The First Published Episode of FOR ART'S SAKE

From the COMIC'S BUYER'S GUIDE #912 (May 10, 1991)

CBG Cartoonists Jam

Still lamenting the loss of the COMIC BUYER'S GUIDE. This is a cartoonist jam by most of the cartoonists that contributed to CBG that appeared in issue #1000, WAY back in '92!! Howard Bender, who did the strip BILLY AND POP, came up with the idea and the layout, which back then had to be passed around from artist to artist via "snail mail". I think I was the first or second cartoonist (After Howard) to add my contribution, and as you can see, I grabbed the hot spot at the CBG logo...Who'd have thought it'd all end 699 issues later?

CBG: R.I.P

Forgive me, everybody for going on a maldin note, but an event just happened that affects me both personally and professionally. THE COMICS BUYERS GUIDE, the long-running publication of comic book news and reviews- and of which I've been submitting material for since 1989- is ceasing publication with issue #1699 (so much for an even 1700!) I first started reading CBG during the mid-eighties during my art school years, finding it highly quirky and enjoyable, mainly through the efforts of its peerless publishers, Don and Maggie Thompson, and finally decided to start submitting cartoon material in 1989. Amazingly, they took it. The first cartoons were editorial -style, but I soon decided to combine that with an artist character I had tried to syndicate, and MY feature FOR ART'S SAKE debuted.. I can't say that the strip was exactly popular, But Maggie and co. liked it enough to keep it around, and I was part of a publication that shared pages with talents like Batton Lash, John Lustig, Mark Evanier, Tony Isabella, Mark Martin, and Peter David (hope you are doing well, Mr. David) Maggie, Brent, (and especially Don) I want to thank you for all your support these past two decades, despite the bad jokes and the occasional misspellings. All will be missed. As for the strip..maybe I'll find a way to use the cast OUTSIDE of a comics-themed context..After all, the internet has VAST possibilities..I'd also like to thank my long-time readers as well..It's been a blast! As a special tribute, these are the final strips I drew. The last was meant for #1700.

Happy 90th B-Day Stan Lee!

Originally published in the COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE #1697: The theme for this issue was Stan Lee's Birthday, and I was thinking, "What would Mr. Lee rather NOT do on his Birthday? Made for an easy strip..But since a lot of you may not get the joke, the Mailman character here is WILLIE LUMPKIN, star of a short-lived newspaper strip written by Lee and drawn by Dan DeCarlo.

For ART's Sake: The Halloween Episode.

My latest from THE COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE # 1696...

For Art's Sake: Evolution

My latest FOR ART'S SAKE strip from the COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE # 1695.

TWO! TWO! TWO Posts In One!

My strip FOR ART'S SAKE was excluded from COMICS BUYERS GUIDE #1692 Last month due to space limitations, But this month, (#1693) They decided to run TWO episodes! I love my editors!

A Late Valentine

My most recently published FOR ART'S SAKE from the COMICS BUYERS GUIDE #1688, published Feb.2012. Yet the issue is marked APRIL 2012. I'll never understand why publications date themselves the way they do...

More "ART"-Chives

More FOR ART'S SAKE episodes from the good old days at THE COMICS BUYERS GUIDE.

More Early Art...

More FOR ART'S SAKE episodes from its early days at THE COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE..Not exactly a cat eating lasagna...

Christmas and Comics Marketing:

My FOR ART'S SAKE published in COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE#1685.

For Art's Sake: Service To Service

My latest FOR ART'S SAKE strip from THE COMICS BUYERS GUIDE #1684:The choice between major or indepentdent comics is turning more into local or long-distance...

HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY, COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE!!

This strip appeared in COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE# 1678,which, incidentally, marks the magazine's 40th anniversary. The Guise started off as a zine called THE BUYER'S GUIDE TO COMICS FANDOM produced by Alan Light and was soon taken over by contributors Don and Maggie Thompson. Since then, CBG has gone thru many an incarnation and evolution, thru a weekly newspaper-size to a weekly tabloid-size and finally to its current monthly magazine format, outlasting many other comics-themed publications that sprang up over the years. Part of that evolution was taking me and my strip on around its twenty-year point. A move I'm sure they've regretted more than once, (but it's nice to know SOMEONE has the guts to print my stuff!)
Happy fortieth, CBG, and may you go for 40 more! (I need the exposure!)

For Art's Sake: Making A Killing

Published in COMICS BUYERS GUIDE #1672 (Now on Sale)
Personally, I find this trend disturbing.From the original vote to "murder" Jason Todd, even to making a big deal over Wonder Woman KILLING someone..This is ONE reason why I hardly LOOK at most mainstream any more..I'm not against action and drama, but to PUBLICIZE things like this? We really haven't gotten past enjoying watching people get thrown to the lions, are we?
WHY DOESN'T HUMOR SELL??

Yeah, I know..rave, rave, rant, rant..and nothing I say will make a damn bit of difference.

For Art's Sake- The Weekly Days-Continued

More of My COMIC BUYERS GUIDE feature strip FOR ART'S SAKE from around the early 2000s. It's hard to believe I've been doing this feature so so LONG...

For Art's Sake: From the Weekly Days

This is a selection of my feature FOR ART'S SAKE that runs in the COMICS BUYERS GUIDE. These run from the early 2000s back when CBG was still a weekly and not the monthly magazine it is now..I admit people may not be able to emphasize with a main character that's a cartoonist, as opposed to office workers, single working women, or cats, but still, I hope you enjoy what I've posted here. I'll be posting other selections from ART's twenty-plus year run in future blog installments.