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Herman, the groundbreaking offbeat humor panel created by Jim Unger, is back -- although some could say the hugely popular comic panel never left the public eye when the award-winning creator put away his pen and retired in 1992. "I'm still creating some new material, but I doubt I will ever do this full-time again," says Unger, who won't hesitate to tell anyone about the pressures of producing a daily comic feature. Despite the difficulty of producing 365 comics per year, the British-born creator undoubtedly influenced many creators who followed, including Gary Larson of "The Far Side" fame. Lynn Johnston, creator of For Better or For Worse, says, "Jim is an original. There are few comics in the world that have the appeal and the longevity that Herman does." "For some reason, I get more fan mail than ever," says Unger, who personally responds to the dozens of letters he receives each day at his beach-front home in the Bahamas. His popularity is no mystery to the fans around the world who continue to buy Herman books and other merchandise. United Media, which distributes many popular newspaper comics such as Peanuts and Dilbert, has signed a long-term contract to bring back the classic Herman comics with 10 years of Unger's best work. United Media will offer Herman to newspapers throughout the world through its two syndicates, United Feature Syndicate and Newspaper Enterprise Association. Unger has carefully updated and revised his comic collection, and hopes to sprinkle in a few new comics from time to time. Scheduled for release in June 1997, the comics were personally reviewed by Unger who made many changes and substantial improvements to the gags. After 18 years of cartooning, and with more than 6,000 hilarious comics to his credit, the 60-year old creator says he is looking forward to producing some new cartoons. Herman, which Unger intended to name "Attila, The Bum," was first distributed by Universal Press Syndicate. Herman's success was overwhelming -- best-selling books with over two million copies sold, 600 newspapers with 40 million readers in 25 countries, and twice honored by the National Cartoonists Society as "Best Syndicated Panel." But the highlight of Jim's career was when he single-handedly, or so he claims, brought down the Berlin Wall. "Forget Gorbachev and Reagan, this is what really happened," says Unger. "In 1990, Herman became the first newspaper comic syndicated in Communist East Germany. I then met the Soviet Ambassador in Washington, D.C., and a few months later I produced a new book, entitled Herman: Over the Wall. Not long after that the Wall came down and the rest is history." Grab onto your funny bone and get re-acquainted with one of the most hilarious comic strips ever to be syndicated in newspapers. Welcome back, Herman!
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