John Marshall (cartoonist)
Encyclopedia
John Marshall is an American
cartoonist
, best known as the artist of the Blondie
comic strip
since 2005. He works closely with scripter Dean Young
, son of the strip's creator, Chic Young
.
Born in Waverly, New York
, John Marshall took an interest in cartooning at an early age. He was bored during the summer between the fourth and fifth grades and began drawing Peanuts
characters on brown paper bags. When he was 14, his career as a cartoonist was jump-started by his grandmother who urged him to send cartoons to Parade
. On his first try, Parade bought one. Marshall recalled, "It's tough peaking in the tenth grade." This was followed by a sale to The Saturday Evening Post
.
Graduating in 1976 from Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida
, Marshall began as an art director at a Binghamton, New York
, advertising agency, eventually making the leap as a freelance illustrator, with a client list that included General Electric, IBM and Golf Digest
.
strip Walnut Cove. Marshall's editorial cartoon
s regularly appeared in the Press & Sun-Bulletin
(Binghamton, New York
) from 1989 to 2003. In the summer of 2002, he lettered and inked Hagar the Horrible
. From February 2001 to January 2003, his daily panel, The U.S. of Play, appeared on United Features Syndicate's website. "I floundered for a couple of years," said Marshall, but he found a new direction in 2002 when he got a phone call from King Features to work on Blondie.
on Blondie in December 2002. He became the strip's lead artist in May 2005, although he remained uncredited until Sunday, January 7, 2007. Former Cracked cartoonist Frank Cummings is Marshall's assistant on Blondie. Computer technology makes it possible for Marshall, Young and Cummings to collaborate even though they live in three different states. Cummings lives in Birmingham, Alabama
, while Young alternates between Vermont and Florida. Young says that Marshall and Cummings are "doing a most wonderful job".
At his Binghamton basement studio, jazz buff Marshall listens to jazz while he draws Blondie. To capture the finely polished inking details seen in Blondie, Marshall works on a Wacom tablet linked to his Macintosh. First he draws a rough, sent to Young for review, and then it's back to the computer for the finished art, delivered electronically to King Features. "It's very deceiving how hard this is to draw," said Marshall in 2007. "I love to draw. I love to see that finished black on white. It's just really primal and just basic."
Young has nothing but praise for Marshall's work, commenting, "He's been doing such a great job that the Bumsteads and I couldn't be more pleased." Translated into 35 languages, Blondie is published in 2,300 newspapers in 55 countries.
Marshall views Blondie as "a dream job," even though he often works six days a week, ten hours a day. "I definitely feel I'm drawing an American institution," said Marshall in 2007.
(Health Communications, 2002). Many of his editorial cartoons appeared annually in Charles Brooks
' Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year from 1994-2002.
Marshall is a member of the National Cartoonists Society
. In addition to experimenting with digital photography, he enjoys following his favorite football team, the New York Giants, and creating sports paintings. John and Cheryl Marshall have a son, John.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
, best known as the artist of the Blondie
Blondie (comic strip)
Blondie is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Chic Young. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip has been published in newspapers since September 8, 1930...
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....
since 2005. He works closely with scripter Dean Young
Dean Young
Dean Young may refer to:*Dean Young *Dean Young , Australian professional rugby league footballer*Dean Young , scripter for the Blondie comic strip...
, son of the strip's creator, Chic Young
Chic Young
Murat Bernard Young , better known as Chic Young, was an American cartoonist who created the popular, long-running comic strip Blondie. His 1919 William McKinley High School Yearbook cites his nickname as Chicken, source of his familiar pen name and signature...
.
Born in Waverly, New York
Waverly, Franklin County, New York
----Waverly is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 1,118 at the 2000 census.The Town of Waverly is on the west border of the county, southwest of the Village of Malone.-Geography:...
, John Marshall took an interest in cartooning at an early age. He was bored during the summer between the fourth and fifth grades and began drawing Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
characters on brown paper bags. When he was 14, his career as a cartoonist was jump-started by his grandmother who urged him to send cartoons to Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
. On his first try, Parade bought one. Marshall recalled, "It's tough peaking in the tenth grade." This was followed by a sale to The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
.
