The last week of April 2021 saw a new cartoonist drawing the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! daily panel. The change in art styles is obvious, much more so than when John Graziano took over the feature from Don Wimmer in 2004.
Below is the penultimate daily by John Graziano and the second daily by “the new guy.”
Unfortunately the new artist is a mystery.
He or she doesn’t sign the comic and Ripley’s isn’t namimg the Graz replacement on their site.
Is the replacement temporary until John returns? Temporary until a different permanent artist is found? Permanent but the new artist is shy? Neither Ripley’s nor Graziano has responded to inquiries.
The timing puts John’s tenure on the Ripley’s cartoon at a month short of 17 years. John succeeded Don on the daily panel on May 31, 2004 and if he doesn’t return his last daily will be April 24, 2021.
John’s first full Sunday was the July 4, 2004 page (for the June 27, 2004 page Wimmer drew the main feature while Graziano drew the drop panel) and, due to the scheduling of daily and Sunday comics, his last Sunday should appear in a few weeks – unless he remains the Sunday artist.
May 9 edit: John Graziano’s last Sunday was May 2,
the May 9 issue is by the new, still unsigned, artist.
John Graziano returned to the dailies on May 10, 2021.
From 2019 is a profile of John from Ripley’s.
© Ripley's Entertainment, Inc.
