summer and a fall, where the frogs would croak and I'd play my trumpet. A keen listener could tell the difference.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112364000118255682005-04-01T08:58:00.000-05:002005-04-01T09:00:00.116-05:00

From April 12: Spot and Buddy contemplate the state of their affairs.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112355666629842872005-04-01T06:41:00.000-05:002005-04-01T06:46:02.263-05:00

From filmrot.com:We all know by now that Frank Miller's cult-comic series Sin City is hitting the big screen this Friday, and that it's directed by both Robert Rodriquez and Miller. Legend has it Miller thought Sin City was un-make-able until Rodriquez invited him to his Texas castle movie studio and shot, edited, FX'ed and scored an entire scene from The Babe Wore Red in one day. The results

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112354309455417692005-04-01T06:18:00.000-05:002005-04-01T06:20:40.166-05:00

From an article in the Rocky Mountain News:Even the late Will Eisner, who often received credit for coining the genre's moniker, preferred to characterize the marriage of text and images in book form as "sequential art." He invented the term "graphic novel" out of desperation, in an attempt to sell his first book - a series of illustrated short stories - to a publisher who didn't dabble in comics

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112329668940692252005-03-31T22:40:00.000-05:002005-03-31T23:31:18.220-05:00

I saw Jessica Alba in an interview for Sin City. She referred to the movie's inspiration as a graphic novel, and then, seemingly uncomfortable with the phrase, called it a comic book. I wonder what prompted the clarification/reduction? It's certainly graphic. It's certainly novel.I've been calling comic books graphic novels since Miller's Batman. But when Alba said comic book, it surprised me

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112029325029515892005-03-28T12:02:00.000-05:002005-03-28T12:05:38.743-05:00

Mike Lynch is hosting Mark Anderson's blog this week. He begins with a nice bit of arcana -- though for all I know every cartoonist uses one on the sly -- and shows us the Laugh Finder. If you're the sort who chuckles at the implied punchlines in a grocery list, you need this device.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1112015688608894592005-03-28T08:14:00.000-05:002005-03-28T08:31:11.350-05:00

I have a connection with Fredric Wertham.In his The Seduction of the Innocent (1954), he uses an illustration to drive home the point that crime comics are violent and contagious. It shows a woman with a knife held to her eye. The knife point is a gasp away from the pupil. The woman's name is Mary Kennedy.And since I'm engaged to Mary Kennedy, his point is well made.His other points are less

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111984721171226762005-03-27T23:38:00.000-05:002005-03-27T23:38:41.173-05:00

The answer.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111984280392520052005-03-27T23:31:00.000-05:002005-03-27T23:35:04.250-05:00

Mary is allergic to cats. Or, more precisely, the one cat we live with.Scientists at UCLA are working towards a solution:The treatment comprises a molecule that loosely links a feline and a human protein together. The feline end is a protein called Fel d1 found in cat dander and saliva that causes so much misery in allergy sufferers. On the other end sits a piece of human antibody that docks to a

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111980325415411562005-03-27T22:25:00.000-05:002005-03-27T23:15:01.313-05:00

Dorothy Parker had to wrestle with many demons in her life. Depression and alcoholism were just two of them. From an article in the Toronto Star, we hear this confession:"For a bulky segment of a century, I have been an avid follower of comic strips — all comic strips," Parker wrote. "This is a statement made with approximately the same amount of pride with which one would say, `I've been

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111948868251112582005-03-27T13:41:00.000-05:002005-03-27T13:41:08.250-05:00

Those aren't my words. I'm not a Cathy fan, but when I take the time to read a daily, I always find it well-crafted. I'm amazed by Guisewite's ability to juggle so many words without dropping the ball -- every strip has a punchline, and every word leads you to it. If you stand back a few paces and consider the wall of words in a Cathy strip, it's easy to presume overwriting; a brick layer who

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111776425460728362005-03-25T13:21:00.000-05:002005-03-25T13:50:37.076-05:00

Which is to say, thirteen HAs. If you love comics, you'll love this magazine. It's embarrassing to admit that I can't remember most of what I've read in the previous twelve issues. It's not the magazine's fault. My brainpan is a collander -- the details and specifics of things tend to sift out. And HA is very specific and inspired with its scholarship. But as long as the words are in front of me,

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111763346735832312005-03-25T10:03:00.000-05:002005-03-25T10:09:06.736-05:00

