'Twitch' (The Langley Advance, 14 June 1973).
Howard Rands was a mid- to late 20th-century U.S. newspaper comic artist, most notable for his gag comic 'Twitch', about a goofy little witch. He was also active as an assistant to strips like 'Freddy' and 'Mutt & Jeff'.
Early life and career
Howard Rands was born in 1927 in Geneva, New York, and studied at the Abbott Art School. He was in the US Merchant Marines and drew for several Air Force magazines. During his cartooning career, he was also active as art director for the Navy Yard in Washington D.C.
'Twitch' (The Langley Advance, 5 July 1973).
Cartooning work
In the late 1960s, Rands assisted Robert Baldwin on the newspaper strip 'Freddy'. Between 1973 and 1980, Rands additionally worked on the 'Mutt & Jeff' Sunday page for eight years, with lead artist Al Smith for the McNaught Syndicate. During this period, Rands also had his own newspaper comic, 'Twitch' (12 July 1973 - 1997), also distributed by the Al Smith Service. The main character in 'Twitch' is a witch, who originally started out as a side character in a previous comic that Rands created in 1967. Rands described his protagonist as a "frustrated witch, about three feet tall, who goes to the psychiatrist". Several 'Twitch' episodes invited reader participation by printing panels upside down, switching punchline dialogue around or showing a character as an unfinished dot drawing, urging readers could connect the drawing and see the image. According to newspaper comics researcher Allan Holtz, later episodes in the 'Twitch' run were reprints.
Rands also drew an activity panel feature titled 'Fun Bug' (1978), also distributed through the Al Smith Service. In a 15 November 1976 article from The Hagerstown Morning Herald, the cartoonist's wife Jane Rands commented on her husband's dedication to his work: "He's concentrating all the time. Maybe thinking about it 16 hours a day."
'Fun Bug', from The Potomac News (4 August 1978).