European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 12, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Universal pros be Genalo Bill minds Universal press Kyj eff Millar egos try not to drop Anjila. When o.,r.d- next to tank m Namara but i you do. Be Pimp Nice to get Oul Al Way. Fast tank the cartoon Jock turn a sports Castor has a tendency to Pun cd any thing that hits the floor screaming Publ poor tank suffers from delayed stress syn drome. His 20 years As a Foo bail player conditioned him to react that Way says Jeff Millar who dreamed up tank for the sports oriented comic strip tank mcnamara.". But he s pretty much Over that now partly because the joke wore Millar 48, who works for the Houston chronicle As a columnist and him critic inv aled the character in 1974. He collaborates with Bill Hinds a former editorial cartoonist with the chronicle who docs the artwork. The strip which is syndicated in 375 news papers nationwide including the stars and stripes revolves around recent events in the sports world. Millar and Hinds try to keep the strips As up to Date As possible with scripts involving the latest sports headlines. In order to do this they probably have one the tightest deadlines in the comic strip Field. Tank s thing is topicality says Millar. So we work the screaming Edge actually tank did t come along until after the pair had sold the strip idea to Universal press Syndicate. The original concept had been for a sports comic called jocks and the Fea Ture character was to be a sports Lunatic who went by the name sweats . They did t decide to build the strip around tank until a week before it was scheduled to debut. It was a fortunate Choice Millar says. Tank s being a to reporter gets him into everything. And who has a better scat than the to cameras the format has worked wonderfully. Tank in his profession has to cover events in All the major oorts. He s Able to keep up with the latest Story and at the same time get the proper mix sporting events so As to not bore the Reader. And it s not just the game that comes tinder tire from Millar and Hinds. No one is Safe. They poke fun at the owners players fans officials Media and anyone else who Mac orc in Contact with the sporting scene. Football gets the Edge because people react Cra Ier to it than to other sports says Millar. If we want to get letters though we Deal with Hunting. Hint that it s violent and people write threatening to shoot the pair who Bill themselves As the tallest cartoon team in America Hinds is 6-4, and Millar 6-3admit that they do not Harbor any great enthusiasm for sports themselves. It s a relative thing Millar says. Real sports fans care about who wins the game i Don Millar scans the sports pages making notes any headlines that he feels in it id to a Good storyline. There is never any need Tor Bill a a me to resort to fiction to make a living he s. The stuff the sports pages in is la mar than anything be could Ever hum a week is created som i log like this wednesday Millar sits his m front olins personal computer where he in lived ins Story ideas and writes the Scarf the first Ilene Days. He then faxes them k Hinds. U "1 hurs Duy. He does the final Thio u scripts for live week and faxes Tho a .-1 Hinds. Although the live Only blocks in. I 1 Houston a Herc both be a re Aive d while the meet occasionally and k1 con Stant intact in plume there is no j to
