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The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be

@nat.gertler.com

1.8K followers 780 following 6K posts

Eisner-winning Peanuts nerd. Writer, publisher (About Comics), founder of 24 Hour Comics Day, sperm donor (retired). "Is he the guy who did that thing?" Yeah, prob'ly.

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The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · Nov 12

Just some of the dozens of books I've written, co-written, annotated, or compiled, as an introduction.

Covers to: the alt superhero book The Factor, Panel One: Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers, Bootsie's War Years, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel, Just a Book with About 410 Drawings of Bicycles from Newspapers of the 1890s, Be More Charlie Brown, The Peanuts Collection, The Licesable Bear™ Big Book of Officially Licensed Fun!, Wife Gets Smart, Makes Husband Happy: Supermarket Comic Strip Ads of the World War II Era, Charles M. Schulz: The Art and Life of the Peanuts Creator in 100 Objects, and Be More Snoopy.

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Reposted by The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be

Zach Halper @zanath.bsky.social · 3h

"We took freedom of speech away" should be in every campaign ad moving forward.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3h

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 2h

Over on this side of the pond, we have to deal with the horrors beefsteak tomatoes, Eskimo pies, and the chain Jack In The Box selling “monster tacos” made of perfectly normal animals. It’s chaos, I tells ya, chaos!

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 2h

In case you've ever wondered: REO Motor Car company's Speed Wagon line was produced from 1915 into the 1950s. A forerunner of the pickup truck, this image here is from 1923.

Black and white newspaper ad for the REO Speed Wagon features a drawing of an open-sided truck, and a list of "What the Speed Wagon Will Do For You", with 12 items starting with that it "will handle light loads at less cost than the lightest trucks" and ending with "It will never be more than a few miles from a completely stocked and expertly manned service station, because there are more than two thousand in America."

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 17h

Women's bodies politics, 1925.

Cartoon "What You See at Sea" by Ethel Hays depicts, from the rear, eight girls standing at the beach in bathing gear, with a variety of heights, widths, shapes, and bathing suits. Text: "–and they say we're all alike!"

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The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 20h

Without downloading anything, where are you mentally right now?

Cat curled up and cozy avoiding people in his box decorated as a surf shop.

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 20h

I would put Melba Toast barely to the right of burnt toast.

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 1d

Married 25 years today. It works, even if I am lousy at doing 2-person selfies.

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The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 1d

At first I thought this said Gundam.

Now I demand a battle with Gungans in gundams.

Starfish Who Can’t Think Something Witty @irhottakes.bsky.social · 2d

Mildly upset to learn the “Star Wars: Legion” miniatures game has precisely zero Gungan miniatures despite the fact they clearly have a set piece land battle in the movies and I think it would be funny to have a Gungan army.

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Nome @nome.bsky.social · 1d

3) Adults don't look up, so signs above eye level are functionally meaningless.

Adults will stand there wall-eyed while someone under a massive sign saying "Standard Screening, Enter Here" repeats it out loud to them "Yes, standard screening, here," while their kids get it instantly.

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The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 2d

They're using "fix" not in the sense of what might do to a clock, but what one might do to a dog.

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 2d

Others are rightly mocking this for its depiction of Bari Weiss as something other than a propagandist.

Me, I'm mocking the idea that a spectrum has corners.

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 2d

BREAKING— David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, just sent out this email to Paramount employees re: The Free Press acquisition/Bari Weiss. Says she has passion for "rigorous, fact-based reporting & a relentless commitment to amplifying voices from all corners of the spectrum."

Text shared w me:

Dear Team Paramount:

I think we can all agree that the temperature of our nation's social discourse feels higher than ever. Too often, the space once reserved for thoughtful dialogue has been consumed by partisan division and hostile disputes. If we are to move forward, we must find our way back to the ideals that shaped both our country and civilization itself: open exchange of ideas, vigorous yet respectful debate, and a genuine regard for the beliefs and traditions of others.

This challenge extends to the media. While it was founded with the mission of informing the public and fostering discussion on the issues of the day, too often it has become a platform that amplifies the very partisanship tearing our society apart. George Washington warned that the primary danger in politics is partisanship. Today, that danger extends far beyond politics - threatening the fabric of our communities. When we reduce every issue to "us vs. them" or "my way vs. the wrong way," we close ourselves off from listening, learning, and ultimately growing, both as individuals and as a society.

I don't pretend to have a solution to this challenge. But I do believe we each have a responsibility to do our part. At Paramount, we have both a unique opportunity and an obligation as stewards of one of the most iconic and respected news organizations in the world. We are challenging ourselves to do better - recognizing that we have the ability to reach a broad audience and demonstrate constructive, respectful, and bipartisan dialogue in our own work.
Our mission is clear: to ensure that this global platform remains a place where people can seek the truth, gain understanding, and engage with the facts. That is our purpose.

With this in mind, I am excited to share that The Free Press is joining our Company. Since its launch just five years ago, The Free Press, under cofounder Bari Weiss' leadership,

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 2d

We know that this friction has not wiped away Nancy's support for Taylor.

