New collection of Richard Thompson art coming out next weekend

The Incomplete Art of "Why Things Are"
Art by Richard Thompson
Foreword by Joel Achenbach • Edited by Michael Rhode
The Richard Thompson Library, Volume 1

Before the incalculable capacity of the Internet to answer nearly any question put to it while allowing a legion of pedants to hold forth without constraint, getting the facts of the matter took some effort. Just before the end of those benighted times there was a Washington Post column entitled "Why Things Are" to which readers could pose everything from child-like queries to stoner hypotheticals in the hope of answers to life's arcane conundrums. That weekly column ran in the newspaper from 1990 to 1996, and it was adorned with smart, silly cartoons by then staff artist extraordinaire Richard Thompson. In retrospect, it's not surprising that those cartoons stand up quite well by themselves, getting their own laughs from the eccentric questions posed by readers. Gathered here for the first time is a (near) complete collection of Thompson's genius illustrations and cartoons for "Why Things Are," the first regular humor series in Thompson's career.
THE RICHARD THOMPSON LIBRARY

The Richard Thompson Library, published by Picture This Press, collects the work of one of the great artists working in cartooning and illustration in the last 25 years.
Paperback: $27.95 • 346 pp. • B&W • paperback • ISBN: 978-0-9906932-8-4

Hardcover: $34.95 • 346 pp. • B&W • hardcover • ISBN: 978-0-9906932-9-1


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Richard Thompson (1957-2016)

Photo by Allan Janus

Thompson—one of his generation's greatest cartoonists and caricaturists—was beloved by readers and fellow artists alike. Pat Oliphant called him "Michelangelo with a sense of humor," and Bill Watterson, who had not said anything publicly in almost 20 years, broke his silence to credit Thompson with "giving me a reason to read the comics again." In a more than 35-year career, Thompson, his work appeared in U.S. News & World Report, The New Yorker, Air & Space/Smithsonian, National Geographic, and The Atlantic Monthly. He is best known for his 2004–12 syndicated comic strip, Cul de Sac.

One week from today. Heroes con and Drink and Draw!

See you then! Remember that you can stop off your art donations anytime Friday during the show!


Chris

John Cuneo donates to our Drink and Draw

We received the news this weekend that one of Richard Thompson's favorite illustrators, John Cuneo was donating this drawing to Team Cul de Sac for our auction at Heroescon June 16th.

If you are not familiar with John's work, you need to get familiar with it.

The Drink and Draw will be at a Westin ballroom on Friday evening. Time9 usually at 7:30 and Room will be announced ASAP.

John, thank you for the beautiful drawing. Wow.

Here is a video to make me drool.

Heroescon Team Cul de Sac Drink and Draw 2017

It is time to ask for art donations in advance of our Drink and Draw on June the 16th. 

If you would like to donate art, books or anything all ages appropriate please send them to:

Team Cul de Sac

C/O Chris Sparks
54 Herron Ave
Asheville NC 28806

All items need to be received by June 12th 2017. The sooner the items arrive the sooner we can promote your work. 

Please send an email to teamculdesac@gmail.com with a short bio and links to your work so we can promote YOU! If you have a scan of what you are donating, please send it too.

We will have some fun stuff to share really soon with the time and location of the Drink and Draw! See you at Heroescon!

If you are attending heroescon and want to drop off the art the day of the Drink and Draw, please send an image so we can promote you and your wonderful donation!

New donation page for Team Cul de Sac

A new donation page for Team Cul de Sac is at https://fundraise.michaeljfox.org/teamculdesac

It's been about six months since we lost Richard Thompson to Parkinson's disease.