December 5th, 2018

Ask A Cartoonist: Winter Wonderland!

by Tea

Brrr! It’s getting chilly in here!  This week, I’ve asked our cartoonists to share their favorite winter comic strips and winter musings for us to read while we’re all curled up with our hot cocoa! 

John Rose, Barney Google & Snuffy Smith

Brrr! When there’s a cold spell in Hootin’ Holler, everything is cold…except the gossip!

Ron Ferdinand, Dennis the Menace

Winter gave Hank yet another opportunity to display his amazing design skills.

Bill Griffith, Zippy the Pinhead

I’ve always loved Winter, from my first Brooklyn blizzard to last week’s 6 inch snowfall. Of course, as a kid, my only snow-related responsibilities were to make snowballs and forts and go sledding. But even while I’m shoveling the driveway, my mind wanders back to those lovely drifts of my childhood where the world suddenly went silent under a blanket of white stuff.

  

 

Alex Hallatt, Arctic Circle

I’m not a big fan of winter, but I do love mucking about in the snow. Bill Watterson did the best comics about that, but I’ve had a crack.

Stephanie Piro, Six Chix

John Hambrock, The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee

Edison will never be one to settle for the more traditional gravity-assisted downhill sleds.

Brian Walker, Hi & Lois

Dik Browne brilliantly captured the essence of winter in this classic Hi and Lois Sunday page from 1963. The scene in the title panel looks very similar to where the Browne family lived in Connecticut during the 1960s. Throughout the page, Dik’s trees have a beautiful symmetry and the shading on the snow makes it feel soft and fluffy. The birds are semi-realistic, but also have a Disney-like cuteness. Lois is pretty and believable as a housewife with her apron, boots and shawl. Dot and Ditto have an adorable roundness that is appropriate to their age. The entire page is an outstanding example of Dik’s skills of balanced composition and careful pacing.