Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Keefe, my pal and staffer for the Denver Post, has decided to accept a buyout and leave the position he’s held for more than 35 years. It’s sad news, as the Denver Post could become the latest in a line of prominent cartooning positions that have either been eliminated or no longer exist (Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times, Newark Star-Ledger).

Keefe’s last day at The Post will be November 29, but I’m happy to report that he will continue to draw cartoons (at a somewhat lessened pace) for Cagle Cartoons to syndicate.

I did a quick interview with Mike via email between plates of turkey and sweet potatoes.

What made you decide to take the Denver Post’s buyout offer?

I had planned to semi-retire in a year. The Post’s buyout offer was advertised as a year’s salary (in reality it’s somewhat less). So, I could work and earn a year’s salary or I could not work and earn a year’s salary. I did the math.

Was it your choice to leave, or did you feel pressure about layoffs coming down the pipe?

I felt no pressure to leave. And while layoffs could come if they don’t get 18 takers on the buyout, I felt pretty secure. The Post has always treated me well. It’s been an emotional few weeks. Bittersweet. I am sorry to see that they are forced to cut back on staff. The revenue is simply not coming in. Thank you, Craigslist and digital media. I think print journalism can also blame itself for being slow to react to the digital media revolution.

You just won the Pulitzer last year. What did you editors say when you told them you were going for the buyout?

Let’s just say nobody came clamoring around my drawing board trying to dissuade me.

 

Do you think the Denver Post will be hiring a new cartoonist to replace you?

Even though there is a long tradition of high quality cartooning at The Post–my predecessors were Paul Conrad and Pat Oliphant–I’m guessing that it’s unlikely that they will seek a replacement. I could be wrong. Send them your portfolios.

You’ve been with the Denver Post since 1975. What are you looking forward to most with the free time you’ve just given yourself?

My wife, who is still working, asked me how I was going to spend my days. I said, “Three words: Turner Classic Movies.” She was not amused. Actually, I have a number of things in mind: I want to beef up my guitar chops, paint a bit, pick up the slack on Sardonika.com, a satiric blog that Tim Menees and I do. (He’s been doing most of the heavy lifting lately.) And I want to write. I’ve been researching the armored recon squadron in which my dad served in WWII. I’ve gotten a lot of riveting material.

When you won your Pulitzer, you mentioned that you were surprised because you thought your day has passed. With greats like yourself taking buyouts and retiring, how do you view the future of editorial cartooning?

There is plenty of incredible talent of all ages in our business. I don’t worry about any decline in quality. How they earn a living at is another question. It’s a lot tougher now than it was when I started.

What role do you think cartoonists have in this age of smart phones, digital-first newsrooms and instant interaction with readers?

The answer to that is implied in your question. Clearly cartoonists must create with digital media in mind. Traditional newspapers are going to be a less robust and thinner version of their former selves. Not many will be able to afford to support a full-time cartoonist. That means someone has to crack the code concerning online profits. Till that time, it will be a forum for the dedicated and passionate cartoonist who also works at Starbucks.

Check out Mike Keefe’s cartoon archive here 

As a cartoonist, it is an honor to have someone cut out your cartoon from the newspaper and stick it on their fridge. But having a dinosaur named after you has to be a close second.

Apparently, a new series of pterosaur has been named after Gerald Scarfe, the famous British political cartoonist who lampooned Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a pointy nosed “torydactyl.”

The new pterosaur species, found by fossil collector Steve Etches and identified by University of Portsmouth palaeontologist Dr David Martill., has been named Cuspicephalus scarfi, because the fossil’s unusually pointy head reminded Dr. Martill of Scarfe’s cartoon.

“Although the new pterosaur discovery has a strong resemblance to his caricature of Margaret Thatcher, pterosaurs were never as divisive as Thatcher!” Martill said.

“I’m thrilled and flattered,” Scarfe said, responding to the news. “I never thought Mrs Thatcher would do anything for me – even if it is to be immortalised as a 155-million-year-old fossil.”

I just found out that my friend Bil Keane, the legendary cartoonist and creator of “The Family Circus,” died yesterday of congestive heart failure at the age of 89.

Bil started his career as a messenger fro the Philadelphia Bulletin before serving in the Army, drawing for Yank and Pacific Stars and Stripes. It’s hard to believe that Bil starting drawing the adventures of Billy, Jeffy, Dolly and P.J. all the way back in 1960. After nearly a half century of continuous publishing, Family Circus is in over 1,500 newspapers across the country.

Bil was also the president of the National Cartoonists Society from 1981 to 1983 and was the emcee of the Society’s annual awards banquet for 16 years. He was also named the Society’s Cartoonist of the Year and received the Reuben Award in 1982.

Bil’s talented son Jeff, who has been working on Family Circus for many years, will continue the legendary panel.

 

If you’re a publisher, what do you do after your offices are firebombed and your Web site is hacked after you release an issue “guest edited” by the Prophet Muhammad?

You double down, of course!

The French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo hasn’t let last week’s firebombing keep them down. In fact, they didn’t even let it mess up their production deadline. Their next issue was released on schedule, and features a doozy of a cover drawn by the French cartoonist Luz showing the cartoon likeness of Charlie Hebdo publisher and cartoonist Charb engaged in a sloppy kiss with a bearded Muslim man. The headline reads L’Amour plus fort que la haine, which translates into “love is stronger than hate.”

Unlike last week’s edition, which featured the Prophet Muhammad on the cover saying, “100 lashes if you don’t die of laughter”, there is nothing specifying that it’s Muhammad on their latest cover. Last week’s edition was also renamed Charia Hebdo (which is a play on the Islamic word sharia), and was intended to “celebrate” the victory of an Islamic party in last month’s Tunisian elections.

For his part, Luz refuses to condemn religious extremists for the attack, writing that people should be cautions before laying blame.

“There’s every reason to believe it’s the work of fundamentalists,” he wrote. “But it could just as well be the work of two drunks.”