The last two weeks in North Carolina had collected a bunch of scribbles for me to draw from during my live drawing broadcasts over at my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/CartoonsByRobSmithJr/

I’ll use one a few times a week during broadcasts.
Broadcasts should resume July 3rd.

If I cross your path, I may ask a Sqiggle from YOU!

Knock, Knock: In Pursuit of a Grand Unified Theory of Humour by William Hartston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This volume begins very well with a loose overview of those who have included humor in whatever they did creatively.
The book starts out very well as humor history is chronicled from the start of man through the Greeks and through the 1800s. Unbelievably, that is a smaller part of the book. The rest is the author’s view of humor, where a lot is left out, considering all we know.

The advent of technology involving books, newspapers, radio, tv and film are acknowledged. However, what all produced involving humor is barely written of. It’s as if the writer was running out of time and rushed writing to the end.

Delving into Twain, Mencken, George Kaufman, Dorothy Parker, Woody Allen, Neil Simon, etc. are hard to imagine not putting spotlights on involving humor. Steve Allen, who wrote volumes on humor, gets a mere mention.

I was really surprised at how cartooning is missing. Cartooning is entirely based in humor. From gag cartoons to comic strips to comic books, humor was the fire that started the various forms of communications.

Frankly, I think the author should have ended this book and worked to create a second and/or third volume.

This writer does have his feet in the U.K., so missing American hunor creators can be somewhat set aside. Though that raises questions of focus on folks like Arthur Askey, George Formby, Ken Dodd, etc. Moreover, tehre are so many internationally that are never mentioned.

Something only touched on, as the writer turns a bit political, is the advent of “Political Correctness” and the death of humor. That deserved a chapter in itself.

As with most writers today, this one also litters the book with ‘evolution’. This author includes the word dozens of times incorrectly. Again, I wish these writers would learn even the simplest theories involving evolutionary theory. All the writer, who misuse the word, do is red flag their ignorance of evolution and that questions whatever else is written.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 4 out of ten points.
I need to note that access to this book came via NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Bad Hombres by William W. Johnstone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book launched with top notch writing and intriguing scenes. The two main characters are pure-Johnstone brand. Well rounded and strong enough to have readers follow them in their treks.

This time the evil they are sent so solve builds up to a near-save-the-world level. It gets ridiculous, but fun. The duo interaction really adds to this series.

One line that really caught me and defined the bad guy, “…then placed it carefully on the table with a move so precise there wasn’t even a tiny click of glass toughing wood.” Outstanding line.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.
Access to review this book was made via NetGalley.com

View all my reviews

This comes from an April Fools post by Bill Dussinger that we was going to move elsewhere from his life time home. Bill had joined the live ‘Chat’ area and I joked of moving to Mars and something was posted that had me place a dog at the helm.

The ‘Chat’ area turned to high school newspapers and my writing film reviews and whether ‘Alien’ was one of those films (It wasn’t). Then Richard Scarry came up (The critters in the window). Then i brought up Martha Ross mentioning on my Swampy’s Florida page of Fleischer Shoes one time being in Downtown Orlando (Ad on side of space ship).

My fun is making it all up, creating a story, ink to paper as I draw! 🙂

ROBbing a Few Minutes: My Drawing Live Sped-Up of ‘Corgi – Space Cadet!’.

Here’s a drawing I inked live using no pencils, no plan, making it up as I drew. Drawn live reacting to the ‘Chat’ comments during the live drawing program, March 7th, 2023. I drew this live using Facebook on my ‘Cartoons by Rob Smith, Jr.’ page.

https://youtu.be/CFpdI3E_X50

Here’s a drawing I inked live using no pencils, no plan, making it up as I drew.

Drawn live reacting to the ‘Chat’ comments during the live drawing program, March 7th, 2023.

I drew this live using Facebook on my ‘Cartoons by Rob Smith, Jr.’ page.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFpdI3E_X50

Drew this with no pencils and made up as I drew.
Drew this live last week here.

Despite my training to draw comic books, i rarely delve much into it, except for my Swampy’s Florida.

Soon I’ll be working on the upcoming Swampy’s Florida comic book soon. Sans super heroes. Lots of fantasy.