Dick Kulpa
Encyclopedia
Dick Kulpa is an American
cartoonist
best known for his work for Cracked and Weekly World News
.
Kulpa is also a former Alderman of Loves Park, Illinois
. In 1977 he was elected to the Loves Park City Council. He would wear red, white and blue leotards and cape and become Alder-Man, crusader for justice, much to the delight of the townspeople. He served in this position until 1984, when he then became County-Man, (in maroon and gold tights) after an upset election to the Winnebago County
board. The elected official continued to pen issue-oriented editorial cartoons in office, sometimes commenting on other politicians.
work appeared in 1983, when he produced the Star Trek
and Bruce Lee
newspaper comics for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate
. Kulpa met Star Trek creator and producer Gene Roddenberry
when he served as Alderman and presented Roddenberry with one of his original Star Trek cartoons from the Los Angeles Times
Syndicate.
From 1982-88, Kulpa served as graphic arts manager for the renowned Testor Corporation
, manufacturer of model kits, where he designed cartoon instruction sheets and collateral materials for their line of Weird-Ohs models.
He illustrated Tribune Media Services
' nationally and internationally syndicated Ghost Story Club comic strip and the weekly cartoon panel Draw Play
for the Chicago Bear Report newspaper. In 1998, Kulpa illustrated the humor book, The Redneck Guide to Raisin' Children, written by Annie & Glen-Bob Smith (St. Martin's Press
).
for the nationally distributed supermarket tabloid Weekly World News
, and was lampooned as such in the Topps' comic book, Jurassic Park. Kulpa created the now-famous Bat Boy character which first appeared in Weekly World News on June 23, 1992.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
best known for his work for Cracked and Weekly World News
Weekly World News
The Weekly World News was a supermarket tabloid published in the United States from 1979 to 2007, renowned for its outlandish cover stories often based on supernatural or paranormal themes and an approach to news that verged on the satirical. Its characteristic black-and-white covers have become...
.
Early career
Dick Kulpa got his start in the cartooning business on Christmas Day in 1969 when his hometown Illinois weekly newspaper, the Loves Park Post, published his first cartoon strip, Double Eagle & Co. The semi-autobiographical cartoon told the story of a young man obsessed with his 1960 Chevy. The Double Eagle strip brought much attention to the young Kulpa, and he continued working as an independent editorial cartoonist and graphic artist. Several of his successful advertising campaigns earned awards.Kulpa is also a former Alderman of Loves Park, Illinois
Loves Park, Illinois
Loves Park is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, United States. In recent years, the city spread across the eastern Winnebago county line and now reaches into Boone County, Illinois...
. In 1977 he was elected to the Loves Park City Council. He would wear red, white and blue leotards and cape and become Alder-Man, crusader for justice, much to the delight of the townspeople. He served in this position until 1984, when he then became County-Man, (in maroon and gold tights) after an upset election to the Winnebago County
Winnebago County, Illinois
Winnebago County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 295,266, which is an increase of 6.1% from 278,418 in 2000...
board. The elected official continued to pen issue-oriented editorial cartoons in office, sometimes commenting on other politicians.
Syndication
Kulpa's first syndicatedPrint syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
work appeared in 1983, when he produced the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
and Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
newspaper comics for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate
Los Angeles Times Syndicate
The Los Angeles Times Syndicate and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate International are newspaper syndicates which sold more than 140 features in more than 100 countries around the world....
. Kulpa met Star Trek creator and producer Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
when he served as Alderman and presented Roddenberry with one of his original Star Trek cartoons from the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
Syndicate.
From 1982-88, Kulpa served as graphic arts manager for the renowned Testor Corporation
Testor Corporation
Testor Corporation is a manufacturer of model kits, tools, and accessories based in Rockford, Illinois and is part of RPM International.- Beginnings :...
, manufacturer of model kits, where he designed cartoon instruction sheets and collateral materials for their line of Weird-Ohs models.
He illustrated Tribune Media Services
Tribune Media Services
Tribune Media Services is a syndication company owned by the Tribune Company.The company has two divisions, "News and Features" and "Entertainment Products"...
' nationally and internationally syndicated Ghost Story Club comic strip and the weekly cartoon panel Draw Play
Draw play
A draw play, or simply draw for short, is a type of American football play. The draw appears to be a passing play, but is actually a running play; in this way, it can be considered the opposite of the play action pass. The idea behind a draw play is to attack aggressive, pass-rushing defenses by...
for the Chicago Bear Report newspaper. In 1998, Kulpa illustrated the humor book, The Redneck Guide to Raisin' Children, written by Annie & Glen-Bob Smith (St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
).
Weekly World News
For over 10 years, he served as Art DirectorArt director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
for the nationally distributed supermarket tabloid Weekly World News
Weekly World News
The Weekly World News was a supermarket tabloid published in the United States from 1979 to 2007, renowned for its outlandish cover stories often based on supernatural or paranormal themes and an approach to news that verged on the satirical. Its characteristic black-and-white covers have become...
, and was lampooned as such in the Topps' comic book, Jurassic Park. Kulpa created the now-famous Bat Boy character which first appeared in Weekly World News on June 23, 1992.