Keith Knight’s Suggestions for the NCS
By Daryl Cagle | June 4th, 2009 | PERMALINK
Keith Knight amuses me. We recently chatted in the bar at the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) convention that Keith was crashing. As something of an NCS historian, I thought I would respond to Keith’s suggestions in cartoon form below.
Hold the convention in a smaller town.
We’ve had some odd convention locations in the past. The convention in Asheville, NC wasn’t very well attended but was one of my favorites. I think my favorite one of all time was the one in Cancun, Mexico, where I never would have otherwise gone and the attendance was the lowest I can remember. The problem with odd locales for the convention is that attendance drops. In fact, I could make an argument for always having the convention in California or near New York City every year.
Aggressively court web and indie cartoonists.
The NCS should be doing that. They haven’t really been “courting” anybody.
Have certain convention events open to the public.
That’s a suggestion that has spawned some heated debate. In the past, when the NCS has had public events, we either had a bad experience or a poor turnout. An exception was a fairly successful book signing/public event at the convention in San Antonio ten years ago.
The one us old-timers remember is the debacle in San Francisco about 18 years ago, where the cartoonists and the public were invited to a reception/signing at a book store and the public mobbed Jim Davis (Garfield) and Charles Schulz (Peanuts), rudely driving them away and ignoring the other cartoonists. It was pretty unpleasant.
I remember in the bar at the St. Francis Hotel that night, the cartoonists were joking about how they could all draw Garfield and should all just say they were Jim Davis. The hotel staff gave the cartoonists white plates and sharpie markers to draw on the plates – in exchange for a drawing on a plate, the cartoonist could have a free drink. The hotel ended up with a huge stack of worthless drawings of Garfield on plates, signed by faux Jim Davises. I heard the NCS, Ohio State or somebody got a call from the hotel years later, asking what to do with “all your plates.” I believe they ended up on the trash heap of history.
Keith’s suggestion about “cartoonist vs. cartoonist action + beer” misses the point. Â The cartoonist vs. cartoonist action IS the beer.
Keith Knight on the National Cartoonists Society.
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Comments
Comment from Bryan Young
Time June 9, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Well why all the hostility towards web cartoonists then? Most message boards is see pertaining to the subject Print vs Web is very hostile.
Comment from Ted Rall
Time June 9, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I’m with Keith–smaller cities make better conventions. But I’m also with Daryl–they also make smaller ones. I wish there were some way to convey to folks who’ve never been somewhere how fun it is to get to know a town with a bunch of other cartoonists. Just about everywhere has something to offer. It’s only a few days, after all!
Brian, I’ve been following the web vs. print battles for a while and noticed that they follow a pattern: something bad happens to print, webcartoonists laugh out loud about it (usually the Penny Arcade guys and/or Scott Kurtz), print artists get annoyed, flames ensue. If webcartoonists didn’t take so much joy in bad things happening to print, these things would never start.
I’ve never met a print cartoonist who doesn’t want the Web to become the Next Big Thing. Lord knows we all need a NBT.
Comment from Meredith
Time June 9, 2009 at 2:31 pm
It would be great to have a society that was more open to aspiring cartoonists. I can understand the “elites” wanting to get together on their own but there are ways to keep that part without shutting out everyone else. A central source for advice and information on becoming a cartoonist would be tremendously helpful. If web and indie cartoonists set up their own professional association it would be in competition to the NCS which could eventually be made obsolete. It seems like a sensible course of action.
Comment from Rick Stromoski
Time June 10, 2009 at 5:04 am
First off I’d like to say I’ve always been a fan of Keith’s work. I’ve met him briefly at several cartoonists gatherings and believe he’s a decent guy.
Regarding his suggestions many have already been in place for a number of years. The NCS has taken the Reubens to several smaller venues over the years Asheville, Kansas City, Cancun, first come to mind. Nearly every Reuben weekend of late has had a public event either as a book signing, public auction of original art, meet and greet to raise money for charity etc. Reuben weekends also usually include cartoonist vs, cartoonist events that include Golf, tennnis, softball etc when the venue allows it.
I think most of the negative reaction to Keith’s cartoon stems from the fact that he had no qualms about crashing the NCS Reuben event which means he didn’t bother to register or pay the registration fee but still felt entitled to eat and drink on the NCS’s dime.
The Reubens are paid for by attendees fees. Every drink Keith consumed and every canape he ate was paid for by the other members of the NCS in attendance. Not a good first impression one gives when joining an organization.
This compunctionless attitude also gives implicit permission to others of like mind to do the same in the future. As a former NCS President who has first hand knowledge of the effort that goes into planning these conventions, finding the venue, negotiating the food and beverage costs to keep them as low as possible and putting on a five star gala event, it’s a slap in the face to everyone who works hard all year to have someone with a sense of entitlement to think they can just show up and eat and drink for free. Then to publish a cartoon critical of that effort doubles the insult.
Keith owes Jeff Keane an apology.
Comment from John Read
Time June 10, 2009 at 9:59 am
Rick,
Has anyone asked if Keith was a guest of the party? My understanding is that he\’s an NCS member now. As such, he\’s certainly entitled to make suggestions, and I don\’t think his cartoon was meant as a slap in the face of Jeff. Now whether Jeff was insulted or not…
Comment from Rick Stromoski
Time June 10, 2009 at 10:40 am
John-
Non NCS members who attend as guests of NCS members still must register and pay a registration fee in advance of the Reuben weekend. I didn’t mean to imply that Keith’s cartoon was an insult to Jeff, just his boorish behavior of crashing the event. That he should apologize for.
Comment from Jerry Dowlingfst
Time June 10, 2009 at 11:52 am
I suggest that freeloader Keitth Knight, if he is indeed a member, should drop out. We proud members don’t need him or his crappy cartoon.
Comment from swanie
Time June 4, 2009 at 4:07 pm
i have to take daryl\’s side on this one … new york in 2000 was a great time, good attendance … and that\’s what it\’s about … tough to beat ny or ca …