We’re sorry to report the passing of internationally acclaimed cartoonist Paul Sample, best known as the creator of the brilliant biker strip, “Ogri”.
Born in Yorkshire, Paul Sample (17th February 1947 – 27th January 2026), who lived in Shropshire, worked as an illustrator for over 30 years, training at both Bradford College of Art and Central School of Art in London, where he gained an Honours Degree in Graphic Arts.
He both wrote and draw strip cartoons and illustrated various commissions, working in advertising, book illustration and more, but will be most remembered around the world for his unique biker strip, “Ogri”, created in 1967, and, character first published in Bike magazine.
The strip has been collected several times down the years.
“The first strip cartoon was based on my own experience of driving up the M1 at 90mph on a Rocket Goldstar and wondering what the rattle was,” Paul recalled in an interview with Duncan Foulkes. “Most people think Ogri is about biking but it’s not, it’s about life in general.
“The inspiration for the stories comes from riding my bike, talking to people in the pub or seeing things on the news.”
Ogri appeared in Bike magazine for 35 years until January 2009, when it was dropped but then taken up by Back Street Heroes (BSH).
“Ogri himself is a man of integrity,” the writer of an article for The Hastings Independent notes. “He knows right from wrong, is pragmatic and even though he never lives by the rules and doesn’t put up with any bullshit, he has integrity. He sports a chin that outweighs ‘Desperate Dan’s’ – and is, dare I say it, almost phallic in nature.
“Paul says that ‘Ogri’ is every biker’s ideal: the biker they want to be. Loosely based on a Marvel superhero, Paul Sample poses the question, ‘What would a superhero who loved motorbikes and lived next door be like?’”
“Paul was a wonderful father, grandfather, Uncle and a great friend to many people,” said his son, artist Robert Sample, announcing his passing earlier this week. “I’m sure this news will come as very sad news.
“We will share more information about a remembrance and celebration of his life in the days to come.”
“Tributes from fans and riders have highlighted how his drawings became part of the fabric of motorcycling life, entertaining generations and reflecting a community he clearly understood and loved,” note Bikers Mirror.
“Paul Sample leaves behind a body of work that continues to delight readers and riders alike, ensuring that both his humour and his unmistakable characters will ride on for many years to come.”
Tribute to Paul…
“It is with great sadness that we have to announce that Paul passed away on Tuesday,” stated the curators of the Ogri Facebook Page. “Paul was an absolute legend and was responsible for getting many into biking, including me! He will be greatly missed and never replaced… Ride free Paul.”
“So sorry to hear,” commented fellow cartoonist Alex McGookin. “He was an inspiration to many of us growing up cartooning in a time before Photoshop and the digital age. At one time he was omnipresent, all the ad agencies were chasing him. Rest in peace, champ.”
”As I kid, his artwork thrilled me so much, it still does,” commented cartoonist David Leach. “I had at least two of his Athena posters on my wall and his work inspired my own comics greatly, I loved his Ogri strip and I adored his Tom Sharpe book covers, in fact that’s what made me read Tom Sharpe in the first place! I have his excellent poster for Whoops Apocalypse on my living room wall.
“Several years ago I emailed him to tell him how much I loved his work and how much it meant to me, he replied and I was immensely delighted. I still love his work. A truly superb artist, sadly missed.”
“This one hits too close to the leathers,” commented Maurice Laroque-Turgeau of Laroque Motorsports, in a tribute on Facebook.
“Some people draw motorcycles. Paul Sample drew real life caricatures of the biker next store. Be it the bloke broken down on the side of the road or the speed demon that just passed you doing triple nickles.
“Paul’s Ogri wasn’t just a cartoon biker — he was us on our worst day and our best the next all rolled into one. Loud, loyal, slightly unhinged, fueled by ale, optimism, and questionable mechanical decisions. Paul somehow managed to capture the smell of oil, pub floors, wet leathers, and bad ideas in ink.
“From the pages of Bike Magazine to shop walls, garage posters, tank stickers and battered toolboxes, Ogri, Mitzi, Malcolm and Kickstart all became a real part of motorcycle culture itself. Not very polished, definitely not corporate, just beautifully real and hilariously human.
“Somewhere right now Ogri is firing up Armageddon his sometime trusty Norvin, spilling his beer, losing a bolt and riding off into the clouds with his winged helmet slightly crooked and his heart exactly right.
“Rest easy and Godspeed Paul and thanks for drawing our two wheeled family the way it really is…”
Paul Sample, 17th February 1947 – 27th January 2026
Head downthetubes for…
• Paul Sample: Official Website
• Shropshire Star: Ample Sample for all (2010 Interview, Wayback)
• Hastings Independent: Ogri, Ogri, Ogri … (2021 interview)
• Leesearch: The Illustrators Blog – Ogri
With tanks to Lew Stringer for the news
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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