It takes a lot of brains to enjoy satire, humor and wit – but none to be offended by them.
—The Midnight Skulker (B.C. 6/26/2000)
B.C. (Johnny Hart) died April 7, 2007
Once when we were young and the Sunday papers came with colored comics, we cut them out and rubber glued them to the walls of our apartment. B.C. was the most popular probably because it was cynical, satirical very witty. I still remember the punch lines today.
B.C. is calling the baseball game, leaning on a rock. Peter is the color commentator, leaning on a second rock.
B.C. “There’s a high pop fly into the …
Peter “…yellow sun.”
ALBANY, N.Y. – Cartoonist Johnny Hart, whose award-winning “B.C.” comic strip appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers worldwide, died at his home on Saturday. He was 76.
“He had a stroke,” Hart’s wife, Bobby, said on Sunday. “He died at his storyboard.”
“B.C.,” populated by prehistoric cavemen and dinosaurs, was launched in 1958 and eventually appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers with an audience of 100 million, according to Creators Syndicate, Inc., which distributes it.
After he graduated from Union-Endicott High School, Hart met Brant Parker, a young cartoonist who became a prime influence and co-creator with Hart of the “Wizard of Id” comic strip.
Hart enlisted in the Air Force and began producing cartoons for Pacific Stars and Stripes. He sold his first freelance cartoon to the Saturday Evening Post after his discharge from the military in 1954.
Later in his career, some of Hart’s cartoons had religious themes, a reflection of his own Christian faith. That sometimes led to controversy.
A strip published on Easter Sunday in 2001 drew protests from Jewish groups and led several newspapers to drop the strip. The cartoon depicted a menorah transforming into a cross, with accompanying text quoting some of Jesus Christ’s dying words. Critics said it implied that Christianity supersedes Judaism.
Hart said he intended it as a tribute to both faiths.
“He had such an emphasis on kindness, generosity, and patience,” said Richard Newcombe, founder and president of Creators Syndicate in Los Angeles.
Newcombe said Hart was the first cartoonist to sign on when the syndicate was created 20 years ago. “Traditionally, comic strips were owned by syndicates,” Newcombe said. “We were different because we allowed cartoonists to own their own work. It was because of Johnny’s commitment to this idea that made us a success.”
Besides his wife, Hart is survived by two daughters, Patti and Perri. He was a native of Endicott, about 135 miles northwest of New York City, and drew his comic strip at a studio in his home there until the day he died.
© 2007 The Associated Press.
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