Jeffy Macnelly is a master of political and social cartooning who used his art to highlight political and social issues. He mostly creates comics that poke fun at the foibles of politicians, the absurdities of society, and the complexities of the human condition. He is best known for his political comic strip,
” Shoe” which earned him huge success and established him as one of the most beloved cartoonist cartoonists in the comic world. He is also the creator of the comic strip ” Pluggers ” which he started at the suggestion of his wife and friends.
Early life :
Jeffy Macnelly’s full name is Effrey Keneth Macnelly. He is a great American cartoonist who was born on 17 September 1947 in New York City and spent most of his childhood on a long island in southeastern New York State. Like many other cartoonists, he developed a passion for arts and storytelling since he was a child and decided to pursue the arts. He was greatly influenced by the work of many great influential cartoonists of the ’60s whose sharp wit, keen observation, and creative artwork left an indelible mark on him and this influence can be seen in his comics.
Beginning Of Jeffy’s comic journey :
He started his professional career as a cartoonist after he graduated in 1965 and started working for the Daily Tar Heel as a sports journalist and an illustrator, writing and drawing satirical comics regarding sports. Although he didn’t like his work and considered himself a terrible sportswriter, his artwork was far better than that of an average student and this led to the start of his professional career when he started working for Chapel Hill weekly.
While working at Chapel Hill weekly, he met Jim Shumaker who served here as an editor and also teaches at the unc- Chapel Hill. He was greatly influenced by him and made him his mentor. He was so inspired by him that later when he crafted the comic strip” shoe”, he gave the title of the shoe to the comics on ”Shu” of Jim Shumaker in his honor and based the central character of the comic strip on him.
Seeing his work, various notable newspapers of that time courted him to work for them, but he did not accept the offer. In 1970 he joined the Richmond leader in Richmond, Virginia where he performed his services as a core illustrator and a satirist. After 11 years of working at the News Leader, he refused to work and left the job to concentrate and give more time to the shoe comic strip.
Creation Of Shoe :
In 1977, he introduced his readers to his most iconic creation, a comic strip ” Shoe” that captured the hearts of readers at first glance and quickly earned the title of exclusive and the favorite comic among the readers.
In this comic strip, he uses a group of anthropomorphic birds to poke fun at the various social and political issues of that time With its witty dialogue, clever puns, and biting satire, this one-of-a-kind comic strip chronicles the daily adventures of a group of anthropomorphized birds who performs different services for the newspaper at a fictional town of treetops tattler.
Shoe’s success :
Shoe gained tremendous success and at its peak was published in more than 500 newspapers along with other publications in other digital media, earning Macnelly widespread acclaim and a devoted fanbase. The comics have also gained tens of thousands of followers on different social media platforms.
Popularity Of ” Shoe ” on FB:
Shoe, on its official Facebook page called ” Shoe Comics ”, has garnered over 24k followers and 20 thousand likes.
Creation of Comic Strip ” Pluggers ”:
McNally introduced Pluggers to the comics world in 1993. The comic strip revolves around anthropomorphic animals that McNeely used to provide a humorous perspective on the lives of rural workers living a typical middle-class American lifestyle.
Awards and Recognitions :
Throughout his career, McNealy received several awards, including three Pulitzer Awards, two Reuben Awards, and a Golden Plate Award. He is one of those great cartoonists who achieved this honor very early in their career. He also won the admiration of his fellow cartoonists for his sharp political satire and keen observation of human nature, further cementing his reputation and making him a one-of-a-kind artist in the world of political comics.
Death Of Jeffy :
In 1999, six years after the inception of his second comic strip, pluggers, he was diagnosed with lymphoma that led to his death on June 8, 2000, at the age of 52. He did not let his illness hinder his work and continued to create comics until his death.
After his death, many other cartoonists, including Gary Brookins, Susie Nickley, and Chris Keast, continued to create his famous comic, The Show, to keep his legacy alive and entertain his fans.
Final Thoughts :
In a nutshell, Jeffy mainly was a one-of-a-kind artist who throughout his career entertained his readers with his timeless humor and witty sense of humor. Although he is no longer with us, his legacy lives on in the pages of his iconic show comics and in our hearts, reminding us of the power of laughter and the timeless magic of comics.
