16287 Plum Loco comic of the day

Here's an old cartoon, I did about 7-8 years ago and was purchased by Reader's Digest . . . . So after a about three years went by and never saw print, I inquired curiously about it.  They said that it might have been used in one of their overseas editions, and that I was free to use it.

At first I thought maybe it could be that some politically-correct pinhead thought that with the guy wearing a turban in the cartoon, it might be construed that it was a tie-in to the hot outlawed Danish Mohammed Kurt Westergard cartoon with the guy wearing a turban and had a " Katzenjammer-type round bomb " in his turban.   in otherwords, NO TURBANS.

The guy in THIS cartoon is from INDIA and is probably or COULD be a SIKH or a HINDU for crysakes.  Or maybe it's the minarets. Who knows ? 

INDIA is OUR friend, they don't care!

It would be a hip fashion trend here in the USA . . .  the turban ! 

All we need is a Schwartznegger or a  Travolta, or Brad Pitt or a Tom Cruise to kick it off sporting one on the street . . . .  Hell, I WOULD PROBABLY BUY ONE!

I can see an ad on TV . . . Get your turban in beautiful pastel colors, not 59.95, not 49.95,  not 39.95 not 29.95, but for a limited time only . . . now only 19.95.  Yes, you heard right, only 19.95 ( plus shipping and handling )

And that's not all, wait a minute !

 It gets better, . . . order within the next 30 minutes, and the first 500 callers will get the turban in the color of their choice for only ten dollars and if you do this right now we'll throw in another free turban . . . just pay separate shipping.

Yes, that's right, you get TWO turbans for the low-low price of only TEN DOLLARS ! ( Just pay separate shipping )

Heartland- USA Magazine cartoon 1996 - Roy Delgado

Here is a drawing from a magazine that used to be a nice freelance market.  I said that USED to be.  Last I heard, like a host of others, stopped using cartoons because of disappearing subscriptions and print readership. 

I remember using a pen for the lines and then for a gray wash tone effect using a smudge technique with my finger and  6B soft pencil  and totillion sticks.  I think variations a lot of this approach was used by Alan Dunn and others in The New Yorker of the 30's and 40's.  At least it looks that way as you look over the old New Yorker cartoon albums.

Plum Loco gets rejected just today ! !

FLASH !  You heard it right here.  My ups AND my downs, I'm going to tell it like it happens, AS it happens - - - - -  Creators  just rejected Plum Loco comic.  First it was Universal and now Creators - - - sigh !

The usual: - - - The form letter stated:  " Thank you very much - - - - yada-yada, Regrettably, our editorial board has decided, etc., etc., - - We know you're a nice guy, BUT, BUT - - - are you sitting down? SOR-RY  - - -

It's not them, it's me, I know - - -

Now all that is left is United Media and then Tribune - - -

I'm ahead of them this time - - - while I'm waiting for the last two rejections, I'll keep developiong BULJERT and then the cycle starts all over again - - - - 

God, this is fun ! ( ? )  Ain't it great?

It helps if you have icewater in your veins like I do - - -

Mel Yauk - Magazine Cartoonist

Looking through an old journal of mine yesterday, I ran across this little tidbit. 

I'd spent Jan.-Feb.-March in Tucson that year for the winter.  It worked out well since my brother and sister lived in Tucson at the time and my friend, Bob Weber Sr. would be visiting and working alongside his son, Bob Weber Jr. at his home and studio in nearby Oro Valley.

One morning, on a whim we drove to Mesa AZ, and after getting an OK from Mel we were in Mel's living room and we had a nice couple hours and a couple of Labatt's beers with Mel showing us a couple of old scrap books with tons of  old " Lucky " cartoon clips from The National Enquirer.

Mel drew this cartoon in my journal!

Buljert - Comic of the Day

Talking about which way the wind blows . . . no matter what anybody says, I STILL think that the reason I can't get syndicated is because George Bush has something to do with it.  My ability and ideas and skill has nothing to do with that, George Bush . . . Bush . . . . Bush !    I'm just NOW starting to figure it all out . . .

Buljert the Bulldog - Comic of the Day

After many tries to click at the syndicates, along comes Buljert the Buldog.  Where did he come from ? Why now and not 30 years ago, h-m-m-n ?  Or 15 years ago, or even 10, h-m-m?  Or five ?

 The more I read about Epistemology, the less I know about what I know, or what I thought I knew, or what I believed I knew, or what I know I shouldn't know - - - - I mean about this whole business.

The older you get, the more fervently you begin to believe in Confucious' adage:  " When you know that you know that you know that you don't know, that is true enlightenment."

If Confucious is right, I'm an enlightened S.O.B. - - - If I wasn't a cartoonist, I wish I would've gone into Chicago politics  - - -  Believe me, THOSE people KNOW - - - I don't know, it just looks like it would be a lot fun in the windy city, the loop, the EL, the political machine and an easy way to get your hands on a whole lot of money.

 Maybe Buljert will end up as just another pile of  paper that will keep my shredder working day and night, along with my New Yorker rejects - - - - I'm on my third shredder now - - -  every time I buy one, I upgrade - - - the next one has to be an industrial-strength type, like they use at the Pentagon.

If I wasn't having so much fun, I would leave tomorrow for Chicago and get into politics.  I don't know.  " You don't need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows, right ? "

First official PLUM LOCO syndicate reject

Flash ! - - News bulletin - - - Universal Press just said " NO " to Plum Loco comic - - - - It came yesterday in the usual cold, informal letter, you know - - - " Sorry we can't be more personal in saying no, but because of millions of comics we get blah-blah-blah - - - "  

Look, I'm used to this - - - It's not you, it's me.

That leaves United Media, King Features and Creators Syndicate - - - I'll let you know what happens with these three, as it happens. ( Tribune I'll send last, after the three left standing reject it )

The reason I chose Tribune last is because of Blagojevich, Ayers, Dorn, Pfhleger, Rezko and the Daly machine.  Actually, I love Chicago and travel there from time to time. 

My Best Man, Ex-Marine Tom Kozak lives in Chicago.  In fact, some of my best friends ( and critic ) live in Chicago, but this time, I thought they'd have the privilege of rejecting PLUM LOCO last ! ( Does this make any sense? ) No ? - - -  Good.