I started my autograph collection in 1989 at the Ohio State Festival of Cartoon Art. It was really the first opportunity I had.

Since then, I've attended a few more FOCA, and acted like a wild fanboy, rushing around buying books and begging for autographs.

Then, I joined the NCS, and met Frank Pauer, who's a REAL collector and knows all kinds of beautiful cartoonin' history and all. I've added more autographs and more old books and such to my collection.

And originals. I've started to trade originals here and there with a few cartoonist I like and respect. I've got some from our own Chapter, of course- original Rose, Pittman, Higdon, Cassady, Oliphant and Lyle. And I've got originals from Rick Stromoski, Jef Mallet, Michael Jantze, Scott Stantis, Dave Kellet, Steve McGarry, Dana Summers... and Roy Doty!

It's one of Doty's Laugh-In strips from 1971, and it's really cool- and the earliest strip I own so far. Well, I want to be like Frank Pauer and Dave Kellet- maybe collect some more cartoon art... and maybe get something older... before I was born, at least... Hmmm.

So I've kicked it off. I won an online auction for a 1958 Chic Young 'Blondie' strip. There are some corrections on one of the word balloons. That's probably why I got it- nobody was willing to spend money to get a strip with corrections.

Ha. I LOVE corrections. I want to see the thoughts-and afterthoughts- of the cartoonists. I want to see the discolorations where the zip-a-tone crumbled away... When I saw Watterson's 'Calvin & Hobbes' Sunday originals, I was sort of disappointed with the scarcity of white-out. I've seen Windsor McCay originals that had been cut up by his family in an effort to create new strips from the old ones- they'd thankfully been re-assembled where possible, but man, what a nightmare.

So, do you collect cartoon art? Got something you want to clue me in on? Warnings? Advice?

Want to brag about what you have on your walls?