Patrick McDonnell
With its expressive art and humorous, often philosophical, writing, Mutts has become a favorite among comic strip readers worldwide. Created by Patrick McDonnell in 1994, Mutts is currently distributed to more than 700 newspapers by King Features Syndicate. Unlike many other comic strips with animal characters, Mutts' Earl (the dog) and Mooch (the cat) get their charm from acting much more like pets than people.

"People really identify with that special bond we all have with our animal companions," says McDonnell. "Animals have unique personalities all their own. In Mutts, I try to express the world from their point of view."

McDonnell, who has a strong interest in the history of comics, has great appreciation for the work of comic strip artists who have preceded him and lists Charles Schulz ("Peanuts"), E.C. Segar ("Popeye") and George Herriman ("Krazy Kat") among his major influences. McDonnell is the co-author of the definitive history of Herriman's work, Krazy Kat: The Art of George Herriman, published by Abrams in 1986, and comics fans often favorably compare Mutts to this classic strip. Charles Schulz, who returned McDonnell's professional admiration, called Mutts "one of the best [comic strips] of all time."

Mutts has been published in 14 best-selling Andrews McMeel reprint collections and in "Mutts: The Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell,", the cartoonist's critically acclaimed art monograph about his life and work published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. In Oct. 2005, "The Gift of Nothing," McDonnell's first Mutts children’s book, was published by Little, Brown. The Mutts Web site (www.muttscomics.com) has received over 112 million hits (and 2.3M unique visitors) since its inception in 2003.

While Mutts is still relatively new to the comics pages, it has already received a high level of recognition. Over the past 10 years, the strip and its creator have earned numerous top honors from the cartooning and comic book industry. McDonnell has received the Harvey Award five times for “Best Syndicated Strip” in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002 and again in 2003. He also won the prestigious Adamson Statuette from the Swedish Academy of Comic Art for "Best International Comic Strip Artist" in 1997, the National Cartoonists Society’s “Best Comic Strip of the Year’ and Germany’s Max and Moritz “International Cartoonist of the Year” in 1998, and the NCS Reuben Award for “Cartoonist of the Year” (a lifetime achievement) in 1999.

McDonnell has twice received the Ark Trust's Genesis Award for outstanding contribution to animal protection by a cartoonist, first in 1997 and again in 1999. On March 19 at the televised awards program, which is now presented by The Humane Society of the United States Hollywood Office, McDonnell will be the first-ever cartoonist honored with the Genesis Award for Ongoing Commitment.

A dedicated advocate for animal protection, McDonnell has worked with the Humane Society of the United States and the North Shore Animal League to create a special series of Mutts "Shelter Stories" strips to help raise awareness of the plight of animals in shelters and promote pet adoption. He also often partners with animal shelters and their mobile units to help local pets find homes during his book signing appearances across the country.

In recognition of his many contributions to animal protection, the members of The Humane Society of the United States appointed McDonnell to serve on the organization's Board of Directors.

McDonnell was born in 1956 and raised in New Jersey with his two brothers and a sister. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1978 and sold illustrations to The Village Voice while still in school. His first job upon graduation was illustrating Russell Baker's column for The New York Times Magazine, a job he held for 10 years. Other credits include Bad Baby, a monthly strip that appeared in Parents magazine; the "Scorecard" column in Sports Illustrated; "Bright Ideas" in Parade; and the Reader's Digest "Laughter" page.

McDonnell also created an animated television commercial for the New York Philharmonic in 1993.

McDonnell lives in New Jersey with his wife, Karen, his dog, Earl, and their cat, Meemow. When not working on his many projects, he enjoys painting and playing the drums.

Web site: http://www.muttscomics.com

Mutts Books From Andrews McMeel

Mutts (1996 anthology)
Mutts II: Cats and Dogs (1997 anthology)
The Mutts Little Big Book (1998 gift book)
Mutts: More Shtuff (1998 anthology)
Yesh! (1999 anthology)
Mutts Sundays, (1999 Sunday color comics collection)
Our Mutts: 5 (2000 anthology)
Mutts 6: A Little Look-See (2001 anthology)
Sunday Mornings (2001 Sunday color comics collection)
"What Now?": Mutts 7 (2002 anthology)
"I Want to Be the Kitty: Mutts 8" (2003 anthology)
"Sunday Afternoons : A Mutts Treasury" (2004 Sunday color comics collection)
"Dog-Eared: Mutts 9" (2004 anthology)
"Who Let the Cat Out?: Mutts 10" (2005 anthology)
"Sunday Evenings: A Mutts Treasury" (2005 Sunday color comics collection)

Other Publishers:
"MUTTS: The Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell" (2004 Harry Abrams Publishing)
"The Gift of Nothing" (2005 Little, Brown Publishing)