Richard Thompson: 1957-2016

This is a tough day for cartooning. In addition to the passing of Jack Davis, we also lost the very talented Richard Thompson.

Richard was best know for the brilliant daily syndicated strip “Cul de Sac” and the weekly Washington Post comic “Poor Richard’s Almanac”, but he was also a terrific illustrator and an incredible caricaturist. His work has appeared in major publications like US News and World Report, National Geographic, The New Yorker and others. He was honored with the 2010 National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Award for “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year” among many other awards and honors.

I did not know Richard very well. We’d met on a few occasions, and I did the above caricature of him for the 2011 NCS Reuben Awards brochure in Boston, which was where he got the Reuben. I admired and respected his work greatly. He battled Parkinson’s for years and his time on earth was far too short, but even a short time of getting to enjoy the work of Richard Thompson is a tremendous gift.

Rest in Peace, Richard.