Patrick McDonnell's MUTTS is up there with Peanuts, Pogo, Krazy Kat , and Calvin and Hobbes -cartoons that are smart and funny, brilliantly drawn and full of heart." -Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons
Commenting on McDonnell's award-winning strip, Charles Schulz proclaimed, "To me, MUTTS is exactly what a comic strip should be."
In MUTTS , Patrick McDonnell strikes a delicate balance between lighthearted fun and responsible social commentary through the exploits of Earl the dog and Mooch the cat-now chronicled in their 16th book collection.
* Earl and Mooch, along with supporting sidekicks Shtinky Puddin', Sourpuss, Guard Dog, and Crabby, humorously approach a range of subjects-from napping and daydreaming to summer vacations and Christmas anticipations-in addition to tackling important issues like responsible pet ownership, animal shelters, and saving our endangered species.
Patrick McDonnell’s comic strip, MUTTS, is celebrating its 30th anniversary, having appeared in over 700 newspapers across 20 countries. MUTTS has received numerous awards for its artistry and its animal and environmental themes. These include the NCS Reuben for Cartoonist of the Year, seven Harveys and the Eisner Humanitarian Award. Charles Schulz called MUTTS “One of the best comics strips of all time.”
BREAKING THE CHAIN: THE GUARD DOG STORY, a collection of his newsworthy story centered freeing MUTTS chained dog, Guard Dog, will be published in fall 2024. McDonnell’s latest book is THE SUPER HERO’S JOURNEY, a graphic novel love letter to Marvel Comics and Jack Kirby. It was on 11 ‘best of’ lists for 2023.
THE ART OF NOTHING, an oeuvre of McDonnell’s work, comprehensively celebrates Patrick’s comic strip career. McDonnell is also the author of New York Times bestselling picture books, including THE GIFT OF NOTHING and the Caldecott Honor winning ME...JANE (a childhood biography of Dr. Jane Goodall). Both have been adapted as musicals for the Kennedy Center stage. In addition, he has collaborated with spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle on GUARDIANS OF BEING and with poet Daniel Ladinsky on DARLING I LOVE YOU. HEART TO HEART: A CONVERSATION ON LOVE AND HOPE FOR OUR PRECIOUS PLANET is a collaboration with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His Holiness has said “It is my hope that this book will open the eyes, minds and hearts of all people.”
In 2021, Ohio State University hosted Side Effects, a major exhibition of his large scale canvases. There will be a year-long retrospective of McDonnell’s comic strips, book illustrations and paintings at the San Diego Comic-Con Museum opening in January 2025.
McDonnell was a member of the Board of Directors of The Humane Society of the United States for 18 years as well as The Fund for Animals, and continues to serve as a director for The Charles M. Schulz Museum and D&R Greenway Land Trust.
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A wonderful collection of Mutts. It certainly deserves the title of "Animal Friendly": the strips make you smile and laugh, but they also make you reflect about our relationship with animals. This bookt covers everything from classic features (like Book Club, episodes at the beach, Mooch and Earl hibernating, birds migrating South), plus some recent additions (like Animal Idol, and comic strips made by the animals themselves), plus the heartbreaking and uplifting Shelter Stories. Sunday color strips include some impressive achievements, like the staring contest with Mooch the cat.
Gag a day, like Mooch observing that the time's now, or that it doesn't look like rain just because it's cloudy -- once's raining, sure. Some variations on a theme, like an animal bookclub, and Mooch's diary. Also the story of Mooch as Proshpero the wizard -- who can make things disappear, sometimes, if they're the wrong thing usually.