Richard Gagnon
@gasp65.bsky.social
Translator, blogger, nature lover, occasional illustrator when the need arises. Said blog is Who's Out There?, which you'll find at whosoutthere.ca.
Here's my fond -- and profusely illustrated -- tribute to English cartoonist Glen Baxter, who left us last spring. whosoutthere.ca/2026/09/19/g...
Glen Baxter’s ‘Ominous Symptoms of Genius’*
« Rockets, canoes, bagpipes, fish, good old chaps with patches on their elbows and jokes about Derrida: Glen Baxter’s world is always instantly recognisable. » — Harriet Lane As our mor…
whosoutthere.ca
Let's celebrate a century -- to the day! -- of Joe Kubert with a sampling of his eye-popping Hawkman (and Atom) covers of the 1960s. 🎂 whosoutthere.ca/2019/03/03/h...
Hot Streak: Joe Kubert’s The Atom and Hawkman
« Calm down, Harris… this is no teleportational phenomenon we’re dealing with… » — Hawkman, “Yo-Yo Hangup in the Sky!”. In 1968, though DC was still handily outselling…
whosoutthere.ca
It's high time we addressed Little Dot's fixation. whosoutthere.ca/2018/12/29/l...
Little Dot’s Playful Obsession
« Y’gotta develop an annoying compulsion if y’wanta get anywhere in this world! » — Dan Clowes’ Willy Willions (Eightball No. 5, Feb. 1991) Dorothy Polka, known to the world…
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For a change of pace, here's a charmingly different spook story from writer Arnold Drake and illustrator Frank Bolle. 👻https://whosoutthere.ca/2026/08/23/treasured-stories-the-ghost-of-hells-kitchen-1972/
Treasured Stories: “The Ghost of Hell’s Kitchen” (1972)
Hello all — I write this post under duress and internal protest. Given all the shit going on in the world, and the online omnipresence of larcenous AI, I readily admit that my desire to share…
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Depending on where you are, you may not *want* to be reminded of the heat... but surely E. Nelson Bridwell and Alfredo Alcala's splendid adaptation of W.F. Harvey's sweaty classic 'August Heat' is still worth a look. 🧊 whosoutthere.ca/2018/07/04/t...
Treasured Stories: “August Heat” (1973)
« Neither of us had seen a ghost, but I knew what he meant. » I had planned to feature quite another tale this week, but seeing as we are in the torrid grip of quite the heat wave, I opted in the e…
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Here's my (much-needed!) spotlight on an extraordinary, and mostly forgotten Danish cartoonist-illustrator, Povl Norholt (1908-1993). A feast for the eyes!
Povl Norholt’s Danish Delights
« Denmark is like a secret little place with its own special language. » — Helena Christensen Here’s a post that has been a looong time coming. To wit: back on May 14th, 2015, I wrote: …
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Today's the birthday of one of my very favourite comics writers, the prolific Joe Gill (1919-2006). To salute the occasion, here's one of his finest fables, ably illustrated by one of his frequent collaborators, Warren Sattler. 🌭🎂
Treasured Stories: “The Locked Door!” (1973)
« Man’s constitution is so peculiar that his health is purely a negative matter. No sooner is the rage of hunger appeased than it becomes difficult to comprehend the meaning of starvation. It…
whosoutthere.ca
In celebration of Basil Wolverton's (1909-1978) birthday 🎂, here's a two-fer starring one of his many awesome characters, 'Mystic Moot', he of the fabled Magic Snoot!
Basil Wolverton’s Mystic Moot and His Magic Snoot
« I think the most gruesome thing in life is people — if they let themselves go. I’ve been letting myself go for years, and I’m beginning to feel gruesome. I want to entertain and…
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Born on this day: Warren Kremer (1921-2003), one of comics' greatest -- and most unsung -- art directors and cover artists. Here's a sizzling gallery of his Hot Stuff covers! 🔥 whosoutthere.ca/2020/07/25/w...
Who Will Change the Devil’s Nappy?
« Don’t you know there ain’t no devil, it’s just god when he’s drunk. » — Tom Waits, Heartattack and Vine (1980) Another week, another heat wave… I had something…
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On the occasion of the man's birthday -- and given his work's continued relevance -- here's a peek at Life Magazine's preview of George Orwell's evergreen '1984', circa July 4, 1949. 👀 Half a year later, Orwell was gone, just 46 years old.
