The blog of Richard Thompson, caricaturist, creator of "Cul de Sac," and winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.

Friday, December 16, 2016

Happy Beethoven's birthday




Richard Thompson traditionally wished all his fans a Happy Beethoven birthday. In his memory, I do so today. - Mike Rhode

[beethoven4.jpg]

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Richard Thompson remembered in Montgomery College alumni magazine


Richard Thompson '78; Cartoonist Richard Thompson made us laugh.
Gail Rubin
Montgomery College's INSIGHTS Fall 2016, p. 44
online (December 6 2016) at http://mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/insights/2016/12/06/cartoonist-richard-thompson-made-us-laugh/

Friday, December 9, 2016

Richard's earliest paid work.

Richard's old friend Brian Nicklas posted this on Facebook this morning. These are from the late 1970s.

The deli has moved to VA and has some of Richard's artwork still up, according to his friend Scott Stewart.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Art of RT for sale in Singapore


CT Lim found The Art of Richard Thompson in his local bookshop Kinokuniya, in Singapore, and kindly sent me this photo.


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Thompson for Hillary (maybe)


With the election just days away, the keepers of Richard's flame finally realized he must have drawn the candidates since they've been in the public eye for years. Here's him on Hillary.

Thompson on Trump


With the election just days away, the keepers of Richard's flame finally realized he must have drawn the candidates since they've been in the public eye for years. Here's Thompson on Trump.


Thursday, October 20, 2016

SPX 2016 Panel - Richard Thompson: A Celebration of His Life and Art

SPX 2016 Panel - Richard Thompson: A Celebration of His Life and Art

 Oct 16, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9KvGvp0E2c

Richard Thompson (1957-2016)—one of his generation's greatest cartoonists and caricaturists—was beloved by readers and fellow artists alike. Pat Oliphant called him "Michelangelo with a sense of humor," and Bill Watterson, who had not said anything publicly in almost 20 years, sent out a note crediting Thompson with "giving me a reason to read the comics again." A short documentary celebrating Thompson's art and generous spirit is followed by a conversation among Thompson's long-time intimates—his close friend and fellow cartoonist Nick Galifianakis, Shena Wolf, who is the Uclick acquisitions editor and was Richard's editor on Cul De Sac, as well as friend and art historian David Apatoff—concluding with questions and reflections from the audience. Moderated by publisher (Lost Art Books) and editor of the forthcoming Richard Thompson Library series, Joseph Procopio.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Alex Hallatt on Richard Thompson

Alex Hallatt was interviewed last month and had some kind things to say about Cul de Sac and Richard Thompson.

Alex Hallatt interview

by


https://webcomicsinterviews.com/2016/09/12/alex-hallatt-interview/

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Remembering Richard Thompson, by two of his friends

Between the Stacks - Remembering Richard Thompson, cartoonist and illustrator

http://www.moultrienews.com/20161005/161009896/between-the-stacks---remembering-richard-thompson-cartoonist-and-illustrator

Note that the presentation mentioned has been postponed to October 22 due to the hurricane.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Oct 22: Mount Pleasant Library talk moved to new date

Due to the possibility of a hurricane this weekend, Richard Thompson, Cartoonist and Illustrator - A Tribute has been moved to a later date.

Richard Thompson, creator of the comic strip Cul de Sac, passed away from complications of Parkinson's disease this summer. Learn more about this Reuben Award-winning artist through a screening of the 2014 documentary The Art of Richard Thompson and a presentation on Thompson's background and accomplishments by one of the late cartoonist's friends.

Mt. Pleasant Regional Library
1133 Mathis Ferry Road
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
843.849.6161 ~ http://www.ccpl.org

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Richard Thompson remembered in Air & Space Magazine

We've been tipped that the "October/November 2016 Air & Space/Smithsonian Magazine is now out. "Sightings" on page 68-69 is a salute to Richard Thompson. Check your local newstands."

Friday, September 23, 2016

Chris Mautner on Cul de Sac

Comic Connections: Revisiting Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac.