If my words here aren't enough, you can find more at The Comics Reporter. I discuss blogging, and in the course of the discussion, realize something new -- which is why I blog. Practical metaphysics.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111726871804983482005-03-24T23:59:00.000-05:002005-03-25T00:01:11.806-05:00

A new face makes a cameo in the Mother's Day Sunday.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111720282461069762005-03-24T22:11:00.000-05:002005-03-24T22:39:13.256-05:00

Mark Anderson directs us to the Original Illustrated Catalog of ACME Products (where we learn that the first ACME purchase was flypaper, in "Buddy's Bug Hunt," 1935.)And though these items aren't available for sale -- unlike the ACME products -- you can still enjoy the level-headed mania that inspired them at the Gallery of Obscure Patents. My favorite is the motorized ice cream cone:It reminds

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111711701844365692005-03-24T19:08:00.000-05:002005-03-24T19:48:21.846-05:00

I was never a fan of Twinkies -- I had my second taste this year, which should hold me for a while -- but I love epiphanies. I had one recently while reading a short commentary in Smithsonian Magazine about Twinkies, and the cause for their success: unlike frosted cakes, Twinkies carried their frosting -- or a pudding reminiscent of frosting -- on the inside. They could survive crushing stints in

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111432126405006452005-03-21T14:02:00.000-05:002005-03-21T17:35:21.083-05:00

Here's an interesting post from the commentary section, courtesy of the provocatively named G.D. Frogsdong:"I posted an article on a frog hospital in Australia that is closing because of lack of funding. It is the only hospital of it's kind. Maybe we frog bloggers could spread the word."And this from his blog:...let me make a point or two. I've seen a lot of reports about money given to charity

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111427732665734632005-03-21T12:55:00.000-05:002005-03-21T14:47:45.453-05:00

A black hole is usually to be avoided. But if it's small enough, and evanescent enough, it won't be sucking the earth into its insatiable maw, according to Horatiu Nastase of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. To quote the news article:However, even if the ball of plasma is a black hole, it is not thought to pose a threat. At these energies and distances, gravity is not the dominant

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111414483992760802005-03-21T09:05:00.000-05:002005-03-21T09:14:43.993-05:00

I was working on a strip this morning when Mary called, "There's a frog on the Today Show!"Always alert to my competition, I ran to the TV and saw a frog sitting on a tiny jet ski. A moment later the same frog was tucked into a tiny rowboat, wearing a Gilligan-style hat and holding -- well, sitting beside -- a fishing pole. The frog never moved, and I was tempted to think it was a toy. But as I

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111348157605151322005-03-20T14:49:00.000-05:002005-03-20T14:49:17.606-05:00

Here's a nice interview with one of the two writers who inspired me most as a kid (the other was Isaac Asimov.) Ellison still inspires me. He's 70 years old, and his fire has never banked.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111340840845597422005-03-20T12:47:00.000-05:002005-03-20T12:54:43.776-05:00

What better way to spend a Sunday than to read someone's recollection of Saturday. I couldn't link to this particular post -- it's from 2004, and perhaps the anchor has drifted -- so I'll paste Shane Nickerson's words whole: It's a Saturday morning in 1981. I'm ten, but I consider myself a pretty old kid. I am, after all, the big brother. Todd and Corey are both up too. Todd is eating a

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111327438696486282005-03-20T09:03:00.000-05:002005-03-20T10:06:45.876-05:00

Spring brings about many changes: some are grey, some are color, others bloom in black and white. You'll find all of these palettes at the refurbished site for the National Cartoonists Society. Very snazzy.Decor aside, you'll find a hyperlinked chart of NSC members, past and present, along with current news: those who are nominated for Reubens this year, and a Steve McGarry portrait of the

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111239341541254372005-03-19T08:19:00.000-05:002005-03-19T08:35:41.543-05:00

And, finally, I note that Mark Anderson majored in jazz trombone in college, which is our last tenuous coincidence: I went to college, but I wasn't there long enough to declare a major, and I would have majored in English if I had stayed, not trombone.But I do play the trumpet, and when I do it's jazz.And as long as Mark's middle name isn't Winslow, I think that's it.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111162510570583672005-03-18T10:36:00.000-05:002005-03-18T12:06:53.196-05:00

Mark Anderson had a post at his blog this morning about noses and coincidence. He was on the verge of publishing an essay on the early absence of noses on his characters when a St. Patrick's Day theme diverted him.At the same time, I was posting about Cathy and her lack of a nose.But there's another coincidence:Years ago, when The Artist Magazine asked me to write a column on cartooning markets,

