This month I celebrate my 10 years as an Editorial Cartoonist for the EXCÉLSIOR daily newspaper.

AUGUST 2006 - 2016

SOMEDAY A WOMAN WILL BE PRESIDENT!

Sometimes fact is stranger (and funnier) than fiction! This was in the news a few days ago:

Hillary Clinton became the first woman nominated for president by a major American political party, but just 21 years ago — when she served as First Lady — Wal-Mart wouldn’t even sell T-shirts promoting the idea.

In August 1995, a Wal-Mart store in Florida sold T-shirts showing Margaret, a character in the comic strip “Dennis the Menace,” proclaiming that “Someday a woman will be president.”

A customer spotted the T-shirts and complained, reported The Associated Press, and the store removed them.

We've come a long way since then, baby!

Goodbye, Jack Davis! (1924-2016)

¡SANTOS CÓMICS! TV Interview

I had lots of fun as the guest of Martín Arceo's TV show "¡SANTOS CÓMICS!" which aired Tuesday, July 19, 2016   at www.rompeviento.tv 
He proved to be a wonderful and knowledgeable host.
We talked about comic books, The Pink Panther, The Road Runner, Laurel and Hardy and editorial cartoons among many other topics and the time just flew by! Thank you for the invite, Martín!
The show can be seen and downloaded now at 
https://vimeo.com/175449818

Is Pokémon Go one of the most used smart device apps today?

SONS OF THE DESERT

According to the entry in Wikipedia, THE SONS OF THE DESERT is:
"an international fraternal organization devoted to the lives and films of comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The group takes its name from a lodge that Laurel and Hardy belonged to in the 1933 movie Sons of the Desert.   In 1964, a few years after the book, Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy, was published, author John McCabe formed a small group of Laurel and Hardy admirers, including Orson Bean, cartoonist Al Kilgore, Chuck McCann, and John Municino. McCabe created a mock-serious “constitution” that satirized the formalities of many social organizations. Stan Laurel endorsed and humorously revised the document; he suggested that members might wear a fez or blazer patch with the motto "Two Minds Without a Single Thought." Founding member Kilgore created a logo with the motto in Latin (in the spirit of Laurel’s dictum that the organization should have “a half-assed dignity” about it) as Duae tabulae rasae in quibus nihil scriptum est (literally: 'Two blank slates on which nothing has been written')."

These are the wonderful caricatures of Stan and Ollie masterfully rendered by the late great Al Kilgore, better known for drawing the Bullwinkle daily comic strip in the 60s.

I joined the club in 1976 and had the great fortune of being able to attend the First International Sons of the Desert Convention in Chicago the following year!

A lot of time has passed since then. Most of the celebrities we met at those first SOD conventions are no longer with us but great memories were left behind and as long as there are Laurel and Hardy fans in the world, their legacy will remain with us for a long while!

Long live Laurel and Hardy!

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS...

Frank Sinatra - It’s Nice to Go Trav’ling

After close to four months away on an extended holiday trip, this Sinatra classic song comes to mind!

Hitting the big 65 today!!

ONE FINE DAY AT NEW YORK'S MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

A FINE DAY AT MILLER PARK, NJ

LAUREL & HARDY : The Magic Behind The Movies - A book by Randy Skretvedt

 Randy Skretvedt's book, "LAUREL & HARDY: The Magic Behind The Movies" is the definitive account of the comedy duo's career! The photos, text, graphic design and information are staggering and amazing. This is likely the most thoroughly researched book on The Boys ever produced. The bonus CD is nostalgic, informative and very entertaining! The entire package surpasses even other similar books in the sheer amount of information presented. Words cannot describe it fully...you HAVE to read it to appreciate the extent of Randy's work. Every Laurel and Hardy buff will be indebted to this man forever! The fact that I am mentioned in the book is the cherry on top of the cake for me!!  This is certainly the Laurel and Hardy book to end all Laurel & Hardy books!

Mort Drucker & John Reiner - The NCS Masters Collection

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A GRANDFATHER WHEN...

You know you're a grandfather when you've had your nose tweaked, your hair pulled, your eyes poked, your ears bitten, your stomach punched, your crotch slammed, your clothes smeared and your feet stepped on, and still you enjoy every minute of it!

Press conference at the White House!

