Here is some great news for everyone Close to home Fans. John McPherson’s latest book, The treasure trove for the 30th anniversary of “Close To Home”will be published September 24 by Andrews McMeel Publishing. This milestone volume features more than 800 comics selected by the Saratoga cartoonist and his editors, as well as an insightful look at how McPherson actually creates his cartoons.
In celebration of the upcoming book John McPherson speaks with Wendy Hobday Haugh of the New York Almanack.
Since the first Close to home Panel debuted on
October 7, 1992(November 30, 1992), his rise to fame was nothing short of meteoric. Readers of all ages enjoyed McPherson’s quirky characters and offbeat, deep humor. Today, this popular cartoon, syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate (UPS), appears in about 750 newspapers.
The profile describes how John went from engineering to drawing cartoons for magazines (Saturday Evening Post, Yankee) to becoming a comic strip artist for daily syndicates.
Over a period of 18 months, he sent out 160 packages of 8 to 10 cartoons each and received 160 rejection letters. “But I didn’t let that discourage me,” he recalls, “because I was passionate about drawing my cartoons and had a lot of fun doing it.”
Mark Frost from The Chronicle in Glens Falls, was the first editor to not only praise McPherson’s work but also to offer him a steady job: two cartoons a month for five dollars apiece. Earning $10 a month and achieving publication were groundbreaking events for McPherson; and over time, as his cartoons gained popularity, they attracted the attention of even larger publications. As Life on campus When the magazine – with a circulation of 200,000 to 300,000 young readers – began accepting his work, McPherson’s world expanded dramatically.
Maybe you noticed this The treasure trove for the 30th anniversary of “Close To Home” appears in the panel’s 32nd year.
A peculiarity of Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Another curiosity is GoComics starting their Close to home Archive with the second week of panel dailies.
As a TDC extra, here is the first week (30 November to 5 December 1992) of the Close To Home daily newspapers:
Another bonus!
A 1992 profile of John McPherson from the (Carlisle, PA) Sentinel for comparison with the current report.
