A legendary cartoonist replies

Mort Walker


Reference Date: November 11th


I've been reading the "funny pages" all my life. One of the first comics I turn to is "Beetle Bailey" which has been around for over 50 years.

The creative mind behind Beetle, sarge, General Halftrack, Miss Buxley and the gang is Mort Walker, the current Dean of American cartoonists. In addition to working tirelessly on his own strip for half a century, Mr. Walker has written several books on the subject of cartoons and even opened the American Comic Art Museum. He has been honored by hundreds of organizations for his work and philanthropy, including the USO and the Defense Department.

Despite having so much on his plate, Mr. walker was kind enough to take the time to send me an email in response to my letter. This is what he had to say:

Dear Chris,

Thanks for the nice words about my work.

The only advice I can think of is to keep trying. If something isn't working, try something else.

Never give up.

Keep a positive attitude.

Make friends and enjoy what you're doing.

Good luck!

Mort Walker


I sent him a thank you the next day.