Search Results for: frank solich

Saying goodbye to recurring characters

Posted by neal

I was working on a cartoon recently that includes a public figure whose time in the spotlight will soon be ending, and it got me thinking about how that kind of farewell happens quite a bit once you’ve spent a few years cartooning. It’s simply the nature of public life that time as a comment-worthy figure is bound to be finite.

Back in my Daily Nebraskan days, I had a lot of recurring characters — including L. Dennis Smith, Harvey Perlman and Danny Nee. But my favorite was Frank Solich. I couldn’t get enough of working him into cartoons, even when they had nothing to do with him. Frank and I left the university about the same time, and he was gone by the time I returned to Nebraska cartooning. Sadly, there was never going to be another excuse to draw him, even though I’ve tried. (Ironically enough, I’m not sure I ever actually drew him — I took some kind of sick joy in cutting out photocopied pictures of him and gluing them into cartoons.)

Similarly, once I started at the Lincoln Journal Star, Mayor Colleen Seng quickly became one of my favorite subjects. Almost accidentally, she evolved into a sort of iconic shorthand, with her poofy white hair, glasses and flower-print dress. Sadly, she decided to retire. Chris Beutler just hasn’t been as interesting. Ken Svoboda was another favorite. Fortunately for me, I can’t imagine that Jon Bruning and Dave Heineman are going anywhere anytime soon.

Jeff Koterba, Paul Fell and Steve Breen shared some of their favorite Targets of Cartooning Past with me:
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The Browns – Nov 15, 1999

Posted by neal

from the Daily Nebraskan

Another cartoon accused of being racist. I was just trying to say how many good football players Nebraska had with the last name of Brown. Some thought the white woman was supposed to be OJ’s dead ex-wife Nicole Brown. This is why I don’t do nice cartoons anymore.

ron brown kris brown ralph brown josh brown lance brown frank solich hot tub

Fizgig! – Nov 2, 1999

Posted by neal

from the Daily Nebraskan

This was the first appearance of Fizgig the Bumbledog, a character that would appear many more times over the following years. He only showed up in this cartoon because I had left too much negative space. When looking for something to fill it, I saw the DN’s front page story on a Halloween costume party for pets. Fizgig, a real Pomeranian dressed as a bumblebee, was in the photo.

frank solich fizgig