Mell Lazarus
| Mell Lazarus | |
|---|---|
Mell Lazarus' Miss Peach (May 29, 1960)
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| Born |
May 3, 1927 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | May 24, 2016 (aged 89) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Cartoonist |
| Notable work |
Miss Peach Momma |
| Spouse(s) | Sally Mitchell |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Reuben Award (1981) |
Mell Lazarus (May 3, 1927 – May 24, 2016) was an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of two comic strips, Miss Peach (1957–2002) and Momma (1970–2016). Additionally, he wrote two novels. For his comic strip Pauline McPeril (a 1966-69 collaboration with Jack Rickard), he used the pseudonym Fulton, which is also the name of a character in his first novel, The Boss Is Crazy, Too.
A native of Brooklyn, Lazarus began as a professional cartoonist when he was a teenager. During his twenties, he worked for Al Capp and his brother Elliott Caplin at the Capp family-owned Toby Press, which published Al Capp's Shmoo Comics, among other titles.
In 1964, Lazarus talked about his background and working methods:
Lazarus served as President of the National Cartoonists Society for two consecutive terms, from 1989 to 1993.
In 1992, Lazarus made a cameo appearance in Murder, She Wrote episode "The Dead File".
His novel The Boss Is Crazy, Too (Dial, 1963) concerns Carson Hemple, art director of a comic-book and confession-magazine publishing company, who is told by the owner to help force the company into bankruptcy, and who responds with inventive embezzlement schemes. The book was inspired by his time at Toby Press.
The Neighborhood Watch (Doubleday, 1986) is about an impoverished Brooklyn writer who steals from his wealthy neighbors. Its protagonist, widowed father Loring Neiman, having turned to burglary when his book is rejected, discovers he has a knack for it. He prepares to give up the criminal life after becoming romantically involved with a married woman, but a criminally inclined neighbor coerces him into one purportedly final robbery. It was optioned for a movie.
Lazarus won the National Cartoonists Society's award for Newspaper Strip, Humor, in 1973 and 1979, both times for Miss Peach.
He won the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year, for Miss Peach, in 1981, and the organization's Silver T-Square Award in 2000.
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