George Herriman

George Joseph Herriman III (August 22, 1880 – April 25, 1944) was an American cartoonist best known for the comic strip Krazy Kat (1913–1944). More influential than popular, Krazy Kat had an appreciative audience among those in the arts. Gilbert Seldes' article "The Krazy Kat Who Walks by Himself" was the earliest example of a critic from the high arts giving serious attention to a comic strip. The Comics Journal placed the strip first on its list of the greatest comics of the 20th century. Herriman's work has been a primary influence on cartoonists such as Elzie C. Segar, Will Eisner, Charles M. Schulz, Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Bill Watterson, and Chris Ware. Herriman was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to mixed-race Creole parents, and grew up in Los Angeles. After he graduated from high school in 1897, he worked in the newspaper industry as an illustrator and engraver. He moved on to cartooning and comic strips—a medium then in its infancy—and drew a variety of strips until he introduced his most famous character, Krazy Kat, in his strip The Dingbat Family in 1910. A Krazy Kat daily strip began in 1913, and from 1916 the strip also appeared on Sundays. It was noted for its poetic, dialect-heavy dialogue; its fantastic, shifting backgrounds; and its bold, experimental page layouts. In the strip's main motif and dynamic, Ignatz Mouse pelted Krazy with bricks, which the naïve, androgynous Kat interpreted as symbols of love. As the strip progressed, a love triangle developed between Krazy, Ignatz, and Offisa Pupp. Pupp made it his mission to prevent Ignatz from throwing bricks at Krazy, or to jail him for having done so, but his efforts were perpetually impeded because Krazy wished to be struck by Ignatz's bricks. Herriman lived most of his life in Los Angeles, but made frequent trips to the Navajo deserts in the Southwestern United States. He was drawn to the landscapes of Monument Valley and the Enchanted Mesa, and made Coconino County the location of his Krazy Kat strips. His artwork made much use of Navajo and Mexican themes and motifs against shifting desert backgrounds. He was a prolific cartoonist who produced a large number of strips and illustrated Don Marquis's books of poetry about Archy and Mehitabel, an alley cat and a cockroach. Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst was a proponent of Herriman and gave him a lifetime contract with King Features Syndicate, which guaranteed Herriman a comfortable living and an outlet for his work despite its lack of popularity. Description above from the Wikipedia article George Herriman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Birth Location New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Born 1880-08-22
Died 1944-04-26

Movies

How to Handle Women as Himself
1928

Movies

1940
Golf Chumps Characters
1939
Hot Dogs On Ice Characters
1938
Gym Jams Characters
1938
1938
Krazy Magic Characters
1938
Little Buckaroo Characters
1938
1938
The Masque Raid Characters
1937
1937
The Lyin' Hunter Characters
1937
1936
Krazy's Newsreel Characters
1936
Highway Snobbery Characters
1936
Kannibal Kapers Creator
1935
The King's Jester Characters
1935
Goofy Gondolas Characters
1934
The Trapeze Artist Characters
1934
Masquerade Party Characters
1934
Busy Bus Characters
1934
Cinder Alley Characters
1934
Tom Thumb Characters
1934
The Curio Shop Characters
1933
Stage Krazy Characters
1933
Krazy Spooks Comic Book
1933
Antique Antics Creator
1933
House Cleaning Characters
1933
Bunnies And Bonnets Characters
1933
Wooden Shoes Characters
1933
1933
Wedding Bells Characters
1933
Snow Time Characters
1932
1932
Paper Hanger Characters
1932
Hic-Cups The Champ Characters
1932
Ritzy Hotel Characters
1932
Soldier Old Man Characters
1932
1931
Svengarlic Creator
1931
Soda Poppa Creator
1931
Rodeo Dough Comic Book
1931
Jazz Rhythm Creator
1930
An Old Flame Writer
1930
Desert Sunk Writer
1930
Slow Beau Creator
1930
Spookeasy Writer
1930
Farm Relief Creator
1929
1925
1916
Krazy Kat, Bugologist Graphic Novel Illustrator
1916
A Duet Director
1916
A Duet Writer
1916
1916