Pat Brady, Creator of Rose is Rose

It seems some people are born with cartooning in their blood. They must have India Ink coursing through their veins, pumping humour through their hearts. Pat Brady, the creator of the popular Rose is Rose strip, is one of those people.

Pat Brady was cartooning at the young age of five. By age eleven, he sent his first comic attempts to the editors of MAD Magazine. MAD Magazine was a strong influence on the young Brady, along with another of his favourite cartoons, L'il Abner by Andy Capp. Brady graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1969, where he studied art and creative writing, but his cartooning magic is mostly self-taught.

Brady's first syndicated cartoon, entitled Graves, Inc., debuted in just a few newspapers in 1984. The strip, featuring a workplace with tyrannical boss and frightened employees, did not catch on and was dropped after a three-year run.

Brady took the cancellation in stride and came up with several more comic strip ideas in the following year. One of those strips was Rose is Rose. It caught the eye of editors at United Features Syndicate and began successful syndicate publication on April 16, 1994. It has quickly climbed to 600 newspapers.

Rose is Rose is an imaginative cartoon that makes the reader feel warm and fuzzy with both flights of fancy and down to earth scenes. Day by day readers discover the daily life and quirks of the strip's actors, the Gumbo family. The main character, Rose, is an endearing mother and wife, with day dreams of a wilder life. Her alter-ego, Vicki, may show up at any time sporting sunglasses, a short black leather skirt with matching jacket, and hitting the road on a good-sized motorcycle. Rose's husband Jim is a kind-hearted, simple fellow who is eager to please his adoring wife.

Pasquale is the adorable cartoon youngster with spiked hair and a genuinely happy smile. The cartoonist based Pasquale on himself as a child. The little boy displays a wisdom and a wild imagination similar to his mother Rose. Pasquale has a guardian angel who may appear as a child with wings or as a large warrior-type character with weapons and lightning.

Peekaboo is the ruling cat in the feature. It seems that Pat Brady really understands the habits and yens of the feline persuasion. From nestling in the sun on someone's bed to being scratched just so behind the ears to ever-so-delicately climbing the fine furniture, Peekaboo portrays the personality of a realistic cat in a delicate and cute cartoon body.

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