John Lewis Hart (February 18, 1931 – April 7, 2007) was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strips '' B.C.'' and ''

The Wizard of Id ''The Wizard of Id'' is a daily newspaper comic strip created by American cartoonists Brant Parker and Johnny Hart. Beginning November 16, 1964, the strip follows the antics of a large cast of characters in a shabby medieval kingdom called "Id" ...

''. Brant Parker co-produced and illustrated ''The Wizard of Id''. Hart was recognized with several awards, including the Swedish Adamson Award and five from the National Cartoonists Society. In his later years, he was known (and sometimes criticized) for incorporating Christian themes and messages into his strips. Hart was referred to by

Chuck Colson Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer * C ...

in a ''Breakpoint'' column as "the most widely read Christian of our time," over C. S. Lewis, Frank E. Peretti, and

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

Biography

Born in

Endicott, New York Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,392 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is named after Henry B. Endicott, a founding member of the End ...

, Hart's first published work was in '' Stars and Stripes'' while he served in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

as an enlisted member of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

. Returning in 1953, he published cartoons in ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...

'', ''

Collier's Weekly ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...

'' and other magazines. His pre-cartooning employment included working in a barbecue restaurant and sign painting. Hart's biggest success, ''B.C.'', was created in 1957 and began appearing in national daily

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

s on February 17, 1958. Hart also co-created and wrote the comic strip ''The Wizard of Id'', drawn by Brant Parker, which has been distributed since November 9, 1964. According to Hanna-Barbera animator

Ed Benedict Ed Benedict (August 23, 1912 – August 28, 2006) was an American animator and layout artist. He is best known for his work with Hanna-Barbera Productions, where he helped design Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, and Reddy on Ruff and Reddy. Career Be ...

, the animation powerhouses approached Hart in 1960 pitching a prime time animated B.C. series. Talks fell through with HB retooling the concept into what eventually became

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...

. Hart died of a stroke on April 7, 2007. According to his wife Bobby, he was working at his drawing table at the time of his death.BC cartoonist dies while drawing
BBC News His co-creator for ''The Wizard of Id'', Brant Parker, died just eight days later, on April 15, 2007.

Religious convictions

Hart was raised in a casually religious family, and he attended Christian Sunday School regularly. Although his formal education ended with high school, he was fascinated by the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

from a young age. In 1984 there was a distinguishable shift in Hart's spirituality, and Hart and wife Bobby began attending a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Nineveh, New York. Hart attributed his religious awakening to a father-son team of contractors who installed a satellite dish at his home. Hart's increasingly deep religious faith, and the staunch theological and political

conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

that accompanied it, came to be the source of considerable controversy in the later years of his life. In a 1999 interview with ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', for example, he stated that "

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

s and Muslims who don't accept Jesus will burn in Hell" and that "

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

is the handiwork of Satan." In the same piece, Hart opined that "the end of the world is approaching, maybe by the year 2010." The lion's share of controversy, however, came from Hart's increasing tendency to incorporate his religious and political themes and ideals into his comic strips, especially ''B.C.'' Some newspapers refused to print strips with overtly religious themes or, as with the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', moved them to the religious section of the newspaper.

Controversial strips

Two strips in particular were controversial. The ''B.C.'' strip for April 15, 2001, which was

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

, portrayed a Jewish menorah with seven candles progressively burning out as the strip captions ran the words of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. At the end, the outer arms of the candelabrum broke away, leaving a Christian cross, with the final panel portraying the opened and empty tomb of Christ. Critics including the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee argued that Hart's strip portrayed replacement theology, that is, the conception of Christianity as supplanting

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

. Hart offered an apology "if I have offended any readers," but still thought the strip could increase "religious awareness" and claimed that he had meant the strip to be a tribute to both religions. Another ''B.C.'' strip, which ran November 10, 2003, showed an outhouse with a traditional

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

, which a character entered with a vertical graphic "SLAM", only to ask, "Is it just me, or does it stink in here?" Critics including the

Council on American-Islamic Relations A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

claimed that the combination of the vertical bar and the "SLAM", as well as the crescent moons both in the sky and on the outhouse, made the strip a slur on Islam. Hart denied that it was anything but an outhouse joke.