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111148302306365292005-03-18T07:18:00.000-05:002005-03-18T07:45:01.276-05:00

From Newkerala.com, a story of arranged marriage, frogs, and an impending drought. To inspire a wedding gift from the Hindu rain god Indra, a dozen weddings like this were conducted in the state of Assam:The residents split into two groups - one pretending to be from the bridegroom's side and the other from the bride's family. Accompanied by beats of drums and cymbals, a Hindu priest performed

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111086512838681792005-03-17T14:06:00.000-05:002005-03-17T14:08:32.840-05:00

From the May 1 Sunday; A stalk in the grass.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111075854695267272005-03-17T11:10:00.000-05:002005-03-17T11:20:36.343-05:00

Here's an interesting bit from the Shrewsbury Chronicle. A reader wanted to know why Cathy lacked a nose. Staff writer Deborah Gauthier sent Cathy Guisewite a letter, and got this reply:"My first drawings -- in 1976 -- were scribbled self-portraits. I had no art training and when I drew my face, which -- at the time -- included big glasses, I didn't have room for a nose. The drawings were so

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1111006417894612922005-03-16T15:40:00.000-05:002005-03-16T16:00:44.180-05:00

Another sign of spring: fresh toner. My printer was down to its last few ashes of toner. This is a nuisance since I use the printer in several ways: I print out the strips at the micro-newspaper size to see how they hold up; after I sketch my roughs at a size smaller than the finish, I scan, enlarge, then print them en route to the light table; and today, while I work on my Sunday, I enlarge and

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110987719284639642005-03-16T10:35:00.000-05:002005-03-16T10:54:41.146-05:00

I need to get batteries in the digital camera. The lilac bush outside the window is gathering its breath and starting to show the first hint of buds (the picture above is an artifact from last year.) We have a small backyard. When this towering bush decides it's spring, it's spring. All eyes look up, and the piles of snow and icy mud are out of sight and far away.Inside my office/studio/the room

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110932936016109482005-03-15T18:51:00.000-05:002005-03-15T19:35:01.206-05:00

I've just seen -- and heard -- the best James Bond movie in years, perhaps decades. It's hard to think clearly with the music racing through my head. I didn't see The Incredibles in the theater, but the sound must have struck every ear like a thunderclap.I watched it on DVD, and listened through tiny TV speakers.And even then the sound was enormous.The composer is Michael Giacchino, television

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110920281113688922005-03-15T15:53:00.000-05:002005-03-15T15:58:01.113-05:00

Spot strikes a sinister pose for the April 1 strip.Nothing pleases me more than having an excuse to put an ominous leer on Spot's face. Generally Buddy has the personality that's closest to mine, so luring Spot to the dark side brings him closer to his maker.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110816617007564832005-03-14T11:10:00.000-05:002005-03-14T11:16:50.276-05:00

Mark Anderson linked to an article about Matthew Diffee, a New Yorker cartoonist. Lots of interesting bits, but the one that caught my eye was this:[Sam] Gross sold one cartoon to the former National Lampoon magazine 35 years ago, and its resale has since earned him $100,000. The cartoon: A couple in a restaurant sits near a sign that says frogs legs are the special. The kitchen doors swing open

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110759639012092932005-03-13T19:20:00.000-05:002005-03-13T19:35:40.210-05:00

As I continue my theme of hippopotomi and cartoonists, here's a quote from Hilary Price's website:My first actual cartoon character was a friendly monster that looked a little like a sitting-down hippopotamus. I used my mother's blusher from her cosmetic's bag to "paint" it. That's probably that last time I have touched a cosmetics bag for any purpose.With credentials like those, it's my

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110736492941793162005-03-13T12:34:00.000-05:002005-03-13T13:02:59.246-05:00

I've mentioned Pickles by Brian Crane before because his character Earl and my character Karl have a certain resemblance. They both have noses, for one, and are bald with a mustache for another. And just now I'm noticing that they share the same first names, save for the first letter. It's all coincidence, of course. When Pickles launched, Karl was a talking carrot. Sure, he wore the same clothes

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110666804501329042005-03-12T17:28:00.000-05:002005-03-13T08:45:32.830-05:00

If you've never noticed the similarity between Watterson and Hemmingway, it's finally made clear. I am on the hunt. My hands feel gritty against the stock of my rifle. Sweat and dirt have tightened my grip. I turn to my faithful friend, Hobbes. “Do you have the scent of the prey?” “What prey?” “An antelope. A buck, I’d prefer. I think we should climb that hill. We can settle in a bower

