National Cartoonists Society
NEWS FROM THE NCS

The nominees have now been selected and ratified for the 2012 NCS Divisional Awards.

In alphabetical order by last name:

TELEVISION ANIMATION-

  • Ben Bocquelet and Antoine Perez- Production Design on The Amazing World of Gumball - Cartoon Network
  • Penn Ward- Character Design on Adventure Time - Cartoon Network
  • Erik Wiese-   Production Design on The Mighty B - Nickelodeon


FEATURE ANIMATION-

  • Mark McCreery, character design: Rango
  • Carlos Saldanha, Director: Rio
  • Jennifer Yuh-Nelson, Director: Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom


NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION-

  • Glen LeLievre
  • Michael McParlane
  • Bob Rich


GAG CARTOONS-

  • Mathew Diffee
  • Zach Kanin
  • Barbara Smaller


GREETING CARDS-

  • Dave Klug
  • Glenn McCoy
  • Rick Stromoski


NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS-

  • Glenn McCoy- The Duplex
  • Jeff Parker and Steve Kelley- Dustin
  • Mike Peters- Mother Goose and Grimm


NEWSPAPER PANEL CARTOONS-

  • Mark Parisi- Off the Mark
  • Stephanie Piro- Smile
  • Wiley Miller- Non Sequitur


MAGAZINE FEATURE/MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION-

  • Victor Juhasz
  • Bruce McCall
  • Edward Sorel
  • Jean-Jacques Sempé


BOOK ILLUSTRATION-

  • Barbara Lehman- The Secret Box
  • Mark Pett- The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
  • John Rocco- Blackout


EDITORIAL CARTOONS-

  • Lisa Benson
  • Mike Lester
  • Mike Ramirez


ADVERTISING ILLUSTRATION-

  • Nick Galifianakis
  • Kevin Kallauger (KAL)
  • Tom Stiglich


COMIC BOOKS-

  • Darwyn Cooke- “Betty Saves the Day”- Rocketeer Adventures #2
  • Duncan Fegredo- Hellboy: The Fury
  • J.H. Williams- Batwoman


GRAPHIC NOVELS-

  • Chester Brown- Paying For It
  • Rick Geary- The Lives of Sacco and Vanzetti
  • Ben Katchor- The Cardboard Valise


ON-LINE COMIC STRIPS-



The above honorees join the previously announced nominees for The Reuben Award for “Cartoonist of the Year”:

  • Brian Crane
  • Stephan Pastis
  • Tom Richmond

Winners will be announced at the 66th Annual NCS Reuben Awards in Las Vegas on May 26th, 2012. Congratulations to all the nominees!



The Comic’s Journal has posted an indepth profile of the late BC cartoonist Johnny Hart written by NCS member R.C. Harvey. Well worth a read!



Click for a closer look…

The official brochures and registration info for the National Cartoonists Society’s 2012 Reuben Awards should be landing in member’s mailboxes starting today! This cover depicts our 2012 guest speakers, special award winners and our nutty emcee. Here’s the key: Top: Tom Gammill (The Doozies, TV writer and producer, Reubens emcee). Second row from left: Steve McGarry (Badlands, Trivquiz, Biographic, Kid City, NCS Silver T-Square recipient), Mark Simon (animator, storyboard artist, entrepreneur), Alfred E. Neuman (idiot), John Lotshaw (Accidental Centaurs), Dave Kellett (Sheldon, Drive), Michael Jantze (The Norm, Jantze Studios, SCAD). Bottom row from left: Ray Billingsley (Curtis), Butch Hartman (Fairly Oddparents, Danny Phanton, T.U.F.F. Puppy), Jim Davis (Garfield) and Stan Goldberg (Archie, recipient of the NCS Gold Key Award). All featured: assorted characters related to those depicted.

Brochure designed by John Kovaleski.



Image courtesy and © 2011 Richard Thompson/Universal Uclick

2010 National Cartoonist Society “Cartoonist of the Year” Richard Thompson is taking a hiatus from his Universal Uclick syndicated comic strip Cul de Sac, and inviting six guest cartoonists to take over the reins of the popular daily during his absence. Thompson is taking time off to receive treatment for Parkinson’s Disease.

The six guest cartoonists will be Ken Fisher (Tom the Dancing Bug), Michael Jantze (The Norm), Corey Pandolph (Elderberries), Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine), Lincoln Pierce (Big Nate) and Mo Willems (award willing children’s book author/illustrator). Their guest stints began yesterday (Monday, Feb 20th) with Jantze behind the pen, and will continue with dailies through the week of March 19 and Sundays from March 18 through April 15.

You can read about the guest artist project on the Washington Post’s Comic Riffs blog, complete with interviews of several of the guest artists discussing their involvement and how they approached their take on the unique look at humor of Thompson’s strip.



