Comics Spotlight: 25 Years of MUTTS Comics with Patrick McDonnell!

Charles Kochman is the editorial director of Abrams ComicArts and editor of the #1 bestselling series Diary Of A Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. Kochman has edited several hundred books for all age groups, including picture books; middle-grade novels; retrospectives; definitive monographs; award-winning graphic novels and collections. Prior to Abrams, Kochman spent twelve years as the first editor of licensed publishing at DC Comics and MAD Magazine, where he launched the MAD Books imprint and edited the company’s first New York Times bestseller, The Death and Life of Superman. Kochman started his career in 1985 at PlayValueKochmanMoCCA).

Patrick McDonnell is the bestselling author, illustrator, playwright, painter, and creator of the comic strip Mutts, which appears in over 700 newspapers around the world. He has received numerous awards internationally, including the Reuben, the highest honor given by the National Cartoonists Society. Mooch, the curious cat, and Earl, the ever-trusting dog, are just two of the characters who inhabit the world of Mutts. In The Art of Nothing: 25 Years of Mutts and the Art of Patrick McDonnell, the award-winning author and illustrator’s beloved comic strip is celebrated as well as his bestselling children’s classics, including Me . . . Jane, The Gift of Nothing, South, Just Like Heaven, Hug Time, and Wag!, all shot from the original art. Also included are rare and never-before-seen artwork, proposals, outtakes, and developmental work, along with autobiographical commentary, a brand-new, career-spanning interview conducted by artist Lynda Barry, and an introduction by Eckhart Tolle.