Provided by Tribune Media Services

Paul Combs is a classically trained artist and a small-town firefighter. You heard it right. This unlikely combination has made Combs one of the most compelling and distinctive political cartoonists in America today. "I draw from the realities of life, not the realities of Washington," Combs says.

Fiercely nonpartisan, Combs calls it as he sees it. "I don't look at news as a liberal or a conservative," he explains. "I'd describe myself as an independent - I come from a family deeply divided between liberals and conservatives. I just try to be fair. That way, I can aim in both directions." In each cartoon, Combs uses intricately rendered illustrations that add movement, energy and color to his opinion – and to your editorial page and website. "My goal is to bring the reader up close," he says. "It's about the reader, rather than the politics."

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After honing his editorial-cartoonist skills at the Tampa Tribune, Combs decided to seek a less-hectic lifestyle for his family and return to his roots. He's now back home in Ohio, where his unique full-color artistry is published in the Defiance Crescent-News. Additionally, his nationally focused cartoons are now being offered to newspapers three times a week, in color and black & white, for print and online editions. Combs, who also works as a paid, on-call firefighter/instructor for the Bryan (Ohio) Fire Department, finds that serving as a firefighter keeps him in touch with everyday people and everyday concerns. Living in a town of 15,000 gives him a unique perspective on the day's events, whether those events happen in Ohio or across the globe - and his viewpoint will resonate with newspaper readers anywhere.