Personal life

Hart was an active member of his local community — the area of Greater Binghamton in Broome County, New York, which shares a common abbreviation of "B.C." Hart donated B.C.-based drawings and logos free of charge to many entities and organizations found in the Broome County area, including logos for: * B.C. Transit — Caveman on Wheel
Broome County Parks
nbsp;— Dinosaur
Broome County Meals on Wheels
nbsp;— Caveman on Wheel with Food

nbsp;— Caveman building Red Cross with Bricks
Broome County Celtic Pipes and Drums
nbsp;— Caveman wearing Kilt and playing Bagpipes

nbsp;— Irish Caveman with Kazoo * B.C. Open PGA Tour Event (1971–2006) — Caveman golfing *

Broome Dusters The Broome Dusters were an ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, United States at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. The team logo was designed by Johnny Hart, artist of the comic stri ...

NAHL Nahl or NAHL may refer to: * Nahl (surname) * National Accident Helpline, a British personal injury lawyer service * North American Hockey League, an American junior hockey league * North American Hockey League (1973–1977), an American professio ...

Hockey Club — Caveman with hockey stick * B.C. Icemen UHL Hockey Club — Brute Cavemen playing hockey
Southern Tier Independence Center
nbsp;— Caveman in stone wheelchair stuck in cave doorway, "Wiley" character navigating a landscape full of holes Hart's involvement with the B.C. Open dated back to the early 1970s, and characters from ''B.C.'' were used extensively in advertising and marketing materials for the event, including the winner's trophy, which was a bronzed version of a hapless ''B.C.'' Caveman golfing, a light-hearted trophy when compared to many others, leading it to have earned the designation of being "voted by the players on Tour as the best trophy on Tour; the one that they would love to have." Additionally, Hart contributed original panels of ''B.C.'' strips for charity auctions with the Binghamton, New York-based PBS affiliate,

WSKG-TV WSKG-TV (channel 46) is a PBS member television station in Binghamton, New York, United States. It is owned by the WSKG Public Telecommunications Council alongside NPR members WSKG-FM (89.3) and WSQX-FM (91.5). The three stations share studio ...

. He also provided album cover art for the 1999 album ''Still Fresh'' by the world-famous jazz vocal group

The Four Freshmen The Four Freshmen is an American male vocal quartet that blends open-harmonic jazz arrangements with the big band vocal group sounds of The Modernaires, The Pied Pipers, and The Mel-Tones, founded in the barbershop tradition. The singers accom ...

, and his strips for B.C. were the inspiration for the mascot of

UC Irvine UC may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' University Challenge'', a popular British quiz programme airing on BBC Two ** ''University Challenge (New Zealand)'', the New Zealand version of the British programme * Universal Century, one of the t ...

, the anteater.

Tribute

Hart was memorialized in a May 14, 2007, strip of the comic strip '' Mother Goose & Grimm''. In the June 20, 2007, ''Blondie'' strip, the last panel shows Mr. Dithers saying, "Boy oh boy, that Johnny Hart sure knew his stuff, didn't he?" Bruce Tinsley honored Hart in his ''

Mallard Fillmore ''Mallard Fillmore'' is a comic strip written and illustrated by Bruce Tinsley until 2019 and Loren Fishman since 2020. It has been syndicated by King Features Syndicate since June 6, 1994. The strip follows the exploits of its title charact ...

'' strip of July 10, 2007. There was also a tribute in ''

'' strip. In the February 14, 2008, strip, two peasant women are talking. One who has just bought some flowers says: "How come you don't celebrate Valentine's Day?" and the other answers: "My Hart isn't in it this year."

Mastroianni Poems

Traditionally, every December 3, Johnny Hart would draw a ''B.C.'' cartoon with his wife Ida "Bobby" Hart portrayed as the queen of the ant colony, to celebrate her birthday. On December 3, 2007, his grandson Mason Mastroianni carried on the tradition, a practice he would keep up yearly until 2019, the year after Bobby Hart's death. In the 2007 comic, four ants (representing members of the Hart-Mastroianni family) present a despondent Queen Ida with the following poem. Happy Birthday to Our Queen, This day we will remember. Although this year she lost her King, His love will live forever. Afterwards, Queen Ida watches the ants walk away and remarks "They're all Hart". Six days earlier, Mastroianni had drawn a

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

cartoon in which ''B.C.'''s resident poet Wiley honored Hart's memory with the following, more personal verse: I struggle finding thanks this year, I miss your warm embrace. Yet gazing at your photograph, A smile adorns my face. So when it's time to give our thanks, The truth we can't ignore, It's memories of loved ones lost That we are thankful for. Mastroianni also had Wiley compose a poem shortly following Brant Parker's death; the poem, honoring the legacies of many past comic strip writers (Hart and Parker included), was published May 27, 2007: Hear the sad bugler play taps to his heart as he drifts back in time through his tears waxing nostalgic for past comic art he sounds the ROLL CALL o'er the years Herriman and Gould, Caniff,

Schulz Schulz is a common German and Jewish-Ashkenazi family name from Germany, particularly Northern Germany. The word ''Schulz'' originates from the local official title of Schultheiß or ''(Dorf-)Schulz(e)'', meaning village headman or constable / sh ...

