I’m Ba’AAACK!!!!

 

Hi guys.  Welcome to the new and official website for my work.  Below you’ll find my first blog posting for The Free Lance-Star and fredericksburg.com/clay (since my comeback).  In the future you’ll find a cartoon in their print edition and on their website every Sunday.  You’ll also find an additional cartoon each week at fredericksburg.com/clay (can be any given day) and we’ll bring back the caption contest.  In addition to all that you’re going to find original work exclusive to claytoonz.com.

Big thanks to my son for helping me with this site.  My pal Clayton Lawrence for some additional help and finally to Eric Hennessey for feeding me ribs while teaching how to use it with wordpress.

Ok, here’s Sunday’s blog.

 

Did you miss me?  This is the first cartoon I’ve drawn in more than a year, not counting a few doodles in bar napkins and something I did for Barbara Bush (seriously, I drew a cartoon for Barbara Bush).

I have seriously missed cartooning.  For more than a year I saw a lot of cartoonists tackle the big issues: Obama, Romney, the elections, Ted Cruz, the Boston bombing, the government shutdown, the Pope resigning, Benghazi, Syria, Miley Cyrus, etc, and the entire time thinking … “you guys suck.”  I felt the need to come back.  I felt the need to put my stamp on the daily issues.  I felt the need to increase my income.

Some of you may ask what I have been doing over the past year.

The answer:  A bunch of nothing.  I have applied for jobs, submitted proposals, rejected numerous offers to sell insurance or vacuum cleaners (but seriously that Kirby sounds like one mean cleaning machine), played music with my band and solo, bought a Camaro and I have watched a lot of TV. (Then the cable was turned off and I thought, “Hey, I’ll draw cartoons again.”)

In all seriousness (though everything above is true), I’m really glad to be back, even on a limited basis.  I miss your comments. I even miss deadlines.

So here’s what to expect:  One cartoon each Sunday in the print edition and on this blog.  You’ll get an extra cartoon each week here in the blog only and soon we’ll bring back the caption contest.

I’m also going to “live blog” on election night.  That’s always fun.  I want to thank everyone who had a hand in bringing my work back.  People such as editor Phil Jenkins, online editor Brian Baer and editorial page editor Howard Owen.  I also wanna thank my good friend and former colleague Cori Campbell Heden for Photoshop advice and my good friend Chris Fink for helping me with the program.  Also, since this is the first blog I’ve written in more than a year I quite didn’t know what to say, so I’m also gonna thank Phil, Kelly and Taylor Green (Taylor gave me Syria, Pope resigning and Miley Cyrus) for letting me sit on their couch at 1 AM to write this blog.

First cartoon and first blog in more than a year is out of the way. Thank God.  It’s time to have some fun.  Are you ready?  I am.  I’m back.