New Astérix Stamps

The French Post Office is issuing a new set of Astérix stamps, to celebrate the little Gaul's 50th anniversary. Two issues have been announced : a sheet of six stamps, featuring several characters from the series (priced at 5,20 € of which 1,84 € is donated to the French Red Cross) and a solo stamp (0,56 €). So far, the La Poste philately site isn't listing the stamps, but BoDoï has already published a preview of the sheet.

Oliphant Maximum card from 1988

Based on this text, I'm unclear as to whether Oliphant drew the stamp as well. Does anyone know? And I don't know if the USPS does these anymore - I've been buying stamped postcards for the recent comics stamps.

"This maximum card was issued in connection with the U.S./ Australia commemorative stamp which was jointly issued in Washington, D.C. and Sydney, Australia, on January 26, 1988. The stamps was designed by Roland Harvey of Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia. The art shown on the reverse of this card was designed by the renowned syndicated cartoonist, Pat Oliphant.

No. 88-1

Le petit Nicolas

The French Post Office announced a new set of stamps yesterday featuring illustrations from the well-loved Petit Nicolas books by author and comic writer René Goscinny and cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempé.

The stamps were launched to coincide with the premiere of the Petit Nicolas film, later this week.

Le Petit Nicolas was first published in 1959. In that same year Goscinny, who had already gained notoriety thanks to the Lucky Luke stories he wrote for Morris, would become editor of Pilote Magazine, and would create the famous Astérix Le Gaule series with Albert Uderzo. Jean-Jacques Sempé, who had already started publishing in Paris-Match, would later become quite famous in the US as well for his cartoons and covers for the New Yorker magazine.

Bob Hope stamps have Hirschfeld postmark

The "Bob Hope digital postmark" is by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. Click this link for ordering info.

Naruto stamps coming in Japan

The story on the Naruto stamps and a picture is here.

Stahler editorial cartoon on stamps

Jeff Stahler's editorial cartoon on the new classic tv stamps is amusing. The stamps do have a slight comic book link in that one is for the Lone Ranger. Of course, plenty of comic books were done for other tv shows too such as Lassie and Howdy Doody which are on the stamps.

Robert Risko 'stamp' art

I was paging through an old New Yorker (October 15, 2007) and found an illustration for a review of a play "Mauritius" in which caricaturist Robert Risko drew Katie Finneran holding a sheet of Mauritius stamps. The review was Pay and Play by John Lahr, p. 102.