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Erniology: portrait of Ernie Bushmiller

Steve Justice Painting Title: Erniology: portrait of Ernie Bushmiller SOLD Material: oil on canvas Size: 52x38 Year: 2015 “Being a cartoonist is like having a bear by the tail. You can never let go.” -- Ernie Bushmiller In “Erniology”, the long-time creator of the comic “Nancy” is honored as a holy fool, sitting on his throne, while mayhem ensues. His corny comics were easy to find, easy to read and easy to understand, even when he would change things up with some unexpected imaginative stretches.Title: Erniology: Portrait of Ernie Bushmiller
Material: oil on canvas
Size: 52×38
Year: 2015 SOLD

If a kid slips on a banana peel in Norway he still falls down.    — Ernie Bushmiller

In “Erniology”, the creator of the comic strip “Nancy” for over 50 years, Ernie Bushmiller, is honored as a holy fool sitting on his throne, while mayhem of his own making ensues.  His koan-like comics (he wrote and drew about 14,000 of them) were easy to find and easy to read, but not always easy to comprehend.

I always figured Sluggo to be German-Irish and from the Bronx, because Ernie was, plus Sluggo wore patched clothing and had an extraordinarily poor awareness of grammar and syntax.  But Nancy would need to consult Ancestry.com to explain that hair of hers.

 

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