Jim Borgman

Tom Spurgeon, the writer behind the popular The Comics Reporter blog, has taken syndicated cartoonist and new American Association of Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) president Ted Rall to task for what he perceives to be some generality in Ted's argument against newspapers laying off their editorial cartoonists.

"No one needs to hear the same broad assertions again. We need to hear about specific examples of newspapers benefiting by adding cartoonists or featuring them differently," Spurgeon says about editorial cartooning as part of his 24-part plan of what he would do if he were the "emperor of comics."

Click on the image to view Jim Borgman's final post on his Cincinnati Enquirer blog.

Click on the image to view the Washington Post's Michael Cavna's interview with outgoing Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman.

Click on the image to view Jim Borgman's farewell post on his Cincinnati Enquirer blog.

For those of you that may not have heard, Pulitzer prize-winner Jim Borgman, The Cincinnati Enquirer's staff editorial cartoonist for the last 32 years and the artist behind the popular comic strip Zits, has applied for and was granted severance under the company's voluntary program.

This is indeed a sad day, because Jim's work has always been a source of inspiration for me as a cartoonist.

WLWT TV had a piece about Pulitzer-prize winning cartoonist Jim Borgman leaving The Cincinnati Enquirer after 32 years. There is also a shorter, edited version of this interview available. 

Jim Borgman behind his desk at The EnquirerShockwaves run through the cartooning industry as the news becomes knows that Pulitzer prize-winner Jim Borgman, The Cincinnati Enquirer's staff editorial cartoonist for 32 years and the artist behind the popular comic strip Zits, has applied for and was granted severance under the company's voluntary program.

The Enquirer has accepted 60 applications in full for a voluntary severance program that included up to a year's pay for employees with longtime service, part of a larger strategy by a Gannett corporate plan to eliminate 1000 jobs nationwide.

I'm back from vacation, and what a week I missed. Here's a brief round-up of the last week's worth of cartooning news.

George Carlin by Jim BorgmanJim Borgman's cartoon featuring George Carlin is eerie not only because the comedian passed away on Sunday at 71.

The cartoon was posted three days ago.

Borgman, the editorial cartoonist for the Cincinnati Enquirer, caught a news item about Carlin receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Kennedy Center. According to a post on his blog, the idea for the cartoon came right to mind.

Most of us know Bill Watterson as the creator of Calvin & Hobbies, one of the most popular comic strips ever printed on the funny pages.

But how many of you knew for a couple of months in 1980, he was the editorial cartoonist at the now defunct Cincinnati Post?