John Callahan died last Saturday in Portland. He was likely one of the first Graphic Medicine cartoonists, having published the somewhat illustrated Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, The Autobiography of a Dangerous Man in 1989, well into his career. There’s a theoretical asterisk to his work in all of his obituaries, and certainly would also be found when discussing it in terms of Graphic Medicine (which I have never seen done) and I’m curious to explore it.
Callahan’s work generally remained on the periphery of mainstream acceptance due to its dark humor, often labeled inappropriate, or later and more damning, politically incorrect. I’m wondering today if others who make comics on medical themes were influenced by Callahan. I consider his comics and his autobiography an early influence on what I’m doing today. For example, I enjoy using a gag in my work that I just now realize comes from reading Callahan at an early age. I’m referring to the little wall plaques in the background of strips that always add an extra contextually-relevant laugh, like showing a hospital hallway, in which two patients are talking. The main joke of the strip is elsewhere, likely in the dialogue between the characters, but you can’t help notice the sign behind them reading, “Thank you for not dying.” In another example, we’re at an AA meeting. All of the participants are giving lame reasons why they drank, one being, “because my shoes were too tight” and the sign in the background reads, “Thank you for changing your entire life around.” Here’s an example of how I’ve obviously stolen this gag, here in the principal’s office of a Catholic grade school:
Politically incorrect or not, I certainly gained insight into the experience of living with a physical disability from reading Callahan’s work, and I cite Callahan as an influence on my website. Comics have a long, proud history of being inappropriate, as wonderfully displayed in the Rude Britannia exhibit at the Tate Modern. I’m curious, as the field of Graphic Medicine gains interest in academia and the general public, how this history (and propensity) will be impacted.
It’s not medically themed, but this one has always been a favorite.
Check out Callahan’s site for more of his work.
Thanks for putting me on to Callahan- I have to confess my total ignorance of his work, but looking at his web archive, it’s great, and I’ll put a link to the site from http://www.graphicmedicine.org and I must get some of his books. Personally I love ‘sick’ and ‘dark’ humour. I think that you can somehow sense where it is ‘coming from’ (as Ricky Gervais says). Black humour that comes from a certain cynicism, world-weariness or frustration can be very funny and I don’t believe has anything to do with hateful racist or sexist jokes. I am a big fan of the UK’s Chris Morris (TV satarist and director of “Four Lions), who has caused absolute outrage over this side of the atlantic, yet whom, I believe does a very valuably job in pointing out hypocrisy and the absurdity apparent in some points of view.
Comics-wise, I think the UK’s equivalent might be Prozacville ( http://www.prozacville.co.uk/ ) who was in turn influenced by the Icelandic cartoonist Hugliekur Daggson (http://www.dagsson.com/)
With regard to academic interest:, no, I don’t think that ‘inappropriateness’ would deter scholars from studying and discussing some comics. There is considerable interest in the work of, say, Phoebe Gloeckner, whose work is certainly controversial and held by some to be deeply offensive (the UK customs dept tried to sieze imports of her work at one stage!)
and I have to say that I have never heard the ‘F’ word used quite so much in paper presentations as at academic comics conferences! I think it is very healthy and I think that Callahan work seems to typify an important role among the many that comics serve.
all the best
Ian