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110659144873079862005-03-12T15:22:00.000-05:002005-03-12T15:25:44.876-05:00

Political comic Will Durst speculates on frogs and hot water:Ever since I was but a tadpole I've been hammered under the weight of this urban myth about putting a frog into a pot of water at room temperature then slowly raising the flame. Supposedly, the frog continues to acclimate itself to the heat until it finally boils to death. I have questions. First off, who goes to the trouble of boiling

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110653813233465252005-03-12T13:50:00.000-05:002005-03-12T13:59:58.836-05:00

I've been drawing Spot off and on since 1990. Here's a drawing from the first year that can't be explained by puberty. Spot's one year old, an especially awkward age when the artist doesn't know how to draw him.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110649390161982232005-03-12T12:34:00.000-05:002005-03-12T12:43:54.570-05:00

Sometimes a change can seem new, but is actually a return to the past; if not in look, in spirit. Courtesy of Peter Sanderson at IGN.com:Look back at some of the examples I gave of successful reworkings of classic comics characters. After the debacle of the "camp" TV Batman of the 1960s, Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams, among others, returned "the" Batman to his roots as a dark, driven avenger. They

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110645904364676652005-03-12T11:28:00.000-05:002005-03-12T11:55:50.020-05:00

In the last few months, I've gained some weight. In the last few years, I've lost some hair.We all change.Even cartoons aren't safe from the passing years. Look at Bob Clampett's Bugs Bunny and Chuck Jones's Bugs Bunny. Look at Steamboat Willie Mickey and Fantasia Mickey. Look at early Snoopy and later Snoopy.Look at Spot.I knew this would happen. But I didn't think it would happen so quickly. In

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110590791835043302005-03-11T20:04:00.000-05:002005-03-11T20:26:31.840-05:00

Here's an insightful post from The Comics Reporter on getting syndicated. It's said that the early episodes of the television show M*A*S*H always had a scene with the doctors in the operating room, because it was believed if they didn't show the costs of war on every episode, audiences would be like to forget about it. Similarly, comic strips have to explain themselves to an audience for a time

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110588507020210592005-03-11T19:15:00.000-05:002005-03-11T19:57:37.576-05:00

At first glance, this seemed an odd assembly: Hippos in Magazine Cartoons. I came across this support group while Googling information on Michael Maslin, one of my favorite single-panel cartoonists. I didn't find much, beyond his presence at The New Yorker, and thanks to a hippo in one of his cartoons, a chair at HIMC. It turns out that the page of hippo cartoons belonged to a larger site

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110561816115971302005-03-11T11:46:00.000-05:002005-03-11T12:25:09.956-05:00

This is a comic I've seen in bits and pieces, but never whole. There's a book collection if you'd like to get the full eye-experience, but in the meanwhile you can sample 154 pages at the Cartoonist Group.If you'd like to buy the book, I see that used copies are priced to sell at Amazon for $246.99. But, alas, not to me.This is work Harvey Kurtzman did before MAD. But there's MAD in every

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110515641117993422005-03-10T23:13:00.000-05:002005-03-11T11:16:58.006-05:00

A confession: I've never read a Tick comic. I watched the Tick live action program and shrugged a shoulder.But the Saturday morning cartoon?Loved it. One episode in particular sticks in my mind -- or sticks as well as anything does -- featuring a villian who was a sentient corn stalk or some such thing -- And now I discover it's available on DVD. I'm blue with envy.[Update: Mike Bannon, who has

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110513990985884702005-03-10T22:55:00.000-05:002005-03-10T23:06:30.986-05:00

Because this is for print, I use CMYK colors. When I squeeze it through the press for a RGB conversion, the colors shift a bit. So what you see isn't actually what I finished (for example, that bit of branch in the upper left should be brown, not a mix of green and orange; that's how it looks on my screen, anyway), but you get the gist. I'm sure there's a way to make conversions with more

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110510671345943292005-03-10T22:05:00.000-05:002005-03-10T22:16:08.560-05:00

Here's a photo to set a frog salivating. Click on the header for a larger image. I thought the fly's eye was gorgeous and disquieting; like spying a rock with a pulse. Mary thought it looked like a stone in a ring.(via kottke.org.)

