Hi, I'm Old. And you are?
The first issue of the Loon News came out today 24 years ago. It was thrown together by future award winning screenwriter M.C. Brennan (then known as Mike Sortino) inspired by a lawn mowing incident by friend and future award winning cartoonist me.
Mike was 14 years-old at the time. Most people do something silly like this in junior high, then stop and never do it again by the time they get to high school.
The Loon News went on for another 171/2 years and put out 74 issues (not including three Loon yearbooks, a couple of preview issues, and the literary magazine Trek for the Drek.) I picked up where Mike left off in 1984 and did it until 1993. During that time I expanded the LN's readership to other schools, and even to L.A. and San Fransisco.
Cait revived the paper in 1995, and kept at it until the last issue came out on November 7, 2000.
The Loon News has been dead many times in the past, so don't even think November 7, 2000 is the last issue. As long as me or Cait are still alive there will be an LN#75 someday.
The Loon News, it's web site, and the comic strip it spawned have been featured in The Arizona Republic, local entertainment magazine The Rep, and ABC's World News Overnight. It's also been ripped off by many people including Conan O'Brien, and The Rep.
Five years before that rag The Onion was ever conceived of and it's staff made a living off of our idea, the first issue of The Loon News came out on April 14, 1983. Imagine what it must've been like
APRIL 14, 1983
I woke up to KZZP's new morning team of Dave Otto, Paul Talbot, and Natalie Windsor. Otto was the most talented of the group, but he was no Brandmeier.
Over the last few days the station had been hyping the debut of the new Men At Work single "Overkill" from their new album Cargo. It was premiered during the morning show before I went to school.
I heard it. Thought it was alright. A little dull, but ok.
I expected this to be the biggest event of the day...
Mike and I were on the same school bus (my stop was first, his last.) he sat next to me (as he always did) and pulled out a stapled set of three pages and handed it to me. From the paper quality I could tell he had been to Ben Franklin's. It wasn't the paper that caught my eye, but what was blazing across the top of it...
LOON NEWS
I started to read it and couldn't help but laugh and defend myself all at the same time. "I didn't see the bird!" I kept saying, which is true.
Jeff Quinlin, sitting in front of us, was curious and had to see one. Mike handed him a copy to borrow (he only made three copies for me, Kim, and himself.)
"Gawd," Jeff laughed, "A lethal lawn mower."
Even though there are only three copies of the original release of issue number one everybody wanted a copy.
Not realizing the historical significance of this issue I scrawled a cartoon balloon on my picture saying, "I didn't see the bird!"
The thing that caught my attention right away was that Mike started the Volume and Issue number at 1. It was so out of character for Mike. I would have expected he'd pick some double-digit number to start off with so he could make up some back story mythology about the paper's past if he later wanted to.
I think it's safe to disclose the identity of the mystery person now. It's Kim Darling. The picture was taken by Shannon Sortino, as Kim ran back into her house on March 12.
There's been a dispute over the years between Mike and myself as to the actual release date of the first Loon News. Mike says just to leave it be, but I'm so anal about dates I can't just let it go.
I remember that when it came out I was thinking it's a few days (or day) late. For a few years I thought April 14, 1983 was a weekend. But in 1986 Mike came across proof that it was a weekday. April 14, 1983 is a Thursday.
Since Mike wasn't as specific with dates as I am, I still don't think it actually came out on that day. He may have put it together on the 14th and released it on the 15th. Or maybe the date was to coincide with the wedding day in DCP II.
Researching for this book, though, it may have been released on its published date. The KDDX ad was April 11, 1983, and the finishing date in The Winds Of Wang is April 12, 1983. But in DCP III there's a reference to the birderer story in the Loon News. He had to put the newspaper out before the book for people to pick up the reference. Maybe. Plus, the 14th is pretty close to the 12th, after finishing a third book. Considering Mike's prolific writing at the time, and no visit from Kim that night, it is possible he did the whole issue after school on April 13, 1983.
Mike Sortino, 1996...
I've been asked to describe my experiences while making the first four issues of The Loon News. Sadly my memory is not what it once was...specific details elude me. But I'll try.
The first issue (circa April 14, 1983) was a direct result of a silly parody radio ad for our fictional radio station. I was pleased with the way it came out, and then Eric had the unfortunate bird-in-lawn-mower accident. So I used that, and then...well, you get the idea.
It was pretty borderline...part parody, sure, but part of it was giving validation to my own fantasies or hallucinations. I was a total loser in real life, in the Loon News, at least, I could be somebody important. Little did I know that's what people do in real life as well...only they call it "publicity" or "p.r." or somesuch.
There were three copies of the first issue copied at Ben Franklin variety store by my trailer.
This issue was long on enthusiasm and short on everything else. we just did it, the birdkiller story wrote itself and later I just assembled it all. The entire rest of the issue was just what Eric calls "Loon Mythology"...the nonexistent band The L.T.D.'s, a review of my 2nd "book," etc. There really was a Trolls soccer team but to the best of my knowledge their involvement with Hookers was minimal. I liked the L.T.D.'s concert ticket.