I have not experienced the full Taylor Swift catalog, much less spent time on Taylorology. So I need Swifties to let me know: which of her songs could be read as a comment on Sluggo and his obsession?

Nancy stillstans Taylor Swift

Clipping found in Staten Island Advance published in Staten Island, New York on 6/12/2010. Nancy stillstans Taylor Swift

www.newspapers.com

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 2d

Nancy and Sluggo have had a confrontation over Taylor Swift. (Or, as I typoed here, Taylor Swirft, whom I also respect.)

Nancy confronts Sluggo about Taylor Swirft

Clipping found in Staten Island Advance published in Staten Island, New York on 12/16/2009. Nancy confronts Sluggo about Taylor Swirft

www.newspapers.com

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 2d

Sluggo is willing to see this through as more than just a casual thing. www.newspapers.com/article/the-...

Article clipped from The Daily Times

Clipping found in The Daily Times published in Salisbury, Maryland on 12/15/2009.

www.newspapers.com

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 2d

We know this can be perceived as a love triangle.

Nancy/Sluggo/Taylor Swift love triangle

Clipping found in The Daily Times published in Salisbury, Maryland on 12/11/2009. Nancy/Sluggo/Taylor Swift love triangle

www.newspapers.com

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 2d

What more do we know about the Sluggo/Taylor Swift relationship? Well, we know that Sluggo's gal pal Nancy has her own obsession with Taylor. (This strip predates the Sluggo one, and is probably the second mention of Taylor in a comic strip, the first being the prior strip setting this up.)

Nancy writes Rudolph about Taylor Swift

Clipping found in The Daily Times published in Salisbury, Maryland on 12/3/2009. Nancy writes Rudolph about Taylor Swift

www.newspapers.com

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 2d

Question for the #swifties :
Way back in 2009, it was established the Sluggo from the comic strip Nancy had a thing for Taylor Swift.
What song from Taylor's rich history could be interpreted as a comment on this (probably one-sided) relationship?

Taylor Swift in Nancy, 2009

Clipping found in Republican and Herald published in Pottsville, Pennsylvania on 12/10/2009. Taylor Swift in Nancy, 2009

www.newspapers.com

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The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 2d

The shift from 20 years before that was pretty big as well. If you were into comics, you read all of the kind of comics you like, plus you read the best of the other kinds... X-Men folks reading Love&Rockets, Journey, Li'l Abner, just to see.

Now you have trouble just doing All The Batman Books.

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 3d

Portugal is doing it again!

Funchal Notícias @funchalnoticias.bsky.social · 4d

Paula Margarido visitou “24 Hour Comic Day”

A secretária regional da Inclusão, Trabalho e Juventude, Paula Margarido, acompanhada pelo director regional de Juventude, André Alves, visitou na tarde deste sábado o Centro de Juventude do Funchal, onde decorre a 20.ª edição do ‘24 Hour Comics Day’. A…

Paula Margarido visitou “24 Hour Comic Day”

A secretária regional da Inclusão, Trabalho e Juventude, Paula Margarido, acompanhada pelo director regional de Juventude, André Alves, visitou na tarde deste sábado o Centro de Juventude do Funchal, onde decorre a 20.ª edição do ‘24 Hour Comics Day’. A governante e o director regional trocaram impressões com dezenas de jovens, entre os 15 e os 34 anos, que participam neste desafio internacional que consiste na criação de uma banda desenhada original de 24 páginas em 24 horas consecutivas.

funchalnoticias.net

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The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 3d

You can spend years regretting not doing it, or just have at most one day that you do regret.

(Nobody comes out of it with at least some art or some education, usually both!)

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 3d

You got it done! THAT'S A VICTORY!!!

You learned things along the way, too, I bet. THAT'S A VICTORY!!!

All art is imperfect, and the world will always make you tired, but you have made art, you have art, and you have earned your tiredness.

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 3d

I AM AN ADVOCATE FOR A LIFE OF CRIME!!!!

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 3d

Lepus Marj is correct in that this isn't exactly a 24 hour comic... which is fine, great, it's wonderful that 24 Hour Comics Day is used for any creativity.

...but wrong when implying that 24HCD is supposed to be noon-to-noon. That's not a rule. Start anytime, end 24 hours later.

Lepus Marj @lepus-studios.bsky.social · 3d

I finished my comic for 24 Hour Comic Day! It's comic based on the fairy tale, "The Rat's Groom."
Read it Here: www.lepusstudios.com/24-hour-comi...

#24HourComicDay #24HourComicDay2025

24 Hour Comic Day 2025 - The Rat's Groom - Lepus Studios

24 Hour Comic Day 2025 - A comic retelling of The Tale of the Rat's Groom. Will the most perfect rat ever find the perfect husband?

www.lepusstudios.com

The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be @nat.gertler.com · 3d

Yay! That's a victory!!

Reposted by The Spirit Halloween where Nat Gertler used to be

Marsu @marsusu.bsky.social · 3d

English version of my 24 hour comic -> peculiarmarsu.tumblr.com/post/7965688...

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