Professionals don’t get writer’s block. I can always come up with the punch line. Mort Walker Read Quote
When I introduced a black soldier, Lt. Flap, in 1971, the Stars and Stripes banned the strip. They were having racial problems and thought it would increase the tensions. Mort Walker Read Quote
None of the established museums were treating cartoons seriously. It was considered a lesser art or no art at all, just a way to sell newspapers. Even the syndicates who were dedicated to the cartoons were throwing them out, figuring they had no value after they were printed. Mort Walker Read Quote
The frustration of being ordered around by somebody to do something – everyone can relate to that. I think Beetle represents that – the common man caught in that morass of rules and regulations. I don’t even think of it as an army strip… it’s a world anyone can understand. Mort Walker Read Quote
I think it’s legitimate to do satire. If you’re going to write a book of satire on Marilyn Monroe or Madonna, you’re not going to get their permission, because you’re going to make fun of them! Mort Walker Read Quote
Most people are sort of against authority. Here’s Beetle always challenging authority. I think people relate to it. Mort Walker Read Quote
At one time Tribune Syndicate emptied out their storeroom. They put tables full of original cartoons down in the lobby and said take one if you want one. The comics were simply a burden to them. Mort Walker Read Quote
When the war was over and the guys were back to shaving every day, the editor thought the Beetle Bailey strips were hurting their disciplinary efforts to get the guys back to routine. Mort Walker Read Quote