, and Capp The names resound through the ages Kelly and

Young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American roc ...

and dearest Dik Browne names that graced these very pages Otto and Rube and

Vip A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples inc ...

and Zack are what Funnies are all about And who can foo-get Bill Holman Yes! (a Notary Sojac no doubt) These are the ones we oft bemoan whose genius flowed forth with ease Remember dear friends, if it wasn't for them... we may have never loved these...Parker and Hart.

Awards

With the release of ''Wizard of Id'' in 1964, Hart became one of only four cartoonists to have two comic strips appearing in over 1000 papers each. He won numerous awards for his work, including the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben award for ''B.C.'' in 1968 and ''Wizard of Id'' in 1984. *1967 – BC – Best Humor Strip National Cartoonists Society Newspaper Comic Strip (Humor) Award for ''B.C.'' *1968 – BC–

Reuben Award The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...

– Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year National Cartoonists Society *1970 – BC – – Best Cartoonist of the Year The International Congress of Comics – Lucca, Italy. This was the first time this award was given to an American cartoonist. *1971 – BC – Best Cartoonist of the Year – France *1971 – Wizard of Id – Best Humor strip – Brant Parker National Cartoonists Society *1972 – NASA Public Service Award For outstanding contributions to NASA *1973 – Best Animation Feature The National Cartoonist Society "B.C. The First Thanksgiving" *1974 – Silver Bell Award – Best Animated Television Commercial The Advertising Council "B.C. Tickets for ACTION" *1974 – Golden Spike Award – Best Animated Television Commercial The International Society of Radio and Television Broadcasters "B.C. 'A' We're the ACTION Corps" *1976 – BC – Adamson Award ("The Sam" Adamson Award) – Best International Comic Strip Cartoonist The Swedish Academy of Comic Art *1976 -

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual conv ...

Inkpot Award
/ref> *1976 – Wizard of Id – Best Humor strip – Brant Parker The National Cartoonist Society *1980 – Wizard of Id – Best Humor strip – Brant Parker The National Cartoonist Society *1981 – BC – The Elzie Segar Award – Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Cartooning King Features Syndicate *1982 – Golden Sheaf Award – Spontaneous Human Category The Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival – Canada "B.C. A Special Christmas" *1982 – BC – Special Jury Award The Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival – Canada "B.C. A Special Christmas" *1982 – Wizard of Id – Best Humor strip – Brant Parker The National Cartoonist Society *1983 – Wizard of Id – Best Humor strip – Brant Parker The National Cartoonist Society *1984 – Wizard of Id –

– Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year – Brant Parker The National Cartoonist Society *1985 – Wizard of Id – "The Sam" Adamson Award – Best International Comic Strip Cartoonist – Brant Parker The Swedish Academy of Comic Art *1986 – BC – Katie Award – Best Magazine Cover – "D Magazine" The Press Club of Dallas *1986 – Wizard of Id – The Elzie Segar Award – Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Cartooning – Brant Parker King Features Syndicate *1988 – BC – Telly Award – Best Television Commercial – Animation "Less filling" – Monroe Shocks *1989 – BC – Best Newspaper Strip National Cartoonist Society *1992 – BC – Max and Moritz Award – Best Comic Strip The Comic Salon – Erlangen, Germany *1995 – BC – Wilbur Award – Editorial Cartoon / Comic Strip Category The Religious Public Relations Council Inc – Dallas Easter 1995 cartoon

References

External links

Official Website for John Hart Studios
nbsp;— johnhartstudios.com
Official B.C. Webpage by the Hart family
nbsp;— johnhartstudios.com/bc
Official Wizard of Id Webpage by the Hart family
nbsp;— johnhartstudios.com/wizardofid
Official Dogs of 'C' Kennel (by Johnny's grandsons Mick and Mason) Webpage
johnhartstudios.com/ckennel

on Lambiek Comiclopedia
Creators Syndicate: ''B.C.''Creators Syndicate: ''The Wizard of Id''
Creators Syndicate *

nbsp;— profile in '' Christianity Today'', March/April 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Johnny 1931 births 2007 deaths People from Endicott, New York American comic strip cartoonists Reuben Award winners American Christians United States Air Force airmen United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War Artists from Binghamton, New York Inkpot Award winners