George Orwell & Abner Dean’s ‘1984’ Preview
« Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them. » — George Orwell For its July 4, 1949 issue, Life Magazine pulled…
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My salute to several -- far too many! -- musical heroes who left us this month, with a focus on Brian Wilson. 💔
Twilight of the Musical Heroes
« Sunny down snuff » — Van Dyke Parks While I’m painfully aware that such things are inevitable, the past couple of weeks have been pretty brutal to the ranks of my musical heroes. Firs…
whosoutthere.ca
Take a break from all the doomscrolling and bad news, and indulge in a little romance. Here's a little-known goodie from the early 1970s, when romance comics still... thrived. 👄https://whosoutthere.ca/2026/06/11/treasured-stories-awakening-1971/
Treasured Stories: “Awakening!” (1971)
« I know what romance is, I’ve written more romance probably than anyone alive. » — noted feminist Bob Kanigher* Ready for another foray into that most neglected, dismissed and maligned of co…
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I just heard news of the passing of great comics writer 'Willi' Franz, best known for his 'The Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz' (1967-70, finally collected in 2023). Here's one of his last published stories, as powerful and hard hitting as anything he ever did. whosoutthere.ca/2018/04/06/t...
Treasured Stories: “The Organist and the SS” (1972)
« They were bitter, war-weary men and the old woman’s music was comforting — perhaps too comforting… » Writer and occasional penciller William ‘Willi’ Franz (1950-2026…
whosoutthere.ca
Remember those (well, they *are* still around, I suppose) religious comic tracts? Well, here's my review of Danny Hellman's --- and '74 of the world's most depraved cartoonists', as he puts it -- brutal (but amply deserved) lampooning of Jack T. Chick and his works. whosoutthere.ca/2026/05/16/j...
Jackin’ Tracts and Bobbing for Souls
« Every Chick tract is a proven soul winner » — Jack Thomas Chick (1924-2016) Before we begin, one must advance past the primordial question: « Who the 𖦹!!!**! is Jack T. Chick? » This simple…
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Born on this day: Richard 'Dick' Ayers (1924-2014). If you only knew him as, say, Jack Kirby's regular inker in the early 1960, check out this Grand Guignol splatterfest from late in the decade. To quote one of the characters, « AKKKGHH! » whosoutthere.ca/2022/10/27/h...
Hallowe’en Countdown VI, Day 27
« Now these men have no need for words… they know! » — Anonymous Now I won’t claim that Dick Ayers (1924-2014) was all that great an artist. In the early Sixties at Marvel, as an inker …
whosoutthere.ca
Born on this day, exactly a century ago: writer-artist Johnny Craig (1926-2001). While justly famed for his EC comics work, here's a later tale that was voted number one by ACG readers, a well-earned honour. whosoutthere.ca/2021/11/05/t...
Treasured Stories: “The People vs. Hendricks!” (1964)
« Programmed for love, she can be quite tenderTreat her unkind, nothing offends herShe vacuums the carpet and doesn’t complainShe’ll walk the dog in the pouring rain. » — Was (Not…
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Happy birthday to Chicagoan Nicole Hollander, creator of the 'Sylvia' comic strip. 🎂🍸 For your enjoyment and delight, here's a fine brochette of her excellently acerbic cartoons: whosoutthere.ca/2019/04/20/t...
Nicole Hollander’s Sylvia: Wit, Wisdom and Cats
« America’s top-flight intellectuals will one day hold entire conferences and seminars devoted to Sylviology. They will deconstruct her frame by frame with straight edge and compass, attempti…
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Born on this day, one hundred years ago: the singular Jerry Grandenetti (1926-2010) who had a long and varied career: assisted Will Eisner on The Spirit, did war comics at DC, horror at Warren... and much more. Check out this generous sampler to get a sense of his verve and versatility.
Into the Inky Shadows With Jerry Grandenetti
« Jerry Grandenetti started out ghosting The Spirit, and nobody… NOBODY… captured the spirit of The Spirit better. Not content to stay in Will Eisner’s shadow forever, he forged his own uniqu…
whosoutthere.ca
An appreciation of David Collier's comics... with a couple of small reservations. ;)
Meanwhile, Back in Canada: David Collier
« Remember you belong to nature, not it to you » — Grey Owl Why it took me this long to spotlight David Collier, who’s been one of my favourite cartoonists for decades, is, even to myse…
whosoutthere.ca
Today marks the centenary of Eli Katz's birth! 🎂 To celebrate, here's a gallery of my favourite *consecutive* Gil Kane covers!
