release dates: March (12) Newspaper Funnies

Transcription

1 release dates: March (12) 2012 Universal Uclick Newspaper in Education Week Newspaper Funnies Did you read the newspaper this morning? You might have checked a basketball game score or looked for a weather report. People use newspapers in many different ways. Adults can read more detailed explanations of what s going on in our country and around the world. Cooks can find new recipes to serve their families. For many kids, the first stop in the newspaper is the comics, or funnies, page. This week, in honor of Newspaper in Education Week (March 5-9), The Mini Page learns more about newspaper comics and the artists and writers who create them. Humor in newspapers The first comics in newspapers weren t comic strips. Instead, cartoonists used humor to comment on events happening in the world. Benjamin Franklin created the first cartoon that appeared in an American newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. In 1754, Benjamin Franklin drew this cartoon to urge the British colonies to fight the French and Native Americans for control of more land. Later, during the Revolutionary War, the cartoon became a symbol of the colonies uniting against the British. Newspaper wars In the 1890s in New York City, two famous newspapermen, William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, were Hearst competing for readers. Pulitzer had a brand-new color press that he decided to use for comic art in the New York World. Pulitzer hired artist Richard Outcault in Pulitzer 1894, and in May 1895 Hogan s Alley appeared in the World. The comic series featured a little boy character known as the Yellow Kid. The Yellow Kid Hogan s Alley was about a group of kids in a neighborhood, but the Yellow Kid soon became the star of the comic. His popularity helped sell more copies of the The Yellow Kid World. Hearst and Pulitzer began to fight over the cartoonist Outcault, and finally both papers were publishing their own version of the Yellow Kid with two different artists! Newspaper publishers realized how important comics were to selling more papers. Success in the 20th century Many more well-loved comic strips appeared in newspapers in the early 20th century, such as Gasoline Alley, Little Orphan Annie and later, Dick Tracy. image courtesy Library of Congress In 1950, Peanuts brought a child s world to the comics. The strip became one of the most beloved cartoons in history and is still seen in newspapers today. Peanuts Peanuts Worldwide LLC. Dist. by UU

2 9-2 (12); release dates: March 3-9 A Cartoon s Life Syndication Today, cartoonists have many places to share their ideas with others. They can create for the Internet on websites and blogs, in comic books, or for television and movies through animation. In the newspaper, most of the cartoons you read are syndicated (SIN-dih-cay-ted). This means that the cartoonist has an agreement with a company (or syndicate) that promotes and sells the comic to different newspapers all around the world. This is why your favorite strips can be found in newspapers in other cities. Ideas Cartoonists say the hardest part about their job is coming up with ideas for new strips. Most will write and draw at least a week s worth of strips at a time. Sometimes they follow one story for the whole week, and other times each strip is a separate joke. Some comics are created by two people, an artist and a writer. They may come up with ideas T Lewis (left) and Michael Fry create the comic Over the Hedge. Lewis is the artist; Fry is the writer. together, or the writer may give his story to the artist to be illustrated. Cartoon artists may use different techniques to create their art. Some use a computer tablet that lets them draw right onto the screen. Others use pen and ink, and some use brushes or a combination of tools. photo courtesy Universal Uclick Production Before computers were so easy to use, cartoonists would send their original art through the mail to the syndicate offices. Today, most cartoonists scan their artwork and then send the files electronically to the syndicate. There, an editor puts a date on each strip and reads them to catch errors in spelling. Sometimes editors even see continuity (con-ti-nooih-tee) errors for example, when a character has on a white shirt in one panel, or section of the strip, and a striped shirt in another. Distribution After strips are dated and corrected, they are electronically sent out to the client newspapers that have paid to include the strip in their comics pages. What are your favorite comic strips? Make a list and compare with a friend. Ready Resources The Mini Page provides ideas for websites, books or other resources that will help you learn more about this week s topics. On the Web: cartoons.osu.edu/yellowkid/index.htm superherosquad.marvel.com/create_your_own_comic At the library: Art for Kids: Comic Strips by Art Roche Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold and Alexis Frederick-Frost Newspaper Funnies try n find Words that remind us of newspaper comics are hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: CARTOONIST, CHARACTER, COMICS, DAILY, DRAW, EDIT, FUNNY, HEARST, HUMOR, NEWSPAPER, PANEL, PEANUTS, PULITZER, READERS, SELL, STORY, STRIP, SYNDICATION, WEEKLY, WRITE, YELLOW KID. Comics are a daily dose of fun! Basset Brown The News Hound s W S T S I N O O T R A C B D Q R R C J C T S R A E H E D I T E X I I N E W S P A P E R K S Z D S T M E T E R D L V N W T T A E R E O A A R E H U M O R I I L K R N C A N R L H W L I L L L Y U T W A Z S C Y J L P U Y G T E K P D Y N N U F E F P B S R N O I T A C I D N Y S

