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Larry Wright Retires from Editorial Cartooning

I’m saddened to write that Larry Wright, who has worked as an editorial cartoonist for the Detroit News for decades, is retiring at the end of this month. We syndicate Larry’s cartoons to more than 800 newspapers.  Larry was one of the first cartoonists to join us when we launched our syndicate nearly ten years ago.  Larry writes:

It is difficult for me to accept an end to editorial cartooning — I started doing it in my first newspaper job in 1961. I have been retired from the Detroit News since April 2006 but they kept me on for 3 free-lance cartoons a week till the economy crash in 2008 had them cut me to 2 a week. As things got worse they cut me down to one a week a few months ago and are cutting me off the end of the year.

It’s not like I’m facing poverty. I have a full pension from Gannett and I just signed a new three-year contract for Kit ‘n’ Carlyle, a daily panel I’ve been doing for United Media since 1980.

Although we will miss him, Larry will be keeping busy.

The Detroit News still has me doing regular free-lance editing and photography of collector car shows on the Detroit News website. It’s called Joyrides and has had a big audience since the late 1990s. I also get to show off my Corvette convertible at these shows.

See an archive of Larry’s editorial cartoons here; he is well known for his conservative views and for cartoons about health care, the automobile industry and Detroit sports.  A few of Larry’s recent cartoons are below.  We miss him already!

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Mike Lane Retires

I’m saddened to write that one of the great editorial cartoonists has decided to retire. Mike Lane, who drew for the Baltimore Sun for decades and was one of the very first cartoonists to form our little syndicate, is calling it quits.

Mike stopped drawing early last month when he was slated for open heart surgery, but he assures me that health is not the reason for his retirement; he just feels it is time to move on.  Mike writes,

My quitting editorial cartooning comes because it’s time, not because of my health. Which is quite good, notwithstanding. The operation was a terrific success, my recovery is rapid (as can be) and my repaired heart promises a long and robust future.

Mike writes about retirement:

When I was with The (Baltimore) Sun, I used to refer to my old cartooning pal Tommy Flannery (The Sun) and me (The Evening Sun) as the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of The Sunpapers.

R. and G. were minor characters in Hamlet, plotting and conniving and generally being a nuisance, not part of the aristocracy but always there. That is a fair description of the role of the editorial cartoonist , don’t you think? In the end Shakespeare kills them off: “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead!”

Well, Rosencrantz (Tommy) is dead but Guildenstern (me) lives on! And it’s time for different plays, acts and so, I’ve drawn my last political/editorial cartoon. Time for watercolors, greeting cards, perhaps, whatever.

Mike’s last cartoon, from August 6th before his surgery, is below.  See an archive of Mike’s cartoons here. Your work is wonderful, Mike.  Editorial cartoon fans already miss you!