Today marked the 50th anniversary of The Wizard of Id. The strip was created by Brant Parker and Johnny Hart.
Here’s today’s strip marking the milestone.
Today Wizard of Id is produced by Brant’s son Jeff Parker, his wife Nicola Parker along with Johnny’s grandsons Mason Mastroianni and Mick Mastroianni.
Johnny’s other strip B.C. also paid tribute (see below).
B.C. is currently written and drawn by his Mason, co-written by Mick, and lettered by daughter Perri Hart. Rounding out the team is Patti Hart, who takes care of the business operations.
Other strips mentioning the milestone include:
- Jack and Carole Bender’s Alley Oop
- Jerry Van Amerongen’s Ballard Street
- Ralph Hagen’s The Barn
- Mark Parisi’s Off the Mark
- Brian Crane’s Pickles
- Mark Buford’s Scary Gary
- Gary Brookins and Susie MacNelly’s Shoe
- Dave Coverly’s Speed Bump
Michael Cavna reaches out to a few cartoonists (some linked above) for their response to the milestone.
Congratulations to the Johnny Hart Studio for 50 years of legendary comics!
Weird, but I still remember the very first strip of Wizard. In the long-defunct Toronto Telegram. It was basically a cast list, each of the major characters with a brief note below – no gag. I was only 7 at the time, and it was the first time I’d seen a comic strip from the start, so I guess it left an impact.