A literal loss to the ComicsDC family: Art Rhode R.I.P.

Birthday caricature by Mike Jenkins

My father Art Rhode passed away this Monday July 7th, probably from a heart attack. He'd been having heart problems for months by this point. He never made it to the cardiac surgeon's appointment he had scheduled that morning. I spoke to him the day before and he was feeling good and optimistic. I was too because he was tough. He snarled at me on Saturday when I offered to buy him a Rollator walker. He and I talked, admittedly about mostly nothing, every day as I drove home from work, or walked to the farmers markets on weekends.So take it from me and tell your family and friends you love them while you can. 

 Dad and Mom were big fans of comics - such as Superman, Mad Magazine, Peanuts collections, Disney Digests. Even though money was usually tight, I grew up reading comics of all types.

 A few months ago I republished this tribute to my Dad on his 83rd birthday.  This is all still true and accurate, and while I'll miss him more than I can say, I appreciate the foundations he (and Mom, but she's been gone since 1987) gave my life. And it's not just me - as many people have said, he was a good man, or a kind man, or a kind and compassionate individual (I'm not sure about the patience also mentioned there though). I agree and there are few better ways to be remembered. He always had time to help someone out, not infrequently to my mother's chagrin, who wanted our own home worked on.

Donations in his name can be made to North Shore Animal League, selected by our family as he got 2 dogs from there. Or, if you want to keep with this blog's theme, I personally support Team Cul de Sac, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Cartoonists Rights, and Hero Initiative.

I'll be inheriting Dad's set of IJOCA I guess unless my sister wants it; he didn't read it in recent years, but he's got almost a complete set in my old bedroom. I'll be looking for a good home for that as I don't need a third set. For those of you unfamiliar with it, I'm an editor of  and also run the blog for the Int. Journal of Comic Art published by Dr. John A. Lent.

 Here's some photos over the years... 

This was my computer background for years.

The Little Free Library he built for his house after seeing how popular ours was.

I literally have no memory of us meeting Betty Boop

My wedding day with my Uncle Herb, his next oldest brother

Caricature by Mike Jenkins

Released from the hospital with a new knee

 

 

Don't try this at home, or at Fort Ward

 

Deaths in the comic arts field in 2019

(updates marked  with a *)

Deaths in 2019 (with thanks to DD Degg of the Daily Cartoonist) included Gerry Alanguilan, *animation voice actor Patricia Alice Albrecht, CrossGen founder Mark Alessi, Syrian political cartoonist Wahib al-Husseini, comics scholar Donald Ault, animation voice actor Robert Axelrod, Ken Bald, French cartoonist Alex Barbier, comics lawyer and editor Mitch Berger, stop-motion animator Bruce Bickford, co-owner of Dragon's Comics & Fantasy - San Antonio Cliff Bland, William F. Brown, Scottish cartoonist Russell Campbell, Ernie Colón, Journal-Advocate political cartoonist Robert Cope, Howard Cruse, Sudhir Dar, Rockford Register Star editorial cartoonist Coila Davis, editorial cartoonist Marian Del Vecchio, letterer Ellie DeVille, religious cartoonist Doug Dillard, tv animation writer Larry Ditillio, Steve DuQuette, Texas A&M's student newspaper cartoonist Jim Earle, comics gag writer Harold Emery, gag cartoonist James Estes, gag cartoonist Dana Fradon,  TV cartoonist 'Sailor Bob' Griggs, Canadian cancer cartoonist Teva Harrison, Pluggers contributor Reed Hoover, Larry Hubbell (aka Harry Lyrico), James Hudnall, animation voice Arte Johnson, Daniel Johnston, Nurit Karlin, Kazuhiko Katō (aka Monkey Punch), Ottawa Citizen editorial cartoonist Rusins Kaufmanis, Korean cartoonist Kim Sung-whan, Everett Raymond Kinstler, animator/gag cartoonist Stuart J. Knickerbocker, *Indonesian cartoonist Dwi Koendoro, Kazuo Koike, The Realist publisher Paul Krassner, 34 of Kyoto Animation's employees; including anime director Yasuhiro Takemoto, animation director Futoshi Nishiya, animator Yoshiji Kigami, Junichi Uda, Yuki Omura, Yuka Kasama, Ami Kuriki, Sachie Tsuda, Keisuke Yokota, and Mikiko Watanabe; editorial cartoonist Mike Lane, gag cartoonist Joe Lanier, Batton Lash, Canadian political cartoonist John Latham, animation voice actor Michael Lindsay, comic strip syndicator Lew Little, Spanish illustrator Jordi Longarón, animation background artist Art Lozzi, comic book artist Tom Lyle, Golden Age African-American comic book artist Cal Massey, Massimo Mattioli, Scottish cartoonist Malky McCormick, Daytona Beach News-Journal cartoonist Steve McLachlin, gag cartoonist Thomas F. McLaughlin, science fiction movie design illustrator Syd Mead, Peanuts animator Lee Mendelson, Disney CEO Ron Miller, Laurie Mitchell, 'father of Indian animation' Ram Mohan, Guillermo Mordillo, animator and Pogo artist Don Morgan, Skip Morrow, Belgian comics journalist Rik Pareit, fine artist Joyce Pensato, Topo Gigio's creator Maria Perego, comic book artist Robb Phipps, animator Suzan Pitt, colorist Justin Ponsor, political cartoonist Dwane Powell, animator Chris Reccardi, colorist James Rochelle, Donald Rooum, comics scholar Derek Royal, Joe Ruisi, TK Ryan, caricaturist Charles Santore, Lee Salem, comic book historian Bill Schelly, San Diego's Comickaze Comics store owner Robert Scott, gag cartoonist Skip Sedore, *Schoolhouse Rock animation singer Jack Sheldon, Mad writer Larry Siegel, Walt Disney archivist Dave Smith, "Judge Dredd" artist Ron Smith, Tom Spurgeon, Ted Stearn, female underground cartoonist Leslie Sternbergh, Patrick Tandiang, Greg Theakston, Percy Crosby's daughter and defender Joan Tibbetts, Lucca Comics Festival manager Rinaldo Traini, Tomi Ungerer, Saint Just Le Martel editorial cartooning festival founder Gérard Vandenbroucke, Washington, DC area fan Ellen Vartanoff, short-time Saturday Evening Post cartoonist Peter Vatsures, British animator Richard Williams, collector Malcolm Willits, Gahan Wilson, Kevin Wolf, Mary Zins …