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Staake Cartoon To Debut In May 24 Chronicle

A new cartoon by award-winning illustrator Bob Staake will make its debut on the editorial page of The Chronicle next week.

Staake's "The Heard" will take the place of "The Gullibles," which has anchored the paper's opinion page since 1977.

"The Heard" will focus on questions, comments and statements Staake overhears or is asked by the myriad folks who pass by his home in Chatham's Old Village.

Staake's work has appeared on the cover of The New Yorker, which will publish another of his covers in July. His drawings and illustrations have also appeared in The Washington Post, MAD Magazine, Time, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal, among others. He's written and/or illustrated more than 30 books, including many children's books. His latest, "The Red Lemon," was named one of the 10 best illustrated books of 2006 by the New York Times. He's currently working on his first pop-up book.

He's also written and illustrated several books on humor, as well as the noir graphic novel "The Orb of Chatham" and a new interpretation of the classic German cautionary collection, "Struwwelpeter and Other Disturbing Yet Cautionary Tales by Heinrich Hoffmann."

"We're thrilled to have Bob's work appear in our pages," said Chronicle publisher Henry C. Hyora.

Staake will have the freedom to choose his topics and illustrations. The cartoon will have no continuing characters, except, of course, Chatham.

"Bob has a singular sense of humor, so we'll be interested to see what he comes up with," added editor Tim Wood.

Being on Main Street has its advantages and disadvantages, said Staake. "I can't go out in front of my house in the summer without people asking questions. They slow down and I usually say either the lighthouse is that way, or CBI is that way." He also overhears a lot of conversations on daily walks downtown, comments that people may think are simply tossed off but "may have some profundity" to them, he said.

"I see this almost as a non-cartoon, with non-content, so it could be really fun," said Staake.

When he got the idea for the cartoon, Staake knew The Chronicle was the right place for it. "The paper is important in the community. It's certainly important in our household," he said. He wanted to keep the cartoon local, and "try to have a good time at it." Staake and his wife, Paulette Fehling, have become involved in the community since moving here fulltime in 2003. Recently, they have been working with town officials to publicize and expand the town's recycling program. Staake authored a website, chathamrecycles.org, to promote the effort.

Reprints of "The Gullibles" have continued to run in the paper since the 2003 death of its author, Rosemary DeGanahl. The cartoon, which spawned a "best of" collection in 2002, has many fans, including Staake.

"I like 'The Gullibles.' I think it's a great strip. In some ways it's corny, but I think it's got an interesting thing going on," he said.

Staake and Fehling, bought their antique Main Street house in 1995 and have lived there fulltime since 2003. They have two children, Ryan, a junior at Rhode Island School of Design student who will work as an intern for Apple Computers over the summer, and Kevin, a freshman at Chatham High School.

For more information about Staake and his art, visit www.bobstaake.com