Jim Unger
Encyclopedia
Jim Unger is a Canadian cartoonist, best known for his syndicated comic strip
Herman
which ran for eighteen years in 600 newspapers in 25 countries.
Born in London
, England
, Unger began his career as a cartoonist
at the Mississauga Times newspaper in Mississauga, Ontario
, Canada
. In 1974, Unger moved to Ottawa, Ontario, where Herman became popular.
Unger's friends encouraged him to give up retirement. He said he would not have suggested it himself, but he liked the idea. On June 2, 1997, Herman made a comeback under the United Media
umbrella. "It gives me the opportunity to bring them up to date and to introduce Herman to a new generation," he said in the May 31, 1997, edition of the Detroit News. He did not expect to return to full-time cartooning but planned to add new material. Unger signed a long-term contract to bring ten years of classic Herman back to newspapers.
Unger is now retired, living in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award twice (1982, 1987).
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....
Herman
Herman (comic strip)
Herman was a comic strip written and drawn by Jim Unger. While the daily ran as a single panel with a typeset caption, it expanded on Sunday as a full multi-panel strip with balloons.It was syndicated from 1975 to 1992, when Unger retired...
which ran for eighteen years in 600 newspapers in 25 countries.
Born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Unger began his career as a cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
at the Mississauga Times newspaper in Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1974, Unger moved to Ottawa, Ontario, where Herman became popular.
Retirement and return
Unger moved to the Bahamas in 1984 and retired as a cartoonist in 1992.Unger's friends encouraged him to give up retirement. He said he would not have suggested it himself, but he liked the idea. On June 2, 1997, Herman made a comeback under the United Media
United Media
United Media is a large editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States, owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. It syndicates 150 comics and editorial columns worldwide. Its core business is the United Feature Syndicate and the Newspaper Enterprise Association...
umbrella. "It gives me the opportunity to bring them up to date and to introduce Herman to a new generation," he said in the May 31, 1997, edition of the Detroit News. He did not expect to return to full-time cartooning but planned to add new material. Unger signed a long-term contract to bring ten years of classic Herman back to newspapers.
Intraca
Unger is a co-founder of Intraca with David Waisglass, creator of Farcus. Intraca uses the humor of popular cartoons and motivational quotes to inform and boost employees with "positive daily business messages" on their computers. Herman characters are also found on workplace posters promoting safety and improved production.Books
In 1990, Unger achieved a rewarding place in cartoon history when Herman became the first newspaper cartoon syndicated in communist East Germany. Shortly afterward, Unger produced a new book, Herman: Over the Wall. He joked that, "Six months later the (Berlin) Wall came down; I think that's what did it."Unger is now retired, living in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Awards
He received the National Cartoonists SocietyNational Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award twice (1982, 1987).