The Daily Cartoonist has an obituary online now.
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I have three major things to recount that are out of my life with Dr. John A. Lent:
1. I never thought that I would marry an American guy. John and I have such different backgrounds. He was born in East Millsboro, Pennsylvania, and I was born in Beijing, the capital of socialist China. He was 23 years older than me. When we first met in Beijing at an international conference in 1996, he was the only white man who sat at the table with all Asian guests every meal. I was working for the China Film Archive and through our talking, I knew he was a professor at Temple University and the Chairman of Asian Cinema Society. I wanted to be a member of Asian Cinema Society and could not afford the subscription fee. He was very kind and told me if I wrote articles for the journal Asian Cinema, I could become a member. As the editor-in-chief, he guided me to do research on Beijing's animation production situations and that's what I did. He published the articles in the journal, and we started communicating through letters. In 1998, the Asian Cinema Society had a conference in Toronto. The organizers invited me to participate. But they could not pay for my trip. Again, I had to give up as I couldn't afford it. In 1999, I won the Canadian government award to Canada for 5 weeks research on Canadian animation industry. I went to Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver collected materials and interviewed with directors and producers - as many as possible. After my return to China, I published an article on History and Present Situation of Canadian Animation Industry in the journal Cinema World in Beijing. I wrote to Dr. Lent and shared my little achievement. He replied and said he was proud of me. Next year, the Asian Cinema had a conference in Oklahoma. The university organizer invited me, and I saved money to pay for my trip. When I first arrived in the US, Dr. Lent was the only one I knew at the conference. We hugged each other and started our close friendship. He even sent me to the airport by taxi as I flew to Miami to visit with my brother. After the conference, he wrote to me regularly and when I started temporarily working in Miami, he called me and encouraged me when I was down. He became my first customer when I practiced to write an invoice for my company. Later, after he divorced, he asked me: "Will you marry me?" I answered without hesitating: "Sure." Once, he asked me: "Is that what you planned?" I felt upset and told him: "Never say that again. I did not have a plan. I never even thought I could marry an American. I know there were many ships in his harbor. I didn’t want to be a burden. I will leave him and he can never find me again." He noticed I was hurt and apologized to me again and again. Years later at an international conference in Guiyang, China, he joked with a scholar and told him: "Ying said, 'She is available,'" and the guy believed him and told other people. What a naughty man! We got married in 2003 and I moved to Drexel Hill with my 14-year-old son together.
2. We started to work together at home. He was still teaching at Temple University three or four days a week. He used his spare time editing two journals - Asian Cinema and the International Journal of Comic Art. These two journals published twice a year. He edited by handwriting. I worked on the computer doing the corrections and formatting. How we cooperated so well and worked as a perfect team - that was beyond my imagination. He was a good boss. Occasionally, he would buy flowers for me and he took me out to cinema theaters and dinners. If there was a conference - PCA, IAMCR or ICAF - he would bring me so we could participate together. When he gave a speech, I would help show the images by computer. We became working partners. During some trips, we would interview local cartoonists or animators. After we returned, he would write articles and published them in his journals. I did all the typing for him. If I typed wrong or made mistakes, he would give me C+ and fire me. But just one minute later, he would hire me immediately as he could not afford to lose me. Through all 9 and half years working together, I admired him and became proud of him more and more. Especially when he became one of the judges of the Pulitzer Editorial Cartoon prizes twice in a row, I was so proud of him. I learned a lot from my professor and my English has made great progress. Unfortunately, he did not learn more Chinese, and his English went backwards as I talked a lot of Chinglish with him every day. He was very easily influenced. I am sorry for my darling, the brilliant editor-in-chief.