3 Mini Spy... Mini Spy loves to read the comics in the newspaper every morning. See if you can find: kite hoe cup snake pencil lightning ruler word MINI book toothbrush basket arrow scissors number 7 letter Z photo Disney Junior 9-3 (12); release dates: March 3-9 Rookie Cookie s Recipe Cauliflower Mash You ll need: 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets 11/2 cups chicken broth 2 tablespoons butter 1/3 cup light sour cream 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese What to do: 1. Boil cauliflower in chicken broth for 5 minutes. 2. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. 3. Uncover and continue cooking until liquid is reduced and cauliflower is tender. If necessary, pour off 1/4 to 1/2 cup liquid. Remove pan from heat. 4. Add butter, sour cream and cheese. Beat on low with a hand mixer until mixture is the consistency of mashed potatoes (it may be slightly chunky). You will need an adult s help with this recipe. Meet Kiara Muhammad Kiara Muhammad is the voice of Doc McStuffins in the new Disney Junior animated TV series, Doc McStuffins. This show, beginning in March, is about a 6-year-old girl who operates a medical clinic for broken toys and stuffed animals. Kiara, 13, spent her early years in Boston. Her family moved to New York City when she was 7 years old. She began taking acting lessons after she got the lead role of Fern in her school s production of Charlotte s Web. Her family moved to Los Angeles so Kiara could work on her acting career. She has appeared on TV shows such as Hannah Montana and in the Disney Channel TV movie Den Brother. She has appeared in several commercials and magazine ads, and also sings and dances. She is an honor roll student. She enjoys fashion, bowling, and playing tennis and basketball. NEW! The Mini Page Book of States The Mini Page s popular series of issues about each state is collected here in a 156-page softcover book. Conveniently spiral-bound for ease of use, this invaluable resource contains A-to-Z facts about each state, along with the District of Columbia. Illustrated with colorful photographs and art, and complete with updated information, The Mini Page Book of States will be a favorite in classrooms and homes for years to come. To order, send $15.99 ($19.99 Canada) plus $5 postage and handling for each copy. Make check or money order (U.S. funds only) payable to Universal Uclick. Send to The Mini Page Book of States, Universal Uclick, P.O. Box 6814, Leawood, KS Or call toll-free or go to Please send copies of The Mini Page Book of States (Item # ) at $20.99 each, total cost. (Bulk discount information available upon request.) Name: Address: City: State: Zip: All the following jokes have something in common. Can you guess the common theme or category? Peter: Why didn t the piglets pay attention to the big pig? Paula: Because he was a boar! Piper: What did the pig use when he had a bad rash? Pamela: A special oinkment! Peg: What type of neckwear do pigs like? Perry: Pigstys!

