National Cartoonist Society Profile: Darrell McClure

Born 1903 in Ukiah, California. At nine I moved to San Francisco. Art school at night, fourteen and fifteen my first professional jobs. At seventeen started animated cartoons when available, logging camps and ranching interim. Started seagoing, sailing ships & steam. To New York City on freighter. Started job with King Features Syndicate in 1923. Took on "Little Annie Rooney" in 1930 or '31. Have been contributor to "Yachting Magazine" since '24. Married in 1924, and lived in Connecticut. Served part time with Coast Guard sailing fleet WWII. Moved to Florida after wife passed away, now remarried to Navy widow, returned to San Francisco, with new wife also gained lovely daughter and three grandchildren. Jackpot! Like to paint when time permits. Love to sail boats and we do. I have nothing to wish for because I already have it.

National Cartoonist Society Profile: Al Capp

One of the most popular comic strips ever to grace the funny pages was Al Capp's historic feature, Li'l Abner, which ran for forty three years and inspired lots of merchandise, a television show, stage plays and motion pictures. Here is the short bio, in Capp's same satirical style...Al Capp Born in New Haven Connecticut in 1909 -- which makes me over forty. Attended primary schools in Philadelphia and Boston. First big-time job, at nineteen, with Associated Press doing "Col. Gilfeather". Fired. Job given to Milton Caniff, or Goniff - since it disappeared. Created "Li'l Abner", in 1934, for United Features and sued them for fourteen million dollars in 1948. Collected fourteen million denunciatory editorials from "Editor and Publisher". Was appointed Chairman, Cartoonists' Committee, of People to People Campaign by President Eisenhower in 1956. Didn't vote for him in 1952 or 1965.

Direct Currents: The Space Ranger

First appearing in DC's Showcase #15, Rick Starr is a New York business executive of Allied Solar Enterprises, but also secretly a guardian of Earth's solar system when disguised as the adventurer called Space Ranger. From his secret base within an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, our hero has a well equipped laboratory and full arsenal of weapons including his trusty anti-gravity gun, dissolverizer, explosi-discs, and thermoblaze pistol to fight crime. With the help of his girlfriend, Myra Mason, who happens to be his secretary back on Earth, and the small shape-changing alien Cryll who Space Ranger rescued from a wrecked spacecraft, the trio protect the planets in his incredible ship, The Solar King. Space ranger has stopped many invasions, menaces, and would-be conquers in his 22nd Century adventures, and even defeated his ultimate enemy, the Gordanians, with the assistance of an ally from the past, the Green Lantern named Hal Jordan.

National Cartoonist Society Profile: Mike Peters

Here is one of the shortest of bios for any of the National Cartoonist Society award winning cartoonists...Mike Peters was born October 9, 1943 to Bill and Charlotte Peters. He went through thirteen years of Catholic Education unscathed. While attending classes at Washington University in St. Louis, he met his best friend and later to be his wife, Marian. They moved to Chicago where the artist worked with the Daily News art staff for one short year. Mike soon got drafted and spent two years in Okinawa. After being discharged from the army Mike became the new editorial cartoonist for the Dayton Daily News. He later started his popular syndicated feature, Mother Goose and Grimm, in 1984. He and Marian have three daughters and more awards than he think he deserves.