Cartoonist Johnny Hart's birthday!

John Lewis Hart (February 18, 1931 – April 7, 2007) was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strips B.C. and The Wizard of Id. Brant Parker co-produced and illustrated The Wizard of Id. Hart was recognized with several awards, including the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society. In his later years, he was known (and sometimes criticized) for incorporating Christian themes and messages into his strips. (WIKIPEDIA)

Johnny Hart's HARMON, a caveman done for Dr. Pepper ads was a forerunner to his B.C. 

Johnny Hart and Brant Parker were two of my earliest influences in the cartoon world. Their style, while very similar, differed in several ways and it was comparatively easy to recognize each other's work. 

                                                    

Their way of drawing very minimalistic images with just a few sparse lines caught my attention from the very moment I first saw their strips in the local newspaper and I must confess, I began to copy their style, carefully trying not to look exactly the same so as not to be accused of copyright infringement. 

                   

But their style can be seen in my first attempt at doing a comic book, with a character called EL MAFIOSO NICK (Mobster Nick), which ran in a few magazines before becoming a short lived comic book.    

                                         

I abandoned the Johnny Hart-Brant Parker school of cartooning and went on to develop a very different style myself although I still followed their work and never lost my admiration for them.

Of course, drawing style is one thing and the humor and ability to get a smile or a laugh in three or four panels is something else and not every cartoonist can achieve it the way Hart and Parker did. The humor in these strips was brilliant, sharp, witty and unexpected which is a testimony to their superb talent.

Their strips are still being kept alive by their respective collaborators with some degree of success but the heyday of B.C. and The Wizard of Id, rightfully belongs to the first era, when their creators were active and churning out their strips much to the acclaim of their millions of followers.

Brant Parker's WIZARD OF ID

Brant Parker

Johnny Hart

Johnny Hart passed away on April 7, 2007 and Brant Parker followed on April 15, 2007, only 8 days apart!

VALENTINE'S DAY, 2024!

After many years of singlehood, I think maybe the time has come to replace my Cupid,

 whose on target average has been 00.00!

In the meantime, may I wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day with these great pictures of my favorite blonde, Marilyn Monroe!

THE SHADOW KNOWS...AGAIN!

By the time you reach a certain age and you do not have anyone to share your life with, you realize you're chances of meeting someone are close to nil, so you accept the fact and move on with your existence...

However, the impulse is still there...and the shadow knows!

ME AND MY SHADOW!

The old 1930s THE SHADOW radio show began with the line: "What evil lurks in the hearts of men? The shadow knows!" And my shadow has always been a dead giveaway of my own personal secrets!

The shadows play a crucial part every February 2nd, where Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his hole to take a look at its shadow in what is known as Groundhog Day.

Groundhog Day is a tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2 of every year. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and sees its shadow, it will retreat to its den and winter will go on for six more weeks; if it does not see its shadow, spring will arrive early. In 2024, an early spring was predicted.

MAD Magazine's Sergio Aragonés created an entire series of funny cartoons entitled The Shadow Knows and as an homage to him, I've drawn my own shadow fantasies a few times.