So much for summer “break”–we’ve been busy at San Diego Comic-Con, the annual Reuben Awards, and today we’re off to World Con in Anaheim (look for us at the National Cartoonists Society booth on Thursday and Saturday!) Highlights below plus a teaser for a fun new fan engagement coming soon: the Brad and Toni Baby Quiz! Thank you to everyone who shared their joy last month when Brad and Toni discovered they are finally pregnant–Karen is working to catch up on all the fan emails sent in 💕
We also heard from a lot of fans at SDCC that they’ve enjoyed the Luann exhibit at the San Diego Comic-Con Museum — if you haven’t made it yet, don’t wait! It closes September 8th, so if you’re local, this is your last chance to see it in person.
Lastly, this month’s Featured Collection celebrates one of Luann’s earliest “teacher” moments when she and Gunther volunteered at the library to read books for children. Seems an appropriate collection since Luann has recently reaffirmed her joy of working with children, but also to honor of the great Dolly Parton, who donated millions of books to inspire a love of reading ❤️
‘Til next time,
~Karen and Greg
This Month’s Featured Collection
Look! Look! We Love Books!
Luann discovers the joy of books, kids, and a bit of drama as she and Gunther volunteer at the local library. Read the collection HERE!
San Diego Comic-Con was five very full days of fans, fun, and indescribable energy! So many familiar faces we’ve come to know over the years, and just as many brand-new ones stopping by to say hello and even sharing their art with us! And we had several of our limited edition Puddles figurines find their new forever homes ❤️ We’ve got more in stock if you missed out — [link].
Fan art!
Puddles looking cute 🥰
Brad & Toni Baby Quiz
We ran a fun poll at Comic-Con asking fans to weigh in on what Brad and Toni’s baby might be like — gender, hair color, personality. We loved how seriously people thought about the options before dropping their vote in one of the jars.
Here’s Greg in action, with his yogurt lunch hiding behind our donation bin.
We don’t know ourselves who this baby will be so it was fascinating to find out what fans predict and it got us thinking: why should only the Comic-Con crowd get to play? We’re holding off on sharing results because we want to open this up to all our readers so watch for an upcoming storyline that invites you to share your guesses too!
Celebrating with the National Cartoonists Society
We were also honored to be part of a panel celebrating the National Cartoonists Society’s 80th anniversary, which was a real treat to participate in — getting to reflect on eight decades of this weird, wonderful profession with people who’ve lived it.
And speaking of the NCS — we recently spent time in Columbus for the annual NCS conference and Reuben Awards, always one of our favorite events of the year. It’s rare to be in a room with that much combined cartooning talent, and it’s just as much about the professional presentations as it is catching up with old friends in the industry.
Betty, Snoopy!, Greg, and Karen (dressed for the 80’s theme happy hour)
Supporting the Artists Behind Your Favorite Strips
One of the best parts of events like Comic-Con and the Reuben Awards is getting to spend real time with the artists behind the fun stuff you read every day — and being reminded just how many talented people are out there creating.
If you’ve ever lost track of a strip that used to run in your paper, or you’re just looking for a way to support cartoonists directly, two of the biggest platforms for that are GoComics (where you can find LUANN) and Comics Kingdom. You can read for free daily or pay a few bucks a month for perks and extra access, while directly putting a little something back into the pockets of the artists you love. And of course if you get Luann in your local paper, you are our hero! That is the most valuable subscription of all and supports both cartoonists and journalists.🌟 Wherever and however you enjoy LUANN daily, we appreciate you!
