Barney Google And Snuffy Smith

For 25 years, cartoonist John Rose has lovingly guided one of comics’ most enduring and endearing institutions: Barney Google and Snuffy Smith. And if you ask anyone who knows him — fellow cartoonists, editors, readers, or fans — they’ll probably tell you the same thing before anything else: John is simply one of the nicest people in the business. Rose officially took over the reins in 2001, and his origin story is as whimsical and delightful as he is. Working as an editorial cartoonist at the time, he was a member of the National Cartoonists Society, where he learned that cartoonists sometimes had assistants. So he put together some samples of his work and sent them to longtime Snuffy Smith cartoonist Fred Lasswell. The response? A Saturday afternoon call that changed the course of his life when he heard, “I got the packet of samples that you sent me, and I really like the way you draw big noses.” Lasswell ended up hiring Rose as his inking assistant. John Rose’s first Barney Google and Snuffy Smith comic strip (May 21, 2001) It was a natural fit. Rose brought a deep respect for the […]