In 1967 a talking stomach was interviewed about its digestion on TV in a commercial spot for Alka-Seltzer, the effervescent cure for indigestion. That a talking organ would change television advertising forever was surprising. Who would have thought such an essentially unattractive muscle could become a TV star, and later an icon of the "Creative Revolution?" Its creator, R.O. Blechman, knew in his gut that it would. The talking stomach was an instant success and viewers were charmed by its understated hilarity, rendered with R. O. Blechman's famously nervous comic line.

Understated is the best way to describe Blechman's work. His art foregoes slapstick. His line is genuinely humane. Although many cartoonists have copied the shaky lo...