Artist Brian Crane reflects on 35 years of Pickles
For 35 years, cartoonist Brian Crane has found humor in the everyday lives of Earl and Opal Pickles, the retired couple whose gentle bickering and familiar foibles have entertained newspaper readers around the world.
Now, with the release of his newest collection, 35 Years of Pickles, Crane is looking back on a career built one laugh at a time.
“The thought that occurs to me when I contemplate all the thousands of comics strips I’ve created is ‘Where the heck did all those ideas come from?!’” Crane told the Southern Utah News.
His answer is surprisingly simple.
“I guess it’s like the parable about how do you eat an elephant? The answer of course is: One bite at a time.”
When Crane launched Pickles in 1990, he was writing about a stage of life he had yet to experience. More than three decades later, he no longer needs to imagine what growing older feels like.
“Well, of course it’s a lot easier now,” he said. “I used to have to use my imagination. Now as an old man I just write about myself and the silly things that I do.”
Finding fresh material after thousands of strips might seem daunting, but Crane says his sense of humor has always been a little different. “It has always seemed to me that I look at things a little differently than most people I know,” he said. “As I listen to conversations of people around me quite often I will think of a stupid punchline to go with something he or she has just said.”
That instinct has helped make Pickles a fixture in newspapers, including the Southern Utah News, where Earl, Opal and their family have become familiar companions to readers.
But when asked what makes him proudest after 35 years, Crane doesn’t point to awards, circulation figures or professional recognition.
Instead, he remembers his father.
“I remember my dad working so hard on the railroad, a job he didn’t love, but he did it to provide for his family,” Crane said. “He always told me to make sure to find a career that would bring me joy and hopefully to others as well.”
It’s advice Crane has clearly taken to heart.
“I guess I am just very grateful that I have been making a living doing something I enjoy and that hopefully brings a laugh or a smile to people that I know and even to people I will never get to know.”
35 Years of Pickles celebrates the strip’s enduring appeal and the ordinary moments that have kept readers smiling since 1990. The new collection is available now through Crane’s website at picklescomic.com, and each book comes with a signature and sketch by the author.
