Stranger Than Life: Cartoons and Comics 1970-2013 by M.K. Brown - preview

1970–2013

TABLE OF CONTENTSForeword by Bill Gri!th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viiIntroduction by MK Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ixHousepeople . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1In the Workplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Science and Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67A Seedy Part of Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Romance and Social Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Travel and Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Way Out West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Afterword by Roz Chast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

These cartoons are from the early ’70s to the present, so you will see some changes in drawing styles. I have put them into categories that are either very obvious or weirdly !tting that they should be there.

As we all know, cartooning requires enough independence and self-absorption to spend hours drawing alone with only a radio and a cat for company, often without a clue as to what happens next, yet remaining perfectly entertained. Of course, it also demands a certain degree of craft in order to be understood, especially when the idea is, shall we say, complicated.

Cartooning also contains the lunacy component, which maintains that if one person (oneself ) can see the humor or truth or strangeness in something (thus the value in drawing it), others will too, and if they don’t, well, we can’t help that.

And so, in the spirit of independent thinking and drawing without fear, or because of it, I am pleased to present these pages both to new readers and to those loyal folks who have, over the years, challenged me with provocative inquiries, such as this one from Mr. Osborne in Cyberville: “Why do so many of your characters have heads shaped like Lake Superior?”

I trust that questions of this caliber will be addressed within these covers, and that you will have a safe and pleasant journey through Stranger !an Life.

Housepeople

Barry is thinking of joining a rock group.

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I was angry with Billie Jean King.

She was one of the publishers at Women’s Sports at the time, a magazine to which I often contributed, and they had recently lost an original cartoon of mine, “Camel Racing in the Desert.”

Although she had nothing to do with its disappearance, when I saw a photo of Billie Jean King in a magazine ad, I decided to use her for the main character in a new cartoon I was doing for Playgirl, of all things.

Nothing really bad happened to Ms. King when she was sucked up into space in the middle of the party, and I felt better about losing an original watercolor.

!is turned out to be the only original cartoon that was ever lost in many years of mailing them to di"erent magazines. During some di#cult times at the National Lampoon, only two were returned with co"ee cup stains and cut-o" borders. Most were treated with great respect.

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Oh, not much. What’s new with you?

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9

Pammy and I are thinking of getting into heroin.

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It’s from Publishers Clearing House!

12

It all began with wanting matching shoes and purse.

13

The words “snakes in the bathroom” came out of the air and I wrote them down. !e phrase held a certain menace in a tropical sort of way. I wondered how the snakes got there, theoretically speaking, and practically speaking, how one would get them out.

When cartoon editor Sam Gross called from National Lampoon to ask if I had any ideas for a "ve-page color piece, I said, “How about snakes in the bathroom?”

He said, “Great!” Because of creative editors like Sam Gross and Brian McConnachie, it

was a pleasure to work with the magazine for so many years.

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We’d cook out more often if it weren’t for these damned monitor lizards.

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