3. I could never imagine how he suffered from a fall so seriously. As I have been taking care of my 91-year-old father in Beijing, I seldom came back to stay long enough. John was very independent. He kept working, writing books, editing journals, cooking, he did [almost] everything by himself. I came back when he had a stroke and to help take care of him and make dumplings for him. He loved Chinese food and fried vegetables. His family doctor made a joke with him and said: "Only when you had a stroke, your wife would come back " I felt so sorry about that. This year I came back in January to February for about 18 days because he fell and injured his shoulders. Fortunately, he didn't break any bones. I planned on coming back in August to celebrate his 90th birthday on September 8. But suddenly he fell down the stairs [at home]. This time his head was bleeding, his back broken in 7 places. He was unconscious at the moment. His son John Vincent called an ambulance, and they took him to the closest hospital. After 5 days of treatment, the doctor released him to rehab hospital.
For the first 5 days in the hospital, he was awake. We talked by WeChat every day and he told me he fell. I asked him: "Do you want me there?" He said: "No." I knew how seriously he was injured and next day when I told him: "I already bought flight tickets and will be there with you." He asked me: "Are you sure?" I said: "Definitely!" I heard from his children and grandchildren later. They visited him on Saturday (May 2), he talked with them and joked with them. He even remembered all four great grandchildren's names. But after he was moved to the rehab, gradually he seldom talked and most of the time he felt sleepy. When I arrived at the rehab in the morning of May 7th, he opened his eyes widely and said: "Ying! Ying!" I said to him: "Yes, Ying is here! I'm here with you. I'll not go anywhere. Just want to be with you!" He was so happy and smiled.
While there, they were feeding him food and medicine with apple sauce which he aspirated and that caused a lung infection. Doctor also suspected he had a stroke. So, he was transferred to the U of Penn Hospital by ambulance on May 7th after I arrived there. I accompanied him when he was transferred to U Penn Hospital and was with him day and night. But he couldn't say any words after May 8, 2026.
He was kept 3 days in the emergency room. The numbers looked OK and they moved him to the 10th floor normal patient room. Two days later, his blood pressure dropped down fast. Doctors used a breathing machine for life support. After two days, his children found his handwritten living will. He didn't want any breathing machine and tubes for life support and wanted to donate his organs. His doctor had a meeting with his family members, and they all agreed to follow his will. On the third day, his doctors and nurses removed his breathing machine and put him in hospice. Three days later, at 2:47 pm on May 16, 2026, John passed away peacefully with his family around. He didn’t suffer any pain or troubles. I never imagined he would leave me in this way! I couldn't believe how nice and courteous they were at hospice. They allowed me to hug and be next to him for as long as I wanted. I was able to sing and be with him and tell him I love him over and over. Because of his age, the doctors couldn't accept his organ donations. He was such a great person, he is definitely in heaven. I lost my love, my soul mate, my perfect man, and the King of Ying! Although we lived across the world from each other in recent years, we still talked through Skype every day, making each other laugh and being there for one another. I would tell him “You are the greatest most fantastic man. Man of my life, and the King of Ying." And he would say "You are intelligent, smart, and beautiful inside and outside." I will miss these words and will never be able to match the love I had for him.
Xu Ying
May 17, 2026
I met John in Manchester in 1998 at the UKCAC convention. He had a table and was selling issues of IJOCA. I got several and spoke to him about the field of comics studies. I was just about to start my PhD in comics and he was very supportive, giving advice and telling me who I should contact. He was so knowledgeable and knew everyone. I was somewhat in awe of him and what he was doing with IJOCA. He encouraged me to submit an article to the journal. It was my first academic publication. Several others followed in IJOCA. It was always a pleasure to speak to him via email. I never met him again in person. He later helped me publish my first book, which emerged from my PhD and was an important stepping stone to being employed as a comic scholar. John was a lovely man and I owe him a lot. I won't forget him and the support and advice that he gave in the early years of my career. I know that many young comics scholars around the world owe John a similar debt. I've always found Comics Studies to be an incredibly supportive field, full of friends and colleagues willing to help one another, and John was one of the key figures to set that example.
