In the News-Dave Coverly

Speed Bump Cartoonist Reflects on College, Art, and Life

Dave Coverly, author of the syndicated comic panel Speed Bump, will speak at the commencement of his alma mater, Eastern Michigan University, this weekend, Sunday, April 29, 2012. In an online article published today on the website of The Eastern Echo, Mr. Coverly offered a preview of his comments for the graduation ceremony to take place on the Ypsilanti campus. You can read the article by following this link. In case you're wondering what this could possibly have to do with Indiana: after graduating from Eastern Michigan, Dave Coverly went on to receive his master's degree from Indiana University and to work as a cartoonist for the Bloomington Herald-Times.

Copyright 2012, 2024 Terence E. Hanley

In the News-Abby Gross

University of Indianapolis Editorial Cartoonist Wins Award

Abby Gross, a cartoonist with the University of Indianapolis student newspaper The Reflector, has been awarded first place for her editorial cartooning in a recent competition sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards. The awards were for the society's Region 5, which includes colleges and universities in Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. The Reflector staff came away with ten individual and group awards all together. You can read more at the website of the University of Indianapolis News, or UIndy News, here. For a look at Ms. Gross' cartoons, see the opinion section of the online Reflector, here.

Copyright 2012, 2024 Terence E. Hanley

In the News-Dave Coverly

Cartoonist Dave Coverly To Speak at Commencement Ceremonies

Indiana University alumnus and cartoonist Dave Coverly, best known for his nationally syndicated comic strip Speed Bump, will be the commencement speaker at the graduation ceremonies of the Eastern Michigan University College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Technology on the morning of April 29, 2012. Mr. Coverly earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and imaginative writing from Eastern Michigan University in 1987 before going on to complete his master’s degree in creative writing at Indiana University in Bloomington. Mr. Coverly worked as an editorial cartoonist for the Herald-Times in Bloomington while attending graduate school, and his early cartoons appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, The New York Times, Esquire, and USA Today. In 1994, Speed Bump was picked up by Creators Syndicate. The panel quickly gained popularity, running in nearly 100 papers by 1995, at which time Coverly left the Herald-Times to concentrate on his daily cartoon panel. Today the feature appears in more than 200 newspapers and in Parade Magazine, which reaches more than 73 million readers each week. Mr. Coverly’s other accomplishments include a line of greeting cards for American Greetings and a number of books, including Sue McDonald Had a Book, Speed Bump: Cartoons for Idea People, and Caution Speed Bump: A Collection of Cartoon Skidmarks.

In addition to giving the commencement speech at the morning ceremonies on April 29, Mr. Coverly will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from his alma mater. You can read more in the following article:

“Cartoonist Dave Coverly and Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley to Speak at Eastern Michigan University Graduation Ceremonies” (February 22, 2012)

Written by Bridget Hanley, Proficient Pen.

Copyright 2012 Terence E. Hanley

In the News-Ryan Germick

Merrillville Native Designs Addams Family Logo for Google

Merrillville native Ryan Germick recently created a logo for Google in which the members of the infamous Addams Family spell out the name of the world's most famous search engine. The altered logo appeared on the January 7, 2012, in honor of the 100th birthday of the late Charles Addams, creator of the eponymous family. Mr. Germick designed the logo after Google had secured permission by the estate of Charles Addams to re-create his characters. The Indiana artist was thrilled by the prospect of working on the project and coordinated his efforts closely with representatives from the estate, ensuring he did Addams’ work justice through his illustration. 

Ryan Germick has been a member of the Google Doodle Team since 2006. The team is the creative force behind special logos that appear on the Google search engine website on holidays and other special occasions. The Addams Family logo includes the major characters from Addams' long-running series of cartoons, which appeared in The New Yorker between 1938 and 1988, when Addams passed away. The Addams Family have also appeared in hardbound collections of cartoons, on television, in movies, and on stage. Addams never named his characters. The creators of the ABC-TV series gave them the names we know today, Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, and so on.

Mr. Germick, who graduated from Merrillville High School in 1998, received his early arts education in Merrillville and at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, Indiana. (There's a small irony in the fact that a cartoonist who was educated in Munster has come to draw The Addams Family.) He went on to earn a liberal arts degree from Parsons Art School in New York and spent time in Tokyo, Japan, before joining the Google Doodle Team.

You can see the Google Addams Family logo by clicking here.

You can read a more detailed story, "Google This: Merrillville Man Has Dream Job as Search Website's 'Altered Logo' Illustrator," by Philip Potempa (March 15, 2012), at the website of the Northwest Indiana Times and Merrillville Community by clicking here.

Written by Bridget Hanley, Proficient Pen, and Terence E. Hanley.

Copyright 2012, 2024 Terence E. Hanley