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110499098262445132005-03-10T18:49:00.000-05:002005-03-10T18:58:18.263-05:00

I think the line art's finished. Right now I'm wondering about the wording in the final panel. Then I color the art and send it off to United Media.Also, I'm listening to the Lost Treasures CD I mentioned a week or so ago, the collection of unpublished Herb Alpert songs. I feel like I'm back in fifth grade, learning to play the trumpet (or not play, according to my music teacher.)

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110492529253616612005-03-10T17:04:00.000-05:002005-03-10T17:08:49.256-05:00

Two things have occupied me today. The first is a Spot sunday. The above is cropped from the rough; the topic is Mud Season. The second distraction is blogger, which prevented me from posting. It may still prevent me from posting. I won't know until I hit the button. Life has more in common with a James Bond movie than you might think. It all comes down to punching the right button. Will it fire

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110466909306588252005-03-10T09:38:00.000-05:002005-03-10T10:01:49.326-05:00

A good way to start the day is with a 59 second clip of The Jetson's theme. Not only is it jazzy, it epitomizes the creative process.To begin with, here are the lyrics:Meet George Jetson.His Boy Elroy.Daughter Judy.Jane his wife.Creativity often begins with a bare idea, and these lyrics are as spare as a desert bone.The other end of the scale: chaos. Writing a dozen ideas to find one that works.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110378161328825892005-03-09T09:06:00.000-05:002005-03-09T09:22:41.330-05:00

Now that I've bragged about my light table, I'll show you a studio that doesn't depend on one, courtesy of Mike Philly's blog, Draw!As I mentioned, my lamp is fluorescent, with a hum that knots my muscles -- the almost subliminal buzz forecasts a train crashing through my office wall, if my life were a movie, or if I had poor taste in real estate. His method of printing out the pencils -- my

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110374955030196202005-03-09T08:12:00.000-05:002005-03-09T10:52:37.243-05:00

Every hero needs a sidekick. Sometimes the sidekick is a frog, or a frog in name only.According to this site, sidekick originates from a character in an O. Henry short story (The Cisco Kid and his sidekick, Pancho, first appearing in "The Caballero's Way," in the July 1907 Everybody's Magazine), and this site points to the collection Heart of the West. But according to Schmik at Everything2.com,

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110372862931284472005-03-09T07:40:00.000-05:002005-03-09T07:54:22.933-05:00

I'd like to report that I draw my strip on a finely-tooled desk the size of a couch, or that my light table is a frosty miniature of a skating rink tipped on its edge. But it's actually a cheap drawing table -- I believe it was advertised for school kids or budding artists -- with a sheet of plexiglass propped on it, and a humming lamp slipped beneath it. It's actually an upgrade from my old

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110371407407360482005-03-09T07:25:00.000-05:002005-03-09T07:37:26.530-05:00

If you've been antsy since January 7 (when this strip ran) to build an igloo of your own, here's a primer. I'm not sure if it's mentioned, but the construction will probably go best if you use a special snow saw, and if you're not using it in Florida.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110369020156886662005-03-09T06:28:00.000-05:002005-03-09T06:52:45.186-05:00

I'm not the first person to set jazz and cartooning on the same shelf. The common element is improvisation. It's what you create when you pick up your ax or your pen (though in some cases the ax is the pen. Or a chainsaw.)This comes from Ward-O-Matic, the blog of Ward Jenkins. He gained some notoriety awhile back when he illustrated how The Polar Express could have been easier on the eyes and

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110349058572921672005-03-09T01:08:00.000-05:002005-03-09T01:18:25.040-05:00

Mark Anderson does a bold Show & Tell with his single-panel cartoons, footnoting several with commentary on why they didn't work.I could go on the road with my own show of misguided, mishandled and misconceived cartoons. But I'd have a hard time finding an audience.Here's one I never sold, out of hundreds that never sold.I don't think it's a bad cartoon. But it's one that amuses me more than any

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110345881983140622005-03-09T00:10:00.000-05:002005-03-09T00:29:46.110-05:00

Spot the Frog features frogs that can inflate into balloons, turn into snowballs, and in one instance, develop an infatuation for Marg Helgenberger.This strikes me as perfectly normal.(Spot's compressed profile is the result of holding back a burp that might reveal to C.S.I. that he's eaten a leftover snowman, which soon leads to the resurrection of the Headless Snowman -- though I suppose that

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110344170048086982005-03-08T23:23:00.000-05:002005-03-08T23:59:16.700-05:00