Professor Christopher Murray
Chair of English and Comics Studies
Division of Humanities, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Co-Director, Institute for Social Sciences Research
Director, Comics Studies Creative Research Hub
Impact Lead for the Division of Humanities
University of Dundee
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A scholar who ceaselessly helped others to build the field..
James P. Danky
Adjunct Curator for Comics
Museum of Wisconsin Art
https://wisconsinart.org/exhibitions/comics-and-politics/
Future of Print Project
School of Journalism & Mass Communication
University of Wisconsin - Madison
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John Lent was a friend, a mentor, and even a father figure. If not for John Lent and Tom Inge providing encouragement I doubt I would have had the courage to attempt to forge a career teaching and writing about comics. Over the years, I witnessed John encouraging and advising so many other young scholars. I am sure many people reading this can remember the first time John Lent approached them after a panel and said “That was a good paper. I hope you submit it to IJOCA.” It was a thrill and a validation. But if you did not submit the paper he would ask you about it every time he saw you because he a great memory and a desire to see young (and not so young) scholars fulfill their potential. And, John, I am so sorry I never completed that “Sequential Art in The Miracles of Mary” article you asked about for twenty-some years. If there is an afterlife and I make it to the good place you are going to I will try to have it finished by then.
Randy Duncan
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I am very saddened by the news . John Lent was unique and adorable. He helped everyone in the profession,
Ana Merino
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John Lent was punk rock and DIY all the way, the Johnny Rotten and Johnny Ramone of comics studies. I’m glad we met in 1990 and he introduced me to Witty World, Joe Szabo (who has also passed), Phillip Yeh and through IJOCA, Mike Rhode and many others. John was a pioneering figure in Southeast Asian comics studies, inspiring me and many others. I’m happy to have talked to him for the last time over the phone a few weeks ago. Shine on you crazy diamond.
When I heard the news of his accident 2 weeks ago, I thought of the loosely formed Association of Asian Comics Critics Asia (ACCA) group I formed with some friends from Indonesia and the Philippines in 2018, and how we can be more active in terms of events, panels, papers, articles, journals. John would have given us the space in IJOCA. That’s how he was, generous and accommodating. Long may you run, John Lent, old friend.
CT Lim
IJOCA Singapore country co-editor
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John was a pioneer in the field of comics studies. But he was also a kind and patient mentor, always welcoming to new people and young scholars. He was wise and funny. The last time I saw him, almost a decade ago now, we met at the annual comics conference at the University of Florida and he met some of my students who were presenting there. So gracious and kind. And there was no one on Earth who could compare to his encyclopedic knowledge of international comics and their creators.
A legend.
Jason Tondro
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I met John Lent at a comics conference in the US in 1999. I was presenting a paper about Brazilian comics. John immediately asked me to send the paper to the first issue of IJOCA and invited me to be the Brazilian representative in the international advising committee of the new journal. I am still very honored and grateful to him by the invitation and by the opportunity to publish several articles about Brazilian comics in IJOCA.
The second time I met John Lent, we were in another comics conference in Cuba. He was as always very active and interviewing several Cuban cartoonists. He asked me to help in the interviews, and I had to translate the Spanish the Cubans were speaking (which I understood only partially at that time) to English for John´s benefit. Until now, I do not know if I translated their Spanish correctly and I am afraid that some information John received was not so precise as it should be. My fault, not his.
I met John several times in the following twenty and so years, including twice in Brazil. He kindly gave the opening address in one of the editions of the Jornadas Internacionais de Histórias em Quadrinhos, our most important academic meeting about comics.
On all occasions, John was always kind, attentive and encouraged everyone to study comics seriously. I have no doubt that a great part of the advancement we had in comics studies in the last 40 decades are due to his work and example as a scholar and enthusiast of comics.
Thanks, John. For everything.
Prof. Dr. Waldomiro Vergueiro
Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
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