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| Obit: Cartoonist Johnny Hart, Creator of B.C. And The Wizard Of Id |
| 2007-04-08 |
| Johnny Hart, an Endicott native whose collection of cartoon cave-dwellers amused and sometimes irritated newspaper readers for almost 50 years, died at his Nineveh home on Saturday. He was 76. Hart is survived by his wife Bobby, and two daughters. Funeral arrangements have not been announced. Hart's B.C. comic strip was launched in 1958 and eventually appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers worldwide with an audience of 100 million. He lent his characters to promote many local agencies and activities, including the Broome Dusters hockey team, BC Transit, Broome County Parks and the professional golf tournament which became the B.C. Open. B.C. participated in the nation's space program. In 1972, Hart received a public service award from NASA for outstanding contributions. Later in his career, some of Hart's cartoons addressed religious themes -- a reflection of his own deepening Christian faith -- which dismayed some readers and delighted others. Hart's biography at the Creators Syndicate web site said he never considered cartooning a serious profession until he graduated from Union-Endicott High School. At 19, he met Brant Parker, a young cartoonist who became a prime influence and who later became a partner in the Wizard of Id, another of Hart's comic strip creations. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #5 One that sticks in my mind was when Thor was showing off his new triangular wheel. He touted it as an improvement over the previous year's square model because it had "One less bump!" :-) |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-04-08 22:44 |
| #4 Agree with all of the above. He was definitely one of the best (the best being a handful). Here's hoping they re-publish some of his BC and WoI books - I lost track of mine about thirty years and a dozen moves ago. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-04-08 22:31 |
| #3 I don't think Hart ever received the attention that he was due; one of the profession's unsung heros. Way back in the late 70's (IIRC) he did a series of BC-themed safety posters for the Navy; to this day one hangs over the door in the USN RET Garage that shows BC himself pondering a low-hanging branch with a leaf on it. BC then plucks the leaf and 'TWANNN-NNG' the branch flies up and hits him. Last panel caption: "If you don't know what it does, don't fool with it." Rest easy, sir. |
| Posted by: USN, ret. 2007-04-08 21:04 |
| #2 God bless him - he used his art and humor for a higher calling |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-04-08 20:40 |
| #1 "CLAMS GOT LEGS!!!" |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2007-04-08 20:10 |