Previously, on The Dot and Line…
A look back at 2016.
It’s that time of year again. And while, yes, we can all agree 2016 sucked, it was also the year The Dot and Line went live on the Internet. This means some serious back-slapping and revelry is in order. We’ve had the pleasure to edit some of our favorite writers’ and illustrators’ coverage of animation this year, and we need to shout some out. Gather round, kids.
Our first piece, the goofy and very serious, definitive take, by John Maher.
This banger by Kelsey Amentt on Dr. Girlfriend of Venture Bros.
One of our funniest Q&As: John Maher + Hal Lublin of Venture Bros.
Did you know Chuck Jones did FLASH animation in the early ’00s? Because we didn’t.
A dumb (read: very important) ranking of cartoon moms.
An idea so ingenious we followed it up with a dumb (read: equally important) ranking of cartoon dads.
Eric Vilas-Boas wrote this profile of Justin Michael of Batman: The Animated Podcast, who is a nerd god and a really nice guy.
An interview with Natalie Palamides (aka Buttercup) who is super talented and has the coolest voice in TV.
The haiku stylings of Julia Carpenter, Taylor Trudon, Jillian Anthony, Neeti Upadhye, Leanne Butkovic, Alanna Bennett, Krystie Yandoli, and many more.
Andy Potoczak and Kyle Kuchta duking it out over Cars.
John Maher’s take on his mother and Cowboy Bebop.
All of Nicktoons Month — a crackpot idea that turned out stories like this one by Ruth Morrison on The Loud House. Plus…
Corinne Segal on queerness in As Told by Ginger.
Dan Powell on Invader Zim.
katie van brunt with brilliant execution on a dark, funny idea.
Kate Drozynski on religion and how cartoons help us understand cultural differences at a young age.
Joanna C. Valente wrote this tremendous poem about Doug and so much more.
And John Maher’s interview with cartoon legend Fred Seibert — who’s worked on everything you love.
We also did a full week on Steven Universe, with pieces like Lorna’s personal take on “It’s Over, Isn’t It?”
And stories like Maya Gittelman’s on Rebecca Sugar expressed a real hope that often eluded us in 2016.
Meanwhile, Siena Teresa Koncsol’s piece on The Critic raised serious questions our culture has yet to figure out.
And we ran pieces by the funny and smart Rob Ryan who, thank god, may be as warped as we are.
Eric Vilas-Boas got to talk to a real hero in Andrea Romano about her future retirement and a lifetime of working hard and energizing those around her to do the same. We also worked with our friend Kevin Conway on that story too, which is always fun.
Along the way, we filled this site with a lot of absurdist humor, like the piece above. We’ve had more fun than you can imagine.
Thank you to everyone—everyone—who’s offered us tips or guidance this year. Thank you to all you who’ve read and continue to read and critique The Dot and Line’s work, especially in these early stages. Thank you to everyone who sends us tips about what we should cover. Thank you to everyone who’s ever bought us a beer or told us tomorrow will be easier or watched a Miyazaki movie with us until 1 in the morning. You’ve made every minute worth it, and we do this for you most of all, no matter how many after-work hours it takes. Neither of us had covered animation in any capacity before doing this, and it’s a real pleasure and privilege to do it with other people who love the art form as much as we do. Art, like love, is labor, just as it is power—and there’s no better reward than a good day’s work. Plus, we have so much more fun and exciting shit on our calendar for next year. Thanks one last time to all our fellow writers, illustrators, and brainstormers.
DotandLine.net returns in 2017. Peace!
Thanks for reading The Dot and Line, where we talk about animation of all kinds. Don’t forget to ❤ this article and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
