We’re sorry to report the passing of American illustrator Paul Coker Jr., who worked in many media, including for MAD magazine. He is also known for his character design for several Rankin-Bass TV specials, greetings cards and advertising work.
Deadline reports Coker died on 23rd July 2022, following a brief illness at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, aged 93.
Often overlooked, Paul Coker Jr. was one of the most talented and stylistically ubiquitous artists of modern times, his career spanning over half a century. “His sketches are deceptively simple on first glance,” noted Stephen Worth, Director of Animation Resources, “but they are solidly drawn and incorporate many fundamental principles in a sophisticated manner.”
Coker’s decades-long association with Mad magazine began in 1961, and he would go on to illustrate hundreds of articles well into the 21st Century. Particularly known for the popular panels called “Horrifying Cliches”, he also illustrated some of the magazine’s film and TV parodies, including articles satirizing Star Trek, Jurassic Park, Twister, Frasier, Sabrina: Teenage Witch and Caroline In The City.
Beginning in 1967, Coker was a production designer on more than a dozen Rankin/Bass specials and shorts, including Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Rudolph’s Shiny New Year and The Easter Bunny Is Comin’ to Town.
Coker is survived by his wife of 33 years, Rosemary Smithson, stepdaughters Lee Smithson Burd and Carol Smithson.
• Paul Coker Jr., 5th March 1929 – 23rd July 23, 2022
• Deadline Tribute to Paul Coker Jr. 29th July 2022
• Paul Coker’s Monsters – an appreciation by John Kricfalusi
• Paul Coker Jr. -An Appreciation by David Apatoff
• Mad Magazine Contributors – Paul Coker (Contributions in Order of Appearance)
• Paul Coker Jr.’s contributions to HELP Magazine (1961)
• Paul Coker Jr. art on ComicArtFans
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “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: Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Obituaries, US Comics
Award-winning artist Jules Feiffer passes 
In Memoriam: Cartoonist and Comic Archivist John Adcock 
Paying tribute to John Romita Sr: How he Changed the life of writer, animator and comic creator Dave King 
In Memoriam: Comic Artist Kevin O’Neill 1953 – 2022