Last Friday on the debut THE FRIDAY FLICK! there was a fun animated bit. This week it’s live action. Well, sorta. The part I really love about this Private Snuffy Smith movie is that the opening that shows drawings of Snuffy, Lowizie and The Sergeant that morph into the live action actors. The drawings ain’t exactly by the great Billy DeBeck who drew the comic adventures of Snuffy Smith and Barney Google for he funnies, but it’s still a good time! Oh, and D.J. David B., there’s a “Time’s A Wastin’ ” and a “Yardbirds” song that’s part of the festivities. After the movies I do have an unpublished drawing by DeBeck of Snuffy and Barney from my collection for your pleasure and a pic of DeBeck.

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On this day in 1961, The Victor Book for Boys, a British comic book, debuted. It featured adventure stories and was aimed at the “Daring Boy” who could appreciate the heroism of the comic’s main characters. The cover of each weekly featured a story about British forces during either WWI or WWII.

Do you have good proof reading skills and/or have a good grasp of comics history? We have a half a dozen good proof readers and a couple of fact checkers look at the “Arf” books every volume, but some darn little typos or mistakes STILL manage to sometimes get through. So I am going to post the next “Arf” book, “Comic Arf”, on a secure place on the YOE! Studio website and have a couple of other people look at it. This could be you joining the pretegious “Arf” team! You will get a first look at “Comic Arf”, get a copy of “Comic Arf”, be listed in the book-and receive my deep thanks. If you can help email me at yoecomix(at)hotmail(dot)com

Clizia, my wife and creative partner at YOE! Studio, tells me she HATES the Makin’ Links! logo. She finds both the boys and what they’re doing “repulsive”. Priya, our intern that colored the logo art for me thinks, even beyond the content, that the Eugene Zimmerman characters are “ugly” and doesn’t like ‘em. And there’s some question as to whether or not people are gonna “get it”, i.e. realize that the boys are “makin’ links”. So now I’m rethinking the logo and wondering if I should change it. What do YOU think?
The idea of me doing links, though, has got a real nice reaction. So, here’s some more:

(.)(.) David King has put together a delightful site on the brilliant old-skool New Yorker (and beyond!) cartoonist Gluyas Williams.

(.)(.) Speaking of which: The New Yorker has started a rotating contemporary NY’er cartoonist blog. Blogging this month is Mick Stevens. Fun stuff.

(.)(.) Gotta run, have to get the fourth Arf book, Comic Arf out the door to Fantagraphics today. But if you are a link junkie and want more there are always tons of fascinating links daily spied by the cartoonist Steven Stwalley on his awesome blog Stwallskull. Steven links to Arf Lovers nearly every day so you KNOW he’s got good taste! ;0)

But, meanwhile, please let me know what you think of the Makin’ Links logo. Click on the “Comments” button below.

On this day in 1943, Milton Caniff’s WWII strip, Male Call, debuted. The strip starred Miss Lace, a kind-spirited brunette who showed up on the military base one day to boost the morale of the troops. Memorably, Lace would call anyone and everyone including Privates, “General.” Check out a Miss Lace comic, er…strip below. And you’ll see Miss Lace in all her glory in my new book Clean Cartoonists’ Dirty Drawings! with a generous preview here , General!

Click here to order Clean Cartoonists’ Dirty Drawings

*I think the most exciting news in YEARS is that Francoise Mouly (with her Series Advisor Art Spiegelman) is starting her own line of comics for kids called “Toon Books”. I can’t imagine such an important-and fun-initiative and more capable hands for it to be in. Mouly has a website and blog previewing the books (that I much anticipate) and insightful news and talk about kids’ comics.

*More excitement: Beth Davies interviews Fabio Gadducci on what looks to be an incredible new journal on comics scholarship titled Signs. Wait, wait don’t let the word “scholarship” scare you away. This boasts beautiful design and incredible historical art with good people like Fabio, Roger Sabin, Leonardo De Sá, Michel Kempeneers, Roger Sabin, Gene Kannenberg, and Thierry Smoldereen, all of whom I trust. Signs looks to be a real treat! You’ll find all the skinny in Beth’s always excellent column Broken Frontiers.

