When Ray Billingsley’s gently funny, often insightful comic strip about an African-American family addressed the pandemic in real time, the story became heartbreakingly immediate.
Michael Tisserand is author of Krazy: George Herriman, A Life in Black and White (HarperCollins). His website is www.MichaelTisserand.com.
COMIC TIMING
DRAWING BLOOD
The legendary cartoonist, who turns 91 this month, has been satirizing politicians for decades. In an interview, he lays out the grotesque similarities between Nixon and Trump.
ODD COUPLE
The unlikely friendship between the first black heavy weight champion Jack Johnson and celebrated cartoonist Tad Dorgan changed both boxing and cartooning.
MIX IT UP
A self-described ‘mutt,’ Obama encouraged us to think about race in ways that erased the color line. But George Herriman, another mutt, and his creation Krazy Kat were there first.