Category: Craig MacIntosh

Craig MacIntosh – Mentor

Writer Craig MacIntosh at a book signing.

Sally Forth 40th Anniversary Flashback:

Back in 2010 I began working as an assistant to Craig MacIntosh. It started with inking a few dailies which lead to a job inking and coloring the Sally Forth Sunday pages. When Craig decided to retire at the end of 2012 I worked up some samples (under Craig’s watchful eye) which were then submitted to King Features Syndicate. After navigating the proper channels the word was given from on high at King and I was given the green light.

I can’t say enough about how great it was working with Craig. He’s the consummate professional who makes the incredibly stellar work he does look easy – a great friend and mentor.

Craig Macintosh as the featured artist in the Rosemount Area Arts Council’s Fall 2021 Gallery Show at the Robert Trail Library in Rosemount, Minnesota.

If you’re a fan of techno-thrillers,
check out Craig MacIntosh’s books at
Karakol cjmacintosh.com.
Highly recommended!

Meeting Greg Howard

Post author By Jim Keefe
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2 Comments on Meeting Greg Howard

Cut to the Minikahda Country Club the summer of 1982 where a high school age Jim Keefe is busy bussing tables. The goal is to someday become a comic book artist, but there’s no clear path for that pipe dream.

The buzz Keefe overhears from the ritzy club members is about a local lawyer who had quit his well paying profession to become – of all the crazy things – Poitiers a cartoonist.

The lawyer/cartoonist’s name was Greg Howard.

Greg Howard 1982 — Greg Howard – circa 1982
*Pic by **Alan Light** from the*
**1982 Mpls Comic Con.**

The comic strip, Sally Forth.

With the cartoon landscape of the early 1980s showing woman only in the role of housewives, Sally Forth would become part of a new generation of comic strips – along with Lynn Johnston’s For Better or For Worse and Cathy Guisewite’s, Cathy – that showed woman taking center stage in a more modern setting.

Strips from the inaugural first week of Sally Forth.

Because of this, and the fact that the strips were original and funny, success in newspaper syndication followed.

Jump ahead to 1998 and I would be working on staff as a colorist at King Features Syndicate when Greg Howard would decide to retire from his writing chores on Sally (now drawn by Craig MacIntosh). I sent him a letter relaying the Minikahda Country Club story along with a Sally Forth collection from the early days that King had in-house.

His reply:

Thanks for your nice letter and the copy of the first “Sally Forth” book. It was very thoughtful of you to pass it along.

It’s true that I sold Sally to King Features and have skulked off into the sunset. I’ve spent the summer enjoying the relief from the inexorable deadlines. You’re familiar with those. I’m not sure what comes next but haven’t grown overly anxious about it yet.

I enjoyed your story about the Minikahda club gossip revolving around my career change 20 years ago. Thanks for sharing it with me.

Greg Howard

I got to meet Greg Howard just once in 2012 before I took over the drawing chores on Sally Forth. Francesco Marciuliano was writing Sally by this time and I had been working as an assistant to Craig MacIntosh for a couple years. Craig suggested we meet with Greg in regards to working out me signing on with King as the new artist.

It was truly memorable as Craig hadn’t seen Greg for awhile and I got to watch two comic strip greats catch up and just shoot the sh*t over lunch. I had brought along a King Features sales kit of Sally Forth from back in the day and took the following pic.

Greg Howard and Craig MacIntosh circa 2012

Sally Forth is 40 years old as of January 2022 with Francesco Marciuliano at the helm writing and myself drawing. It’s a different comic strip than when Greg Howard and Craig MacIntosh were steering the ship, but Francesco and I wouldn’t have this gig if not for the bedrock of success Greg Howard’s original Sally Forth had. To that I say, many thanks – and hope Mr. Howard is still “enjoying the relief from the inexorable deadlines”

-Jim Keefe

Tags Craig MacIntosh, Greg Howard, Sally Forth

Craig MacIntosh Sally Forth

Adieu to a Sally Forth Easter Tradition

Post author By Jim Keefe
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5 Comments on Adieu to a Sally Forth Easter Tradition

“As Jim Keefe and I prepare to enter “Phase Two” of the “Sally Forth Comic Strip Universe” this September (or “Phase 147,” depending on how many times you think I’ve altered/ruined the strip in my 22 years of writing it), we begin to say farewell to a few of the hallmark stories that made “Sally Forth”—in the words of one critical rave—”Available in print and online.”

