RIP to the absolute legend Jules Feiffer: political cartoonist, social satirist, comics historian, illustrated the Phantom Tollbooth, wrote screenplays for Robert Altman and Alain Resnais—and that’s the short version
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RIP. I just bought a new (old) copy of The Phantom Tollbooth even though my kids are adults because I love it so much.
Hopefully capitalism won’t immediately jack up the prices of his work today.
I was just recommending Little Murders to someone last week, with the proviso that is it one incredibly caustic and misanthropic movie (but, like, in a good way)
When I applied for my first job as a children's librarian, I was asked to conduct a storytime for the hiring committee. I pulled out "Bark George" and nailed the interview and the position. I owe my career to Mr. Feiffer. Rest easy, sir.
If you haven't read The Phantom Tollbooth (and I don't want to hear any "But I don't have kids" excuses) stop everything and read it now. I mean right now.
For my entire life from about age 10 I have thought about his cartoon about pollution where his apologist character says “big black floating specks are good for you”
people will always associate Feiffer with his political strips from the voice, but it was the absolute savagery of the way he wrote about human relationships that hooked me, especially after I found this in a used bookstore
maybe I'm misremembering slightly (and my Feiffer books are in storage) but I'm thinking of the strip of a couple fighting that ends with something like: "Violence—so much better than hurting you with words"
Saw him in person at a screening of Little Murders at NYC’s Film Forum where he described the movie was written during a time when the U.S. was having a nervous breakdown.
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Hopefully capitalism won’t immediately jack up the prices of his work today.
If you haven't read The Phantom Tollbooth (and I don't want to hear any "But I don't have kids" excuses) stop everything and read it now. I mean right now.