I’ve been unable to blog for a while – but I’m back. I’ll try to start posting again regularly (that means one – maybe two times per week). To get started, here are a few things I meant to include in my blog several weeks ago:
I got a phone call a few weeks ago from one of the great icons of the newspaper world. I got a phone call from someone who is, arguably, the most beloved columnist in the world. I got a phone call from someone who is quite possibly the most notable and influential personalities in newsprint.
I got a phone call from Dear Abby.
Yep. That’s right. Dear Abby called me. Now that you know the who, I’m sure you’d like to know the why…
Well, at the time, my comic had recently debuted in the Akron Beacon Journal and was appearing right next to her column. Goldfish, as many fish owners are aware, are unable to tell when they’re full and will typically eat as much food as is put within their proximity. In one of my panels, I drew a goldfish bowl where all of the fish had died and were floating on top of the water. Outside of the bowl, a boy is walking away after having just fed his aquatic pets. On the side of the fish bowl appears a sign reminding the fish of an Overeater’s Anonymous meeting scheduled for later that day.
Coincidentally, Dear Abby’s column that day was about overeating and included a note from a reader, championing Overeater’s Anonymous.
Anyhow, a keen and thoughtful observer noted the coincidence, cut it out of the paper and sent it to Dear Abby. She was kind enough to then call me, get my mailing address and forward a copy of the clipping on to me. We only spoke briefly, but she did mention that she likes my humor. More importantly, though, how cool is it to say that, “Dear Abby called me?”
Another thing – really, really old news – and I meant to post a link to this a while back as well, but back in May, Richard Thompson (the uber talented creator of the comic strip Cul de Sac) and myself were the cartoonist participants in The Washington Post’s semi-regular “Meet the Cartoonist” feature where we answer questions sent in from comic readers all over the country. Here’s the link.
Ha! That’s cool!