*Finally: “WHO KNEW?!?”, is the only thing I can exclaim! A major, completely unknown to me, realistically drawn strip ala Alex Raymond and Al Williamson, but with its own incredible licks! Details by Roger Clark on the Carol Day strip by Don Wright here.

A plethora of Wacky Wonder Women this week! Which one do you feel is the most delicious? I have my own opinion, but I don’t want to prejudice you. L. to R. there’s #1, #2, #3, #4 (HOMINA, HOMINA), and #5. Who gets YOUR vote?

Born on this day in 1884, George McManus began his cartooning career at the tender age of 16, as an artist for the St. Louis Republic. Later he joined the New York Journal American, for which he created his hit “Bringing Up Father” strip. It was syndicated internationally by King Features. One of the popular offshoots of the strip was Dinty-More beefstew which I think is still available in supermarkets. McManus died in 1954. In the next Arf book, Comic Arf I’ll be reproduceing a beautiful little watercolor by McManus of Jiggs, the father, his wife Maggie and their sexy daughter Rosie (see her in the photo in background behind George?). Rosie had her own “topper” strip above the Sunday Bringing Up father. Rosie can be on top ANYTIME in my book!

FINALLY! I’ve been wanting to do a regular link-thingie on the Arf Blog since I started. What motivated me now is my promise to link back to any blogger linking to my new feature that I’m very excited about: every Friday’s THE FLYING FLICK. THE FLYIN’ FLICK will showcase a wacky, wonky, wonderful cartooning oriented video each week. I’m damn lucky, TWO of the BIGGEST and BEST blogs gave me a great and valuable and illustrated link to last Friday’s inaugural FLICK.

First to link was Dirk Deppey on his Journalista blog associated with The Comics Journal. Journalista gives in depth news can’t miss coverage every single day to the world of comics. And, BTW, Dirk ain’t afraid or too prudish to show some sexy stuff that cartoonists around the world are drawing’ up! I go to Journalista everyday and ALWAYS find something cool!

The other link that just happened today was the juggernaut site Drawn gave THE FLYING FLICK a plugola. Who would have believed a blog for illustrators and cartoonists, and in general people who like to draw, would be so immensely popular. But Drawn has much deservedly won a bunch of awards and was cited by Time magazine as one of the coolest of the cool blogs. Why? Because each and everyday the guy that started it, John Martz, and his cronies turn up amazing illustrators that are a simply a blast to eyeball!

I def visit both Journalista and Drawn every morning and you will enjoy doing the same.

If anyone else has linked lately to the Arf Blog or is going to please let me know so that I can link back. And a big thanks Dirk, John and you!

BTW, the Makin’ Links logo for this new feature incorporates the 1910 art of one my all time fave cartoonists, Eugene Zimmerman who signed his work “Zim”. I love Zim’s bad boys makin’ links! I can identify ;o)

I just LOVE Dick Tracy.

The hard-nosed detective with the pointy jaw made a decades-long career out of catching a bizarre array of villains. (Sounds like Batman, does it?) The cast of characters was as weird as they come. Here’s my favorite Dick Tracy panel of all time, featuring a new character named Brighton:

Of course, Tracy was also known for his advanced crime-fighting technology (say, that’s another Batman trait!) such as the two-way wrist radio (and later the wrist TV). If you have one of these beauties in your attic, I’m interested in buying it.

Dick Tracy even received his own postage stamp, back in the days when you could mail a letter for 32 cents.

The big fun for me in reading those old strips is never knowing where the story is headed. And I’m convinced that creator Chester Gould didn’t either! Based on my careful analysis of the stories (basically, by reading a lot of comic books) I have deduced that Gould didn’t plan ahead much. The outcome of the cases were just as surprising to him as they were to the readers!

To top it off, here’s another surprise! A song about Dick Tracy’s powerful fully-transistorized two-way wrist radio coincidentally titled “The Powerful Fully-Transistorized Dick Tracy Two-Way Wrist Radio.” The artist is a group called “Man or Astro-man?” and for good reason.

(if no bar appears please click here to listen)