The By George! group is a loose association of illustrators and cartoonists who meet approximately once a month to share notes, learn from one another and enjoy each other's company in honor of the late Charlotte Observer cartoonist and National Cartoonist Society president George Breisacher.
ArchiveAugust 2010July 2010April 2010March 2010February 2010January 2010December 2009October 2009August 2009March 2009January 2009November 2008October 2008August 2008June 2008May 2008April 2008March 2008February 2008January 2008October 2007July 2007May 2007February 2007January 2007December 2006October 2006September 2006August 2006July 2006June 2006April 2006March 2006February 2006January 2006 |
September 2010Remember how there were just three people at the July meeting? And if Jerrard Polk didn't find Leon Linet and Greg Russell at Showmar's last month, there would have been just two. Well, this time there were just two. Linet and Russell were the sole cartoonists to meet at Heroes Aren't Hard to Find in September. Linet told Russell, "It would be so much more interesting with someone else." Russell wasn't too offended. The two chatted for a while, hoping someone ... anyone ... would show up. Russell considered grabbing a random Heroes customer and dragging him to Showmar's, but he figured it would be bad etiquette. 
The two lonely and dejected cartoonists eventually decided to drag themselves across the street to eat at the same ol' boring restaurant. They secretly hoped they would both be hit by a car so they wouldn't have to suffer the tediousness of the following hour. Both ordered salads and found a table that didn't have seats covered with gaffer tape. On September 11, Linet went to the Southeast Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society's Shop Talk II program in Asheville, NC. There, he heard Michael Jantze and Julie Negron speak. He said it was very interesting. Even his wife enjoyed it. Linet said he was continuing to work on greeting cards. To the right is a recent card he illustrated. Inside, it reads, "Hope your birthday is out-of-the-box!" He also brought a book he had printed through the Shutterfly website. It was an excellent way to show off his cartoons. 
Russell has been painting new pictures to exhibit at the Charlotte Art League. The painting to the left features the iBrain and is titled "When Can I Preorder?" He has also continued posting new "Curser and the Mouse" comic strips on Facebook and DeviantArt every week. Linet admitted to Russell that he didn't get the double meaning of "Curser and the Mouse" until recently. Russell didn't feel so depressed after that. In fact, he felt downright smug and condescending. Linet said he knew someone who worked at a homeless shelter and had many profound conversations with the men who slept there. He said he would ask his friend for some story ideas for Curser. Then Russell felt thankful and ashamed. The meeting must not have been too bad. Linet and Russell chatted for two hours. They even took the time to have a photo taken by Jenny Lou Bement. 
Dave McDonald, who is quickly becoming the Charlie to Angels Linet, Russell and Smith, reports that Marcus Hamilton was recently an invited guest at the Disney Toonfest in Marceline, Missouri. Hamilton also attended the U.S. "Sunday Funnies" postage stamp ceremony in Ohio. Charlie, er ... McDonald just finished writing a script for a corporate video and was about to get started on his second Hamster Sam book. He also will be busy with a school residency in October, and he will be speaking at a N.C. state education conference. So apparently he'll continue to be the unseen man behind the scenes. Don't you be an unseen man. Come out to the next By George! meeting so Linet and Russell don't kill each other! |
|