NCS membership nomination voting has been tabulated, and the nominees for the 2011 Reuben Award for “Cartoonist of the Year” are:

  • Brian Crane

  • Stephan Pastis

  • Tom Richmond

Brian Crane is the creator of Pickles, a daily comic strip syndicated by the Washington Post Writer’s Group. Soon after Pickles’ debut in 1990, Brian “retired” as an art director for an advertising agency in Reno, Nevada, to devote his full attention to his comic strip. Although he often used cartoon figures in ads he designed, Pickles is his first syndicated comic strip. In 1995 and 2001, Pickles was nominated for Best Newspaper Comic Strip by the National Cartoonists Society, winning the coveted award in 2001. Pickles has topped comics polls across the nation again and again, and it appears in over 800 newspapers around the world. Brian lives near Reno with his wife, Diana. He’s the proud father of seven and grandfather of 10. Visit the Pickles website.

Stephan Pastis is the creator of the daily comic strip Pearls Before Swine, syndicated by Universal Uclick. Stephan practiced law in the San Fransisco Bay area before following his love of cartooning and eventually seeing syndication with Pearls. Launched in newspapers beginning December 31, 2001,  the daily strip currently appears in 650 newspapers worldwide. The National Cartoonists Society awarded Pearls Before Swine the Best Newspaper Comic Strip in 2003 and in 2006.  Stephan also recently released an interactive app called Only the Pearls. Stephan lives in northern California with his wife Staci and their two children. Visit Stephan’s blog and the Pearls Before Swine website.

Tom Richmond is a freelance humorous illustrator, cartoonist and caricaturist. In 1985, Tom got his start as an artist drawing caricatures at a theme park between college semesters. His work has appeared in hundreds of national magazines, newspapers, books, computer games, comic books, advertisements and in animations for film and television. He is best known as one of the “Usual Gang of Idiots” as a major contributor to MAD Magazine. He also contributes to the MAD animated show on the Cartoon Network, and is the author of The Mad Art of Caricature! He was honored by the NCS with divisional awards for Advertising Art in 2003, 2006 and 2007, and for Newspaper Illustration in 2009.  He lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife Anna. They have four children. Visit Tom’s blog and website.

The official ballots have been issued to all full members of the National Cartoonists Society for voting to determine the winner. Congratulations to the nominees!

The winner of the 2011 “Cartoonist of the Year” will be announced on May 26th at the annual NCS Reuben Awards dinner in Las Vegas, NV.



Former NCS president Steve McGarry will be honored with the National Cartoonists Society’s Silver T-Square Award at the 66th Annual NCS Reuben Awards on May 26th, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Silver T-Square is awarded, by unanimous vote of the NCS Board of Directors, to persons who have demonstrated outstanding dedication or service to the Society or the profession.

From former NCS president Jeff Keane:

I was asked …well, asked isn’t the right term… was begged to write a few words about Steve McGarry receiving the Silver T-Square Award. Frankly, what can I tell you about Steve that you haven’t heard already… mostly, from Steve himself…

Actually, I am truly honored to write this because I saw first hand what an extraordinary member of the NCS he has been.

The T-Square is given to persons who have shown outstanding service to the society or profession, and a perfect example of that is none other than, Steve McGarry. The list of contributions he has made is long and varied because of his great willingness to help further the cartooning cause in any way needed. After joining the NCS board in 1999, Steve hit the ground running and assembled and oversaw the hilarious Bil Keane roast in New York, the enormously rousing Mike Peter’s Follies and the, well… let’s just say, unforgettable Friday Night Comedy show in Boca… and even after those experiences he agreed to serve two terms as our venerable leader.

Under Steve’s watch the NCS flourished both here at home and abroad. He held Reubens in Cancun, San Francisco, Kansas City and Scottsdale, held seminars with speakers such as Matt Groening, Garry Trudeau, Berke Breathed, Pete Doctor, Jules Feiffer, Gahan Wilson… and Steve didn’t just delegate either, he worked hard to make sure every event under his watch was top-notch. He organized and produced the roasts of Mell Lazarus, Cathy Guisewite and Sergio Aragones… he started the tradition of Karaoke night (only he was able to envision the idea of cartoonists singing as being a pleasant experience)… he oversaw NCS book signings and school seminars, reached out to our colleagues in other countries (especially Australia… probably because they could almost understand his language).

Steve not only was instrumental in making sure the NCS established a presence at San Diego Comic-Con but also designed the extraordinary NCS booth that is so essential to our successful stay there… as if those efforts weren’t enough to promote our profession, Steve was also the driving force behind the NCS Foundation, the charitable arm of our organization. The Foundation not only supports cartooning and cartoonists, but every year gives out the Jay Kennnedy Memorial Scholarship to a deserving college student. Then, after he was finished with his four years, he removed his presidential top hat but kept his volunteer cap on and continued amongst other things to produce the Reuben brochures and helped assemble and direct Award night ceremonies.

Frankly, there has been no bigger fan and supporter of the NCS than Steve McGarry and for that we should all be grateful… I know I am.

Congratulations, Steve!

Caricature by Tom Richmond