Graduating in 1976 from Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
, Marshall began as an art director at a Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, advertising agency, eventually making the leap as a freelance illustrator, with a client list that included General Electric, IBM and Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
.
Syndication
In 1982, Marshall created the comic strip, Buford, distributed through Syndicated News Services, Inc. From 1994 to 2000, he worked with Mark Cullum on the King FeaturesKing Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...
strip Walnut Cove. Marshall's editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon
An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration containing a commentary that usually relates to current events or personalities....
s regularly appeared in the Press & Sun-Bulletin
Press & Sun-Bulletin
The Press & Sun-Bulletin is a daily newspaper serving the area around Binghamton, New York. It was formed by the 1985 merger of The Evening Press and The Sun-Bulletin. It is owned by the Gannett Company, who purchased The Binghamton Press in 1943 and The Sun-Bulletin in 1971.-External links:**...
(Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
) from 1989 to 2003. In the summer of 2002, he lettered and inked Hagar the Horrible
Hägar the Horrible
Hägar the Horrible is the title and main character of an American comic strip created by cartoonist Dik Browne , and syndicated by King Features Syndicate. It first appeared in February 1973, and was an immediate success. Since Browne's retirement in 1988 , his son Chris Browne has continued the...
. From February 2001 to January 2003, his daily panel, The U.S. of Play, appeared on United Features Syndicate's website. "I floundered for a couple of years," said Marshall, but he found a new direction in 2002 when he got a phone call from King Features to work on Blondie.
Blondie
Marshall began assisting Denis LebrunDenis Lebrun
Denis Lebrun is a comic strip artist best known for his collaboration with Dean Young on the Blondie comic strip.-Comic strips:...
on Blondie in December 2002. He became the strip's lead artist in May 2005, although he remained uncredited until Sunday, January 7, 2007. Former Cracked cartoonist Frank Cummings is Marshall's assistant on Blondie. Computer technology makes it possible for Marshall, Young and Cummings to collaborate even though they live in three different states. Cummings lives in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, while Young alternates between Vermont and Florida. Young says that Marshall and Cummings are "doing a most wonderful job".
At his Binghamton basement studio, jazz buff Marshall listens to jazz while he draws Blondie. To capture the finely polished inking details seen in Blondie, Marshall works on a Wacom tablet linked to his Macintosh. First he draws a rough, sent to Young for review, and then it's back to the computer for the finished art, delivered electronically to King Features. "It's very deceiving how hard this is to draw," said Marshall in 2007. "I love to draw. I love to see that finished black on white. It's just really primal and just basic."
Young has nothing but praise for Marshall's work, commenting, "He's been doing such a great job that the Bumsteads and I couldn't be more pleased." Translated into 35 languages, Blondie is published in 2,300 newspapers in 55 countries.
Marshall views Blondie as "a dream job," even though he often works six days a week, ten hours a day. "I definitely feel I'm drawing an American institution," said Marshall in 2007.
Books
Reprints of Marshall's art includes the book Chicken Soup for the NASCAR SoulChicken Soup for the Soul
Chicken Soup for the Soul is a series of books, usually featuring a collection of short and dense inspirational stories and motivational essays. The 101 stories in the first book of the series were compiled by motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.There have been over 200 titles...
(Health Communications, 2002). Many of his editorial cartoons appeared annually in Charles Brooks
Charles Brooks (cartoonist)
Charles G. Brooks was a former editorial cartoonist for The Birmingham News in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.-Early life:Brooks was born in Hopewell, near Andalusia in Covington County, Alabama...
' Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year from 1994-2002.
Awards and recognition
In addition to the selections in the Best Editorial Cartoons annuals, an Honorable Mention for Editorial Cartoons was received by Marshall in the New York State Associated Press Association Writing Contest for 1996.Marshall is a member of the National Cartoonists Society
National 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...
. In addition to experimenting with digital photography, he enjoys following his favorite football team, the New York Giants, and creating sports paintings. John and Cheryl Marshall have a son, John.
Sources
- Young, Dean and Melena Rysik. Blondie: The Bumstead Family History. Thomas Nelson, 2007.