Thursday Morning

If you're looking for incisive commentary (or even my kind) on the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard verdict, look elsewhere. I didn't follow the trial and I'd like to think I'm a better person for that. I do think that a defamation trial involving celebrities is always going to result in the spreading of a lot more defamation — true or otherwise — before a much wider audience.

Not much to add to the public debate about guns. I think some of us need to disabuse ourselves of an understandable but probably futile thought. Each time there's one of these massacres — especially one involving children and even more especially one where no "good guy with a gun" would have prevented it — we think, "Maybe this'll be the one that leads to meaningful gun control." I'm a wee bit less pessimistic than Kevin Drum is in this essay but not by much.

One of the reasons people who like Donald Trump like Donald Trump is that they see him as a "winner" — and he has delivered a lot more for right-wing Republicans than any other G.O.P. Prez of my lifetime. But he sure is losing a lot lately. Candidates he backed in the recent Georgia election went down to mostly crushing defeats…which, of course to Trump, is prima facie proof the vote was rigged. The latest attempt to convict Hillary Clinton (or at least someone close to her) of anything went nowhere, which is where they all seem to go. I'm not suggesting he's outta the game but these setbacks are nice to see.

I continue to prep for Comic-Con International, which convenes down in San Diego in 47 days. We have some great folks lined up for my Cartoon Voices Panels, and there'll be three fine 'n' fast cartoonists for a Quick Draw! game without my amigo Sergio Aragonés, who is skipping the con this year. You'll hear about other panels in due time.

Lastly for now: I am now averaging about three e-mails a week asking me to explain what the deal was with Don Rickles appearing in the Jimmy Olsen comic book when Jack Kirby was writing and drawing it. I have now explained this more times than I've had to spell my last name for people on the phone…and believe me, I have to do that a lot. I told the story here, as you could have found by just searching this site (or even Almighty Google) for "rickles olsen kirby" without the quotes. I'm usually glad to explain things like this but I don't think I should have to do it three times a week. Thank you.