ALL Bears is Bear Footed

We continue with this current arc for the next few weeks, taking us up to Walt Kelly's 100th birthday. At which time I will be publishing, online, a special commemorative number of the Pictorial Arts Journal, completely dedicated to the work of Walt Kelly.

You know what would be swell? To have tribute art and text from professionals that have been influenced and inspired by Kelly's cartooning, even if their style is completely different.

I'm inviting all such pros to send over a jpeg of drawings, doodles, or doodads honoring Kelly's milestone birthday. It could be a drawing of your own characters applauding or waxing nostalgic. It could be a graphic narrative like Crumb and Spiegelman produce for the New Yorker. It could just be a handwritten greeting or verse. Each contributor will receive a bio-blurb and a link to their website.

There's every chance that no pro is going to participate for this project. But no matter. The issue will still be published with some great Kelly art seen in fresh ways. Personally, I'll be contributing a pictorial memoir essay of when I met and talked with Kelly—in my long ago youth.

We'll need creative tributes to be emailed as jpegs, no later than the week of August 4, accompanied by a bio-blurb and link data. Please leave a comment here on this blog with contact info, questions or leads and I promise to not publicly publish those comments unless you specifically wish me to.

Once published, we'll be sending a pdf of the birthday edition to the Kelly family and Fantagraphics, Pogo's current publisher (which could mean cease and desist orders but we will have at least demonstrated our love for the greatest cartoonist that ever lived).

Does anyone out there know Bill Watterson? Kelly's 100th is worthy of a word or two from him.

February 13, 1972