Big Top (comic strip)
Encyclopedia
Big Top is an American
comic strip
written and illustrated by Rob Harrell that takes place in a wacky circus
of the same name. Harrell has a history in the circus, as he used to be a sideshow freak, performing as "Zothar the Human Tree Frog." He also has a degree from the Ringling School of Art and Design, which is named after John Ringling
of the famous Ringling Brothers Circus
.
The main characters include a ten-year old boy, Pete; Dusty the poodle, Wink the bear, and Kingston the lion.
On March 12, 2007, Universal Press Syndicate
announced that Harrell would end the strip on Sunday, March 25 of that year. Harrell released a written statement: "This was an incredibly difficult decision. The strip, and the characters feel like family to me and I loved every day of doing Big Top. But for both professional and financial reasons, it’s time to move on to other projects, including my fine art, illustration and animation. I've been blessed with a group of loyal, dedicated fans, and I want to thank them. Their reaction to the strip has been so rewarding."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
written and illustrated by Rob Harrell that takes place in a wacky circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
of the same name. Harrell has a history in the circus, as he used to be a sideshow freak, performing as "Zothar the Human Tree Frog." He also has a degree from the Ringling School of Art and Design, which is named after John Ringling
John Ringling
John Nicholas Ringling now is the most well-known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Brothers Circus to create a virtual monopoly of traveling circuses and helped shape the circus into what it is today.-Early circus life:John was...
of the famous Ringling Brothers Circus
Ringling Brothers Circus
The Ringling Brothers Circus was a circus founded in the United States in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling Brothers: Albert , August , Otto , Alfred T. , Charles , John , and Henry...
.
The main characters include a ten-year old boy, Pete; Dusty the poodle, Wink the bear, and Kingston the lion.
On March 12, 2007, Universal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate, a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal, is the world's largest independent press syndicate. It distributes lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and other content. Popular columns include Dear Abby, Ann Coulter, Roger Ebert and News of the Weird...
announced that Harrell would end the strip on Sunday, March 25 of that year. Harrell released a written statement: "This was an incredibly difficult decision. The strip, and the characters feel like family to me and I loved every day of doing Big Top. But for both professional and financial reasons, it’s time to move on to other projects, including my fine art, illustration and animation. I've been blessed with a group of loyal, dedicated fans, and I want to thank them. Their reaction to the strip has been so rewarding."
Collections
Two Big Top book collections were published.| Title | Publication Date | ISBN | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Top | 2005 | ISBN 0-7407-5004-6 | Andrews McMeel |
| Sawdust and Greasepaint | 2007 | none | Self-published (only available from Lulu.) |
External links
- Big Top comics at GoComics
- Rob Harrell's home page
- http://humor.about.com/b/a/168756.htm