Johnny Hart
Encyclopedia
Johnny Hart 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 the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society
. In his later years, he sparked controversy by incorporating overtly Christian themes and messages into the strips.
, 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 newspaper
s appearances on February 17, 1958. 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.
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. Brant Parker died just eight days later, on April 15, 2007.
Sunday School regularly. Although his formal education ended with high school, he was fascinated by the Bible
from a young age.
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.
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 Muslim
s who don't accept Jesus will burn in Hell" and that "homosexuality
is the handiwork of Satan
." 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.
, portrayed a Jewish 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
. 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.
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.
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."
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 the world-famous jazz vocal group The Four Freshmen
, and his strips for B.C. were the inspiration for the mascot of UC Irvine, the anteater.
honored Hart in his Mallard Fillmore
strip of July 10, 2007.
'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
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...
noted as the creator of the comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
B.C. and co-creator of the strip The Wizard of Id
The Wizard of Id
The Wizard of Id is a daily newspaper comic strip created by American cartoonists Brant Parker and Johnny Hart. Beginning in 1964, the strip follows the antics of a large cast of characters in a shabby medieval kingdom called "Id". From time to time, the king refers to his subjects as "Idiots"...
. Hart was recognized with several awards, including the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
. In his later years, he sparked controversy by incorporating overtly Christian themes and messages into the strips.
Biography
Born in Endicott, New YorkEndicott, New York
Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,038 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is named after Henry B...
, Hart's first published work was in Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
while he served in Korea
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
as an enlisted member of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. Returning in 1953, he published cartoons in The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
, Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
and other magazines. Hart's biggest success, B.C., was created in 1957 and began national daily newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s appearances on February 17, 1958. 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.
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. Brant Parker died just eight days later, on April 15, 2007.
Religious convictions
Hart was raised in a casually religious family, and he attended ChristianChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
Sunday School regularly. Although his formal education ended with high school, he was fascinated by the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
from a young age.
In 1977 there was a distinguishable shift in Hart's spirituality, and Hart and wife Bobby began attending a congregation of the Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
in Nineveh, New York
Nineveh, New York
Nineveh is an unincorporated hamlet with about 50 homes on the banks of the Susquehanna River in New York. It is part of the Town of Colesville, Binghamton metropolitan area in eastern Broome county. Nineveh is located on the USGS Afton quadrangle at an elevation of about 960 feet...
. Hart attributed his religious awakening to a father-son team of contractors who installed a satellite dish.
Hart's increasingly deep religious faith, and the staunch political conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
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
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, for example, he stated that "Jews and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s who don't accept Jesus will burn in Hell" and that "homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
is the handiwork of Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
." 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
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....
, relegated them to the religious section of the newspaper.
Controversial strips
Two strips in particular were controversial. The B.C. strip for April 15, 2001, which was EasterEaster
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, portrayed a Jewish 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
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
, with the final panel portraying the opened and empty tomb of Christ
Death and Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
. Critics including the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
and the American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
argued that Hart's strip portrayed replacement theology, that is, the conception of Christianity as supplanting Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. 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.
Another B.C. strip, which ran November 10, 2003, showed an outhouse with a traditional crescent
Crescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a 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
Council on American-Islamic Relations
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is America's largest Muslim civil liberties advocacy organization that deals with civil advocacy and promotes human rights...
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
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Hart denied that it was anything but an outhouse joke.
Personal life
Hart was an active member of his local community — the area of Greater BinghamtonGreater Binghamton
The Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area, also called Greater Binghamton, is a region of southern upstate New York in the Northeastern United States, anchored by the city of Binghamton...
in Broome County, New York
Broome County, New York
Broome County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 200,600. It was named in honor of John Broome, who was lieutenant governor in 1806 when Broome County was established. Its county seat is Binghamton, which is also its major city. The current...
, 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:
- B.C. Transit — Caveman on Wheel
- Broome County Parks — Dinosaur
- Broome County Meals on Wheels — Caveman on Wheel with Food
- Southern Tier Red Cross — Caveman building Red Cross with Bricks
- Broome County Celtic Kazoos — Irish Caveman with Kazoo
- B.C. OpenB.C. OpenThe Dick's Sporting Goods Open is a Champions Tour event. It debuted in July 2007, supplanting the B.C. Open, a now-defunct PGA Tour event, which was held annually from 1971 to 2006. It is sponsored by Dick's Sporting Goods....
PGA Tour Event (1971 – 2006) — Caveman golfing - Broome DustersBroome DustersThe Broome Dusters were an ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena...
NAHL Hockey Club — Caveman with hockey stick - B.C. IcemenB.C. IcemenThe B.C. Icemen were an ice hockey team in the United Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.-Team records:The B.C. Icemen were an ice hockey team in the United Hockey League...
UHL Hockey Club — Brute Cavemen playing hockey - Southern Tier Independence Center — Caveman in stone wheelchair stuck in cave doorway, "Wiley" character navigating a landscape full of holes
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."