By

The Smart Set 09/22/2016
http://thesmartset.com/comic-connections/

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

More on Richard's Redskin drawings

Yesterday, I posted an image of a handkerchief with a Redskins bandwagon drawn by Richard, and gave some of the history I could find.

Tipped off by Nick Galifianakis, I poked around a bit more last night and found the images that Richard drew to illustrate Tony Kornheiser's columns on the Redskin's winning season and his idea of a Redskin Bandwagon. I found drawings from October - January, and don't know if I caught them all.




















Tuesday, September 6, 2016

A Redskins handkerchief

Richard did this "I'm on the Redskins Bandwagon" handkerchief in 1991 for Tony Kornheiser's Washington Post column.

Here's the relevant information from TK's Wikipedia page: "In 1991, Kornheiser created a string of now-famous Bandwagon columns to describe the Washington Redskins' Super Bowl run that year.[7] He started the idea when the Redskins trounced the Detroit Lions 41-10. He officially unveiled the first Bandwagon column when the team had an undefeated 4-0 record. From then on, the Bandwagon column appeared weekly. When the Redskins advanced to Super Bowl XXVI, Kornheiser and his Post colleagues Jeanne McManus and Norman Chad rode a handcar on a railroad track decorated as the Bandwagon for a 1,200-mile journey to Minneapolis, Minnesota. A Washington Post chat from January 26, 2012 has a picture of the artwork decorating an RV and quotes TK,“We had t-shirts made that we gave out with the great sort of drawings of Richard Thompson on the t shirts. We had handkerchiefs made — get on the bandwagon — whatever those things were. I have a t-shirt somewhere that’s mildewed and disgusting, and I have some of these handkerchiefs somewhere."

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Barney & Clyde's Richard Thompson tribute

Gene Weingarten and Dave Clarke did a tribute to their friend Richard Thompson in today's strip - http://www.gocomics.com/barneyandclyde/2016/09/04

Thursday, September 1, 2016

One final goodbye to Richard Thompson at Small Press Expo

White Flint Auditorium September 17, 2016 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm


Richard Thompson (1957-2016)—one his generation's greatest cartoonists and caricaturists—was beloved by readers and fellow artists alike. Pat Oliphant called him "Michelangelo with a sense of humor," and Bill Watterson, who had not said anything publicly in almost 20 years, sent out a note crediting Thompson with "giving me a reason to read the comics again." A short documentary celebrating Thompson's art and generous spirit will be followed by a conversation among Thompson's long-time intimates—his close friend and fellow cartoonist Nick Galifianakis, Shena Wolf, who is the Uclick acquisitions editor and was Richard's editor on Cul De Sac, as well as friend and art historian David Apatoff—concluding with an opportunity for questions and reflections from the audience. Moderated by publisher (Lost Art Books) and editor of the forthcoming Richard Thompson Library series, Joseph Procopio.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Gail Rubin remembers Richard Thompson

Cartoonist Richard Thompson Made Us Laugh

A Good Goodbye blog August 26th, 2016
http://agoodgoodbye.com/notable-obituaries/cartoonist-richard-thompson-made-us-laugh/

Before you read that -

The service for Richard Thompson will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, this Saturday, August 27th at 1pm.

IT WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC from 1pm until 2:30 pm, after which there will be a private reception for friends and family.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

RICHARD THOMPSON MEMORIAL SERVICE

RICHARD THOMPSON MEMORIAL SERVICE
A service for Richard will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, this Saturday, August 27th at 1pm.

IT WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC from 1pm until 2:30 pm, after which there will be a private reception for friends and family.

Again, the family asks that in lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, either directly or through Team Cul De Sac (https://www.michaeljfox.org/get-involved/teamfox.php).

Sunday, August 21, 2016

A Richard Thompson tribute in Betty

Betty by Gary Delainey and Gerry Rasmussen

August 20, 2016
http://www.gocomics.com/betty/2016/08/20

(thanks to Carol Tilley for pointing it out)

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Nick Galifianakis on Richard Thompson's death

Somehow we missed the announcement by Richard's best friend to his colleagues at the National Cartoonists Society:

Richard Thompson 1957-2016

– Nick Galifianakis


Pat Oliphant's thoughts on Richard Thompson in 2004

Andrews McMeel has put Pat Oliphant's introductory comic strip from the 2004 collection of Richard's Poor Almanac online. Oliphant compared Richard to Michelangelo which probably made him squirm, but grin.