Mike was 14 years-old at the time. Most people do something silly like this in junior high, then stop and never do it again by the time they get to high school.
The Loon News went on for another 171/2 years and put out 74 issues (not including three Loon yearbooks, a couple of preview issues, and the literary magazine Trek for the Drek.) I picked up where Mike left off in 1984 and did it until 1993. During that time I expanded the LN's readership to other schools, and even to L.A. and San Fransisco.
Cait revived the paper in 1995, and kept at it until the last issue came out on November 7, 2000.
The Loon News has been dead many times in the past, so don't even think November 7, 2000 is the last issue. As long as me or Cait are still alive there will be an LN#75 someday.
The Loon News, it's web site, and the comic strip it spawned have been featured in The Arizona Republic, local entertainment magazine The Rep, and ABC's World News Overnight. It's also been ripped off by many people including Conan O'Brien, and The Rep.
Five years before that rag The Onion was ever conceived of and it's staff made a living off of our idea, the first issue of The Loon News came out on April 14, 1983. Imagine what it must've been like
APRIL 14, 1983
I woke up to KZZP's new morning team of Dave Otto, Paul Talbot, and Natalie Windsor. Otto was the most talented of the group, but he was no Brandmeier.
Over the last few days the station had been hyping the debut of the new Men At Work single "Overkill" from their new album Cargo. It was premiered during the morning show before I went to school.
I heard it. Thought it was alright. A little dull, but ok.
I expected this to be the biggest event of the day...
Mike and I were on the same school bus (my stop was first, his last.) he sat next to me (as he always did) and pulled out a stapled set of three pages and handed it to me. From the paper quality I could tell he had been to Ben Franklin's. It wasn't the paper that caught my eye, but what was blazing across the top of it...
LOON NEWS
I started to read it and couldn't help but laugh and defend myself all at the same time. "I didn't see the bird!" I kept saying, which is true.
Jeff Quinlin, sitting in front of us, was curious and had to see one. Mike handed him a copy to borrow (he only made three copies for me, Kim, and himself.)
"Gawd," Jeff laughed, "A lethal lawn mower."
Even though there are only three copies of the original release of issue number one everybody wanted a copy.
Not realizing the historical significance of this issue I scrawled a cartoon balloon on my picture saying, "I didn't see the bird!"
The thing that caught my attention right away was that Mike started the Volume and Issue number at 1. It was so out of character for Mike. I would have expected he'd pick some double-digit number to start off with so he could make up some back story mythology about the paper's past if he later wanted to.
I think it's safe to disclose the identity of the mystery person now. It's Kim Darling. The picture was taken by Shannon Sortino, as Kim ran back into her house on March 12.
There's been a dispute over the years between Mike and myself as to the actual release date of the first Loon News. Mike says just to leave it be, but I'm so anal about dates I can't just let it go.
I remember that when it came out I was thinking it's a few days (or day) late. For a few years I thought April 14, 1983 was a weekend. But in 1986 Mike came across proof that it was a weekday. April 14, 1983 is a Thursday.
Since Mike wasn't as specific with dates as I am, I still don't think it actually came out on that day. He may have put it together on the 14th and released it on the 15th. Or maybe the date was to coincide with the wedding day in DCP II.
Researching for this book, though, it may have been released on its published date. The KDDX ad was April 11, 1983, and the finishing date in The Winds Of Wang is April 12, 1983. But in DCP III there's a reference to the birderer story in the Loon News. He had to put the newspaper out before the book for people to pick up the reference. Maybe. Plus, the 14th is pretty close to the 12th, after finishing a third book. Considering Mike's prolific writing at the time, and no visit from Kim that night, it is possible he did the whole issue after school on April 13, 1983.
Mike Sortino, 1996...
I've been asked to describe my experiences while making the first four issues of The Loon News. Sadly my memory is not what it once was...specific details elude me. But I'll try.
The first issue (circa April 14, 1983) was a direct result of a silly parody radio ad for our fictional radio station. I was pleased with the way it came out, and then Eric had the unfortunate bird-in-lawn-mower accident. So I used that, and then...well, you get the idea.
It was pretty borderline...part parody, sure, but part of it was giving validation to my own fantasies or hallucinations. I was a total loser in real life, in the Loon News, at least, I could be somebody important. Little did I know that's what people do in real life as well...only they call it "publicity" or "p.r." or somesuch.
There were three copies of the first issue copied at Ben Franklin variety store by my trailer.
This issue was long on enthusiasm and short on everything else. we just did it, the birdkiller story wrote itself and later I just assembled it all. The entire rest of the issue was just what Eric calls "Loon Mythology"...the nonexistent band The L.T.D.'s, a review of my 2nd "book," etc. There really was a Trolls soccer team but to the best of my knowledge their involvement with Hookers was minimal. I liked the L.T.D.'s concert ticket.