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Mike Smith Editorial Cartoons (MS-01047)

Abstract

The Mike Smith Editorial Cartoons (1980-2023) contain editorial cartoons created by Las Vegas, Nevada based cartoonist Mike Smith for the Las Vegas Sun newspaper. Materials include Smith's editorial cartoons on NASCAR and a copy of his 2003 book StockcarToons. The collection also includes Smith's personal sketchbooks and letters from fans.

Finding Aid PDF

Date

1980 to 2023

Extent

53.06 Cubic Feet (5 boxes, 79 oversized boxes)
97.14 Linear Feet
13,248 digital_files (15.802 GB) PDF, JPG, TIF

Related People/Corporations

Creator: Smith, Mike, 1960-
Contributor: Las Vegas Sun

Scope and Contents Note

The Mike Smith Editorial Cartoons (1980-2023) contain editorial cartoons created by Las Vegas, Nevada based cartoonist Mike Smith for the Las Vegas Sun newspaper. The cartoons depict major current events and politics at the local and national level. Smith's cartoons include depictions of politicians in Nevada including Richard Bryan, Harry Reid, and Oscar Goodman. The cartoons also depict Presidents of the United States starting from Ronald Reagan in 1980 to Joe Biden in 2021. His cartoons depict local issues and topics of interest such as the gaming and casino industry, the Nevada legislature, and environmental issues like the Yucca Mountain designation as a nuclear waste repository. Materials also include Smith's editorial cartoons on NASCAR and a copy of his 2003 book StockcarToons. The collection also includes Smith's personal sketchbooks and letters from fans.

Access Note

Collection is open for research. Arrangements must be made in advance to access digital files; please contact UNLV Special Collections and Archives for additional information.

Publication Rights

This material is protected by copyright. Personal, including educational and academic, use of this material is without restriction but acknowledgement of Mike Smith, the Las Vegas Sun, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University Libraries is requested. Commercial use of any portion of this material is prohibited. Contact the copyright owner, the Las Vegas Sun, for more information.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged chronologically.

Biographical / Historical Note

Las Vegas Sun editorial cartoonist Michael B. Smith was born in San Francisco, California on May 20, 1960 and grew up in Santa Clara, California. Smith started creating editorial cartoons while he attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California where he created cartoons for the school newspaper, the Los Angeles Loyolan. In 1982, he graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a bachelor's degree in humanities. He began sending his cartoons to the Las Vegas Sun during his senior year of college and was eventually hired as an editorial cartoonist for the paper in 1983. That same year, Smith won first place in the Chicago Tribune Syndicate's cartoon contest.

Smith's work has appeared in publications around the United States and abroad including the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Sacramento Bee, the London Free Press, and USA Today.

A fan of stock car racing since childhood, Smith started to draw NASCAR cartoons for Vegas.com and eventually for NASCAR Scene magazine and Sporting News magazine. Smith has published three books of NASCAR cartoons: StockcarToons (2003), StockcarToons 2 (2003), and Nuts for Racing (2008). As of 2021, Smith continues to create editorial cartoons for the Las Vegas Sun and King Features Syndicate. He also creates a weekly cartoon on NASCAR featuring the character Gearhead Gertie for Comics Kingdom.

Sources:

Boyd, Jason O. "Q&A with Mike Smith of StockCartoons: From rental cars to Sprint Cup cars," SportingNews.com, April 28, 2015. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nascar/news/mike-smith-stockcartoons-nascar-sprint-cup-illustrations-las-vegas-jeff-gordon-kurt-busch-kyle-busch-sporting-news/1bxh4g958g3us1fgusps7nm7lj.

Brewer, Ray. "One for the archives: Sun editorial cartoonist's life's work gifted to UNLV," Las Vegas Sun, February 14, 2021. https://lasvegassun.com/news/2021/feb/15/one-for-the-archives-editorial-cartoonists-lifes-w/.

City of Las Vegas Charleston Heights Arts Center presents Mike Smith Smithereens City of Las Vegas, 1990.

“About,” Gearhead Gertie, ComicsKingdom.com, Accessed April 16, 2021. https://www.comicskingdom.com/Gearhead_Gertie/about.

Related Collections

The following resource may provide additional information related to the materials in this collection:

Mike Smith oral history interview, 2018 August 17. OH-03460. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Preferred Citation

Mike Smith Editorial Cartoons, 1980-2023. MS-01047. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/f1hn09

Permalink

http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/f1hn09

Acquisition Note

Materials were donated by Mike Smith and Brian Greenspun (Las Vegas Sun, Inc.) in 2021 and 2024; accession numbers 2021-012 and 2024-060.

Processing Note

In 2021, Tammi Kim and Jose Andre Guevara accessioned the collection and created the finding aid in ArchivesSpace. Tammi Kim minimally accessioned the born-digital materials. In 2023, Sarah Jones created access copies and standardized file names. In 2024, Sarah Jones re-organized the collection back into chronological order and added the 2024 accession.

Subjects

Editorial cartoons
Politics and government
Current events

Resource Type

Collection

Collection Type

Manuscript collections

EAD ID

US::NVLN::MS01047

Additions

Further additions to this collection are expected.

Finding Aid Description Rules

Describing Archives: A Content Standard
English