His next book was blurbed by Bill Watterson, which shocked him, since he knew Pat, but not Bill.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Comic scholar John Lent on Richard Thompson's last books

"Scratchy sketchbook drawings, doodlings, exquisite caricatures and humorous paintings": Reviewing Richard Thompson's last books

by John A. Lent, publisher and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Comic Art.
International Journal of Comic Art blog August 10, 2016

http://ijoca.blogspot.com/2016/08/scratchy-sketchbook-drawings-doodlings.html

This review will appear in print in the Spring/Summer 2016 IJOCA issue later this summer.

Richard saw all three of the books reviewed here, and approved them. - MR

Monday, August 8, 2016

Oct 8: Richard Thompson, Cartoonist and Illustrator -- A Tribute

Richard Thompson, Cartoonist and Illustrator -- A Tribute

Richard Thompson, creator of the comic strip Cul de Sac, passed away from complications of  Parkinson's disease this summer. Learn more about this Reuben Award-winning artist through a screening of the 2014 documentary The Art of Richard Thompson and a presentation on Thompson's background and accomplishments by one of the late cartoonist's friends.

Saturday, October 8, 2016
1:00 p.m.

Mt. Pleasant Regional Library
1133 Mathis Ferry Road
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
843.849.6161
http://www.ccpl.org

Donna Lewis' Reply All tribute to Richard Thompson

Saturday, August 6, 2016

The Post's Letter page on Richard Thompson

'Cul de Sac' creator Richard Thompson, a charming man who made charming art [in print as A charming creator of charming art].

Lewis Sorley, Potomac

Washington Post

Friday, August 5, 2016

Dana Maier remembers Richard Thompson


RIP Richard Thompson

Dana Jeri Maier

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Andrew Farago's Comics Journal obituary for Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson, 1957-2016

August 27: Memorial for Richard Thompson

A memorial for Richard Thompson, open to the public, will be held on August 27, 2016, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC at 1 pm. It will be in the Press Club's ballroom. Information on the Press Club is at http://www.press.org/

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

One More Page Books remembers Richard Thompson

The kind, generous and very talented cartoonist and artist Richard Thompson (Cul de Sac, Richard's Poor Almanac) passed away last week due to the effects of Parkinson's disease. Richard was one of the first authors to appear at OMP - so early that the store was not quite open - and since then he has been a generous, gracious and wonderful friend to us. We can't put into words how much we'll miss his humor and friendship and many of you have shared the loss you feel. Our thoughts are with Amy, the girls, his family & his many, many, many friends.

If you'd like to help others with Parkinson's in honor of Richard, you can donate to Team Cul de Sac, part of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

One More Page Books 
2200 N. Westmoreland Street, #101
Arlington, VA 22213
703-300-9746    Visit our website
Mon-Sat: 10 am - 8 pm; Sun: noon to 5 pm

(excerpted from their August 2, 2016 newsletter)

Charles Hatfield tribute to Richard Thompson

A third tribute by Charles Hatfield has been added to the Comics Journal page at http://www.tcj.com/tributes-to-richard-thompson/ , adding to those by Warren Bernard and Craig Fischer.

Monday, August 1, 2016

Tributes to Richard Thompson

Tributes to Richard Thompson

Friday, July 29, 2016

Comic Riffs on Richard Thompson masterpieces

The early Thompson - Science fiction fandom art

Someone asked me privately about this, so I'm putting it out for everyone. We compiled a lot of art that wasn't used in The Art of Richard Thompson book. Here's some raw scans of a selection of it.

Richard's earliest published works were in the convention program for the local sci-fi con Disclave, and the fanzine Science Fiction Eye. You can see his Ronald Searle influence clearly in this art, but also many of Richard's own themes such as characters sitting on the moon, goofy restaurants... and chatty rats. The early caricatures from the Eye show how he would soon begin his career.

A Rose for Ecclesiastes by Roger Zelazny


The Barcroft Books ad, I believe