# Cartoon question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2002, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-question/107838 "2002-05-08T02:23:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![insider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@insider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insider)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-question/107838/1 "2002-05-08T02:23:09Z")
Who draws the cartoons after the cartoonist dies? Example: Charles Shultz, Peanuts? There are many other examples of dead cartoonists whose cartoons continue to appear in newspapers. ---
**Author:** ![Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/db5fbb/32.png) [@Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fred)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-question/107838/2 "2002-05-08T02:29:20Z")
AFAIK, they are drawn by an uncredited commitee. That is, an office full of people who are able to mimic the style of the original artist. And this isn’t just used for cartoonists that die. In many cases, syndicated cartoons are drawn by commitee, with the “artist” as the head of said commitee. “Assistants” do all inking, colouring, lettering, etc. on many comics. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-question/107838/3 "2002-05-08T02:30:45Z")
Well, in the case of Peanuts, they are running older strips that ran at the beginning of the strip. That’s why it was renamed “Classic Peanuts.” I think most others simply have a group of cartoonists who continue. I seem to recall Bill Watterson saying how his syndicate had him tied up so tightly in a contract that if he quit in the middle they could have had a team of cartoonists do his strip instead. I may be wrong, I open myself up to corrections. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-question/107838/4 "2002-05-08T02:33:20Z")
The Peanuts strips you see in the papers are reruns. No one has taken over for Shulz. The comics that I’ve paid any attention to usually have the new artist collaborate with the originator for a while, and then take over solo. This is reflected in the signatures used. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-question/107838/5 "2002-05-08T02:51:43Z")
It depends. 1. Some comics (e.g., Krazy Kat) are allowed to die, usually because the comic wasn’t popular enough. 2. Peanuts does reruns (and different reruns in different papers). 3. Others hire brand new artists (The Gumps). Since the comic often used to be owned by the syndicate that published it, they can do that. 4. Often the original artist has already hired assistants when he dies. The assistants continue the strip. (Dick Tracy, Prince Valiant). 5. Nowadays, the creator often owns part of the strip, so when he goes, he takes it with him. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-question/107838/6 "2002-05-08T04:27:31Z")
1. Or, in the case of Johnny Hart, who obviously died years ago, but insists on drawing lame **BC** strips day after day anyway… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-question/107838/7 "2002-05-08T05:57:04Z")
Henry Boltinoff creator of “Hocus-Focus," the two-panel cartoon that asks the reader to "Find at least six differences” died about a year ago but he was so prolific that I think there are 2 or more years of comics to go. As for Peanuts: The syndicate promised both the public and AFAIK Shultz himself, that the strip was going to be available for just a year after the last official strip. It has been 2 years now :mad: Give a chance to new talent! dammit! ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-question/107838/8 "2002-05-08T06:26:24Z")
Just as a sidebar note: _Comics Buyers Guide_ had an article a few months ago about a short-lived **Peanuts** comic book from the '60s (IIRC). Sparky Schultz was quickly overwhelmed by the deadlines of doing a comic book while doing the regular newspaper strip, so the comic book ended up being ghost-drawn by another artist whose name I can’t recall. CBG notes that this is the only known instance where **Peanuts** was drawn by someone other than Schultz. Sorry for the lack of details, but I’m sure a resourceful doper can fill in the gaps… ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-question/107838/9 "2002-05-08T06:39:03Z")
Right here **rjung**! Late 50’s and early 60’s: [http://aaugh.com/guide/pcb.htm](http://aaugh.com/guide/pcb.htm) > [@](#): > > Original comic book stories are brand new tales of the Peanuts characters. While Schulz is purported to have drawn one of them and is suspected of a second, the creative chores on most of these were handled first by Jim Sasseville and then, for most of the run, by Dale Hale, two folks who worked out of Schulz’s studio. The drawing style and characterization in these stories do not precisely match Schulz’s. Later stories appear to be drawn by someone else, and we’re continuing to investigate to figure out who the artist was; it was possibly someone hired by Dell rather than someone working at Schulz’s studio. And when I said give a chance to new talent I meant to say: Give a chance to a new creator with a new comic! The space Peanuts is using now is preventing new talent from being recognized!