Here’s Poncho in the Melbourne Sunday pages rubbing fuzzy elbows with a couple of my favorite Ozzy mates, Alex Hallatt (Arctic Circle), and Jason Chatfield (Ginger Meggs).  Not sure if I miss ‘em both merely because Canadian winters are freakin’ cold, or because they’re both wicked fun.  I’m suddenly reminded of going on penguin watch one night with Alex and finding one lone pengy huddled behind a rock ducking tourists and refusing to pose.   Hope to see you guys — and be warmer — soon.

Innocent, no doubt.

I just saw an article at the Daily Cartoonist about the Denver Post dropping 21 comics.  It really is an excellent summation of the syndicated comics situation today and the newspaper industry in general.

The jettisoned strips were a result of an 18,000 response survey.  First off, an equation about surveys.  Surveys = pointless.  Why?  Well, for a whole host of reasons; unfamiliar strips aren’t as comfortable as familiar ones, strips with continuing storylines might initially be less accessible, good ol’ voter stacking (did 18,000 people really respond to a comics survey?).  And, arguably, because fans that have more time on their hands (such as, let’s say, retired folk) tend to have more time to respond to surveys.  You might imagine how that’ll skew.

Let’s look at the list of strips that fared poorly on this survey and were dropped by the Denver Post.  It reads like a who’s-who of shiny stars from recent years, peppered with award winning and nominated and otherwise creative, modern comic-strip artists.

Then take a peek at the strips that “did well” on the survey.  Not a single strip much less than 20 years old.  Most older than that.  Two are straight-up reprints.

So what does this indicate?  Well, one thing that everybody already knows: newspaper readership demographic is aging, and more so all the time.  A salesman at Universal Press once told me that when he enters an editor’s office he’ll sometimes hold up that paper’s obituary page and say, “Another bunch of your subscribers.”  (or something like that).

Another thing it tells us is that newspapers seem more interested in pleasing their current aging demographic then with building a rapport with future readers.  Variations on the above sentence have been echoing throughout the industry for many years, and is thought to be a contributing factor to newspaper sales decline.

But it’s certainly not the only factor.  I shan’t delve into the other theories here, this topic has been scrutinized in many forums by people more learned than I.   And I can understand a comic page editor’s motivation.  If a large percentage of your readers seem to want Crankshaft and Classic Peanuts and “don’t get” those new-fangled comics, you’d be inclined to oblige.  Fans of the newer comics can always find the strips they like on the web.  This doesn’t result in much actual income for the cartoonists they like, but that’s the way today’s cartooning cookie crumbles as the line between syndicated comic and web comic continues to blur.  No sour grapes from me, I was lucky enough to get Pooch Café in “under the wire”, when it was still possible for a new strip to find enough traction to make a go, although even at that entry point a few very talented peers such as Rob Harrell (Big Top) or Mark Pett (Luck Cow) – strips that would likely have thrived 10 years earlier – were unable to find the spaces they needed and deserved.  And many other fantastic strips struggle, or don’t get picked up at all.  Pooch Café was recently dropped from the London Daily Mirror.  It was replaced by an English strip called “The Perishers.”  This strip debuted in the 50’s, and the creator has himself perished.  So another reprint strip.  Mirror subscribers are reported to be delighted to have this strip back in place of Pooch.  And so it goes, newspaper industry.

Corey, Mark, Dave, Richard, Jeff, Darrin, Glenn, Gary, Terri, Dan, Scott, and all you other superb talents on the Denver drop list, see you on the net, and hopefully at the Reubens.  Cheers.

Ringtales has recently released a whole pack of new Pooch shorts on Babelgum.com.  There are about 15 now playing (including the 4 testers that were done last year and were showing on YouTube), with a total of 40 slated to be produced in this first order.  It’s been fun helping usher these to the small screen and watching the progress from episode to episode.  Step right this way.

A few shots from “Archie” of her Poncho arriving: “Aren’t they cute? One is him peeking out of the box, looking like he’s ready to cause trouble and the next, well…Look at the trouble he’s already causing at the office water cooler! Do you think ppl will want to drink from that now??? ”

Little guy was no doubt parched after that long ride in the plastic wrap.

