Yo, Craig!

Good Morning.

Last evening newspaper cartoonist Patrick McDonnell spoke in Alameda, California at Books, Inc. McDonnell, the writer and artist of MUTTS spoke on behalf of the East Bay SPCA. A member of the audience asked, “You seem to have really shot to national prominence after your appearance in Arf. Will you be contributing to future volumes?” McDonnell, chuckling humorously, thanked editor Craig Yoe for his big break. “Yes, I will be in the next volume of Arf. Craig had the great idea of having today’s cartoonists complete a Milt Gross multi-panel cartoon gag. I am one of the contributors.” McDonnell revealed.

“Who inspired you?” A lady asked. “Charles Schulz. I wanted to be Charles Schulz.” McDonnell answered without hesitation. Asked about Winsor McCay, he drew special attention to ‘Little Nemo, So Many Splendid Sundays’ edited by Pete Maresca. “It was like seeing Little Nemo for the first time.” McDonnell said in praise of Maresca’s book. McDonnell, from the audience suggestions, drew the MUTTS characters on a 2X3 foot sketch pad. The quick sketches will later be auctioned by and for the benefit of the East Bay SPCA. For further information please contact: [email protected] After his talk McDonnell graciously signed books for the enthused crowd.
-Miron Murcury

Yo, Miron!
OMG, I’d bet my life, that the unnamed audience member that asked Patrick McDonnell about achieving fame by being featured in the Modern Arf and Arf Museum was YOU! Thanks a million for the plug, man!

Actually, I’ve been trying to keep it a secret till things are all together that Patrick is gonna be in the NEXT Arf book as part of the special Milt Gross Arf Happening. He’ll be there along with R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Jules Feiffer, Bil Keane, Mike Mignola, Seymour Chwast, Joost Swarte, Bill Griffith, Ivan Brunetti, Jaime Hernandez, Gary Panter, Kaz, Glenn Head, Mark Newgarden, Johnny Ryan, Richard Sala, Gene Deitch, Mark Beyer, R.O, Blechman, Sam Henderson, Dean Yeagle, Mort Walker, Charles Barsotti, Hunt Emerson, Denis Kitchen, Matt Groening and myself collaborating with Milt Gross. Milt did a strip in the 1930s called Draw Your Own Conclusions. Amateur cartoonists would fill in the last blank panel of this strip. Now this Who’s Who of Contemporary Cartoonists is doing the same with Gross for the forthcoming Arf book, Comic Arf (Spring ’08).

But, now Patrick let the cat and the dog, so to speak, out of the bag-and what a great event to make the announcement at! This is very cool!
Thanks again, Miron!

-Craig

Photo below of Patrick McDonnell at the signing last night (c) 2007 Miron Murcury. Below that is the McDonnell/Gross collaboration that will appear in “Comic Arf”.

(click for a closer look)