A Comic Strip Is Born! Universal Uclick to Launch Amazon Contest Runner-up "Thatababy"

Kansas City, Mo. (September 30, 2010) “ It captured the hearts of judges and voters in last fall's Amazon Comic Strip Superstar contest, and now Thatababy, a new daily comic strip by Paul Trap, will debut Oct. 4 in newspapers across the country courtesy of contest sponsor Universal Uclick.

The strip stars “ well, a baby, of course, and the mother and father in charge of raising him. Thatababy's premise is as fun and instantly accessible as its crisp, colorful art: It's a baby's job to drive parents crazy. 

"Thatababy is loosely, or not so loosely, based on my wife and I welcoming our son into the world, but through his point-of-view", explained Trap. "He was a tiny anarchist who immediately found the concept of bedtime much too abstract."

Thatababy was a finalist and much-heralded runner-up in the Amazon Comic Strip Superstar contest that ran on Amazon.com in fall of 2009. Thatababy received glowing reviews from the contest's celebrity panel of judges, which included professional cartoonists Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury), Lynn Johnston (For Better or For Worse), Mark Tatulli (Lio) and Scott Hilburn (The Argyle Sweater). 

"Paul's cartoons stood out from the very beginning of the contest," said John Glynn, vice president of acquisitions and development for Universal Uclick. "It caught our eye very early on and received a lot of extremely positive feedback from the judges. We knew it was a strip we wanted to bring to a larger audience."

Paul Trap is a regular contributor to USA Today and McClatchy News Service, illustrating weekly features for kids and adults. Thatababy is his first syndicated comic strip and has already proven to be a fan favorite.

Thatababy will make its daily debut in newspapers on Oct. 4 and will be available online at GoComics.com/Thatababy. To bring Thatababy to your publication or website, contact salesdirector@amuniversal.com or click here (http://www.universaluclick.com/comics/thatababy).

About Universal Uclick

Universal Uclick is the largest independent syndicate in the world and a leading digital entertainment provider of humor, comic strips, editorial cartoons and other content for print, desktop, web and mobile phones.  Universal Uclick provides editorial development, licensing and other distribution services for major brands like Doonesbury, Dear Abby and some of the most significant comics in history including Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, Garfield, For Better or For Worse, Cathy and Ziggy as well as recent hits Lio, Cul de Sac and The Argyle Sweater.  Universal Uclick is a division of Andrews McMeel Universal, the leading publisher of humor books and calendars in North America.

For interview requests, images and comic samples please contact:

Paul Richardson

800-255-6734

prichardson@amuniversal.com