Blog

I'm Speaking In Spokane

Jan 28, 2015

If you're in the Spokane area I'll be speaking at Lindaman's on the South Hill tonight at 7:30pm about the Charlie Hebdo attack. I'll be showing a few cartoons that will make for nice exclamation points about freedom of speech, press and expression. My discussion partner David Fenner will be sharing his insight and background about the Islamic culture, faith and history. We're both looking forward to answering any questions and enjoying an interesting discussion about faith 'n' freedom.n See ya there...!

-Milt Priggee

MR. Snook

Jan 23, 2015

MR. Snook, my college art teacher and advisor at Adams State University.

-Milt Priggee

The N word

Nov 20, 2012

The day after the presidential election I drew and posted a in-your-face-taunt to racists of a cartoon that simply read Nigger-2, Racists-0. It was just a little reminder to the racist crowd that they just lost to a man that they didn't consider their equal. 

The reaction to the cartoon was surprisingly....was somewhat shocking. A number of readers let me know they were upset, some were confused and others gave me high-fives! 

Some readers couldn't get past the 'N' word and completely ignored the last five years of birtherism BS. 

Some readers decided that since they didn't vote for Obama, I was calling them racists.

Some readers were confused and didn't understand the cartoon at all. They looked at the cartoon out of the context of the last five years racial hatred aimed at the President.

jezebel.com/5958490/twitter-racists-react-to-that-nigger-getting-reelected/

-Milt Priggee

Oct 19, 2012

One of the perks of working on a daily newspaper is meeting polticians when they come in to visit with the editorial board. While I was drawing editorial cartoons for The Journal Herald in Dayton, Ohio one morning I heard that Sen. John Glenn was coming in for a visit. Sen. Glenn was one of the original Mercury astronauts who was the first American to orbit the planet and my boyhood hero. So, I quickly called my wife and told her to come on down to the paper and bring our toddler, Sarah to meet the Senator. I don't remember what he shared with the editorial boards of the JH and Dayton Daily News but I'll never forget the Senator shaking our daughter's hand and signing an autograph for her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY- Sarah!

-Milt Priggee

Apr 7, 2012

 I guess people are taken from us too early to remind us how precious every minute we do enjoy with one another here on Earth is.
It's been over a week now that I heard the shocking news that my colleague, friend, fellow former AAEC Prez and ediotrial cartoonist, Rex Babin passed away.
It's very weird accepting the fact that I will never see him again. For the last twenty years of AAEC conventions I would look forward to immersing myself in his passion for what we do...that being, to graphically expresss ourselves about the issues of the day.
Spending time with my friend Rex was a badly needed recharging of my batteries as he WAS the very definition of an ediotrial cartoonist. He understaood the reason for our existence as staff newspaper editorial cartoonists was to visually comment on local issues. Rex's visuals were origianl, completely devoid of any stylistic impression from any other cartoonist influences.....his cartoons were pure Rex and nobody elses.
Rex also had BALLS...like during an AAEC panel discussion with a Newsweek editor about the selection process of cartoons for that highly regarded national magazine...when Rex stood up and asked the editor his question. How does it feel to have every cartoonist in the country sucking up to you....? It wasn't a question that needed an answer but more of a statement to our fellow cartoonists that Newsweek isn't why we draw cartoons...or at least it shouldn't be. I guess all the fawning over this editor just pushed Rex to the brink of speaking up....and I'm glad he did.
Rex had a great smirk of a smile that I always looked forward to seeing at every AAEC convention. It's a smile now that Conrad, Fisher, Fischeti, Mauldin and all the other ink slingers from years gone by now enjoy.
RIP my friend, your family is in our prayers.
www.sacbee.com/2012/03/31/4380418/rex-babin-sacramento-bee-editorial.html

-Milt Priggee

Jan 5, 2012

My wife, Jan and I were caught in the lock down at Mt.Rainier National Park earlier this week. We were there for some snow shoeing and arrived at the front gate just as the rangers heard about the eventual shooter blowing past the tire chain check point on the way to the visitor's center. While we were in the park we witnessed the situation evolve from 'a driver blowing past a check point' to 'a fatal shooting of a park ranger and full-blown manhunt and lockdown.' We waited in the National Park Inn until about 3:am when we were escorted out of the park in a caravan by a WA State patrol car. Ironically the park ranger initially was trying to stop a driver without tire chains. By blocking the road, Park Ranger Margaret Anderson ended up saving a lot of lives at the visitor's center. THANK YOU Margaret Anderson, you are a HERO and you will be missed. 

