Last night before I feel asleep I read on Facebook that Randy Glasbergen passed away. I was too tired to comment last night so I wanted to make sure I wrote first thing this morning. For those unfamiliar with his him, Randy was a cartoonist who had an amazing career which be began in his teens. His comic "The Better Half" ran for over 30 years (1982-2014). He had two other strips "Glasbergen Cartoons" and "Thin Lines" which both appear on gocomics.com. Randy also created Glasbergen Cartoon Service where he would create cartoons for licensing to newsletter, presentations, magazines, social media and much more.
Growing up I loved comic strips and still do. Heck, I'm a cartoonist so it's kinda part of the job description. Anyway, my favorite comics were the single panel gag strips. Comics like "Dennis the Menace", "Heathcliff", and "The Far Side" just to name a few but there was always something that always stuck out to me about Glasbergen's work. It was very simple and clean. The gags were always funny. In the 1990's I read his books, "How to Be a Successful Cartoonist", Toons!: How to Draw Wild & Lively Characters for All Kinds of Cartoons". and Getting Started Drawing & Selling Cartoons". All great books but I read "How to Be a Successful Cartoonist" at least 6 times and its the only one I still own. Randy was really intelligent and his books were filled with great information for the budding cartoonist I was back then.
Like most artists, I like to think I learn from all I see, hear, and read. I consider Randy one of my teachers. He influenced me with humor and I truly admired his knack for gag writing. One of the best in the business. His book "How to Be a Successful Cartoonist" was very helpful to me when I started out. I feel like I should pull it out and give it a reread just for fun.
Randy's cartoons were a daily part of my life. I'd read whatever he posted on Facebook as well as going to gocomics.com. He was always entertaining and I will miss seeing new strips of his daily. I never had the chance to meet Randy (although I recently found out he didn't live too far from me, maybe a couple of hours away) so I know I won't mourn the loss as his family and friends who spent their lives loving him and I send out my most sincere thoughts and prayers for them during their difficult time. I am just a fan so my loss is very different and I just want to thank Randy Glasbergen for the education and laughs he gave me. The cartooning industry will miss this great talent.
Here are a few of Randy's comics to leave you laughing.
Until next time remember, there is always time to GET IN TOON!