Bloghorn

Rosie Brooks, a member of the Professional Cartoonists'  Organisation, which runs the Bloghorn, has found a piece of her artwork adorning a US postage stamp. That's because she painted the guitar that Sir Paul McCartney is pictured with on one of a range of stamps for the animal welfare charity PETA. You can watch Rosie painting the guitar (at high speed) here.

The Christian Institute has latched onto a recent cartoon by The Telegraph's Matt Pritchett, arguing that his gag reflects public opinion over the recent banning of prayers as part of council meetings. You can read their take on the cartoon here.

Stephen Collins, cartoonist for The Guardian, Prospect, The Spectator and others, has contributed a range of cartoon postcard designs for the Time To Change mental health campaign. See them here.

Forbidden Planet reports here on Marvel's legal victory over the comic-book writer Gary Friedrich, while The Daily Cartoonist points out that the legal tussle does the publisher no favours with fans.

Lord Baker of Dorking appears on the Panel Borders podcast to discuss his love of cartoons and his contributions to the Cartoon Museum's latest exhibition, Her Maj.

And finally, Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, Life In Hell and Futurama,  has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The big story in cartooning this week unfolded in the US, as a large number of editorial cartoonists took issue with The New York Times for soliciting cartoons on-spec (see No!Spec for useful background on this issue).

Aardman Animations, the studio behind Wallace and Gromit, has denied it is unhappy with comparisons between their hapless inventor character and Labour leader Ed Miliband in cartoons by Times cartoonist Peter Brookes. Responding to press reports that had claimed it was concerned about damage to its brand, Aardman said the cartoons are 'great fun'. A piece in The Telegraph goes further, suggesting that Miliband should be flattered by the comparison.

When singer-songwriter Ryan Adams banned photography from his latest tour, the St. Louis Riverfront Times sent an illustrator along instead.

In Morocco, an 18-year-old has appeared in court after posting caricatures of King Mohammed VI on Facebook.

Royal Mail has unveiled a new set of Roald Dahl stamps, with illustrations by Quentin Blake. 

And there's more on the Cartoon Museum's alternative Jubilee show, Her Maj, as curator Anita O'Brien guides Culture24 though the exhibition.

Martin Rowson and Steve Bell, political cartoonists and members of the Professional Cartoonists' Organisation, will take part in The Guardian news organisation’s Open Weekend next month. Details of their respective events here and here.

Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor for The New Yorker, considers the importance of accuracy in gag cartoons.

Staying woth The New Yorker, the US cartoonist Bob Staake, tells Wicked Local Eastham about the process for creating a cover image, his studio environment and embracing digital techniques. Read more here.

Rod Warren is also passing on his skills on to the next generation.

And finally, the Cartoon Museum in London is receiving plenty of good publicity for its new Jubilee exhibition, Her Maj, including this from Sky News. PCO member Simon Ellinas also reports on the private view here.

Christian Adams, political cartoonist for The Telegraph, has begun blogging on a daily basis, providing a fascinating insight into the process behind his latest cartoons and offering up preliminary sketches and captions that didn't quite make it. The blog can be found here, and is sure to be worthy of repeat viewings.

Sticking with the Telegraph, Matt Pritchett - long-time pocket cartoonist for the paper - has been interviewed by The Oxford Student.

Cartoon Movement has news of two cartooning exhibitions. Justice and Security: There is More Than One Truth opened at the London School of Economics on 23rd January, while Movement member Zunar has a solo exhibition - titled To Fight Through Cartoons - at London's Free Word Centre from 15th February. More details can be found here.

Beano icon Dennis The Menace is to appear on the London stage in his very own musical, which runs at the Southbank Centre for three days next month.

In case this round-up seems too upbeat, fear not - a report by The Herb Block Foundation has claimed that the golden age of editorial cartooning is dead. The Daily Cartoonist highlights a few quotes and also provides a link to the full report, which features essays by 11 leading cartoonists.

The Chris Beetles Gallery in London is offering work by a wide range of well-known cartoonists in its 13th annual sale. The show features original pieces by cartoonists including Ronald Searle, Norman Thelwell, Matt, Larry, William Heath Robinson, Tony Husband, Michael Heath, Frank Dickens, Mac, Kipper Williams and Mike Williams, among others. There is also plenty of artwork by painters and illustrators working in other fields. See the gallery's website for details.

Sarah McIntyre spent a day in December with Chris Riddell, political cartoonist for the Observer and fellow children's books illustrator. Sarah visited his studio and leafed through his extremely detailed sketchbooks, posting plenty of photos here.

The Delaware County Daily Times looks at the life and work of William Steig, the prolific New Yorker cartoonist and creator of Shrek, in this insightful article.

And finally, DC Comics -- the home of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman -- has unveiled its new logo, which features a "peeled back" design intended to "symbolize the duality of the iconic characters". Take a look here.

The BBC takes a look at the history and purpose of political cartoons in an engaging TV report titled Drawing Blood (iPlayer has the link until Saturday 14th January, so watch it before it disappears!).

