'Momma' (2012).
Mell Lazarus was an American cartoonist and novelist. After graduating from high school, Lazarus became a freelance artist for various magazines. In the 1940s he was active in Vic Herman's studio for six months. Lazarus went on to assist Al Capp and Elliot Caplin on the 'Li'l Abner' comic and the company Toby Press - an experience he wrote a book about, with the catchy title 'The Boss Is Crazy, Too'. He created the kid comics 'Wee Women' and 'Li'l Ones' in the early 1950s. He was succeeded on both features by Jim Whiting in the mid-1960s.
In 1957, his popular comic strip 'Miss Peach' first appeared. This comic, which he signed "Mell", was about a classroom full of rowdy kids and was an instant hit. 'Miss Peach' ran through United Feature Syndicate until September 2002. In the 1970s, some gags were ghosted by Mark Lasky.
'Miss Peach'.
Between 1966 and 1969, under the pseudonym "Fulton", he created 'Pauline McPeril', together with artist Jack Rickard, a parody of Pearl White's 'The Perils of Pauline'.
On 26 October 1970, he launched 'Momma', a strip about an elderly lady inspired by his mother and his aunt. Some gags of 'Momma' were scripted by Jack Mendelsohn. For the artwork of 'Momma', Lazarus was assisted by Mark Lasky. It ran until his death on 10 October 2016, syndicated by Creators Syndicate. Mell Lazarus received several awards from the National Cartoonists Society, of which he was president from 1989 until 1993. He was also the author of several novels, theatre productions and TV adaptations.
Mell Lazarus passed away at the age of 89 on the morning of 24 May 2016, at his home in Woodland Hills, California. He was a strong influence on Zoran Kovacevic.
'Miss Peach'.