New Artist Is Chosen for the 'Unfit' Comic

By: E&P Staff Justin Thompson is the new artist for the "Unfit" comic, beating out approximately 80 other cartoonists in a contest conducted via Scott Adams' "Dilbert" blog.

Both "Dilbert" and "Unfit" are syndicated by United Media and have nearly identical artistic styles. This has led to speculation that Adams is the "Mike Belkin" who creates "Unfit," a 10-month-old strip set in a gym.

Thompson's credits include the "MythTickle" comic. His art will start appearing in "Unfit" in "a month or so," Adams said.

Adams wrote Wednesday on his blog (at Dilbert.com): "The decision was Mike's alone, but I would have made the same choice. ... I just flat out enjoy Justin's art. It has what I call 'look back' appeal. After I finished reading Justin's submission, I looked back at the art several times just to see how he did it. For me, the only other 'look back' comic strip artists are Breathed ('Bloom County'), Watterson ('Calvin and Hobbes'), and now Darby Conley ('Get Fuzzy').

"Second, the art has to appeal to every generation, particularly the generation of newspaper editors. Justin's take on the characters evokes the feel of 'Li'l Abner' (the best drawn comic of its time) while still looking current."

Other reasons for the choice, said Adams, included the fact that many "Dilbert" blog visitors and the United Media sales team liked Thompson's submission.