Additionally, Hart contributed original panels of B.C. strips for charity auctions with the Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
-based PBS affiliate, WSKG-TV
WSKG-TV
WSKG-TV is a public television station in Binghamton, New York, broadcasting locally on channel 46 as a Public Broadcasting Service member station. It is owned and operated by the WSKG Public Telecommunications Council, Inc....
. He also provided album cover art for the 1999 album Still Fresh by the world-famous jazz vocal group The Four Freshmen
The Four Freshmen
The Four Freshmen is a multiple Grammy-nominated American male vocal band quartet that blends open-harmony jazz arrangements with the big band vocal group sounds of The Modernaires , The Pied Pipers , and The Mel-Tones , founded in the barbershop tradition...
, and his strips for B.C. were the inspiration for the mascot of UC Irvine, the anteater.
Tribute
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 TinsleyBruce Tinsley
Edward Bruce Tinsley IV is an American cartoonist, best known for his politically conservative comic strip Mallard Fillmore.-Early life and education:...
honored Hart in his Mallard Fillmore
Mallard Fillmore
Mallard Fillmore is a comic strip written and illustrated by Bruce Tinsley that has been syndicated by King Features Syndicate since May 30, 1994. The strip follows the exploits of its title character, an anthropomorphic green-plumaged duck who works as a politically conservative reporter at...
strip of July 10, 2007.
Awards
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 SocietyNational Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
's Reuben award for B.C. in 1968 and The Wizard of Id in 1984.
- 1967 - BC - Best Humor Strip
National Cartoonists Society Newspaper Comic Strip (Humor) Award for B.C.
- 1968 - BC - Reuben Award - Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year
National Cartoonists Society
- 1970 - BC - The Yellow Kid Award - Best Cartoonist of the Year
The International Congress of Comics - Lucca, Italy. This was the first time this award was given to an American cartoonist.
- 1971 - BC - Best Cartoonist of the Year - France
- 1971 - Wizard of Id - Best Humor strip - Brant Parker
National Cartoonists Society
- 1972 - NASA Public Service Award
For outstanding contributions to NASA
- 1973 - Best Animation Feature
The National Cartoonist Society
“B.C. The First Thanksgiving”
- 1974 - Silver Bell Award - Best Animated Television Commercial
The Advertising Council
"B.C. Tickets for ACTION"
- 1974 - Golden Spike Award - Best Animated Television Commercial
The International Society of Radio and Television Broadcasters
"B.C. ‘A’ We’re the ACTION Corps"
- 1976 - BC - Adamson Award (“The Sam” Adamson Award) - Best International Comic Strip Cartoonist
The Swedish Academy of Comic Art
- 1976 - Wizard of Id - Best Humor strip - Brant Parker
The National Cartoonist Society
- 1980 - Wizard of Id - Best Humor strip - Brant Parker
The National Cartoonist Society
- 1981 - BC - The Elzie Segar Award - Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Cartooning
King Features Syndicate
- 1982 - Golden Sheaf Award - Spontaneous Human Category
The Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival - Canada
"B.C. A Special Christmas"
- 1982 - BC - Special Jury Award
The Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival - Canada
"B.C. A Special Christmas"
- 1982 - Wizard of Id - Best Humor strip - Brant Parker
The National Cartoonist Society
- 1983 - Wizard of Id - Best Humor strip - Brant Parker
The National Cartoonist Society
- 1984 - Wizard of Id - Reuben Award - Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year - Brant Parker
The National Cartoonist Society
- 1985 - Wizard of Id - "The Sam" Adamson Award - Best International Comic Strip Cartoonist - Brant Parker
The Swedish Academy of Comic Art
- 1986 - BC - Katie Award - Best Magazine Cover - "D Magazine"
The Press Club of Dallas
- 1986 - Wizard of Id - The Elzie Segar Award - Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Cartooning - Brant Parker
King Features Syndicate
- 1988 - BC - Telly Award - Best Television Commercial - Animation
"Less filling" - Monroe Shocks
- 1989 - BC - Best Newspaper Strip
National Cartoonist Society
- 1992 - BC - Max and Moritz Award - Best Comic Strip
The Comic Salon - Erlangen, Germany
- 1995 - BC - Wilbur Award - Editorial Cartoon / Comic Strip Category
The Religious Public Relations Council Inc - Dallas
Easter 1995 cartoon
External links
- Official Website for John Hart Studios — johnhartstudios.com
- Official B.C. Webpage by the Hart family — johnhartstudios.com/bc
- Official Wizard of Id Webpage by the Hart family — johnhartstudios.com/wizardofid
- Official Dogs of 'C' Kennel (by Johnny's grandsons Mick and Mason) Webpage johnhartstudios.com/ckennel
- Johnny Hart biography on Lambiek Comiclopedia
- Creators Syndicate: B.C.
- Creators Syndicate: The Wizard of Id
- Johnny Hart tribute art and quotations Creators Syndicate
- "Johnny Hart: Not Caving In" — profile in Christianity TodayChristianity TodayChristianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
, March/April 1997