Alexa Ratings: Who Do They Choose For Top Indie Cartoonist? | Humor

By AlexaFerotina
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Ever wondered who is the most popular cartoonist working today? It is relatively easy to tell with movie stars, simply looking at box office sales and how often they appear on talk shows. But cartoonists are a private bunch.

In the last quarter of the 20th Century, i would have to say my two favorites were Gary Trudeau (Doonesbury) and Scott Adams (Dilbert). Adams is still going strong with Dilbert. He happens to have an economics degree, worked many years in corporate America, so probably has a lot of stories to tell, and does so well in his strip. Even as late as 2000, the late great Charles Schulz was drawing Peanuts (he retired that year). Many say his later work was some of his best. I tend to agree, but he took some risky chances during the Viet Nam War and ruffled some feathers. In the early 1970's his strip debated sensitive issues such as religion, war, and politics. He was never one to make excuses or take prisoners.

Charles Adams was a corporate stiff at Pacific Bell in 1995 but drawing "Dilbert" at home every day. he revealed to us the "new corporate America" which was confusing at best. Workers were all packed in cubicles, like sardines. Gary Larson (The Far Side, Rick London (Londons Times Cartoons), and Dave Coverly (Speed Bump) go down as my all-time favorites. Of course cartooning like any art is subjective. I like this kind of cartooning because of what I call "extreme editing". All three of these talents know how to tell a story, a big story in just a few words. Rick London strikes me as one of the most creative with his Londons Times Cartoons. I visit the site daily, and often order products from his many gift shops. I love having humorous things that truly give me belly-laughs around the house. It is why I purchased all of Gary Larson's books and calendars (not to mention some mugs) and London has even a bigger selection of licensed products and I try to buy as many of them as I can, but usually end up giving them as gifts.

Though Mensa offers much in the way of learning and teaching to its members, my feeling is that it is outdated as it does not take EQ Emotional IQ into account. Some of the brightest people I have ever known or been exposed to, these brilliant cartoonist for instance, might not be Mensa material, but they are just as brilliant. This new type of brilliance was discovered by author Robert Goleman in the mid-1980's and he wrote a best-seller on it called "Emotional IQ" or EQ. It is a book worth reading. The author received a PHD from an ivy league school after being told all his life he was autistic.

Cartoonists, artists, writers, etc are known to have higher EQ's than IQ's. This is not the type members Mensa is looking for, but I doubt these creators care. They are in the business to make people laugh and feel good, and they do a very good job.

When Gary Larson and Dave Coverly started, periodical and newspaper publishing were king. In fact, the Internet was in its infancy and rarely if ever used for cartooning. I wish Coverly had more books out. I am sure it would be like when Gary Larson did and I collected them and kept them near my bed. If i felt tired or bad, I simply opened a Far Side book and my mood changed for the better. That is how I feel when I go to Rick London's cartoon site today.

Rick London and designer Yves St. Laurent had similar challenges. Both were in artistic fields and neither could draw. So they formed a "team of creative illustrators to illustrate their work, and then it was manifested into products. St. Laurent retired at the top of his field, and London is still plugging away with Londons Times, creating new cartoons daily that appear on his site, over 8500 in all. It is truly amazing.

Choosing best in working cartoonist today is no easy task. But when one views Rick London's collection, many of them well-known classics, published worldwide and highly critically-acclaimed, one has to wonder how he did it starting with nothing. but he did. My vote is for Rick London as the greatest cartoonist and humorist in our lifetime.

About the Author

The Web offers thousands of funny cartoons. Ranked highest among them worldwide is Alexa Rankings: Top Cartoon On The Intenet, Rick London's Londons Times Cartoons

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