This morning, I addressed the nation on very important and urgent matters. Among the issues covered, was the impending need for cartoonists to earn wages equal to Donald Trump's fee for public speaking engagements!

My Grandson Antonio is now four years old!

Becoming a Grandfather may be one of the greatest experiences not only in mine, but in anybody's life! There is something in these little kids that will carry on what you have begun to accomplish all your life. Someday I'll be gone but my son Ricardo and my grandson Antonio will be a part of me that may remain here longer and will remind people that once upon a time, I existed!

SENIOR CITIZEN FASHIONS

As we grow older, our way of dressing may somewhat change accordingly.

My brief cameo in the Mexican film BORRAR DE LA MEMORIA (2010)

My brief appearance in this 2010 Mexican movie is even more brief in the trailer.

(I come in at 1:37)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw6QNqe7umo&feature=share&list=PLVHisYqJMlSlhTKlBekrejdHRhgKYdiAg&index=7

1970s TV CARICATURES

Back in 1970, I did a weekly one page strip about local TV shows for a national television schedule magazine in the TV Guide mold, called TV FARÁNDULA. Sometimes I had the chance to do a piece on American TV series and these are two samples from those articles.

Mobster Nick strikes again!

Mobster Nick does a take-off on George Clooney's Nespresso ad campaigns.

An offer you can't refuse from Mobster Nick!

Stan Laurel

I first read the sad news of Stan Laurel's passing on February 23rd, 1965, coming back from school at my grandma's house, where I usually stopped to read the paper before heading home. I was 14 years old at the time, and had been a fan since the mid-fifities when the local TV station began showing their shorts. RIP Stanley!

Stan Laurel, born Arthur Stanley Jefferson (June 16, 1890-February 23, 1965), most famous for his role in the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. With his comedy partner Oliver Hardy he appeared in 107 short films, feature films and cameo roles. Laurel began his career in the British music hall, from where he took a number of his standard comic devices: the bowler hat, the deep comic gravity, and the nonsensical understatement. His performances polished his skills at pantomime and music hall sketches. Laurel was a member of "Fred Karno's Army," where he was Charlie Chaplin's understudy. The two arrived in the US on the same ship from Britain with the Karno troupe. Laurel began his career in films in 1917 and made his last appearance in 1951. From 1928 onwards he appeared exclusively with Oliver Hardy. In August 1957, Oliver Hardy died. Laurel was too ill to attend his funeral and said, "Babe would understand".People who knew Laurel said he was devastated by Hardy's death and never fully recovered from it. He refused to perform on stage, or act in another film without his good friend, although he continued to socialize with his fans. Laurel was a heavy smoker until suddenly quitting around 1960. Stan Laurel died in February 1965, age 74, four days after suffering a heart attack. Just minutes away from death, Laurel told his nurse he would not mind going skiing right at that very moment. Somewhat taken aback, the nurse replied that she was not aware that he was a skier. "I'm not," said Laurel, "I'd rather be doing that than this!" A few minutes later the nurse looked in on him again and found that he had died quietly in his armchair. He is buried at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills.

Rio Olympics: Mexican diving team worried about health risks of Zika virus.

WHAT'S THE POINT?

Any way you look at it, entering cartoon contests is a waste of your time and effort!

Even if you're a winner, there's no money in it and you're never hired for a well-paying job!

If you're ever invited, skip it!

Meeting Sergio Aragonés!

Back in 1982, I had the great fortune of meeting Sergio Aragonés,  one of my all-time heroes and one of the original artists from way back when MAD Magazine was truly the best humor and satire publication. Sergio was one of my favorite artists along with Mort Drucker, Jack Davis, Paul Coker Jr., Jack Rickard, Al Jaffee, Antonio Prohias, Angelo Torres, Wallace Wood, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, Bob Clarke, Norman Mingo, Dave Berg, Joe Orlando and the amazing Don Martin!  Sergio Aragonés was in Mexico City and not only did he graciously autograph my copy of one of his compilation books but regaled me with a funny little drawing of himself and MAD's Alfred E. Neuman as well. The speed with which he could dish out these drawings left my dumbfounded! I'll always cherish that moment from so long ago.
Viva Sergio!

AND NOW...A FEW UNREALIZED PROJECTS

Of course, every cartoonist has done a few projects which have never seen the light of day. These are a few examples of preliminary artwork done for different companies, which for one reason or another, couldn't get green-lighted!