[tbenst]

Not sure he can claim the phrase. On cursory glance, can find the phrase in multiple books prior to the publication of the cartoon, using the same phrase. Seems it was already in the vernacular.

1986: "How about the afternoon?" "How about never?”

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Wild_Nights/IaAA0LV0zWk...

1981:

there had to be someone else in the whole school he could talk to besides her. "How about never?" She turned back to her notes and didn't even notice when Harry left the room.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_New_Voice/4pQSCfcy4...

[svat]

It looks like you're talking about just the phrase “how about never?”, but the full text of the cartoon—the quote attributed to him—is:

> No, Thursday's out. How about never—is never good for you?

It's the whole second sentence that is funny/memorable, and when he says that the phrase is entrenched in culture, that's the part that is meant, e.g. with the quoted “They said to the president, How about never? Does never work for you?”.

(BTW in case it's not obvious from the article, when the title says The Story of “How About Never” it means the story of the cartoon known by that name, not the story of the phrase itself.)