The By George! group is a loose association of illustrators and cartoonists who meet approximately once a month to share notes, learn from one another and enjoy each other's company in honor of the late Charlotte Observer cartoonist and National Cartoonist Society president George Breisacher.
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February 1099Yea, and so it was that on a bitter winter day in the kingdom of Charlotte in the bazaar called Heroes, four of our gallant knights prepared for their crusade on pita burgers and iced tea. Present were Dave the Mace McDonald, Steve the Saxon Smith, Brian "Black Death" Leonard and Greg the Visigoth Russell. They left their trusty steeds behind, so they could storm castle Showmar's silently on foot. The castle's defenses were no match for the four k-niggets, and the gate opened wide to receive them. After a hard morning of stormin', they had developed quite a hunger. They ambled up to the pub and told the serving wench what they wanted. Forsooth, the noblemen gathered around a great laminate Round Table and partook of grog and bread (or more accurately: Coca-Cola and pita burgers) and talked of their journeys and their trade. McDonald told of his treacherous journey to the dark forests of South Carolina. There, he fended off fiendish elementary school imps while teaching them how to create cartoon characters and draw them. He had also traveled to the kingdom of Charlotte where, alongside the legendary Andy Swordslingin' Smith and Marcus the Hammer Hamilton, he judged the newspaper illustration entries to this years Reuben awards -- whatever that is. 
Reuben award judges from left to right: Andy Smith, John Lotshaw, Nick Meglin (longtime editor, MAD Magazine, still a contributing editor), Tom Heintjes, Jack Pittman, John Read, Marcus Hamilton (Dennis the Menace) and Dave McDonald. At the Round Table, McDonald showed the other knights his latest illuminated manuscript featuring Louise & Clark, a dog and cat team who help the foresaid evil elementary imps prepare for their diabolical end-of-year tests. The story featured McDonald's trademark blend of fun and facts. The everbusy McDonald said he would soon be traveling to the land of the giant middleschoolers to teach cartooning. 
McDonald presented to Smith a magical package that had traversed both time and space: Zip-A-Tone sheets for the production of his comic book (whatever that is). To show his gratitude, Smith turned and killed a heathen peasant in McDonald's honor. Smith had been busy as well. In an effort to expand the reach of his Captain Samsonite comic (and to avoid lawsuits), he had developed a new character named JetBlast. He showed his fellow knights JetBlasts' nifty new logo, and they responded with, "Aye!" "Huzzah!" and "Jumpin' Jesus on a pogo stick!" Then Smith suggested that the noblemen lead a march to Raleigh to see the famous troubadour Ringo Starr and his all-star band. We'll let thee, dear reader, know if such a plot comes to fruition. 'Twould be an eventide of mirth and merriment indeed if it were to come to pass. 
Leonard showed new drawings of his on parchment 4" by 6" in size. Marketing wizard McDonald suggested that he turn those into postcards and sell them. Leonard also handed out copies of a 1-page comic, a portion of which is shown above. Russell had been hard at work designing and formatting a book on how to make money on the Internet (whatever ... never mind) and a book on environmentally sound landscaping. He also designed a logo for the magazine Tangents, which is being resurrected online. Alas and alack, the meeting had come to an end, and the chivalrous knights made their way back to their steeds. No photos were taken because cameras hadn't been invented yet. We won't tell you when the next meeting will take place because ... No one expects the (By George) Inquisition! |
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