With the ever shrinking size of the newspaper page I don’t think there is a cartoonist out there that makes better use of those imposed limitations than Patrick McDonnell. His strip, MUTTS is a masterpiece of minimalism. He borrows from the stylings of George Herriman but adds his own modern look to it. His layouts are beautifully simple. Because of his minimal approach there is always enough room for his copy and his type is actually large enough to read on a comic page!
I have to admit, that I didn’t always “get” Mutts, but I always admired the artwork. I’ve since come around to his gentle humor and whimsy. This is a great modern strip with a throwback feel to it. His characters are so cute you can’t help but fall in love with them.
The first time I heard of Patrick McDonnell, it was as the author of what I consider to be the ultimate George Herriman biography. For me, it was better than a simple compilation of Herriman strips would be because it put them in context and made them accessible. Wonderful stuff. Being able to write that volume and then draw “Mutts” is akin to Ken Burns making a documentary on the Civil War and then going on to make “Gone With the Wind” or something. That kind of talent is pretty rare.