The 100th birthday of legendary New Yorker cartoonist Charles Addams was celebrated this month with a specially commissioned Google doodle.

Ralph Steadman - renowned cartoonist and member of the Professional Cartoonists' Organisation - speaks to The Telegraph about his most memorable travel experiences.

Stephan Pastis, the creator of 'Pearls Before Swine', tells The Washington Post about his new iPad app and why cartoonists must embrace the move to new digital realms.

Brian John Spencer, an aspiring cartoonist, blogs for The Huffington Post (UK) about his process for creating a political cartoon.

And finally, The Economist has added to the long list of tributes to Ronald Searle, who died on 30th December. The obituary is written in the distinctive style of one of Searle's best-known creations, Molesworth, and can be enjoyed here.

As Google continues to expand into new areas, it has entered the world of cartoons with its own take on the traditional caption competition. Mashable.com has more details here, and you can submit your captions for Google cartoons here.

In the US, presidential hopefuls including Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are getting the comic book treatment.

Philadelphia Daily News cartoonist Signe Wilkinson came up with a novel solution to fill her regular slot in the paper while she took a year-end break, by having local politicians draw the cartoons instead. Philadelphia's mayor, Michael Nutter, was the first to take up the challenge. Wilkinson told blogger Jim Romanesko that by inviting two female officials to take part, "I've significantly upped the number of women editorial cartoonists in America".

Pop artist James Rizzi, known for his cartoony paintings and sculptures, has died aged 61.

Having appeared in a sketch for Stewart Lee's recent BBC2 show, comics writer and occultist Alan Moore has collaborated with the comedian again, providing the Thought For The Day when Lee guest-edited Radio 4's Today programme on New Year's Eve. Forbidden Planet has links and the transcript, in which Moore explains why he worships a god he knows doesn't exist.

The biggest cartooning story of the week unfolded in the US, where Columbus Dispatch cartoonist Jeff Stahler has been accused of plagiarism and suspended from the paper. The Daily Cartoonist has details here, and Bloghorn will be looking at the story - and possible ramifications - in more detail in a dedicated post next week.

Bloghorn is sad to report that veteran gag cartoonist Hugh Burnett has died. Best known for his jokes featuring monks, one of which is reprinted by Private Eye this week to acknowledge his passing, Burnett was also a television producer who pioneered in-depth TV interviews for the BBC. You can read more about this side of his career from The Scotsman's obituary.

In other sad news, Jerry Robinson - the comic-book artist who helped create iconic Batman characters including Robin and The Joker - has died aged 89. Newsarama has tributes from other comics creators here.

Martin Rowson - political cartoonist for The Guardian and a member of the Professional Cartoonists' Organisation, which runs the Bloghorn - will present My History of the World in 15 Minutes in a free talk at the Southbank Centre in London this Saturday. See the website for details.

Alan Moore has defended the Occupy protestors following negative comments by fellow comics legend Frank Miller, according to The Guardian.

Comics artist and teacher Chris Schweizer has begun a series of instructional blog posts about cartoon composition by looking at the perils of the tangent (thanks to Drawn for bringing this to our attention).

Finally, "this week's guest publication", Caravan Times, is offering one lucky reader the chance to be caricatured, along with their caravan, by the Bloghorn's very own editor, Matt Buck. See the site for details.

Bloghorn is sad to report that caricaturist and political cartoonist Richard Willson has died. Willson enjoyed a long career that included a 31-year stint at The Times, and the paper has paid tribute to him here (payment required). His passing has also been noted in touching obituaries by two of his other regular clients, The Ecologist and The Tablet.

Ronald Searle has been interviewed on his favourite books by The Daily Mail (thanks to the Searle tribute blog Perpetua for drawing this to our attention).

A copy of the first issue of Action Comics -- which famously features the debut appearance of Superman -- has been sold for more than $2 million.

Staying on a superhero theme, artist Kerry Callen has had some fun animating iconic American comic-book covers. Check out the results at Callen's blog.

Finally, an animated short by Walt Disney that pre-dates Mickey Mouse has been found in a British archive, and will be auctioned off this month. Reuters has more here.

The prolific cartoonist David Langdon, whose long career included work for The New Yorker, Punch and The Spectator,  has died at the age of 97. Among his achievements, Langdon claimed to have originated the 'open mouth' expression now used by almost every gag cartoonist to clarify who is speaking in their compositions. See The Guardian for an extensive obituary, while the Bucks Free Press has more here.

Gerald Scarfe's savage and iconic depictions of Margaret Thatcher have led to a newly discovered species of pterosaur being named after the caricaturist. The Portsmouth News explains all here.

DC Thomson has announced a digital subscription service for its weekly comics, The Dandy and The Beano, allowing readers to get their fix via iPad or iPhone. The Courier has more details here.

Finally, while writing about the recent sale of a Roy Lichtenstein painting, ArtInfo.com questions the value - or lack of it - that is placed on original comic art, compared with the 'fine art' it inspires.