Order your won Poncho here (Canadian orders click “domestic” shipping).

Here’s a piece of Poncho Guest Art from Ricky Combes, 8 yrs.  Looks like Poncho ran himself over with that steamroller.

All Plush will be adding a “Canadian” P+H option at some point, but for now, my fellow Canucks, when ordering your very own Poncho just click “domestic”, the P+H charge is only 5 or 6 bucks (as opposed to the $24 “International” P+H charge).  Multiple units pay no additional P+H.

My apologies to overseas fans for the steep shipping charge, it necessary tracking number bumps it up a bit.

My thanks to all who have already invited Poncho into their homes!

After much, much abuse of the word “soon”, the day has finally arrived: The Poncho plush is here!

The above pic doesn’t quite do the little pooch justice, being semi-camouflaged on a white background, (and of course a simple camera’s inherent inability to truly capture his charm and acrimony), but now you too can at last invite Poncho into your home and begin creating pooch memories that will last a lifetime.

Order now from All Plush here.  And we at the P-Caf look forward to seeing lots of happy shots of the achromatic little waif coloring your world.   Cheers!

Nixon’s door-to-door Cat-A-Pulting Campaign doesn’t interest these homeowners.

Brief questionaire from David Paccia on his web site here.   Cheers, David.

My apologies for the long gap in posts about the Pooch Café movie.  Things have been moving slowly, but moving nicely.  I was hard at work since last spring (!) on the treatment.   The producer – an 800 pound Hollywood gorilla with an epic track record (“he’s so hot right now”) – was a tough taskmaster, but we formed a little mutual-admiration club of two, and produced a story that seems to hit all the right marks.

I then spent the last few months doing a first draft of the screenplay.  To say it was a joy is an understatement.  I plunged myself into it.  Gone were the sensations of hunger, thirst, the need to pee; I think I kept inhaling and exhaling but who the hell knows.  Big thanks to my girlfriend for handling the X-mas list.  And feeding me.

By New Years I had a completed first draft.  And I’m delighted to report that it was met with big enthusiasm from the Sony team.

Next up: another experienced writer is being brought in to work on it some more.  They’ve got some good talent in mind, and Sony seems quite keen on keeping the Pooch vision we’re all enjoying, so I’m very much looking forward to more creative input and watching it continue to evolve.   More to come.

Caleb - submitted by Kevin Stahnke from Austin, Texas.

“He’s a melon-headed pitbull who is giving his best charm-school smile for the photo. We had just finished swimming at the local lake and clearly life was agreeing with him on this day. He’s quite the character and much like Poncho he always seems to be getting up to trouble but his heart’s in the right place.”

Great color design is a wonderful thing.  I can sometimes please myself with the colors I’ve thrown around, usually if it works it happens right off the bat, but if I’ve missed it, it somehow becomes impossible to get it right.  People who get it right every time blow my mind,  Lynn Varley, Sean “Cheeks” Galloway, Michael “The Norm” Jantze, pour example.

I also learned many years ago, first from a senior at the ad agency I worked at out of college that blowing up a small drawing can give it a really sweet quality.  Somehow imperfections become sensitive and interesting.

The covers of the new Peanuts collections embody both of these things quite elegantly, designed by celebrated cartoonist Seth.  Just for fun I decided to borrow his aesthetic from “The Complete Peanuts” volume #1 and apply it to a Chazz doodle.  What Seth has done is deceptively simple, yet brilliant, I wish I’d conjured it first.

The National Cartoonist Society Foundation gives an annual scholarship to a budding cartoonist in the name of Jay Kennedy.  For information click here.

Hey, where are all the communion wafers?

Switzerland

Well, it has to be said, Poncho is far more traveled than I and as if scouting around America’s capital wasn’t cultural enough, here he is traversing the Swiss Alps!

Christian Mosimann and Alexa Burger took Poncho with him on their recent visit to Switzerland.  Taking to the snow like a pooch to a kibble bag, here is the fella gearing up for his first snow-boarding lesson (safety first of course); then confidence overcame him and he shed the helmet to flaunt his features for the Scandinavian ladies; heading up to higher slopes; tasting a delicious culinary marvel - the fondue; contemplating nature and finally looking out over to the Italian Alps.