I got an email the other day from a reader who suggested that frogs don't burp. I don't know for a fact that they do, and I don't know for a fact that they don't. But I do know for a fact that Spot does. In an early Spot strip from last year, Spot reveals that the chorus of frog song Karl hears at the pond is actually a chorus of burping.(my apologies for the especially grusome pose Spot assumes

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110309702135444492005-03-08T14:19:00.000-05:002005-03-08T14:21:42.136-05:00

Another sure sign of spring arrives March 25, shrewdly spotted by The Frog of the Wild.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1110206849647339302005-03-07T09:40:00.000-05:002005-03-07T09:47:29.646-05:00

Contrary to Spot's instruction, sometimes it's better to say a little more. After I wrote today's strip and sent it to the syndicate, I discovered that the punchline was clear as water to me but mud for all others. And since I try not to live in a solipsistic world, I clarified the joke in the last panel and sent it to the syndicate -- too late, it turns out. So for completists and my yen for

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109946257321165562005-03-04T09:24:00.000-05:002005-03-04T09:41:10.543-05:00

R.I.P., Bubba.(That's peace, not pieces...which reminds me of The Simpsons episode where Homer makes a lobster his pet, until he gives Pinchy a warm bath with culinary consequences. He delivers the perfect eulogy and commentary on the food chain when he sobs and gorges simultaneously...funny and profound, somehow. Here's a monument to the moment.)

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109771010677280002005-03-02T08:31:00.000-05:002005-03-02T08:43:30.683-05:00

If Spot The Frog is missing from your paper, please write, phone, or email the Features Editor. Remember, the strip is like a cooking show. And just as Good Eats would be perfect with the smell of roast chicken, Spot The Frog is even better with the scent of printer's ink.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109760386482216322005-03-02T05:46:00.000-05:002005-03-02T05:47:11.070-05:00

I mentioned that I liked The Fairly OddParents because of its strict observation of logic and premise. Here's an excerpt from the Butch Hartman site, courtesy of Dennis Cass who writes for Slate:But the real genius of The Fairly OddParents lies in the complicated ways the show places limitations on Timmy. His wishes are constrained by a fairy code called "Da Rules." Written up in a floating pink

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109711922529273762005-03-01T16:18:00.000-05:002005-03-01T16:41:57.996-05:00

When I started writing Spot the Frog, I decided not to research frogs. I wanted the strip to be fanciful, where nature was informed by whimsy, not reality. But that's been a challenge.For example, I've discovered that frogs are gluttons. Just as inclined to stuff themselves as Spot or Buddy or the cartoonist who draws them. The Goliath Frog of West Africa will eat anything it can fit in its mouth

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109704217681393332005-03-01T14:10:00.000-05:002005-03-01T14:10:17.680-05:00

I just saw this over at boing boing. I'm half-tempted to get one. I wonder how the fly bait works? What do I find when I pry open the plant's jaws? Does the fly swoon from a vapor and fall into the bucket, or does it stick to a lethal muck? If I find out I'll let you know.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109693172000934602005-03-01T11:03:00.000-05:002005-03-01T11:06:12.000-05:00

If only medicine were always this precise: Spot discovers an ailment March 15.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109420673325132502005-02-26T07:21:00.000-05:002005-02-26T07:24:33.326-05:00

As the season changes, so does the lettering.This is a clip from the February 28 strip.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109380219325010982005-02-25T19:42:00.000-05:002005-02-25T20:10:19.326-05:00

Bob Boyle, producer and art director for Fairly OddParents, has a new show in production for Nick Jr. He's keeping a blog on the construction of Wubby, Widget And Walden. How do you build a cartoon? We had a meeting today to talk about some really tough decisions that you have to make when starting up a new production. 1- What color should the walls be?2- What kind of furniture do you

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109361803702282312005-02-25T14:51:00.000-05:002005-02-25T15:06:51.933-05:00

I mentioned the Venus Flytrap in an earlier post, and happened to come across more of its biography at How Stuff Works:According to the International Carnivorous Plant Society, the origin of the name is quite lurid. The Venus Flytrap was first studied in the 17th and 18th centuries, when societal mores were a bit more puritanical than they are today, and were somewhat obsessed by human urges and

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109360789570875122005-02-25T14:39:00.000-05:002005-02-25T14:46:29.573-05:00

Writing a comic strip -- or most any activity -- is just a way to pass the time before our time is taken away. Here's a sobering look at the Tsunami of last December, through the lens of a digital camera.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109351774142375902005-02-25T12:00:00.000-05:002005-02-25T12:29:57.053-05:00

