John J. Liney (1912 – January 29, 1982) was an American cartoonist who drew the daily ''
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
''
comic strip for 44 years.
Early life
Growing up in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, Liney attended the George C. Thomas Middle School and
South Philadelphia High School
South Philadelphia High School is a public secondary high school located in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of South Philadelphia, at the intersection of Broad Street and Snyder Avenue.
The school serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of t ...
.
Career
Liney was working as a cartoonist at the ''
Philadelphia Evening Ledger'' when he began selling gags to ''Henrys creator,
Carl Thomas Anderson in 1936. He continued as a gagwriter until 1942, penciling the strip for Anderson from 1942 to 1945. When Anderson became ill, Liney took over the
daily strip
A daily strip is a newspaper comic strip format, appearing on weekdays, Monday through Saturday, as contrasted with a Sunday strip, which typically only appears on Sundays.
Bud Fisher's ''Mutt and Jeff'' is commonly regarded as the first daily c ...
in 1945.
Comic books
During the 1940s, Liney taught cartooning at
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...
. He also drew the ''Henry'' comic books: Dell's ''Four Color'' #122 (October 1946) and #155 (July 1947), followed by 65 issues of Dell's ''Henry'' from 1948 to 1961.
Anderson died in 1948 and Liney continued drawing the daily ''Henry''. In 1951, Liney was responsible for guiding the career of illustrator
Jerry Pinkney
Jerry Pinkney (December 22, 1939 – October 20, 2021) was an American illustrator and writer of children's literature. Pinkney illustrated over 100 books since 1964, including picture books, nonfiction titles and novels. Pinkney's works addres ...
by encouraging him and showing him his studio. Pinkney recalled, "When I was 12 years old, I was selling newspapers on a busy corner in Philadelphia, and John Liney was one of my customers. I realized here was a grown man doing the very same thing I loved doing. I saw the seeds of possibility. I knew if I worked hard, there would be some end to the process."
In 1952, Liney contributed to the
USS Iowa's ''Cruise Book'', commenting, "We are both proud and happy to contribute to our bit to your ''Cruise Book''. We salute you and your crew, and will always be available for cartoons or anything else we can offer to the Navy. Thanks for thinking of ''Henry''."
Lectures
In 1965, he contributed to ''The Cartoonist's Cookbook'' (Hobbs, Dorman & Company, 1966). He sometimes lectured on cartooning, delivering his "What's Funny about the Funnies" talk for the Women's Club of
Morgantown, Pennsylvania
Morgantown is a census-designated place in Caernarvon Township, located in southern Berks County, Pennsylvania. It is located partially in Caernarvon Township in Lancaster County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 826 residents.
H ...
in 1968. He spoke that same year at a National Association of Music Merchants sales-management seminar in Dallas and at the MacMorland Center of Pennsylvania Military College (now
Widener University
Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg and Exton) and one in Wilmington, Delaware.
Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the school ...
) in
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census.
Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...
.
Liney's strips were reprinted internationally, including the Swedish ''Serie-pressen'' #12 (1972).
Later life and death
Poor health forced Liney to retire in 1979. He was succeeded by
Jack Tippit
Jack Tippit (October 19, 1923 – October 14, 1994) was an American cartoonist whose work includes the comic strip ''Amy'', which he produced from 1964 through 1991.
Early life
Tippit was born in Texas. He graduated from Texas Technological Coll ...
. The ''Henry''
Sunday strip was drawn by
Don Trachte.
During 1981, Liney was a resident at the Redeemer Village retirement community in
Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon Valley is a village, as well as a suburban mailing address located in Lower Moreland Township, Upper Moreland Township and Abington Township all in Montgomery County, and in small sections of Upper Southampton Township and Lower S ...
. He died on January 29, 1982 of a heart condition at the Ridge Crest Convalescent Center in
Feasterville, Pennsylvania
Feasterville is a census-designated place located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community was part of Feasterville-Trevose, which was split into two separate CDPs, the other being Trevose, Pennsylvania, Trevose. As of the 2010 ...
, survived by his wife Rosa, his daughter Muriel Liney Zerba (who died October 21, 2006) and his sister Ruth O'Connor.
Legacy
Liney's work was included in Keith Mayerson's ''NeoIntegrity: Comics Edition'' exhibition at the
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art
The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) is a not-for-profit arts organization and former museum in New York City devoted to comic books, comic strips and other forms of cartoon art. MoCCA sponsored events ranging from book openings to educat ...
from March 12 to August 29, 2010. The exhibit included "over 210 cartoonists, illustrators, animators, and fine artists who work with the spirit and power of iconographic languages. With creators young and old, historic, currently famous and soon-to-be-famous, the exhibition is also about the community and legacy of iconographic art and its ability to productively influence the world."
MoCCA
References
External links
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110724083025/http://www.ussiowa.org/pics/cartoons/5.htm USS Iowa ''Cruise Book'' cartoons
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liney, John
1912 births
1982 deaths
American comic strip cartoonists
South Philadelphia High School alumni
Temple University faculty