Character Matters: A Ziggy Collection (Volume 28)

Touching the hearts and tickling the funny bones of readers since 1971, Ziggy is a cultural icon. Who knows how many yellowed and curling clippings of the cartoon are displayed on refrigerators, computers, doors, and bulletin boards across America? Some of the most cherished panels are ones that feature Ziggy performing small acts of kindness and good works. The best of these are collected in the latest Ziggy book, Character Matters.

The charm of Ziggy is that he lives a sweetly simple life. Things often don't go his way, but he always perseveres and maintains his sunny outlook. Ziggy is Everyperson, the part of us that harbors warm feelings and good intentions, but sometimes gets stepped on by a reckless world. In the great tradition of Ben Franklin, Roy Rogers, and Forrest Gump, Ziggy delivers his own homespun philosophy and retains his individualism and character, regardless of the transforming forces at work in a swiftly changing world.

Comforted and inspired by his steadfastness, his tenacity, and his gentle spirit, Ziggy fans have been intensely loyal for over three decades.

Tom Wilson created the concept of Ziggy while working as a card designer, although he asserts that he didn't so much invent Ziggy as acknowledge him, because he feels as though the character has been with him all his life. He now collaborates on the cartoon with his son, Tom Wilson II. Both live in Ohio.

Tom Wilson began drawing Ziggy in 1987. The cartoonist's lifestyle came very naturally to Tom, whose father created the cartoon and whose family includes many artists. Tom studied graphic design at Miami University and fine art and illustration at Boston University. Although he is no longer involved in the day-to-day drawing ofZiggy, he continues to have an ongoing passion for creative development as president of Ziggy and Friends, Inc.

Online:

www.gocomics.com/ziggy/