A double dose of mystery strips this weekend. Will you be the hero who can supply proof that any of these ran in U.S. newspapers?
Today’s post is brought to you by the letter E. If you don’t recall what I’m doing here, read this post. Any and all information is greatly appreciated and positive proof is rewarded as well.
E-String – uncredited – Syndicate X – twice weekly – 1995
E-Trivia – Rick Broadhead – United Feature Syndicate – twice weekly – 2000 (found! in Columbus Republic)
Eaglefeathers – Chet Dippel – Community Features – weekly panel – 1980-81
Eb And Flo – Guy Parker – Kirk Syndicate – daily and Sunday strip – 1945-47
Edge – L.J. Kopf – Morrisseau Syndicate – unknown – 1982-83 (supposedly ran for many years in Vermont’s Vanguard Press, but still looking for appearance in mainstream newspaper)
Effie Spunk – F.O. Alexander – Ledger Syndicate – daily strip – 1935
Elmer Dimbulb – Walt Williams – Matz Unique Features – daily strip – 1934
Elmer Jones – Stanley Matz – Miller Features – daily strip – 1940
Elmer In Europe – Peter Probyn – London International Press – weekly panel – 1959-60
Elmer’s Fixit Shop – Art Huhta – Register & Tribune Syndicate – Sunday strip – 1947-49
Endearing Species – Dean Norman – Environment Cartoon Features – weekly panel – 1993-2002
Ernie – Bill O’Brian – Hayden-Kennedy Syndicate – daily strip – 1950
Et Tu – Dan Harper – LA Times Syndicate – daily and Sunday strip – 1975-76 (found! by Darryl Heine running in Chicago Tribune)
Ever Notice? – Keith Manzella – Newspaper Features – daily strip – 1988-94
Everybody’s Business – Matt Tolbert, Ken Roberts – Copley News Service – weekly strip – 1992-present
Everybody’s World – Claire and Frank Ford – Chicago Tribune-NY News Syndicate – Sunday strip – 1973
Excursions – Rick Geary – Copley News Service – weekly strip – 1986-93
Extenuating Circumstances – David Watkins – Suzerain Group – daily panel – 1992
The Eyes Have It – Al Goring – self-syndicated – weekly panel – 1975-77
It looks like “Everybody’s Business” has been in syndication since 1990.
Here’s Copley News Service’s website on the strip:
https://www.copleynews.com/1cns/Features/eb/
Endearing Species – Dean Norman – Environment Cartoon Features – weekly panel – 1993-2002
I have reason to believe that this feature ran in Delphi (Ind.) Sun-Journal starting at least around November 1992.
Hi Charles –
But can anyone find a paper running the Copley strips in the 90s? Even the papers they own don’t run the darn things!
–Allan
Everybody's World – Claire and Frank Ford – Chicago Tribune-NY News Syndicate – Sunday strip – 1973
This was my great aunt and uncle. Let me check with my aunt if she has any old papers to verify this. Frank Ford was a well known artist/illustrator for magazine covers.
Darryl Heine has found Dan Harper's Et Tu running in The Chicago Tribune in 1976.
Here's a link to a June 12, 1976 article about the strip and the artist:
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1976/06/12/page/12/article/rome-comes-of-age-and-you-et-tu-are-there/index.html
and here's a link showing a comics page from the first week that the strip ran in the Tribune:
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1976/06/17/page/45
D.D.Degg (et tu Darryl Heine)
Hey DD and Darryl —
Great find there! Further searching shows it ended in the Tribune on 10/9/76, I'm guessing the end of the road for the strip. If Darryl would like to claim his goodie box, have him email me his address, and in the meantime, thanks very much!
–Allan
Glad I had helped on ET TU, D.D. and Allan. And I hope Allan got my e-mail response for the goodie box.
For:
Endearing Species – Dean Norman – Environment Cartoon Features – weekly panel – 1993-2002
Someone has digitized a newsletter journal it appeared in:
http://www.mchurley.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/summer-1998.pdf
Hurley's Journal, V4#11, Summer 1998, page 15
http://www.mchurley.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/spring-1997.pdf
V3#1, Spring 1997, page 15
http://www.mchurley.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/winter-1998.pdf
v3#4, Winter 1998, page 19
Ohio State has a page listing information on this comic panel in its collection:
https://osucartoons.pastperfectonline.com/vocabulary?keyword=Norman%2C+Dean&letter=N&page=2&searchtype=creator&showsearch=true
Page 1 lists other items they have of his.
my best
-Ray Bottorff Jr
Looks like we have a newspaper on which:
Edge – L.J. Kopf – Morrisseau Syndicate – unknown – 1982-83
appeared in:
Vanguard Press, in Northern Vermont, per this article reviewing the book released by Fantagraphics reprinting the strips. The article states that as of 1988 when it was written, that the strip Edge, had appeared in every issue of the paper since it was founded in 1978. And it appeared to have a Far Side vibe to it.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91012776/kopfs-comics-give-a-little-edge-to-li/
Library of Congress lists Vanguard Press as The Vermont Vanguard Press:
https://www.loc.gov/item/sn98060021/
running from 1978 to 1984. A weekly paper, "Vermont's Only News & Arts Weekly."
it was a free alternative weekly paper (http://muckraker-gg.blogspot.com/2008/09/alternative-media-phoenix-vanguard.html), another site says ran to 1990 (so the LOC collection of it is incomplete):
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/a-dynasty-crumbles-a-fresh-start-for-sanders/Content?oid=2434179
So we know the paper it was in, just need to find copies of the panel itself.
my best
-Ray Bottorff Jr
Hi Ray —
Generally those free weekly entertainment papers don't qualify for listing, so until the paper makes it into digitized form I'm going to hold off on listing it.
–Allan Holtz