In April of 2007, I was bummed. I had just left United Media and removed BARKEATER LAKE from Comics.com thus ending BL’s run in the three daily papers that had picked it up in the previous year or so. It was only three papers, but it was print and that kept me going. By leaving all that behind, I was simply swimming in the enormous Interweb pool of webcomics, desperately grasping for a yearly salary-sized life preserver. As if that wasn’t bad enough, people pee in this pool. Like, a lot.
Ick.
ANYWAY… I was, at the time, developing an idea with another cartoonist called ALUMINUM SIDING. We had made contact with John Glynn of Universal Press Syndicate and he agreed to look at samples and give us some direction. While working on AS, I mentioned in an email, just for venting purposes really, that I missed being in print. Maybe he would take pity on me and advance ALUMINUM SIDING without further edits, sell it to 2000 papers and make us all rich – Just from a simple self-serving comment. Hey, it could work.
It didn’t. Well, Sorta…
ALUMINUM SIDING never went anywhere and my cartooning partner and I parted ways. About that time, John Glynn sent me an email asking if I had ever heard of THE ELDERBERRIES. I had, vaguely. He went on to explain that the creator, Phil Frank, had been having some health issues and wondered if I’d be interested in taking it over on a temporary basis. I would do the art and John and Phil would help with the writing. Without doing any research on the strip or Phil Frank, I agreed.
The plan was that I would speak with Phil about my career up to the point and allow him to feel me out, making sure I was the right man for the job. We did speak and Phil was very kind and honest. He was as about as familiar with my work as I was with his. He explained that he wanted to take a break, but made it clear that he was planning on returning when he felt up to it. I agreed and told him I was available as long as he needed. After the phone call, we all agreed on my role and I did a couple sample strips of Dusty and friends for Glynn to show around to all parties involved. They were deemed acceptable and we commenced with my weird, new syndicated career.
Phil had a writing partner on the strip named Joe Troise. To get me started, JG at UPS asked Joe to write a few weeks of gags. Within a couple weeks, the first month of my strips were in the can, a press release was sent out concerning the change of artist that stated I was taking over the art duties and Phil would be involved with the writing and concepts. At this point, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I would take this little “old people” strip and rocket it to the top. I was Corey Pandolph, for cryin’ out loud.
Well, there’s something to be said for staying humble in the face of success…
In the coming months, I did some research on Phil and the ELDERBERRIES. The man is/was a cartooning legend. He did a cartoon for the San Francisco Chronicle for years. He work for newspapers and local television. He was an icon to the Bay Area and to many in the national cartoon community. My ego shrank to the size of a Napa Valley grape. I had enormous shoes to fill and I had better get my act together and keep ELDERBERRIES on the track Phil and Joe had laid down. I was running with the big dogs now and I had better act like it.
My tribute to the great Phil Frank, originally run 10/21/07
By September, Phil’s health had declined to the point that the syndicate and I were producing ELDERBERRIES on our own. Phil had announced his retirement from cartooning, ending his beloved Chronicle strip, FARLEY. In mid-September, I was forwarded an email that Joe Troise had wrote about Phil’s last evening. It was short, happy and sad. I only spoke to Phil a handful of times on the phone, but I cried when he died. Phil Frank was one of the greats and I’m lucky to have known him. It is an honor to have the opportunity to carry on in his footsteps. I only hope I’m half the cartoonist he was.
Thanks to Phil and Susan Frank, Joe Troise and John Glynn for the opportunity. It’s been a blast so far.
If this story makes you happy, you can show your support through a small donation through this week’s BIG TURKEY of a FUND DRIVE. It’s once a year, thank God.
Thank you all for your support so far!
-Corey “FRS” Pandolph
