Recent News & Feature Mentions The Atlanta Journ a l - C o n s t i t u t i o n Jan. 12, 2009 “Comic choices stripped down” BYLINE: FRANK C. RIZZO; Staff … Readers want comics that reflect their generation’s sense of humor. Younger re a d e r s put newer strips like "Get Fuzzy," "L i o," "B rewster Rockit" and "Ink Pen" among their top favorites. Top 10 favorites, by age gro u p s; “24 and younger” is Lio at #5 Knoxville News Sentinel Jan. 4, 2009 “ Top 10 comics by gender and age” Females under 18 Lio ranks #4 Males under 18 Lio ranks #4 P i t t s b u rgh Post-Gazette Jan. 29, 2009 “Other Macabre Comic” BYLINE: Marge Peckham, Weirton, W. Va . While many people may not enjoy dark and macabre humor, there was a very famous cartoonist who did such as this for many, many years, starting in the 1930s for The New Yo r k e r. He went on to receive numerous awards for his work and was awarded the joy of seeing his work become a well- loved television program prior to his death in 1988. There are even several movies that have come from his comics, which are indeed dark, macabre and very funny to those of us who love gallows humor. " L i o," however, is a smart, amazing comic, and it’s in the same vein as the one from the man I mentioned. In fact, I’m sure you’ve probably seen his programs and laughed at them: "The Addams Family"? Yes, I’m speaking of the late, great Charles A d d a m s, who drew for The New Yo r k e r for nearly 50 years with gallows humor. The Courier- J o u r nal (Louisville, Kentucky) Nov. 9, 2008 “ Welcome to Lio’s twisted world” BYLINE: Tamara Ikenberg tikenberg @ c o u r i e r - j o u r nal.com "Sweetly dark," is the way Mark Tatulli describes his comic "Lio." The frequently wordless strip, starring a hyper little boy with crazy hair, bursts with random squids, undead bunnies and red ants. "Lio" started running today in The Courier-Journ a l in place of the now-re t i red Sunday-only "Opus." Ta t u l l i ’ s "Heart of The City" and "L i o" are internationally syndicated and are published all over the world, as are his cartoon books, including the new L i o compilation, "Silent But Deadly" (Andrews McMeel Publishing LLC). We spoke with the artist from his home in New Jersey where he lives with his wife, three children and various pets. "Every one of the cre a t u r es in my house is an inspiration, kids and cats alike," says Ta t u l l i, 45. "There’s a potential joke everywhere I look." The Indianapolis Star ( I n d i a n a ) Sept.1, 2008 “Pantomime comic strip ’Lio’ debuts today” The Star today introduces a new comic strip -- "L i o" -- the tale of a young boy with a vivid imagination. It’s been called "edgy" and "truly diff e rent," offering dark humor as well as straightforward laughs. "L i o" has no dialogue. It’s a "pantomime strip," says Mark Ta t u l l i, its cre a t o r. "And each strip is like a mini puzzle. There is no verbal punch line, no rim shot. You have to look at the series of panels and kind of put things together. " "L i o" replaces Lynn Johnston’s "For Better or For Wo r s e ." The Times Union (Albany, New Yo r k ) June 1, 2008 “Silent images of ’L i o’ speak to all ages” BYLINE: By JESSICA MAHER Special to the Times Union T h e r e’s something diff e rent about ``L i o.’’ It may take a moment to figure it out, but Mark Ta t u l l i ’ s comic, debuting in the Times Union today in place of ``Hagar the Horrible,’’ is diff e rent because there are no words to be found a n y w h e r e. Through images, Ta t u l l i tells the story of Lio, a curious and imaginative young boy who encounters monsters, magic and much more. Offering various shades of dark humor along with straightforward laughs, ``L i o’ ’ is meant for people of all ages, though Ta t u l l i says children tend to understand it best. San Antonio Expre s s - N e w s May 25, 2008 Sunday We i r d world of ’L i o’ makes its points without using word s BYLINE: Rene A. Guzman, STA F F Mark Tatulli doesn’t let a little thing like dialogue get in the way of his delightfully dark comic strip “Lio”. Instead, the cartoonist simply lets the actions of his strip’s silent star do all the talking. And my, do they ever speak volumes. A quiet little boy with a Tintin-like hairdo and curiosity to match, Lio (pronounced like Leo) has a knack for dabbling in monsters, Ouija boards and just about any other morbid machinations you can think of. Express-News readers will get a dose of that creepy fun when “Lio” debuts Monday in the S.A. Life comics section for a four-week stint in the guest comic spot. “Lio” follows guest comics Cul de Sac and The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee. Patriot News ( H a r r i s b u rg, Pennsylvania) April 11, 2008 “Q&A WITH ’L I O’ CREATOR MARK TAT U L L I ” Mark Tatulli a l ready had one successful strip in newspapers ("Heart of the City") when, after losing his day job, he decided to start a second one. This time around, though, he decided to go for something a little edgier, a little more macabre and -- just to make things tougher -- devoid of dialogue. The net result was " L i o," a delightful strip about a little boy who is surrounded and constantly bemused by the m o n s t rous and otherwise supernatural elements that encompass his universe. Philadelphia We e k l y Aug. 1-7, 2007 “ L i o ” Newspaper comics suck. Most of them are drawn by dead people. But “L i o ” is diff e rent. It’s funny—very funny— and continues the surrealist tradition of “Calvin and Hobbes”. The always silent L i o pulls pranks on his father, p e r f o r ms experiments and, most notably, parodies other strips. In one memorable episode, L i o ’ s giant ant f a rm breaks, and the ants invade the other comics. A giant ant mauls “B e e t l e B a i l e y,” who’d been joking about being sent to Iraq. And last month L i o called the police on the fighting L o c k h o r ns (a drunken Leroy was a r rested). “L i o ” is a breath of fresh air, a Hells Angel in an old folks home, a rabid weasel in a hen house. Enjoy it while you can. (Daniel McQuade).