We’re sorry to report the sudden and unexpected passing of Boston cartoonist and designer Dan Moynihan, who died suddenly on 21st December due to a medical emergency. He leaves behind his wife, ceramic sculptor Cathy Moynihan, and their 14-month-old son, Ben.
Working in watercolours and ink, and digitally, too, Dan was the creator of the webcomic Mark & Zark, about an Earthling kid and a Martian kid who become friends, and the author-illustrator of the children’s book, Hiding Dinosaurs.
He also made comics for Nickelodeon Magazine and Heeby Jeeby Comix, and taught art classes and lead workshops for kids and adults. Before that, he self-published many zines and mini-comics, contributed to some anthologies, and more.
His career as an illustrator began in 2003, working for Dartmouth Publishing, illustrating textbooks, ranging from early readers to advanced medicine and physics, but more recently he worked for Candlewick Press, based in Somerville, Massachusetts, a book and periodical publisher, and as a teacher for Brookline Adult and Community Education.
Hiding Dinosaurs, published by Holiday House in 2015, was named a Must Read Picture Book by the Massachusetts Center for the Book.
“Dan was such a sweet and kind person, whose art was filled with wonder and joy,” his friend, author and editor Greg Cook, writes.
“I would say that’s a big theme for me,” Dan himself told Greg when interviewed back in 2009, “believing that there’s more possibilities than seem obvious or that you would usually think of.”
Urging aspiring artists “Don’t Think. Just Draw” in 2017, he wrote: “There’s no time for self-doubt or self-editing, so just draw, just write, just create. There’s no preparation of ideas, and no plan once we start, but we somehow create amazing stories that are joyful, surprising, and at least partly coherent. We’re not sure where we’re going, but we’ll get there together!
“… Ideas and stories take shape through action. Don’t wait for them to form in your mind. When you don’t know what to do, just keep writing and drawing!”
His loss has left his family devastated, and in need of financial support, so his brother-in-law, Jason Hughes, has set up a fundraiser for Dan’s family, writing: “Our hearts are broken over the loss of Dan, who was so happy to be a father and also the primary source of income for the family.
“Dan was never so happy as he was for the last 14 months, and his presence, love, and support will be sorely missed by Ben and Cathy. So we are setting up this campaign to help bridge the gap financially for Ben and Cathy while they work their way through this change.”
Our sympathies to Dan’s family and friends at this difficult time.
• GoFundMe: Support Ben and Cathy After Dan’s Passing
• Read Greg Cook’s 2009 interview with Dan Moynihan
• Buy Hiding Dinosaurs (I Like to Read) from Amazon.com
• Buy Hiding Dinosaurs (I Like to Read) from Amazon.co.uk (Affiliate Link)
What could be more fun than a houseful of prehistoric pals? When a boy discovers that dinosaurs are emerging from the eggs sitting on the kitchen counter, it’s a dream come true. Unfortunately, the boy is not so sure Mom and Dad will feel the same way, so he decides to hide his new friends. That plan works for a while, but the dinosaurs keep growing, and growing, and growing! New readers will delight in this rib-tickling fantasy with its exuberant illustrations and hilarious twist. An I Like to Read® book. Guided Reading Level E.
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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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