First up is “Sally Forth Eats the Ears off Her Own Child’s Chocolate Easter Bunny Every Year,” a long-ago inherited running gag that began what I assume as a touching tribute to poor boundary issues and in the last two decades has evolved into a loving tale of parental mind games and ensuing childhood mental breakdowns.”

– Francesco Marcuiliano
Easter 2019

So without further ado, presenting a nostalgic chocolate bunny-eared look back at a Sally Forth Easter tradition!

Side note and further ado…
Sally Forth first premiered in 1982 written and drawn by Greg Howard. The bunny ear storyline retrospective shown here only goes back to 1999 due to the digital files that were available.

For those keeping track: The writing credit switch from Greg Howard to Francesco Marciuliano can be found on the top of the strip in the credit line.

For art credit: The strips start off in 1999 with Craig Macintosh handling the drawing chores, then in 2011 Craig hired Jim Keefe to assist with inking and coloring the Sunday pages. The March 31, 2013 Sunday page was where Jim was in charge of the whole package – pencils, inks, lettering and coloring.

– Click on images to see larger –

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Special Added Bonus!
Here’s two links to the Sunday Comics Department blog’s spotlight on chocolate bunny ears past – Greg Howard edition!
Chew Your Ears Off

Getting a Leg Up

And now an unabashed plug…

If Sally Forth isn’t in your local paper you can check it out online at…

A yearlong subscription to all of King Features’ comics (new and vintage) plus ten years worth of archives for every single strip is a pittance at $19.99 a year!

Tags Craig MacIntosh, Sally Forth

Craig MacIntosh Ramblings & Reviews

Artists’ Reception – Steeple Center

Post author By Jim Keefe
Post date

I currently have an exhibition up of my Comic Art at the Steeple Center in Rosemount, Minnesota. It runs through December. Also featured is the photography of Norm Crouch.

November 7th was the Artists’ Reception, so here’s a few pics…

Craig MacIntosh and Jim Keefe sharing a few “working for the Syndicate” stories.

Sophie Keefe, Nadine Keefe, Tessa Keefe and Anna Keefe.

Favorite pic of the night. A herd of MCAD alum spotted in the wild.

Amaya and Jim with their dueling Spider-Men.
*Picture @Jack Kotz*

Ben Tye, Spencer Amundson and Jaime Willems.
*Picture @Jack Kotz*

Craig MacIntosh giving Jim Keefe a great intro.

Jim Keefe, Christian Santos, Jaime Willems, Ian Cross, Ben Tye, Jack Kotz, Maddi Gonzalez and Spencer Amundson. (Amaya is in there too hidden behind Ben).

Back Row: Nadine Keefe, Sophie Keefe, Linda Madson, Dan Keefe and Will Dinski. Anna Keefe seated.

Jim Keefe talking about art and stuff.
*Picture @Jack Kotz*

More talk from Jim Keefe about art and stuff.

Last but not least, a special thanks to Mary Kay Langager of the Rosemount Area Arts Council for putting this exhibit together. Her hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated!

And for those who missed the Reception, the exhibit runs through December.

The Steeple Center
14375 South Robert Trail
Rosemount, MN 55068

Open to the public Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm

For more info on the exhibit, go to:
Photos, cartoons reflect our world in Rosemount exhibit

Tags Artists' Reception, Steeple Center

Craig MacIntosh

Wolf’s Baja by Craig MacIntosh.

Post author By Jim Keefe
Post date

Pictures from Robert Trail Library’s “Meet the Author” Series in Rosemount, Minnesota,
January 18, 2018. Spotlight on Craig MacIntosh. Craig talked about his latest action/thriller: Wolf’s Baja