-Milt Priggee

Aug 23, 2011

www.editorandpublisher.com/Features/Article/Staff-Cartoonists-Make-a-Comeback 

The above link says it all.....check it out!

-Milt Priggee

Aug 12, 2011

Earlier this summer I had the wonderful experience of drawing caricatures at the 11th Annual Meadowlark Music Festival in Lincoln, NE. Long time cartoon friend Paul Fell invited me to join two other cartoonists, Mke Edholm and John Hambrock. There was a quartet playing some wonderful melodic music while we savagely exaggerated some local facial features.
Below is a link about the event...
northcentraltooners.blogspot.com/search

-Milt Priggee

Aug 9, 2011

 August 9, 1976.....I just got my first professional editorial cartoon published....in the Chicago Daily News!..... $50.....but hey it's a start.....even bigger than that I met Pulitzer Prize, cartoonist John Fischetti a couple of weeks earlier. 

During that initial visit with the Chciago Daily News art department....the art director spent literally less than two minurtes looking at my portfolio of college cartoons and caricatures.
He says follow me and we take an escalator up one floor to the editorial department. I can smell the print presses grease mixing with the ink in the air as we make our way to the the Daily News' editorial offices.

While we were still wallking, the art director points out, 'That's Fischetti....', who's in his office hunched over his desk drawing. As soon as he says that I fnd myself in another office, meeting the editor of the editorial page of the Chicago Daily News. He spends even less time looking at my work before he picks up the phone and I hear him ask Fischetti to come into his office.

I swear, my heart 'bout jumped out of my body as Fischetti walked in and shook my hand....and looked at my open portfolio on the editor's desk.  (I need to mention that at this time that I had one book of editorial cartoons....entitled Zing Zinga Za, by yeah.....you guessed it....John Fischetti.) Before he finishes scanning my work he looks up the the editor and says, "He's the one...!" 

He tells me to come back in a couple of weeks with as many ideas as I can about local issues to see if I can come up with ideas as well as I can draw. I do as I was instructed and by the time I get home after dropping off my penciled roughs. The editor is on the phone asking me if I can have two of my roughs inked by tomorrow for $50. per cartoon.

Wow-! that was easy....all I have to do is read, think, draw 'n' ink. I could do that for a living....HELL- I just did it. Later meetings with Fischetti I asked him how does a person get a job as a staff editorial cartoonist?  He shared with me as you're starting out make sure you provide a newspaper with a cartoon that they can't get from any other source, ie: LOCAL. Syndicates will never, I mean NEVER will be able to supply local commentary to any newspaper, it's just not financially viable. John also shares with me that to actually secure a job as a staff newspaper cartoonist....you have to be LUCKY-!

Being an ex- jock I new I could make my own LUCK by working hard and putting myself into the position to being .....lucky. Being ready to answer the door when opportunity knocks. Well- after 35 years and countless local cartoons for newspapers in 11 states ....I understand what John Fischetti was sharing with me when he used the word 'LUCK'.

I mistook 'luck' for 'preperation'. The luck that John was talking about was the kind of luck that you can't work or prepare for. The kind of luck you need to secure a staff position as a newspaper editorial cartoonist is the kind of luck you need to be born into wealth.

I've accpeted the fact that securing a position as a staff newspaper editorial cartoonist just wasn't in the cards for me. As much as I wanted and worked for it, I just wasn't cut out for it.

Fortunately for me, the Internet arrived in time to allow me to read, think, draw 'n' ink...!

-Milt Priggee

Aug 8, 2011

 I'm a pretty lucky guy. I've been drawing cartoons all my life and I have collected a lot of wonderful, strange and fun memories. I've met cartoonists from all over the world along with some of the biggest names in the business. My cartoons, caricatures and comic strip have all enjoyed national syndication and
my work has won awards on the international, national, state and regional levels.

I'll be using this forum to share the past, present and future news about editorial cartooning, journalism and or whatever.

I hope you come back to read what I have to share.

-Milt Priggee