Tom Forman (May 2, 1936 – May 18, 1996) was an American

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

cartoonist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in government from California State University, Los Angeles. He is best known as the co-creator of the classic comic strip '' Motley's Crew'' along with Ben Templeton. His pre-1997 take on the comic strip involved Mike Motley's career as a

blue-collar worker A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and powe ...

, sports, and his friends. After Forman died of cancer, the storylines of the comic strip he helped create became more feminine and had "touchy-feely" parts at various points in the storyline. They dealt with being forced to say "hi" to the in-laws under embarrassing circumstances, attending various weddings, and letting out bottled emotions. This new spin on the comic strip alienated many older male viewers and may have led to its retirement on January 1, 2000.

References

* Wood, Barbara (May 23, 1996). "Forman, co-creator of 'Motley's Crew' at 60". ''

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at The Free Library. Retrieved on 2008-12-29. * 1936 births 1996 deaths American comic strip cartoonists Artists from Detroit California State University, Los Angeles alumni Deaths from cancer in California {{US-cartoonist-stub