Herb Alpert was big in my house. How big? When I heard the Beatles All My Loving, I thought they were covering the Tijuana Brass song.The first songs I played on my trumpet were TJB songs. One of my first rejections came about because of the trumpet and TJB songs (when I was in junior high, the school had a mock TJB band -- I wasn't allowed to join, though I knew in the darkest most jealous space

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109339454110341502005-02-25T08:11:00.000-05:002005-02-25T10:25:45.843-05:00

Another load of snow was dropped off in the driveway last night. What better way to celebrate than reflecting on the many advantages of swinging over the snow, rather than shoveling it.SPIDER-MAN THEME SONG LYRICSSpider-Man, Spider-Man,Does whatever a spider canSpins a web, any size,Catches thieves just like fliesLook Out!Here comes the Spider-Man.Is he strong?Listen bud,He's got radioactive

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1109023087887576952005-02-21T16:55:00.000-05:002005-02-21T16:58:59.146-05:00

If these walls could talk, they'd have little to say about Twain. But the town that owns the property has a few words, on bail jumping and jumping frogs.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108823667710083582005-02-19T09:30:00.000-05:002005-02-19T09:42:41.973-05:00

I'd watch these two characters read the phone book. But since they have a movie coming out this October, I won't have to.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108744211866813132005-02-18T11:28:00.000-05:002005-02-18T11:55:57.616-05:00

Charles asked in a comment if I knew the animated cartoon Calvin & the Colonel. Coincidentally, I was just reading about it at Cartoon Brew. I've never seen an episode, but some will have the opportunity.It can be tricky peeling the art from the artist. If you didn't like Bob Hope's politics, or Bing Crosby's parental manner, can you enjoy their work? If Mark Heath is an idiot, can Spot the Frog

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108657168232770012005-02-17T11:09:00.000-05:002005-02-17T11:19:28.236-05:00

Like a lot of kids, I'm a fan of Spongebob. His insane and unrelenting good humor, and the animation's fresh and startling double-takes and reaction shots (my favorite: Spongebob cries like no one on television has ever cried when his grandmother stops treating him like a child.) But until I read this, I'd never realized the dark side to Spongebob's cheer:A great study in how nice people get away

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108652258742209962005-02-17T09:46:00.000-05:002005-02-17T09:57:38.786-05:00

Another example of mirror neurons in action, where the lifeless gain life. This is about Paul Winchell and his wooden sidekick, Jerry Mahoney, courtesy of Mark Evanier:Back when TV was just beginning, Paul was asked to make his first appearance and they brought him in to do a test. Throughout the test, the director kept telling him, "We can't hear Jerry." Paul could be heard when he spoke as Paul

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108614534971112312005-02-16T23:25:00.000-05:002005-02-16T23:39:18.746-05:00

Though the new series hasn't launched yet, the picture of a demented Bugs has me shaking my head. But Mark Evanier at his News From Me blog points out that many fine things begin as head-shaking longshots.(via Cartoon Brew)

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108612660500739042005-02-16T22:34:00.000-05:002005-02-16T22:59:13.153-05:00

My many thanks to Kiri for lending her name and idea on snow removal. With luck the strips will do justice to her name. And if not, I'll happily assume the role of goat.As far as I know, most goats demand more than snow to survive. Kiri is no exception, as tomorrow's strip will explain.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108560871423935962005-02-16T08:21:00.000-05:002005-02-16T08:38:58.086-05:00

Buddy's not the only fan.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108559502153788852005-02-16T08:09:00.000-05:002005-02-16T08:11:42.156-05:00

If you see an upside-down goat, you're in fine shape.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108486484973175122005-02-15T11:35:00.000-05:002005-02-15T11:59:48.603-05:00

There's a fine site called Cool Tools, which is about sticks and stones and other, more recent, inventions. The latest new tool in our house is the knitting needle, so I perked up when CT mentioned Knitting Without Tears, a primer with more than a little philosophy:If you are a habitually tight knitter, try to kick the habit. Loose knitting tends to make your stitches look somewhat uneven, but

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108483716912423432005-02-15T11:05:00.000-05:002005-02-15T11:12:35.810-05:00

(via boiongboing)

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108476108539476422005-02-15T08:59:00.000-05:002005-02-15T09:43:51.553-05:00

