# Nate Beeler, coming soon to an editorial page near you!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-beeler-coming-soon-to-an-editorial-page-near-you/105470>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 25, 2002, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-beeler-coming-soon-to-an-editorial-page-near-you/105470 "2002-04-25T00:47:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2002, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-beeler-coming-soon-to-an-editorial-page-near-you/105470/1 "2002-04-25T00:47:50Z")

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I was checking Daryl Cagle (editorial cartoon site), and I saw that [this guy](http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/Locher-Award-Beeler/main.asp) has been named Best College Cartoonist of the Year. I can see why; both his renderings and his comments are top-notch.

One thing he should bear in mind, though, when he starts doing this professionally, is that the tiny-person-making-wry-comment-in-lower-right-corner is already Tom Toles’ gimmick. I’m not calling it plagiarism: if plagiarism was that sharply defined, Jim Davis would never have been able to do Garfield because Schulz was already using a pet who had complex thoughts and disrespected his owner. But if a new artist starts out with a visual that’s associated with an established one, readers could confuse him with the established artist instead of recognizing him in his own right.

Or am I the only one who takes editorial cartoons this seriously?

[sub]And it might not have been a tragedy if Garfield had never, after all, graced the comics pages.[/sub]

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**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2002, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-beeler-coming-soon-to-an-editorial-page-near-you/105470/2 "2002-04-26T02:09:39Z")

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Not bad.

But Tom Toles is by no means the first editorial cartoonist to use a little-guy-in-the-corner. I can’t think of his name, but I remember at least one cartoonist using a little-penguin-in-the-corner.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-beeler-coming-soon-to-an-editorial-page-near-you/105470/3 "2002-04-26T02:43:22Z")

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Pat Oliphant.

No others need apply.

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**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2002, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-beeler-coming-soon-to-an-editorial-page-near-you/105470/4 "2002-04-26T04:45:33Z")

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**5 time champ** : Really? Well, I’ll be.

**samclem** : Is that an answer? To what question?

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**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2002, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-beeler-coming-soon-to-an-editorial-page-near-you/105470/5 "2002-04-26T04:57:30Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> And it might not have been a tragedy if Garfield had never, after all, graced the comics pages.

Infidel! The Fat Cat is a comic deity, to be worshipped and fed!

😃