Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 30 January 2018
‘Beetle Bailey’ cartoonist

Mort Walker dies at 94

By LYNN ELBER “Beetle Bailey” led to spin- track to sensitivity training.
AP Entertainment Writer off comic strip “Hi and Lois,” “That became a whole
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Com- which he created with Dik theme that we could use,”
ic strip artist Mort Walker, a Browne, in 1954. The prem- said Greg Walker, who with
World War II veteran who ise was that Beetle went his brother, Brian, intends
satirized the Army and tick- home on furlough to visit to carry on his father’s
led millions of newspaper his sister Lois and brother- work. Both have worked in
In this Aug. 16, 2010 file photo, Mort Walker, the artist and author readers with the antics of in-law Hi. Fellow cartoon- the family business for de-
of the Beetle Bailey comic strip, stands in his studio in Stamford, the lazy private “Beetle Bai- ists remembered Walker cades.
Conn. ley,” died Saturday. He was on Saturday as a pleasant “Beetle Bailey” also fea-
Associated Press 94. man who adored his fans. tured one of the first Afri-
Walker died at his home Bill Morrison, president of can-American characters
in Stamford, Connecticut, the National Cartoonists to be added to a white
said Greg Walker, his eldest Society, called Walker the cast in an established
son and a collaborator. His definition of “cartoonist” comic strip. (“Peanuts” had
father’s advanced age in a post on the society’s added the character of
was the cause of death, he website. Franklin in 1968.) Lt. Jack
said. “He lived and breathed the Flap debuted in the comic
Walker began publishing art every day of his life. He strip’s panels in 1970.
cartoons at age 11 and will be sorely missed by his In a 2002 interview, Walker
was involved with more friends in the NCS and by a said that comics are filled
than a half-dozen comic world of comic strip fans,” with stereotypes and he
strips in his career, including Morrison said. likes to find humor in all
“Hi and Lois,” ‘’Boner’s Ark” Fellow cartoonist Mark Eva- characters.
and “Sam & Silo.” But he nier said on his website that “I like to keep doing some-
found his greatest success Walker was “delightful to thing new and different, so
drawing slacker Beetle, his be around and always will- people can’t say I’m doing
hot-tempered sergeant ing to draw Beetle or Sarge the same thing all the time.
and the rest of the gang at for any of his fans. He sure I like to challenge myself,”
fictional Camp Swampy for had a lot of them.” he said.
nearly 70 years. “Beetle Bailey,” which Walker also created “Bon-
The character that was appeared in as many as er’s Ark” in 1968 using his
to become Beetle Bailey 1,800 newspapers, some- given first name, Addison,
made his debut as Spider times sparked controversy. as his pen name, and “Sam
in Walker’s cartoons pub- The Tokyo editions of the & Silo” with Jerry Dumas in
lished by the Saturday Eve- military newspaper Stars & 1977. He was the writer of
ning Post in the late 1940s. Stripes dropped it in 1954 “Mrs. Fitz’s Flats” with Frank
Walker changed Spider’s for fear that it would en- Roberge.
name and launched “Bee- courage disrespect of its In 1974, he founded the
tle Bailey” as a college hu- officers. But ensuing media Museum of Cartoon Art in
mor strip in 1950. coverage spurred more Connecticut to preserve
At first the strip failed to than 100 newspapers to and honor the art of com-
attract readers and King add the strip. ics. It moved twice before
Features Syndicate consid- Shortly after President Bill closing in 2002 in Boca Ra-
ered dropping it after just Clinton took office, Walker ton, Florida, as the Inter-
six months, Walker said in drew a strip suggesting that national Museum of Car-
a 2000 interview with The the draft be retroactive toon Art. Walker changed
Associated Press. The syn- in order to send Clinton to the name to the National
dicate suggested Beetle Vietnam. Walker said he re- Cartoon Museum and an-
join the Army after the start ceived hundreds of angry nounced in 2005 plans
of the Korean War, Walker letters from Clinton support- to relocate to the Empire
said. ers. For years, Walker drew State Building in New York.
“I was kind of against it be- Camp Swampy’s highest- But the following year, the
cause after World War II, ranking officer, Gen. Amos deal to use that space fell
Bill Mauldin and Sad Sack Halftrack, ogling his secre- through.
were fading away,” he tary, Miss Buxley. Feminist In 2000, Walker was hon-
said. But his misgivings were groups claimed the strip ored at the Pentagon with
overcome and Beetle “en- made light of sexual ha- the Army’s highest civilian
listed” in 1951. rassment, and Walker said award — the Distinguished
Walker attributed the suc- the syndicate wanted him Civilian Service award —
cess of the strip to Beetle’s to write out the lecherous for his work, his military ser-
indolence and reluctance general. vice and his contribution to
to follow authority. That wasn’t feasible be- a new military memorial.
“Most people are sort of cause the general was He also developed a repu-
against authority,” he said. such a fixture in the strip, tation for helping aspiring
“Here’s Beetle always chal- Greg Walker said Saturday. cartoonists with advice.
lenging authority. I think His father solved the prob- “I make friends for people,”
people relate to it.” lem in 1997 by sending Half- he said.q