If you're a fan of jazz or Peanuts, you'll know this face. Vince Guaraldi's son runs a tribute site, which promises to eventually offer "an archive of Vince Guaraldi memorabilia: family photos, hand-written music sheets, newspaper articles, liner notes and other important artifacts..." They're also sorting through boxes of neglected recordings for eventual publication, including a tantalizing

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108447694618680372005-02-15T01:08:00.000-05:002005-02-15T01:09:44.430-05:00

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this list, but it's still a stunning recital of story lines.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108442880259583022005-02-14T23:48:00.000-05:002005-02-14T23:53:37.216-05:00

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner's NBC-based Hazy Mills Productions have optioned the comic strip Pooch Cafe, to be developed as a half-hour animated comedy series. This is one of my favorite strips. The animators and writers will need to eat a lot of quality kibble to match it.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108435087436828482005-02-14T21:38:00.000-05:002005-02-14T22:55:17.250-05:00

I just watched an episode of NOVA Science Now, and the first and last segment had me quivering to share what I'd seen.I should probably wait a few days for the thoughts to settle down and become more lucid. But for some of us, time doesn't guarantee lucidity, and I want to write about this while it's still fresh.Two topics: Mirror neurons, and the kinetic sculpture of Arthur Ganson.The first is

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108428027785048052005-02-14T19:40:00.000-05:002005-02-14T19:59:09.210-05:00

Spot isn't the only frog to dabble in paint. This is the Splash-back Poison Frog, named for its sloppy application of color. Since my confession of knowing little about poison dart frogs, beyond their job description, I've been doing some light research. I can now report that most poison frogs become toxic thanks to a diet of ants and savory anthropods, or by tweaking mild poisons they swallow

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108415547986724572005-02-14T16:12:00.000-05:002005-02-14T16:27:27.460-05:00

Fantagraphics has been collecting the complete run of Peanuts. The latest, Volume 2, mentions that the top tier to a golf-themed sunday was missing, but would be included in future editions if discovered. And thanks to a snatch of microfilm, it has.The top tier, of course, was designed to be discarded. Some comic panels take their job seriously.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108412387545494282005-02-14T15:19:00.000-05:002005-02-14T15:24:30.086-05:00

Here's Spot the Frog from last year's Valentine's Day. Nothing especially sentimental is broached, but I'm reminded that Spot's eyes have become increasingly lopsided in the past year, and Buddy looks several ounces lighter than his current weight. The unbalanced eyes and weight gain, of course, are typical symptoms when you spend too much time with a cartoonist, which Spot and Buddy certainly do.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108411160379057732005-02-14T14:59:00.000-05:002005-02-14T14:59:20.380-05:00

If your reading tastes spring from the same bowl as mine, or at least the same table, here's a great reading list, courtesy of Locus. I especially enjoyed Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart, filled with heart, ghosts, and great detail (for example, if you're wondering what to wear to a brawl, a jacket with fish hooks sewn behind the lapels is always tasteful.)

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108405348474120282005-02-14T13:22:00.000-05:002005-02-14T13:37:37.120-05:00

Like Christmas, Valentine's can be a bittersweet day for those who are alone. I've known a few of those days. And because life is a fickle thing -- which is to say, short -- I may know them again. But for the moment I'm lucky to have Mary, that most improbable of persons: someone who can withstand the moody gale of living with an insecure cartoonist. There should be a separate holiday for that

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108180090053222362005-02-11T22:48:00.000-05:002005-02-11T23:01:53.046-05:00

When you consider a book, CD or DVD at Amazon, the site will suggest another title. If you like Maynard Ferguson, you might also enjoy Buddy Rich. But if you click on the above album, which features classic recordings of frogs and toads, Amazon suspects you'll enjoy the music of Tom Waits.There's a certain world-weary bullfrog quality to his voice, but it seemed odd to see it spelled out.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108151913427372572005-02-11T14:58:00.000-05:002005-02-11T15:27:23.483-05:00

I was browsing through Cartoon Brew and came across the stunning news that Clutch Cargo will soon be out on DVD. I'm assuming these will be real DVDs, and not just boxes with the word DVD printed on them. I'm fairly certain I'll be renting one. Time to confront the horrible memory I have of this show. While I enjoyed watching Bob Hoskins interact with Roger Rabbit, I'm not sure I would have

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7131530.post-1108149323318128802005-02-11T14:15:00.000-05:002005-02-11T14:17:23.576-05:00

Still impending, still cropped, but perhaps less mysterious.

Mark Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13203446628283670513noreply@blogger.com