BEACH READING

Becoming a wildly successful cartoonist today is just about as likely as getting struck by lightning. Jeffrey Koterba, the accomplished editorial cartoonist, has somehow managed to do both! In his memoir, “Inklings,” Mr. Koterba reveals the unlikely mix of luck, love and hardship that have framed his life and career. And, of course, he tells of the lightning storm that very nearly killed him.

Mr. Koterba grew up amid a whirlwind of mismatched television parts and garage sale finds. As a repairman and bargain hunter, his father, Art, filled their living room with the spare parts and rejected television sets that helped pay the growing family’s mounting bills. But Art’s depression and alcoholism, coupled with his own unfulfilled dreams of becoming a famous bigband drummer, often left the younger Koterba isolated and mistreated.

The withdrawn Jeffrey shares little in common with aggressive Art, but both father and son are plagued by Tourette’s syndrome. Though his father resists, Mr. Koterba comes to peace with his own diagnosis upon learning that the syndrome often affects artists, musicians and writers: “Maybe creativity and Tourette’s,” he writes, “are two sides of the same coin.”

Mr. Koterba’s early love of newspapers and self-taught guitar playing provided an outlet for his enormous creativity. After honing his drawing skills at high school and college newspapers, running a self-syndication business and getting his professional start at the Omaha World-Herald, today Mr. Koterba is a successful editorial cartoonist, syndicated by King Features. He has even conquered his childhood stage fright as lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of a swing and blues band. More than anything, though, he has overcome a tumultuous past with humor and heart intact.

“All children are artists,” said Pablo Picasso. “The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” In “Inklings,” Jeffrey Koterba aptly imparts the chaotic, creative childhood that formed his future as a grown, gifted artist. ¦