| Johnny Hart | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | John Lewis Hart February 18, 1931 Endicott, New York |
| Died | April 7, 2007 (aged 76) Nineveh, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | artist, writer |
| Notable works | B.C. The Wizard of Id |
| Awards | full list |
Johnny Hart (February 18, 1931 – April 7, 2007) was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strip B.C. and co-creator of the strip The Wizard of Id. Hart was recognized with several awards, including five from the National Cartoonists Society, and the Swedish Adamson Award. In his later years, he sparked controversy by incorporating overtly Christian themes and messages into the strips.[1]
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Born in Endicott, New York, Hart's first published work was in Stars and Stripes while he served in Korea as an enlisted member of the United States Air Force. Returning in 1953, he published cartoons in The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's Weekly and other magazines. Hart's biggest success, B.C., was created in 1957 and began national daily newspapers appearances on February 17, 1958.[2] Hart also co-created and wrote the comic strip The Wizard of Id, drawn by Brant Parker, which has been distributed since November 9, 1964.[2]
Hart died of a stroke on April 7, 2007. According to his wife, he was working at his drawing table at the time of his death.[3][4] Brant Parker died just eight days later, on April 15, 2007.
Hart was raised in a casually religious family, and he attended Christian Sunday School regularly. Although his formal education ended with high school, he was fascinated by the Bible from a young age.[5] In 1977 there was a distinguishable shift in Hart's spirituality, and Hart and wife Bobby began attending a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Nineveh, New York. Hart attributed his religious awakening to a father-son team of contractors who installed a satellite dish.[5] Hart's increasingly deep religious faith, and the staunch political conservatism that accompanied it, came to be the source of considerable controversy in the later years of his life. In a 1999 interview with The Washington Post, for example, he stated that "Jews and Muslims who don't accept Jesus will burn in Hell" and that "homosexuality is the handiwork of Satan."[6] In the same piece, Hart opined that "the end of the world is approaching, maybe by the year 2010." The lion's share of controversy, however, came from Hart's increasing tendency to incorporate his religious and political themes and ideals into his comic strips, especially B.C. Some newspapers refused to print strips with overtly religious themes or, as with the Los Angeles Times, relegated them to the religious section of the newspaper.[7]
Two strips in particular were controversial. The B.C. strip for April 15, 2001, which was Easter, portrayed a menorah with seven candles progressively burning out as the strip captions ran the words of Jesus Christ. At the end, the outer arms of the candelabra broke away, leaving a Christian cross, with the final panel portraying the opened and empty tomb of Christ.[8] Critics including the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee argued that Hart's strip portrayed replacement theology, that is, the conception of Christianity as supplanting Judaism. Hart offered an apology "if I have offended any readers," but still thought the strip could increase "religious awareness" and claimed that he had meant the strip to be a tribute to both religions.[7][9][10]
Another B.C. strip, which ran November 10, 2003, showed an outhouse with a traditional crescent, which a character entered with a vertical graphic "SLAM", only to ask, "Is it just me, or does it stink in here?" Critics including the Council on American-Islamic Relations claimed that the combination of the vertical bar and the "SLAM", as well as the crescent moons both in the sky and on the outhouse, made the strip a slur on Islam. Hart denied that it was anything but an outhouse joke.[8]
Hart was an active member of his local community — the area of Greater Binghamton in Broome County, New York, which shares a common abbreviation of "B.C." Hart donated B.C.-based drawings and logos free of charge to many entities and organizations found in the Broome County area, including logos for:
Hart's involvement with the B.C. Open dates back to the early 1970s, and characters from B.C. are used extensively in advertising and marketing materials for the event, including the winner's trophy which is a bronzed version of a hapless B.C. Caveman golfing, a light-hearted trophy when compared to many others, leading it to earn the designation of being "voted by the players on Tour as the best trophy on Tour; the one that they would love to have." [11]
Additionally, Hart contributed original panels of B.C. strips for charity auctions with the Binghamton, New York-based PBS affiliate, WSKG-TV. He also provided album cover art for the 1999 album Still Fresh by a cappella group The Four Freshmen, and his strips for B.C. were the inspiration for the mascot of UC Irvine, the anteater. [12]
"
Mason Mastroianni, Johnny Hart's grandson, was born and raised in upstate NY in the same small town as his grandfather. After attending the Rhode Island School of Design, Mason enrolled in The DAVE School (Digital Animation and Visual Effects) in Orlando. Upon graduation in 2004, he worked as a CG animator in Minneapolis. Mason's work at Wet Cement Productions earned him an Emmy award for computer graphic animation. In 2007, Mason returned home to draw, write and carry on the legacy of "B.C."
