Kevin Rechin, son of Crock co-creator Bill Rechin, had decided to retire his father’s strip which he took over shortly before his father passed away of esophageal cancer last year.
A quote from Kevin in The Free Lance-Star:
“It’s very hard,” he said. “I still go back and forth. In my gut, I want to keep going. But it will always be him.
“The only one who could do it is my dad. Would I be honoring him by continuing? I think I honor him and the strip more by letting it be him.”
May 20 will be the last new Crock in the US. King Features will continue to syndicate Classic Crock to foreign markets for the next three years.
Crock hit the newspapers in 1975. Brent Parker (co-creator of Wizard of Id) was the co-creator and Don Wilder took on the writing a year later.
It’s a noble struggle and a tough decision. Sounds like either way it would be done out of love and respect. That says a lot.
Always tragic when a son fails to milk their father’s legacy into the ground and are forced to make their own way in the world… !
Good for you, Kevin.
Wise decision on several levels.
I grew up reading crock and it was always one of my favorite reads. I wish Kevin the best of luck and hope he makes that last strip one to remember.
Another strip comes to an end.
King Features will syndicate 1975 Crock reruns to foreign markets? King Features still syndicates reruns of Tiger, Popeye, Henry, Redeye, and Hocus-Focus to most newspapers. (as of this year reruns of the Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck comic strips originally handled by King Features are now handled by Creators Syndicate/Creators.com )
You mispelled the name, it’s BRANT Parker, not Brent Parker.
?The only one who could do it is my dad. Would I be honoring him by continuing? I think I honor him and the strip more by letting it be him.?
I think that quote should be made into a T-shirt and handed out as part of the gift bag at the next Reubens.
Can’t find the “like” button on Tatulli’s comment.
Crock was a great strip. In these days of the passing of sports cartooning it is well to remember Rechin and Wilder’s award winning panel Out Of Bounds, which I enjoyed very much.
I just met Kevin earlier this year.
He’s a great artist who I have the utmost respect for.
I went to him website. His artwork is really nice, kind of a cross between yours, Stacy, and Mike Lester. Really good ink and watercolors!
http://kevinrechin.com/index.html
Christopher Fielding… you sir… are an ass. How disrespectful, hurtful, and classless to say something like that to someone who just lost their dad – did you even read Kevin’s quote???
I’ll miss Crock. I grew up reading it. I understand, though, if Kevin Rechin needs to stop drawing it. lol, I always liked Maggot. I thought he was cool.