Greetings, Wrecking Crew,

I hope this newsletter finds you well.

On this day in 1905, Ernest Paul Bushmiller Jr. was born in The Bronx, NY.

It is a day worth celebrating, especially, if like me, you have had a long love affair with “Nancy” comics. Ernie Bushmiller is the creator of “Nancy,” and he drew the comic for about 50 years, where it appeared in the daily and Sunday papers all across the USA.

Last month when I was traveling, my dear friend, Anne Yen, took me to the Fantagraphics store in Seattle, where they had a very nice “Nancy” display. Here are a few photos from it:

What a great day that was! Thanks, Anne!

Note: the following recommendations are all gonna link you to Bookshop.com or Fantagraphics.com. Not the evil empire. You can also ask for these books at your local library. If they don’t have them, ask the librarian to “inter-library loan” them for you. It’s a real thing!

I highly recommend “Three Rocks: The Story of Ernie Bushmiller: The Man Who Created Nancy,” by Bill Griffith. It’s much more than a Bushmiller bio; it’s also a beautiful story told in a unique manner.

It’s also one of the few comic books that made me sob at the end. If you have a tender heart and you love the relationship between Nancy and Sluggo (and kinda identify with it), be forewarned. Keep tissues nearby.

Aspiring comic book artists, or those who like to get super nerdy about the medium, would do well to read “How To Read Nancy,” by Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden. It’s a total trip.

I’m currently reading “The Nancy Show: Celebrating the Art of Ernie Bushmiller,” which I bought at Fantagraphics when I was there, and I’m loving it. You might, too!

If you just wanna read a buncha “Nancy” cartoons without any academia, two new collections will make you happy. You can find them both here.

RADIO SHOW!

It’s happening tomorrow!

Tune in to Wreck Your Own Adventure, my radio program which airs on WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio every Monday from 9am-noon (ET).

Here’s the link that’ll take you right to it: https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/167724

If you can’t tune in tomorrow, that link will also take you to the show’s archive.

See you on the radio!
xo,
-Wendy del Formaggio