Great photos guys and, even though I’m not a fan of the cold, I can appreciate what absolutely stunning scenery you had to enjoy your holiday.

The holiday season’s over - but maybe you’re stocking up on some bargain goodies for 2010?  Or thinking of the perfect gift to get that hard-to-buy-for person?  Well, that’s enough pat commercial jargon, we’re selling the limited merch on The Pooch Store at rock bottom prices.  (”Everything must go!”  “We’re CRAZY!”).

Get both color printed Sundays on top quality card, together with a set of decals - all for the low, low price of $25 (including P&P)!!!  That’s right - just $25 and these three items can be all yours.

Bypass the store and just send us an email if you want this deal, letting us know your preferred method of payment (PayPal or check), your mailing addy and how you’d like the prints personalized.

Prints are limited so get in quick for this offer!

Here’s a progression of panels from pencils to inks to colors.  Nothing fancy in the technique, other than the fact that I still draw with pen and paper, from what I’m hearing that is becoming a rarer thing.  So far I’m sticking to it, I just like it better.  I have a painfully clear vision of me with a long, grey beard yelling at pod-children to get off my space grass, and then returning to my home-pulped paper and rusty drawing implements smuggled in from the former Soviet Union.  The children (having no fear of me at all) will peek through the windows and point and laugh, as I will also have failed to put on pants.

An illustrious (sic) anniversary passed by recently which a good friend of mine pointed out that I forgot to observe: The Pooch Café 10th anniversary.  Yes indeed, Pooch Café debuted on Jan 4th, 2000, “the first comic of the new millennium”.  It appeared in about 20 papers, including The Globe And Mail and the San Diego Union-Tribune, two papers that have been kind enough to print every Pooch strip ever created (except that one where it accidentally looked like Poncho was “aroused”).   Poncho has drank a lot of toilet water and stained a lot of carpets since then.  Thanks to readers old and new for partaking of the journey.  A wag to you all.

“Do you speak English?”  “Parlez vous Francais?”  “Sprechen sie Deutsch?”  “Quack?”

Washington DC

Roger and Annika Albright gave Poncho a great tour of the Capital.  Here we see him paying respects at the Iwo Jima memorial; waxing philosophical with Mr Einstein; solving the world’s problems with Lincoln; catching up with Nixon outside the Watergate complex; giving himself the heebie-jeebies on the (in)famous Exorcist staircase; and finally lamenting over his rejection from The Washington Post.  You guys did a great job - thanks so much!

A very nice report from the excellent sales team at Universal Press: 10 new newspapers are kicking off the new year with Pooch, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Olympian, Indiana Tribune, and a bunch of fine papers in North Carolina.  Sweetest of sweet biscuits!

My good friend Jen found this clip on Pet Tube, and it reminded her of the “classic” Pooch (seen in the “classic dailies” Pooch section) of Poncho mistaking his own feet as targets while wearing bunny slippers.  To see the vid click here.

This haunting shape was spotted by loyal Pooch fans CS and JM in Hamburg.  “No editing involved”, writes CS, “but any idea what the second eye means?”   It can only be a Prophecy Of Doom.  Or perhaps he drank too much blue toilet water again.

Here’s the first Pooch New Years Sunday strip (from back in 2000….9 years old! Gak!).

2009 has been a great year of growth for Pooch in some aspects, even if the newspaper market has continuted to shrink.  The Zazzle store has opened with many fine Pooch products, the first two Pooch collections were reprinted along with the third at Lulu, a few prints and decals at our own Pooch store, and the Poncho plush should be ready for action within the next week.  And although I haven’t reported on it for a while, the writing on the Pooch Cafe movie continues.  More on that soon enough.

I hope everyone had a great 2009, and will double their pleasure in 2010.  Cheers to all!

Shelby - submitted by Lynette Goblinger.  Definitely a resemblance!

The very first Pooch Christmas Sunday, from back in 2000.  Happy holidays to everyone!