Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Cartoonist Barbara Brandon-Croft Is The Daughter of Another Notable Cartoonist


One pioneering comics artist produced another, a daughter who writes about the lives of black women.
by Rich Watson


You may not know the name Barbara Brandon-Croft, but in recent years her cartoon work has gained attention. Her strip Where I’m Coming From strives to tell the truth about black women, their triumphs and struggles, like no other strip has before.

She got her talent from her father, another noteworthy black comics artist.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

The Blondie Movies Were Episodes of a Sitcom Show Before Television


The comic strip about domestic life had a long life on the silver screen in the forties.
by Rich Watson 


The comic strip Blondie, a comedy about a Jazz Age flapper turned housewife, her ne’er-do-well husband, and their family and friends, was created by Chic Young in 1930. While successors have continued the strip into the 21st century, including his son Dean, its heyday was the Depression and the WW2 era. 

It was during this period that Hollywood made an ongoing series of Blondie movies.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Prince Valiant and the Rise and Fall of Adventure Comic Strips


Prince Valiant was one of a number of adventure strips, bigger in size and bigger in scope.
by Rich Watson


Between the time when audiences first relied on daily newspapers and the rise of the internet, there was an age undreamed of in comic strips. And unto this, Prince Valiant: destined to take his place among the epic characters presented every Sunday. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. 

Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!