Original Art

I have a piece of original comic strip art, something I've been thinking of selling on eBay. It's a daily strip from "The Jackson Twins," by Dick Brooks.

Back in the day, when I had interest in pursuing a career as a cartoonist, my grandmother knew someone who knew someone, and brought me out to meet Dick Brooks — a real working cartoonist! — and to see his studio in Connecticut. At that time (I must have been sixteen or seventeen), I had developed a fairly encyclopedic knowledge of newspaper comics — yet I had never heard of "The Jackson Twins," this despite the fact that the strip had been running since 1950. I didn't let on, of course. (It's possible that Brooks had only recently retired at that point, as I would later discover that the strip had ended in 1979.)

I came away from the experience convinced that if I were ever to become a successful cartoonist, I'd need an Electric Eraser. (I had no idea such a thing existed!) That, and he was kind enough to give me a piece of original art, specially autographed for me, which I've had ever since, albeit in the back of a series of closets.

I'm usually much more sentimental when it comes to objects that represent a particular place in my life — but since I knew nothing of "The Jackson Twins," it's never meant all that much to me. I've been thinking of putting it up for sale, but there doesn't seem to be much demand. Seems it doesn't mean all that much to anyone.