Why Old Comic Strips Should Die With their Creator
Ivan Brunetti’s recent article, describing his experience in briefly taking over the Nancy comic strip in the ’90s, really struck a chord with me.
I found myself agreeing with everything he wrote, but it left me with one nagging question: “Why would any sane cartoonist want the burden to continue another cartoonist’s strip, mimicking the original cartoonist’s style?”
I’m of the opinion that once a cartoonist passes on, his or her strip should NOT be continued by another cartoonist, no matter how popular it is. For me, making a comic strip is a personal form of expression. A comic strip carries the indelible stamp of its creator’s soul. That alone makes it a difficult, if not impossible, task for someone else to carry it on. (I think it’s pressure enough to come up with new material for a new comic concept.)
If you’re going to carry the torch for an old comic strip, then I say: make it fresh and bold and elevate it to a new level. Otherwise, you’re only contributing to the stagnation and decline of the original cartoonist’s strip.
Cover bands don’t change the world, and neither do cartoonists who mimic their predecessors in an attempt to perpetuate his or her comic strip.
-Krishna
David
November 24, 2015 at 7:32 pmI have to disagree with you. Many comic strip artists of the past and today do not produce their comic strips alone. They may use gag writers and assistants that have been trained by the creator. When the creator passes away these strips look identical to what has been done before. Hank Ketcham had loads of artists that he trained through out his lifetime. They drew many of the Dennis Sunday strips and comic books incredibly well. Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand, long trained under Ketcham, continue to draw Dennis the Menace to this day. Walt Kelly had Don Morgon draw Pogo seamlessly before his death in the 70s. Frank Frazetta ghosted Li’l Abner beautifully for a decade. In fact, most comic strips employ assistance of some sort. Even Charles Schulz used assistance and ghosts for his merchandise art and comic books!!! It’s the dirty little secret in the industry. One of his assistance was the very talented Jim Sasseville who drew the comic strip It’s Only a Game for Charles Schulz.
http://www.fivecentsplease.org/dpb/sassevil.html
Not every talented cartoonist is able to sell their own strip. Working for an established cartoonist as an assistant or a ghost is a great way to make a living.