Focus Hawaii Tony DiPreta

Authors

• Lance Chase
• Tony DiPreta

Files

Description

Hosted by Lance Chase, this episode of Focus Hawaii features acclaimed cartoonist Tony DiPreta, creator of the Rex Morgan, M.D. comic strip, who reflects on his lifelong career in comics—from his beginnings in Connecticut to inheriting and sustaining major story‑based strips like Joe Palooka and Rex Morgan. DiPreta discusses his family, his early discouragement of his children entering the arts, and the meticulous process behind producing a daily story strip, including scripting, penciling, inking, letter placement, and sending completed work to syndicates. He recounts the challenges of preserving character likenesses when inheriting established strips, the evolution of the comic industry, the rise of residual merchandising, and how reader preferences and shrinking attention spans have shaped modern comics. He also shares experiences entertaining U.S. troops around the world as a USO cartoonist and offers insights into what it takes for aspiring artists to break into the field today.

Length of Video

00:28:47

File Size

2.4GB

Archives Call Number

22.FH

Air Date

Winter 3-8-1995

Keywords

Lance Chase, Focus Hawaii, Tony DiPreta, Rex Morgan MD, Joe Palooka, comic strip artist, newspaper comics, story strips, cartooning process, penciling and inking, comic syndication, residual merchandising, comic industry history, USO cartoonists, Connecticut cartoonists, classic comics, adventure strips, comic readership, drawing techniques, creative career, syndicated comics.

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Education

Recommended Citation

Chase, Lance and DiPreta, Tony, "Focus Hawaii Tony DiPreta" (1995). Focus Hawaii. 76.
https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/focushawaii/76