4 9-4 (12); release dates: March 3-9 Women in the Comics Early female cartoonists Women were drawing comic strips for newspapers as early as In 1932, Martha Orr introduced a cartoon character named Mary Worth to newspaper readers. Today Mary Worth is still in papers, although it s written and drawn by other creators. Another favorite, Brenda Starr, was started by female cartoonist Dale Messick in Cathy and For Better or For Worse, both written and drawn by women, appeared in newspapers in the 1970s. March is National Women s History Month. The Mini Page interviewed cartoonist Jan Eliot, creator of Stone Soup, to find out more about women cartoonists. Jan lives in Eugene, Ore. Getting started Mini Page: How did you get your start in cartooning? Jan Eliot: I had a friend who thought I was funny. It was her idea. I had been an art major in college, so I drew 10 cartoons and took them to my local weekly paper. To my surprise, they printed them and asked for more. I did a weekly cartoon for them. But I wanted to be syndicated so I could make a living at cartooning. It took me 16 years to get syndicated! Mini Page: Do you think the job is different for men and women cartoonists? Jan Eliot: Not really. Funny wins. Creating Stone Soup Mini Page: Did you look up to other women newspaper cartoonists? Jan Eliot: Yes. Nicole Hollander ( Sylvia ), Cathy Guisewite ( Cathy ) and Lynn Johnston ( For Better or For Worse ). Lynn was really helpful to me in the years before I was syndicated. She looked over my work for me. Mini Page: How did you come up with your characters? Jan Eliot: They re all reflections of me in some way. Jan Eliot writes and draws the comic strip Stone Soup. She works in a studio in her home. She wears a white glove on her right hand so she won t smear the ink under her hand. 365 days of inspiration Mini Page: You draw a strip for every day of the year. How do you get your ideas? Jan Eliot: It s mostly imagination, but the characters are real to me and have lives and personalities of their own. I ll eavesdrop on a bus or anywhere in a department store fitting room or a grocery store. I hear things on the news and think about how they would affect my characters. Mini Page: How has cartooning changed since you started? Jan Eliot: The space is decreasing comics are getting smaller. I ve enlarged my type twice over the years so that people can read it, and the artwork has gotten simpler. There is less room for full bodies and background art. But I hope there s always room for interesting and funny art. That s what makes a cartoon! Next week, The Mini Page is about the Girl Scouts 100th birthday. The Mini Page Staff Betty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist Jan Eliot, courtesy Universal Uclick images courtesy Universal Uclick

5 Read about newspaper funnies in Peanuts Peanuts Worldwide LLC. Dist. by UU Distributed by Universal Uclick by Betty Debnam Appearing in your newspaper on. from The Mini Page 2012 Universal Uclick (Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-3 1 /2-inch ad promoting Issue 9.) release dates: March (12) Standards Spotlight: Newspaper Funnies Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page s content and offer activities that will help your students reach them. This week s standard: Students comprehend and respond to a variety of images and text. (Language Arts: Reading) Activities: 1. Find three comic strips that are like you or like your life. Paste them on a piece of paper. Write a sentence about each one. 2. Count the number of comic strips that have one panel, two panels, three panels and four panels. Which size had the most on the page? 3. Choose comic strips that you think three different friends would like. Explain your choices. 4. Find a comic strip about (a) teenagers, (b) animals, (c) an older person, and (d) a person at work. 5. Write a paragraph describing a funny event in your life. Now tell the same story as a comic strip. (standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) Supersport: Anthony Davis Height: 6-10 Weight: 220 Hometown: Chicago Opponents attempting a shot against Kentucky s Anthony Davis are likely to get the basketball slammed back at them. Through the first 23 games, the talented freshman led the NCAA s Division I in blocked shots, with 108. Tall, with long arms, he s an intimidator and a candidate for national Defensive Player of the Year. Davis who grew from a 6-3 guard to a 6-10 post player after his sophomore year in high school is tough overall. In helping highly ranked Kentucky post a 22-1 record, he averaged 13.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and shot 65 percent from the floor. Rabid Wildcat fans enjoy watching him play, but realize they might not see him in a Kentucky uniform for long. This time next year, he might be in the NBA. (Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 9.) (Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 9, to be used in place of ad if desired.)