We’re sorry to report the passing of cartoonist, illustrator, storyteller and comic archivist John Adcock, best known, perhaps, to many downthetubes readers for his fantastic blog, Yesterday’s Papers. He was 74, and had been unwell for some time.
Born in Nelson, British Columbia in May 1950, raised in Trail, John was a huge lover of music and books, nature and animals who lived in Edmonton, Alberta. He was a contributor to various fanzines, including Chronicle, Weirdom, and Visions, and illustrated Ronald and the Dragon by Lawrie Peters in 1975.
He spent numerous years in the early 1980s airbrushing vehicles and signs in and around Edmonton.
Sharing his vast knowledge since 2003, he started numerous platforms online, leading to Yesterday’s Papers, launched in early 2008, a fantastic historiography of comics, cartoons, penny dreadfuls and dime novels. A must-read for anyone interested in 19th and early 20th Century cartooning, John’s final post was made just month.
He previously published Punch in Canada until 2020, and Doggone That Train, until 2015, reflecting his musical tastes.
A local obituary notes John will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered by his daughter, Lana (Rick Dupuis) and son Bryan (Donna Yaschyshyn); his grandchildren: Zachary, Cody, Taylor, Dustin, and Samantha; his great-grandchildren: Brantley, Ayla, and Oaklen; his brother, Richard (Sheila); niece, Roxanne; his dear friend, Andrea Schmidt; as well as numerous family and friends from far and wide.
“John Adcock will be greatly missed by his extended family of comic art historians and all of us who read and contributed to his wonderful blog,” said author Bill Leach, a contributor to Yesterday’s Papers, providing articles on Ally Sloper, and more. “I will miss his unwavering enthusiasm for our hobby/addiction and our interesting email interactions regarding comic art history and the creators behind so many published books and newspapers. He has left a huge set of shoes to fill.
“Rest easy, my friend. I know you are already interviewing all the comic creators that left us in the past. We will carry on in your honour.”
John Kenneth Adcock, May 1950 – 1st June 2024
A Celebration of Life will be held at a date and place to be announced later by the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Pilgrims Hospice Society, who cared for John in his final year
With thanks to Alan Clark
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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.
Categories: British Comics, Comics, Comics Studies, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Obituaries, US Comics