December 18th, 2013

Introducing “Ask A Cartoonist!”

by Countess Tea

Welcome to our new feature, “Ask a Cartoonist!”  We’ll be visiting you every Wednesday with questions and answers from all the King Features cartoonists. 
This week, we asked folks some holiday-themed questions. 

1.       What do you want (or what did you get) for the holidays?

I want to watch my daughters enjoy time together (the older one will be home from college), and I’ll make a trip to visit with my parents and my sisters for a couple of days. My gift will be some mildly embarrassing holiday disaster that’ll eventually make its way into one of the strips.– Jerry Scott, Baby Blues and Zits

We celebrate Hanukkah, which fell on Thanksgiving this year, so I got stuffing, latkes, and constipation.– Terri Libenson, The Pajama Diaries

I’m hoping for a clock with more than twenty four hours in a day, the better to meet deadlines with.– Bill Holbrook, On the Fastrack and Safe Havens

A new computer! My old Mac can’t even load the Comics Kingdom site! — Kevin Frank, Heaven’s Love Thrift Shop

As a delusional idealist, I’ve decided that I will accept no holiday gift unless it is the worldwide abolishment of the use of Christmas music in public. This isn’t about religion, it’s about annoying songs getting stuck in my head until March.– Dan Piraro, Bizarro

My husband keeps telling me he’s going to get me a nose warmer (I have a very cold nose) but he never does.– Isabella Bannerman, Six Chix

2.       What do your characters want (or what did they get) for the holidays?

Mary received a Kindle from Jeff.  She finally came around to seeing the merits of having one.  In the past she was resistant, but she changed her mind, and he knew she’d like it!  She now reads her books both ways, in print and on an e-book reader.  Hey, a woman’s allowed to change her mind!– Karen Moy, Mary Worth

Th’ young-uns, Jughaid an’ Tater want lots of candy from the Gen’ral Store an’ ol’ Doc Pritchart hopes they git it!  More candy means more cavities an’ belly aches, which mean more business fer Doc!–John Rose, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith

Sid wants money, Enos wants his mother-in-law to go back to Ohio, Ernie wants everybody to be nice, Mother Packer wants men to just sit there and shut up, Arnold wants a good looking girlfriend, and Quacko wants caterpillars.– Bud Grace, The Piranha Club

Sarge would like to be obeyed. Beetle would like to be erased for a few days and you know what Miss Buxley would like but Beetle is too shy to give it to her.– Mort Walker, Beetle Bailey

At Apt.3-G, Tommie would like her heartache to mend, Lu Ann would like to spend some time with her birth mother Ruby, and Margo, bless her heart, would like something that’s shiny,  sparkly and can cut glass. Oh, and a man to go with it. — Margaret Shulock, Apartment 3-G and Six Chix

Zippy would like a bowling ball filled with clam juice and an ambassadorship to Naked and Alone Island .– Bill Griffith, Zippy the Pinhead

3.       What your favorite comic-related holiday gift you’ve ever received?

As a kid, it was a money box shaped like Snoopy and his doghouse. Last Christmas, it was Building Stories by Chris Ware– Alex Hallatt, Arctic Circle

When I was away at college one year, my mom painstakingly clipped out my favorite comic strips and editorial cartoons from the Cincinnati Enquirer every day and glued them into a big scrapbook. My dad was a sign painter, so on the front of the album he replicated the signatures of the cartoonists whose work was inside. It was a big bulging scrapbook and I loved it. I had months and months worth of cartoons to catch up on that vacation.– Jim Borgman, Zits

A marinated moose ham.– Bud Grace, The Piranha Club

As a high school senior in the mid-1970s I received Mort Walker’s book “Backstage at the Strips.” It was a blueprint of my future career.– Bill Holbrook, On the Fastrack and Safe Havens

My parents, Joan and Dik Browne (the real Helga and Hagar) gave me a huge copy of The Art of Walt Disney one Christmas.  I still have it.  A magical book and a wonderful memory. –Chris Browne, Hagar the Horrible

As a child in the 70s I received a “Snoopy Sculpture Kit” which consisted of a hollow Snoopy-shaped framework, and a bunch of (mostly white) clay. No doubt I got clay all over my corduroy bell-bottoms.– Kevin Frank, Heaven’s Love Thrift Shop

4.       If you could give or receive a gift from one of your characters, what would it be?

The ultimate gift from Edison? I’d love it if he would invent a #2 pencil that always stayed sharp, never got shorter, always had its eraser, and would never get lost. Despite my repeated hints, I suspect I’ll be getting another mitten toaster this year.  –John Hambrock, The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee

I would love fer Snuffy t’give me a big ol’ floppy hillbilly hat jest like his!  Plus, some of th’ extra aces he keeps up his sleeve would come in handy, too! –John Rose, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith

I wouldn’t mind getting Miss Buxley’s gift but I’m sure my wife wouldn’t let me open it.– Mort Walker, Beetle Bailey

I don’t have regular characters but I’d like to receive the pelt of Garfield to use in my den as a rug.– Dan Piraro, Bizarro

I would give 5 billion dollars to Margo and see how long it would take her to lose interest in money. It could be an interesting study. I for one think Margo has more heart than she  allows people to see. Though trouble she can be I find the girl endlessly fascinating.– Margaret Shulock, Apartment 3-G and Six Chix

5.       Which comics character would you most like to eat a holiday meal with?  What would it be?

I’d like to eat Christmas dinner with Betty Boop. She doesn’t look like she eats much, so I could have plenty of second helpings and all the dessert.– Alex Hallatt, Arctic Circle

Mary of course!  She’s a great cook!  For the holidays she usually makes a feast for herself and her friends if she’s home at Charterstone.    Usually a main course of roast beef, turkey or lamb, plus sides of potatoes, salad, and cooked greens.  Dessert would be her famous apple cake or pie.  Personally I’d love to share recipes with her.–Karen Moy, Mary Worth

Definitely the “Between Friends” women. They seem to put away a lot of wine.  — Terri Libenson, The Pajama Diaries

Well, it would have to be something vegetarian in my case-  like Hamlet, who is based on me,  I am a vegetarian!  So of the Hagar character’s  I’d love to bread bread with
Hamlet.  Of other characters,  I’d share a pizza with Grimmy!  I’d have the pizza and Grimmy would get the crusts! –Chris Browne, Hagar the Horrible

 I think I’d choose Dethany Dendrobia.  She’s one of the most fascinating cartoon women in comics and I think she’d be quite entertaining.  What would it be?  I can picture her serving up punch in sugar skulls and maybe black caviar on coffin shaped crackers. –Stephanie Piro, Six Chix

I would like to have a frozen Salisbury Steak TV Dinner with Mandrake the Magician and ask him where he buys his capes. — Bill Griffith, Zippy the Pinhead

Todd the dinosaur!  Because just like me, he will eat ANYTHING!  We could pig out all day. –Bill Bettwy, Take it from the Tinkersons

Have you got a burning question for all our cartoonists?  We’d love to ask them to answer it.  Please feel free to post with a comment if you have an idea for a future “Ask a Cartoonist.”