May 29, 2008
Went to yoga class this morning with all the "old" people. At the end of the class one of my yoga-mates said she was attending her husband's 60th high school reunion. Another yoga comrade mentioned that because of attrition, her class has resorted to five-year-combined class reunions. The oldest guy in the class, Jim, said his class did that (he graduated in 1939) until they dropped under 15, then they downgraded everything to a lunch, but now they've dropped under ten, and it's too far to go for a lunch. So they discontinued everything. Ouch!

QTL Baby!

Kickin' It Old School
And by the way, all you yoga haters (yes, I'm talking to you Paul Hutton), according to Jim, he's in the under ten crowd at his old school because he does yoga.

Speaking of dying too early, fellow cartoonist Dave Stevens, who created Rocketeer died on March 2. The cause was complications from treatment for leukemia. He was 52. That's him, and the Rocketeer in yesterday's sketches:



Also in yesterday's renderings, is Honkytonk Sue, who's mad because she was dropped out of True West last issue and no one noticed.

The screenwriters who brought back Zorro (The Mask of Zorro), and the three Pirates of the Caribbean films are in final negotiations to write a live-action big-screen adaptation of "The Lone Ranger," for Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The tentative name of the movie appears to be Ranger. Kind of cool. Get it? The Lone Ranger, lone word, just "Ranger." Hope they hit it out of the park.

The middle sketch is of a legendary Zonie, Dick Wick Hall. Recently someone gave me a box of back issues of "The Journal of Arizona History." In the Spring 1984 issue is a big piece by Don Chaput on this odd character who he says, "was a strange amalgam of corn-pone philosopher, happy small-town business man, prankster, friend to all, and nationally famous 'writing man' from Salome—'where she danced'—Yuma County. He peaked in the years 1921-26, when his musings from the Salome Sun (a mimeographed sheet) were reprinted regularly in the Saturday Evening Post. His Yuma County characters were known across the land: The Reptile Kid, Gila Monster Jake, and the Salome Frog (who, due to Salome's climate), would never learn to swim."

Dick Wick was certainly an odd duck (maybe that's why I kind of identify with him), bordering on a con artist (he owed money to almost everyone) who went through all his money and became rather pathetic. His writings are juvenile and first line humor ("made with a laugh on a mimeograph") and at best sophomoric.

Like I said, I kind of identify with the guy.

On May 29, 2008, at 9:36 AM, Barbara Fahrlender wrote:
I was going to pick up a copy of your latest issue for my son who is a Western history buff last night UNTIL, I noticed the cover and the cover story. For your information, George W. Bush Is NOT a cowboy and never has been. As a Texan from a long line of REAL Texas cowboys, I found your story, “The Last Cowboy President,” to be extremely offensive. Using a phony Texas accent, wearing boots and a Stetson (in photo-ops) and owning a place with a lot of acreage and NO livestock, does NOT make a person a cowboy.

I didn’t buy your magazine
—Barbara Fahrlender

Barbara,
You'll be happy to know that we had the same discussions on our editorial staff with many of us coming to the same conclusions as you have. I'm sorry you didn't pick up the issue, because the phenom of the "wannabe" cowboy politician was discussed in the excellent piece inside. Sorry, we turned you off to the degree you didn't get the magazine. Please try us again in the future, I have a hunch your son will enjoy the wall to wall Western history.

Bob Boze Bell
Executive Editor, True West magazine

”Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.”
—Old Vaquero Saying