Hot Streak: Gil Kane’s Green Lantern
« It was exactly an assembly line. You could look into infinity down these rows of drawing tables. » — Gil Kane Some of our more sensitive readers may have noticed that we’ve been none …
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Born on this day: Bernard Baily (1916-1996). Often claimed to be most remembered for his creation of The Spectre and The Hourman... but that's a bit superhero-centric (frequently the case with comics). I'd argue that his truest legacy is some of the most transgressive horror covers of the 1950s. 👁️
Birthday Boy Bernard Baily
« … drawn by a terrible hypnotic fascination, the gangster peers deep into Jim’s dark eyes and glimpses — DEATH! » — “The Spectre”, More Fun Comics no. 52 (Feb. …
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Wishing a most joyous birthday to José Luis García-López (b. 1948). While his superhero and SF stuff's fine by me, I boldly hold that his early romance stories constitute the best work of his career. ❤️ Don't just take my word for it, though; here's one of the finest.
Treasured Stories: “Emancipated Amanda” (1971)
« The history of men’s opposition to women’s emancipation is more interesting perhaps than the story of that emancipation itself. » — Virginia Woolf It has dawned on me that we…
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A loving, lingering look... what else? at Raymond Peynet's marvellous creation, 'Les amoureux'. ❤️ whosoutthere.ca/2026/03/14/l...
Les amoureux de Raymond Peynet
« It is through his creation that the artist translates most certainly the man. Elegance of line, subtlety of colour, freshness of inspiration, modesty of feelings without ever falling into mushine…
whosoutthere.ca
Today's the birthday of the legendary Reed Crandall (1917-1982). From 1960, here's a lesser-known -- but magnificent -- piece he illustrated for the pages of Treasure Chest, a biography of Red Cross founder Henri Dunant. whosoutthere.ca/2021/05/08/a...
All Men Are Brothers: Henri Dunant’s Croix-Rouge and the Geneva Convention
« When a naked man is chasing a woman through an alley with a butcher knife and a hard-on, I figure he isn’t out collecting for the Red Cross. » — Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry (1971) A…
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On the centenary of his birth, we remember, with a bunch of his finest covers, the prodigiously talented, but cruelly ill-fated Joe Maneely (1926-1958). 🎂 whosoutthere.ca/2021/05/22/j...
Joe Maneely, Atlas of Versatility
« The cemeteries are full of irreplaceable people who were all replaced. » — Georges Clemenceau Commercially and creatively, the 1950s held some of the best and the worst years for the Americ…
whosoutthere.ca
Shining a spotlight on a couple of little-seen Jack Kirby stories, one of them a Planet of the Apes precursor, the other a sobering -- but still funny -- warning about the hazards of reckless cloning. 🐕 whosoutthere.ca/2026/02/12/a...
An Alarming Kirby Double-Header!
« I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals. » — Winston Churchill Recently, I’d been drawing a blank as to the topic of my next post. So I di…
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Here's my interview with cartoonist Joe Gravel, with plenty of saucy samples of his work!
Joe Gravel’s Pop Culture Rampage
« Go to your bosom; Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know » — William Shakespeare Joe Gravel’s work came my way when, if memory serves, eBay suggested one his cartoons. As a…
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I did some digging to unearth the source(s) of a pedestrian, but widely circulated, swipe. Here are the intriguing results. whosoutthere.ca/2026/01/24/a...
Anatomy of a Swipe
« Taking something from one man and making it worse is plagiarism. » — George Augustus Moore (1852-1933) A fortnight or so ago, I came across an image that looked… familiar. It wasn’t s…
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Here's a look at the comics adaptation of Ray Nelson's classic (very) short -- but very effective -- story "Eight o'Clock in the Morning". Said graphic adaptation is what caught John Carpenter's eye, and, as an imdb wag astutely put it: « Unfortunately this film has aged very well. »
At Eight o’clock in the Morning… They Live!
« “Obey the government”, said one croak. “We are the government”, said another. » — Ray Faraday Nelson I’ve been juggling several ideas for posts, most of them l…
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