Mick Mastroianni, Johnny's youngest grandson, grew up reading his grandfather's "B.C." books in bed every night. Today, Mick co-writes and develops new concepts for "B.C.". Mick's edgy writing style is reminiscent of the humor from the early days of the strip.
Perri Hart, Johnny's youngest daughter, worked with her dad, writing and producing "B.C." for over two decades. Working so closely with Johnny, Perri picked up his style of lettering and color sense. Today, Perri letters and colors "B.C." and occasionally writes gags.
Patti Pomeroy is Johnny's oldest daughter. Patti's claim to fame is that she is "Johnny Hart's daughter and Mason Mastroianni's mother." Patti works behind the scenes on the operational demands of the business.
Bobby Hart, Johnny's wife, resides at the helm of the Hart family team. With her 55 years of experience as the wife of a cartoonist, Bobby and her team will ensure that "B.C." and "The Wizard of Id" continue for future generations to enjoy.
" -- from JohnHartStudios.com
Hart was memorialized in a May 14, 2007 strip of the comic strip Mother Goose & Grimm. In the June 20, 2007 Blondie strip, the last panel shows Mr. Dithers saying, "Boy oh boy, that Johnny Hart sure knew his stuff, didn't he?" Bruce Tinsley honored Hart in his Mallard Fillmore strip of July 10, 2007.
With the release of The Wizard of Id in 1964, Hart became one of only four cartoonists to have two comic strips appearing in over 1000 papers each. He won numerous awards for his work, including the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben award for B.C. in 1968 and The Wizard of Id in 1984.
National Cartoonists Society Newspaper Comic Strip (Humor) Award for B.C.
National Cartoonists Society
The International Congress of Comics - Lucca, Italy. This was the first time this award was given to an American cartoonist.
National Cartoonists Society
For outstanding contributions to NASA
The National Cartoonist Society “B.C. The First Thanksgiving”
The Advertising Council "B.C. Tickets for ACTION"
The International Society of Radio and Television Broadcasters "B.C. ‘A’ We’re the ACTION Corps"
The Swedish Academy of Comic Art
The National Cartoonist Society
The National Cartoonist Society
King Features Syndicate
The Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival - Canada "B.C. A Special Christmas"
The Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival - Canada "B.C. A Special Christmas"
The National Cartoonist Society
The National Cartoonist Society
The National Cartoonist Society
The Swedish Academy of Comic Art
The Press Club of Dallas
King Features Syndicate
"Less filling" - Monroe Shocks
National Cartoonist Society
The Comic Salon - Erlangen, Germany
The Religious Public Relations Council Inc - Dallas Easter 1995 cartoon
   | "Johnny Hart: Not Caving In" - Johnny Hart: Not Caving In | Today's Christian |
| | At the Hart of B.C. - At the Hart of B.C. |
| | Creators Syndicate: ''The Wizard of Id'' - The Wizard of Id by Parker and Hart on Creators.com - A Syndicate Of Talent |
| | Creators Syndicate: ''B.C.'' - B.C. by Hart on Creators.com - A Syndicate Of Talent |
| | Easter Comic Strip Creates an Uproar - Easter comic strip creates an uproar | Christian Century | Find Articles at BNET |
| | Johnny Hart biography - Comic creator: Johnny Hart |
| | Johnny Hart Dies at 76 - The New York Times > Log In |
| | BC cartoonist dies while drawing - BBC NEWS | Americas | BC cartoonist dies while drawing |
| | Cartoon Raises a Stink: Some See Slur Against Islam in a 'B.C.' Outhouse Strip - washingtonpost.com: Cartoon Raises a Stink |
| | Johnny Hart tribute art and quotations - Creators Syndicate - Celebrating 20 Years as a World-Class Syndicate Of Talent |
| | Obituary: Johnny Hart - Obituary: Johnny Hart / Cartoonist sparked religious controversies |
| | 'B.C.' cartoonist Johnny Hart dies at 76 - 'B.C.' cartoonist Johnny Hart dies at 76 - USATODAY.com |
| | UC Irvine, Peter the Anteater - UC Irvine - Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools |
| | Johnny Hart, 76; created 'B.C.' comic strip - Johnny Hart, 76; his comic strip `B.C.' stirred complaints - Los Angeles Times |
| | The Wizard of Id - Wizard of Id free online comic strip library at comics.com |
| | B.C. - B.C. free online comic strip library at comics.com |
| | Southern Tier Independence Center - Southern Tier Independence Center | Home Page |
| | Official Website for John Hart Studios - John Hart Studios Homepage |
| | Broome County Meals on Wheels - Meals on Wheels (MOW) | Broome County, NY |
| | Broome County Parks - Parks & Recreation | Broome County, NY |
| | Broome County Celtic Kazoos - Broome County Celtic Kazoos |
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