HOGANS ALLEY (2025)

"Nearly two dozen artists, writers, voice actors, executives, producers, directors and more share their insights and reminiscences about SpongeBob SquarePants, from the initial pitch meeting up to the present. We also examine the Marvel-Disney merger and examine its implications for the industry and the art form. Also, we talk to four cartoonists who are carrying on comic strips created by their fathers, and they discuss the advantages and drawbacks of working on legendary comic strips. All this and more!"

"Hogan's Alley features a long interview with Patrick McDonnell, creator of the phenomenally popular Mutts comic strip. McDonnell discusses the creative opportunities - and challenges - involved in adapting a comic strip to other media, including a big-budget theatrical movie! To celebrate our 20th issue, we identify the Silver Age's 20 key comic books. We present a wide-ranging interview with John Dirks, the son of Rudolph Dirks, one of the comic strip's founding fathers and the creator of the Katzenjammer Kids. We look back at Mickey Mouse's early years and some of the storylines and incidents that seem unimaginable today (like Mickey's repeated failed attempts at suicide). We also chronicle the history of the 1978 animated TV broadcast of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and all the creative hurdles the animators surmounted to bring Middle Earth to the small screen."

"Hogan's Alley features a long, previously interview from 1937 with the legendary George Herriman, creator of the venerated Krazy Kat. Herriman, who famously disliked talking about himself, talks about many of his famous colleagues as well as how he sees his place in the comic strip business! We take you deep inside the archives of MAD magazine's Jack Davis and look at work-much never before published-from various parts of his illustrious career. We chronicle the numerous references to the work of William Shakespeare in Peanuts. We also feature a roundtable interview with four female cartoonists about working in a male-dominated business and the changes they've seen over the years."

"Hogan's Alley features a detailed look at the origins of the classic Jonny Quest cartoon, along with rare production artwork. Also, award-winning author Jean Kilbourne writes about her time working for Li'l Abner creator and the aftermath of her unfortunate experience, timelier than ever in the #MeToo era. We have a roundtable interview with black cartoonists, and they candidly discuss working as minorities in the comics industry. We look back at Fanny Hillman, a little-known chapter in the career of Sergio Aragones. You'll also venture inside the studios of cartoonist Derf, who discusses some of the artifacts he keeps around while he works. And-believe it or not, there's much more!"

"Hogan's Alley features a long examination of the legendary Frank Frazetta's time working for Li'l Abner creator Al Capp, with gorgeous Frazetta artwork (some supplied by his family). The issue also features an in-depth look at the lawsuit that led to two versions of the seminal comic strip The Katzenjammer Kids, with new research into the legal archives. The issue has a feature on a short-lived attempt to produce a live-action sitcom based on Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy. This issue also has a long interview with Golden Age comic book and comic strip artist Bob Fujitani."

Hogan's Alley features an in-depth (but safe for work) examination of Tijuana bibles, one of comics' most notorious chapters. The issue also features an in-depth look at Hugo Hercules, the largely forgotten comics character who was the first superhero, setting the template for heroes who came later. We also surveyed a group of cartoonists about their favorite Peanuts moments, and the issue presents the results, complete with new artwork paying tribute to the classic strip. Speaking of Peanuts, the issue also has a look at how the strip received its name, which Charles Schulz pointedly disliked. And we'll fly the friendly skies with Flyin' Jenny, the comics character who broke the glass ceiling as a female airplane pilot.