Over the Hedge by T Lewis and Michael Fry for June 16, 2023

Depends on the cartoon. Do the deadbeats have kids with artistic talent? It worked for Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois. Does the comic make enough money to attract some other artist? That worked for several cartoons.

I’m dodging shrapnel from the fourth wall being broken so hard.

Hey Michael an T. – if you are going to live on cale and spring water from now on – don’t let your personal utter boredom suck the life out of the cartoon, right? :)

One time there were three dead beats. I gotta love the attitude of these cartoon writers. Instead of calling other people names, they’re calling themselves names. My science teacher did that once. Of course we as students wouldn’t have dared called him that unless we liked detentions.

Does that mean Lewis and Fry need to stop eating Twinkies?

Most of the time, creators either have someone take over for them when they die or they just end the series. Sparky ended Peanuts right before he died, but the characters live on in the animation department.

What have we told you guys about talking to cartoonists!?

I’ve wondered that myself: From a toon’s perspective, what happens when nobody continues the comic? Do they “die”? Do they keep living their lives unseen? Or are they frozen in time?

Gasoline Alley held on for decades after the original artist retired, passed on to his assistant, who passed it on to his. Only recently has it (in the opinion of many) gone down hill.