Bob Weber Jr., Creator of Slylock Fox and Comics for Kids

He's not a scientist. He's not a botanist. He's not a doctor. But by using his interest in science and other topics, Bob Weber Jr. is a cartoonist who has found his place in the funny pages and kid's hearts. The creator of Slylock Fox & Comics for Kids, Bob shares bits of knowledge on almost every topic with his millions of eager comics fans. Mysteries, puzzles, word games, a section for fan drawings and panels of information make Slylock Fox & Comics for Kids a daily adventure in learning.

Born on January 21, 1957 into the Connecticut cartooning family of Jean and Bob Weber, drawing was natural for Bob Jr. Bob Sr. is the creator of "Moose and Molly" comic strip. Bob Jr. did not initially consider a career as a cartoonist, but instead attended biology classes in the veterinary department at the University of Maryland. In his sophomore year, Bob switched to drawing courses at a community college. He became the humour page editor of the student newspaper and was bitten by the cartooning bug.

Bob began submitting his cartoons to small publications, receiving $10 per single panel cartoon for his work. In an interview with Dominick Miserandino of thecelebritycafe.com he mentioned, "The competition there was not as strong as major magazines so I was able to make sales early on." *(1) Bob continued to hone his skills, also becoming assistant cartoonist in 1978 to his father on the "Moose and Molly" strip.

In 1981, with his comics appearing in the large magazines such as Reader's Digest and Good Housekeeping, King Features took on the progressing cartoonist to create Comics for Kids. In 1987, Bob developed the sleek, ingenious and very red "Slylock Fox", complete with spiffy blue suit and cape, inspector's cap, huge magnifying glass and all the tricks of a proper sleuth. "I wanted to do a strip for young readers and Slylock allowed me to combine my drawing and writing skills with my interest in science," he told thecelebritycafe.com. (He loved the old Sherlock Holmes movies on television.) And Bob continually strives to make the science in Slylock Fox is accurate; should something be not quite right, he is immediately chastised through his fan mail.

The cast of characters in Slylock Fox is based on the tradition of good-versus-evil. Along with the star character and Max Mouse, his trusty side-kick, Shady Shrew, Count Weirdly, Chief Mutt and several regular by-standers give the comic dimension and interest with a mysterious who-dunnit flavour.

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