Mel Lazarus, Creator of Miss Peach and Momma

Mel Lazarus is one busy guy. He has been a cartoonist of several different strips since graduating high school in 1945, worked for Al Capp, been an art director/comics editor, president of the National Cartoonists Society, lecturer and written several books.

Born in Brooklyn, New York on May 3, 1927, Melvin Lazarus took up freelance magazine cartooning fresh out of high school, with his first work appearing in many nation-wide magazines. He developed two comic strips entitled "Wee Women" and "Li'l One," forming a solid base of creating the young, saucy characters that would later become his trademark unique style.

Al Capp, cartoonist and one of the owners of Toby Press, enlisted Mel's drawing skills to copy his Li'l Abner characters for cards, games, comic books and other products. Mel worked his way into the position of art director/comics editor at Toby, staying from 1949 to 1954. The young cartoonist found enough material in the experience to write his first book, "The Boss is Crazy, Too," published in 1964.

Inspired by a contest held by United Features to find new comic strips, Mel produced a new cartoon. He "scanned the papers and there was nothing about schools, so I invented Miss Peach." (*1) With bizarre huge heads and sharp-witted personalities, the panel did not win the contest but instead took its place on the cartoon roster on February 4, 1957 in the New York Herald Tribune. Mel used the space normally filled by four-panel strips as one large space, sharing his comic views of politics and societal ironies of the day through the mouths of his sophisticated young stars and their teacher, Miss Peach. The background was set in the fictitious Kelly School, named after the creator of Pogo, Walt Kelly. The dialogue did not talk down to readers The comic won loyal fan support immediately.

Not sufficiently challenged, Mel teamed up with Jack Richard in 1966 to create a cartoon spoof of the Perils with Pauline movies, entitled "Pauline McPeril," using the pseudonym Fulton. The comic was not well-received and lasted only three years with the Field Newspaper Syndicate.

In 1969, Mel developed "Momma," a comic strip centred on an overbearing, nagging and controlling mother who just can't let go of her kids, even if they are in their 40s. She has no success manipulating their lives, but is pleased to keep them feeling guilty. "Momma" has become Lazarus' best-loved cartoon accomplishment, touching a nerve with many readers, most likely because it is partially formed from the cartoonist's own experiences with his own mother. Mel's mother doesn't see herself in the comic, but rather feels that her sister is portrayed. "You've caught Aunt Helen to a tee!" *(2) The comic strip made its debut on October 26, 1970, again under the Field Newspaper Syndicate.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic