As any reader of this blog knows, I lost my good friend Richard Thompson this past summer. Unfortunately, a lot of other people in the field passed away as well. Here's my list from the Comics Research Bibliography, which is always greatly dependent on the work of DD Degg. Additions and corrections would be appreciated. (
Updated on January 5th with more contributions by DD Degg, and
John Freeman's Down the Tubes article;
updated on February 1)
Deaths in 2016 included British artist Martin Aitchison, Jumble writer Michael Argirion, publisher Alvin Buenaventura, Ken Barr, comic book dealer Stephen Barrington, Universal Press Syndicate and Andrews McMeel editor William Beasley Jr., UK girls comics artist Shirley Bellwood, Ted Benoit, Bennington Banner political cartoonist Gene Blasen, editorial cartoonist Don Bloom, MAD art director Leonard Brenner, animation producer Al Brodax, Solson Publisher Gary Brodsky, Raymond Burki of Switzerland, MAD cartoonist John Caldwell, The Comic Depot store owner Darren Carrara, Tits & Clits co-founder Lyn Chevli, Jack Chick, Angel Smurf voice William Christopher, Jok Church, Darwyn Cooke, British cartoonist Bernard Cookson, Lawrence Eagle Tribune political cartoonist Al Cote Jr., New Yorker cartoonist Michael Crawford, animator Clay Martin Croker, Belgian colorist Janine “Nine” Culliford, The Simpsons' Kevin Curran, Jack Davis, British cartoonist Frank Dickens, Steve Dillon, Norman Doherty, German writer Lothar Dräger, Jerry Dumas, Don "Duck" Edwing, Mark Trail's Jack Elrod, Genevieve Elverum aka Genevieve Castree, fanzine artist John Fantucchio, Italian comic book artist Gallieno Ferri, political cartoonist Glenn Foden, comics scholar Conseula Francis, Paul Fung Jr., Studio Ghibli animator Makiko Futaki, Angel "Pat" or "Pasquale" Gabriele, animation writer Daniel Gerson, British comic book artist John Gillatt, Kenya's Edward Gicheri Gitau, animation voice Ron Glass, UK comic book writer Scott Goodall, Marcel "Gotlib" Gottlieb, New Yorker cartoonist William Hamilton, British comic book artist Wilfred “Wilf” Hardy, Belgian cartoonist René Hausman, Stowe (Vt.) Reporter cartoonist Ralph T. Heath, Dick Hodgins Jr., commercial animator Gary Hughes, "Heat Miser" animation voice George Irving, Shigeji Isojima aka Tomoe-Satoo aka Pariotto, Dallas Morning News editorial cartoonist Dick Johns Jr., British comix artist Andrew 'Andy Dog' Johnson, alternative cartoonist Jess Johnson, Greek cartoonist Yannis Kalaitzis, voice actor Marvin Kaplan, webcartoonist (and Archie inspiration) Jewel Kats, Nellie Nifty RN cartoonist Lawrence "Kaz" Katzman, Disney idea man Al Konetzni, New Yorker cartoonist Anatol Kovarsky, comic book price guide publisher Chet Krause, comic book fandom founder Richard Kyle, caricaturist and CIA officer James Lawrence, Mell Lazarus, Roger Leiner of Luxembourg, Dave's Comics store owner Dave Luebke, British cartoonist Tony Luke, Tumbleweeds gag writer Steve Mamlin, Singapore cartoonist Man Tian Fei (aka Lin Yucong), Linus Maurer, editorial cartoonist Shaw McCutcheon, Thornsby cartoonist Fred McLaren, Free for All cartoonist Brett Merhar, Benton Courier editorial cartoonist Ron Meyer, British comic writer Alan Mitchell, Mikiya Mochizuki, New Yorker cartoonist Frank Modell, Sparky Moore, Spanish comic book writer Victor Mora, Howard Munce, television's Lois Lane Noel Neill, Carlos Nine, Indian cartoonist S V Padmanabha, British comic book editor Gil Page, British comics archivist Roger Perry,British comic book letterer Derek Pierson, Paul Peter Porges, Finnish cartoonist Heikki Porkola, British small press cartoonist Stephen Prestwood, Spanish cartoonist Angel Nadal Quirch, Caliber Comics founder Gary Reed, Croatian cartoonist Oton Anton Reisinger, United Media editor Susan Reinhard, Rugrats animation voice Jack Riley, collector Ethan Roberts, Duxbury Clipper cartoonist Charles Rogerson II, Magic: The Gathering artist Christopher Rush, Paul Ryan, Gaspar Saladino, animator Morton Schindel, Augie Scotto, Clyde Shelley, Maurice 'Sine' Sinet, Marc Sleen, Spotlight Newspapers editorial cartoonist Reverend Donald W. Stake, Chuck Stiles, colorist Matthew Swift, Joe Szabo, Rev. Thom Tapp, Indian cartoonist VT "Toms" Thomas, Richard Thompson, Kelly Air Force Base cartoonist Emilio G. Torres, Don Vannozzi, Dutch cartoonist Peter van Straaten, syndicated cartoonist Fred Wagner, Judy Jetson voice Janet Waldo, Swiss-German cartoonist Hansrudi Wäscher, New Yorker cartoonist Robert Weber, comic book writer Robert E. "Bob" Weinberg, George Wildman, TV's Green Hornet Van Williams, "Cooking with Cancer's" Venus Winston, animator Tyrus Wong, Studio Ghibli's Michiyo Yasuda, Iranian cartoonist Mohammad-Rafi Zia.
Wednesday, January 11th: We are excited to welcome back author Nick Bruel as he presents the newest chapter book in the Bad Kitty series: Bad Kitty Takes the Test! Bad Kitty has her cat license revoked, and to renew it she must sit through a gruelingly boring class followed by a standardized test. After watching a specious video filled with oddball cat facts (and created by the test-makers, TestPro) she gets to the test itself -- and it's administered by a chicken. This hilarious new addition to the Bad Kitty series is sure to be a favorite with children and adults! 
