Wiley Miller
Encyclopedia
David Wiley Miller an American
cartoonist
whose work is characterized by wry wit and trenchant social satire, is best known for his comic strip Non Sequitur
, which he signs Wiley. Non Sequitur is the only cartoon to win National Cartoonists Society
Reuben Awards in both the comic strip and comic panel categories, and Miller is the only cartoonist to win a Reuben in his first year of syndication.
native, Wiley studied art at Virginia Commonwealth University
and worked for several Hollywood
educational film studios before relocating to North Carolina
in 1976 to work as an editorial cartoonist
and staff artist for the Greensboro News & Record
. Fenton (1982) was his first syndicated
strip. In 1985, he was hired as an editorial cartoonist at the San Francisco Examiner.
strip, eventually syndicated to 700 newspapers. In 1994, Miller pioneered the use of process color in comic strips, and developed a format in 1995 that allows one cartoon to be used in two different ways for both panel dimensions and strip dimensions.
In 2004, Wiley Miller, his wife Victoria Coviello, and their four Jack Russell terrier
s moved from Santa Barbara, California
, to Kennebunkport, Maine
. He explained the relocation to Stephanie Bouchard of the Maine Sunday Telegram:
When Bouchard asked him about the Maine setting in some of his strips, he responded:
in 1988 and won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
for editorial cartooning in 1991. The National Cartoonists Society
honored Non Sequitur with four awards in the first six years of publication, including their Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for 1995, 1996 and 1998, and it was nominated for the same award in 1999 and 2002 and won their Newspaper Comic Strip Award for 1992.
Non Sequitur is the only comic strip to win its division during the first year of publication, and it is the only comic feature to win in two divisions, Best Comic Strip for 1992 and Best Newspaper Panel Cartoon for 1995, 1996 and 1998.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
whose work is characterized by wry wit and trenchant social satire, is best known for his comic strip Non Sequitur
Non Sequitur (comic strip)
Non Sequitur is a comic strip created by Wiley Miller in 1992 and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate to over 700 newspapers...
, which he signs Wiley. Non Sequitur is the only cartoon to win National Cartoonists Society
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
Reuben Awards in both the comic strip and comic panel categories, and Miller is the only cartoonist to win a Reuben in his first year of syndication.
Editorial cartoons
A CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
native, Wiley studied art at Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
and worked for several Hollywood
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
educational film studios before relocating to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in 1976 to work as an editorial cartoonist
Editorial cartoonist
An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary....
and staff artist for the Greensboro News & Record
Greensboro News & Record
The News & Record is the largest newspaper serving Guilford County and the surrounding region. It is based in Greensboro, NC, and produces local sections for Greensboro and Rockingham County, NC. As of April, 2011, it had an average weekday circulation of 60,993 and an average Sunday circulation...
. Fenton (1982) was his first syndicated
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
strip. In 1985, he was hired as an editorial cartoonist at the San Francisco Examiner.
Comic strips
In 1991, Wiley launched his popular Non SequiturNon Sequitur (comic strip)
Non Sequitur is a comic strip created by Wiley Miller in 1992 and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate to over 700 newspapers...
strip, eventually syndicated to 700 newspapers. In 1994, Miller pioneered the use of process color in comic strips, and developed a format in 1995 that allows one cartoon to be used in two different ways for both panel dimensions and strip dimensions.
Books
Books by Miller include Dead Lawyers and Other Pleasant Thoughts (1993), The Non Sequitur Survival Guide for the Nineties (1995), Non Sequitur’s Beastly Things (1999, foreword by Jules Feiffer), The Legal Lampoon (2002), Why We’ll Never Understand Each Other (2003), Lucy and Danae: Something Silly This Way Comes (2005), Homer, the Reluctant Soul (2005) and Extraordinary Adventures Of Ordinary Basil (2006).In 2004, Wiley Miller, his wife Victoria Coviello, and their four Jack Russell terrier
Jack Russell Terrier
The Jack Russell terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting. It is principally white-bodied smooth, rough or broken-coated which is commonly confused with the Parson Russell terrier and the Russell terrier with the term "Jack Russell" commonly misapplied to other small white...
s moved from Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, to Kennebunkport, Maine
Kennebunkport, Maine
Kennebunkport is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,720 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford metropolitan statistical area....
. He explained the relocation to Stephanie Bouchard of the Maine Sunday Telegram:
Part of the attraction for both of us is in a creative sense. Santa Barbara is beautiful. As far as year-round climate, it's perfect, but there's no real change. These dramatic changes really spark the creative nature because it's change. It gives you a fresh look at the world. It's invigorating. Santa Barbara is too nice; hard to get work done. We spent eight years in IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. Iowa is always overcast; it's awful. Here, in winter, we don't go out much so we get more work done.
When Bouchard asked him about the Maine setting in some of his strips, he responded:
I created a series of characters that came from our visits to MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. Offshore Flo is patterned after the Maine Diner in WellsWells, MaineWells is a town in York County, Maine, United States. Founded in 1643, it is the third-oldest town in Maine. The population was 9,400 at the 2000 census. Wells Beach is a popular summer destination.-History:...
. I wanted to capture the essence of Maine people's genuineness - down-to-earth, good-natured people - and work in the accent. I heard from displaced New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
ers. I got E-mails from people who said how dead-on the accent was and how dead wrong. It's tricky working phonetically because you still have to be legible, finding the balance of how far to take it. It's set in Whatchacallit, Maine. I realized there had never been this setting in comics. I hate following. More fun blazing a new trail. Nobody's ever been to Maine in the comics.
Awards
Wiley was named Best Editorial Cartoonist by the California Newspaper Publishers AssociationCalifornia Newspaper Publishers Association
The California Newspaper Publishers Association is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1888 that represents the daily and weekly newspapers of California. Its diverse membership consists of over 500 newspapers that elect 35 individuals to its governing board of directors...
in 1988 and won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is journalisms award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were established in December 1968 by a group of reporters who...
for editorial cartooning in 1991. The National Cartoonists Society
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
honored Non Sequitur with four awards in the first six years of publication, including their Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for 1995, 1996 and 1998, and it was nominated for the same award in 1999 and 2002 and won their Newspaper Comic Strip Award for 1992.
Non Sequitur is the only comic strip to win its division during the first year of publication, and it is the only comic feature to win in two divisions, Best Comic Strip for 1992 and Best Newspaper Panel Cartoon for 1995, 1996 and 1998.
- 1988: California Newspaper Publishers AssociationCalifornia Newspaper Publishers AssociationThe California Newspaper Publishers Association is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1888 that represents the daily and weekly newspapers of California. Its diverse membership consists of over 500 newspapers that elect 35 individuals to its governing board of directors...
- 1991: Robert F. Kennedy Journalism AwardRobert F. Kennedy Journalism AwardThe Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is journalisms award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were established in December 1968 by a group of reporters who...
, for editorial cartooning - 1992: National Cartoonists SocietyNational Cartoonists SocietyThe National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
, Newspaper Comic Strip Award - 1995: National Cartoonists Society, Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award
- 1996: National Cartoonists Society, Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award
- 1998: National Cartoonists Society, Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award
External links
- Wiley biography on Lambiek Comiclopedia
- Non Sequitur official site
- Wiley Miller bio on GoComics
- Wiley Miller, February 2007 interview Universal Press Syndicate
- Non Sequitur at Uclick