Nicole Hollander -RIP
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Feminist cartoonist and Sylvia creator Nicole Hollander has passed away.
Nicole Marilyn Hollander (née Garrison)
April 25, 1939 – April 23, 2026
It is being credibly reported on social media that cartoonist Nicole Hollander has passed away.
From Michael Bonesteel:
NICOLE HOLLANDER, the edgy and entertaining creator of “Sylvia,” passed away last night. She was 86.
Jules Feiffer wrote: “Nicole Hollander has been one of our nation’s leading satirists. This means she is in the business of telling the truth and making it funny… She is a radical social critic who is certain that nothing works, and so what?”
From Tom Greensfelder:
It’s true. Nicole passed last night just short of her 87th birthday. She will be missed by her friends and her fans. Like Alison Bechdel, Claire Bretecher, and Lynda Barry she showed that feminist humor was the best humor.
Nicole began her cartooning career by creating Feminist Funnies for The Spokeswoman in 1978. That is where her character Sylvia first appeared. In 1979 or 1980 Sylvia became a syndicated comic strip from the Toronto Star syndicate. Nicole retired the comic strip in 2012.
The Lambiek Comiclopedia has a thorough profile of Nicole and her career.
Nicole Hollander was best-known for her signature gag comic, ‘Sylvia’ (1980-2012), at the time one of the few US newspaper comics written and drawn by a female cartoonist. The feature distinguished itself through its ironic, political-social satire from a feminist perspective. Originating in Hollander’s 1970s strip ‘The Feminist Funnies’ in The Spokeswoman, ‘Sylvia’ was one of the rare alternative comics to transition to mainstream newspapers without sacrificing its edge. The comic polarized readers, but also received a cult following, as Sylvia’s snarky but witty jokes, love of cats and life-embracing attitude struck a chord with fans.
She has also been active as a painter, book illustrator and lecturer.
Nicole was also an art instructor at The Art Institute of Chicago and Lillstreet Art Center, both 2011-2026.
In 2019 The Comics Journal interviewed Nicole on the publication of her memoir.
GoComics has been running Sylvia comic strips for the last ten years.
Update. The Chicago Sun-Times obituary by Mitch Dudek.
“She kind of embodied feminism, and if you read Sylvia, one of the main points is this kind of sardonic look at relations between the sexes, but she was by no means anti-guy. She just was not afraid to call stuff out,” said her friend and author Audrey Niffenegger.
“I always thought, ‘Wow, she’s getting away with a lot,’ and she deliberately pushed the envelope,” Niffenegger said. “She would find the line and step right over it. She got right in there and wasn’t afraid to approach controversial issues.”
Ms. Hollander died April 23 from natural causes at an assisted living facility on the Northwest Side. She was 86.
Update. The New York Times obituary.
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