Dog Eat Doug by Brian Anderson for February 28, 2010

True, nothing worse than hitting the grass and dirt under the snow.

I am loving Doug’s hat !

Cute strip tonight - have a great weekend everyone!

I’m lovin’ it sjoujke

It’s rare that they continue the story lines into the Sunday toons Joe-Allen “Joe” Doty, though it was done today in Cul de Sac.

Again, I don’t mean to imply a dislike of Anderson’s cartooning style by standing up for Richard Thompson’s, but “Cul de Sac” is drawn in a style that’s appropriate for that strip, and “Dog Eat Doug” is likewise a fine matching of words and pictures. The “slickest” artwork is not necessarily the “most artistic”; cartoon art is largely about making the drawings expressive, to suggest much while showing little, and there are many different ways to do that.

I like the art & stories in both toons. I’d find it hard to choose favorites from the two. They both rank highly on my list for different reasons.

Let’s see examples of your cartooning, Joe-Allen “Joe” Doty. You sound like someone looking at a Picasso or Chagall and saying “My five-year-old could do a better painting than that.” Trust me, they couldn’t.

Thompson’s characters aren’t “pretty”, but they’re marvelously expressive. And one BASIC thing you clearly don’t realize about cartooning is how difficult it is simply to make the characters look the same from one drawing to the next. Thompson’s characters are as distinctive and consistent as anyone’s. If you don’t like Thompson’s style, well, that’s a matter of taste. But you’re talking out of your ano if you’re claiming that there’s no skill or artistry involved.

I think your big problem with “Cul de Sac” is that you once posted something along the lines that Alice and Petey’s relationship as brother and sister was dysfunctional, and Thompson responded “Thanks! That’s just the rich and time-honored tradition of battling siblings, dating back at least to “The Katzenjammer Kids”, that I’m aiming for!” He politely but firmly told you that your “helpful” services as critic were not required, and of course we all KNOW how graciously you respond to opinions in contradiction to your own.

If you won’t take MY word for it, here’s Bill Watterson, one of the finest brushmen of the modern era:

“And oh, those gorgeous drawings! With a mix of rambling looseness, blotchy crudeness, and sheer cartoony grace, Thompson’s expressive pen line is the equal of any of cartooning’s Old Masters. Thompson has a very sharp eye and a command of technique we almost never see anymore. He reminds us that comics can be more than illustrated gag writing, and that good drawings can bring a comic strip’s world to life in countless ways that words cannot. The artwork in Cul de Sac bowls me over. It’s a pleasure to study long after the strips are read.”

Well, it looks like JAD has deleted his post immediately preceeding mine, but from mine you can imagine the gist of his.

Again, my apologies to Brian Anderson for turning this thread into a battlefield. I’m a fan of “Dog Eat Doug” as well.

I love the experimentation in the art in this strip. I’ve noticed different styles as I’ve read it. I also love the art in Cul-de-sac. Both these comics are excellent both in art and in ideas.

Oddly enough, this strip is not the only one where one of JAD’s posts has disappared. JAD’s post on the Dinette Set that BIG PINK MOM was inquiring about has also mysteriously disappeared.

Oh, my! You guys are right! Cul de Sac is an amazing cartoon! Thanks for alerting me to it.

You’re teaching Doug very well, Sophie!

I hear you Grog.