NCS Reubens 2008

The official brochure for the upcoming 62nd Annual National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards weekend is now arriving in member’s mailboxes, so it’s safe to share the artwork I did back in December for this year’s event (text designed by Steve McGarry):

Humans (from left to right): Mike Peters, Sandra Boynton, Mark Tatulli,
Mort Gerberg, Tom Batiuk. Cartoon characters: uhhh… you figure it out.
Click image for a closer look…

As always the art will be on the official Reuben Weekend t-shirts and other stuff, but this year it’s also serving as the cover of the brochure and program. It’s always a pleasure to do this for the NCS, which has done so much for me.

The Reubens will be held in New Orleans this year, which is going to be great. The region can use the business as it continues to recover from Hurricane Katrina, and I haven’t been to “Nawlins” since I closed up my brief but fun caricature operation in Riverwalk there in 2000. This year’s lineup of activities, speakers and presenters is as impressive as ever, thanks as always to the hard working NCS board which this year is headed up by new NCS president Jeff Keane (Family Circus). The speaker lineup:

• Mort Gerberg- Long time New Yorker cartoonist, author and illustrator
• Sandra Boynton– Greeting card icon, illustrator and humorist
• Nancy Goldstein– Author of “Jackie Ormes: The First African-American Woman Cartoonist”
• Tom Batiuk– Creator of “Funky Winkerbean” and “Crankshaft”
• Mark Tatulli– Creator of “Heart of The City” and “Lio” and Emmy award winning animator/filmaker
• Mike Peters– Pulitzer prize winner and “Mother Goose and Grimm” creator will be the awards MC!

Also on the agenda this is is a special cartoonist’s “Habitat for Humanity” project on Friday the 23rd. Participants will bus to a home rebuilding site and work all morning and afternoon helping someone rebuild their home. No doubt they will have one wall covered in doodles by famous cartoonists (and the rest of us) by the time we leave. A great idea and a worthy way to spend the day.

The weekend will end Sunday night the 25th with a “second line parade” of cartoonists through the streets of the French Quarter, where there is no doubt Mel Lazarus will collect the most sets of beads for flashing his chest at the crowd. He’s famous for that.

Sounds like a great time as always, and The Lovely Anna and I have already booked our tickets. I’ll pass along the list of Reuben nominees once they are released.