Pioneering comics scholar John Lent RIP

Dr. John A. Lent passed away today at 2:30 pm from injuries he suffered from a fall at home several days ago.  His living will expressed his desire not to have extraordinary measures taken to keep him alive, so he was removed from life support on Thursday. John never regained consciousness after the fall, but his family was with him at the hospital today.  John was a few months shy of his 90th birthday, and remained productive up until his accident. He had two more books essentially finished and the upcoming issue of IJOCA largely completed.

I believe he requested cremation rather than burial, but I will provide more details as they become available.  IJOCA's blog will have a formal obituary and memorials from his friends and colleagues at some point in the near future.

IJOCA delayed due to EiC John Lent's accident

Last week (roughly ten days ago), publisher and editor-in-chief John Lent fell down the stairs of his house and badly injured himself. His family has rallied around him, including his wife Xu Ying who flew in from China, but Dr. Lent has not yet regained consciousness. When I have any news, I will update this blog post. 

In the meantime, some activity will continue and contributors should send their book and exhibit reviews to me, and may also send articles if they would prefer to see them published here since the print edition is indefinitely postponed.

 I can be reached at mrhode at gmail.com 

 Mike Rhode

assistant editor (or something like that) 

In Memoriam: Frank H. Stack (1937-2026)

Frank Stack displaying caricature

 he drew of Xu Ying. Gijón, Spain. 

October 2006

 by John A. Lent

In a news world where we incessantly hear of the bad guys--mass murderers, crooked, two-faced politicians, warmongers, greedy, self-serving corporations, and the lot, the good among us do not get their due attention.

Being affiliated with the comics art community for a considerable time, I have been fortunate to have known many individuals who have been a credit to humanity. On that list was Frank Huntington Stack (1937-2026), who died April 12.

Frank was part of the University of Texas triumvirate credited with ushering in underground comics while with the university’s humor magazine, The Texas Ranger. Frank was the magazine’s editor in his sophomore year, 1958-1959, followed by Gilbert Shelton (1940- ) in 1962. Jack Edward Jackson (Jaxon, 1941-2006) was a staff member a few years later before being fired over a censorship violation.

Left to right:  John A. Lent, 

Frank Stack, and Gilbert Shelton, 

with their awards. 

Gijón, Spain. October 2006.

The threesome was variously and integrally intermingled:  Stack published Shelton’s early work in The Texas Ranger during his editorship; Shelton returned the favor in 1962, bringing out Stack’s comic strip, “The Adventures of Jesus,” first in the Ranger, and in 1964, collecting about a dozen of the strips in a 14-page, Xerox zine of 40 copies that he handed out around campus. Shelton and others consider Stack’s strip to be the first underground comic, although in contention among some is Jackson’s 42-page, satirical comic book, God Nose, one thousand copies of which were printed surreptitiously at the Texas State Capital print shop in 1964. Other connections were that Jackson and Shelton were two of the four co-founders of Rip Off Press in 1969, and Jackson and Stack used pseudonyms to protect their jobs, Jaxon and Foolbert Sturgeon, respectively.

Stack taught art and printmaking at the University of Missouri, from 1962 to 2001, retiring as professor emeritus, was an accomplished watercolor painter, and a regular contributor to Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor.

I spent time with Frank and Gilbert from Oct. 11 through 14, 2006, in Gijón, Spain. We were among about 20 individuals being honored at the XXX Salón Internacional del Cómic del Principado de Asturias.

 Both were casual, engaging, and unpretentious, down-to-earth types of guys that it is a pleasure to fraternize with. However, after Gijón, Frank and I did not keep contact, but I admirably followed his endeavors over the years.

Left to right:  John A. Lent, Gilbert Shelton, and Xu Ying, Gijón, Spain. October 2006.

Caricature of Xu Ying by Frank Stack. 

Gijón, Spain. October 2006.

Gilbert and I crossed paths a few times since 2006. While attending a conference in Paris in 2008, he arranged for me to meet him in his studio, where he introduced me to his studio partner and showed me around. We adjourned to a nearby restaurant where my wife, Xu Ying, and I dined with Shelton and his spouse, Lora Fountain (1944- ), an important literary agent. Over the course of the next couple decades, Gilbert agreed to be on the advisory board of the International Journal of Comic Art, and, in 2019, sent me at unsolicited (but welcomed) manuscript he wrote in his whimsical style about a Soviet Union underground cartoonist’s exhibit of which he was a part in 1990, for publication in IJOCA.

We, the staff of the International Journal of Comic Art, express our deepest condolences to the family of Frank Stack, and to his many fans and students. We are proud to have known him.

________________________

John A. Lent is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Comic Art and professor emeritus of communications, having taught in universities in Canada, China, Malaysia, Philippines, and the U.S., from 1960-2011.

PR: "José Muñoz. Broken Voices" exhibit opening at Cartoonmuseum Basel

Dear friends of Cartoonmuseum Basel We are very pleased to invite you to the opening of our upcoming exhibition 'José Muñoz. Broken Voices' at Cartoonmuseum Basel. Following on from Jacques Tardi and Thomas Ott, another master of the black-and-white drawing is visiting our museum: José Muñoz. This comics artist, who was born in Argentina in 1942 and now lives in Milan, uses black-and-white in its purest form – powerfully and uncompromisingly, without any grey tones or hatching Muñoz's drawings are direct, impetuous and sometimes crude. His masterful use of light and shadow often borders on abstraction, and his characters range from realistic to grotesque. Working either solo or together with his long-standing creative partner Carlos Sampayo (b. 1943), a similarly exiled compatriot author, he has produced an extensive body of work that conveys strong commitment on both a political and human level. © José Muñoz, 'Billie Holiday', Szenario Carlos Sampayo, 1988–1991 Casterman, Paris, 1991 The exhibition presents all facets of his output – from originals for the famous 'Alack Sinner' series, through to passionate references to jazz and tango. It also reveals a lesser-known painterly and colourful part of his oeuvre. © José Muñoz, Untitled, 2005, published in: 'La Pampa y Buenos Aires. De chair et de poussière', Futuropolis and Nuages, Paris and Milano, 2006 Courtesy Galleria Nuages, Milano Celebrate the opening of this captivating exhibition with us and José Muñoz himself, and discover the expressive imagery of one of the great artists of our time. We look forward to your visit and to an inspirational evening. Welcome to Cartoonmuseum Basel! Yours sincerely, Anette Gehrig Director and Curator Opening of the exhibition 'José Muñoz. Broken Voices' Friday, 27.3.2026 6.30pm–9pm With: Baschi Dürr, Director of the Christoph Merian Foundation, Basel (CH), José Muñoz, comics artist, Milan (IT); Lorenzo Mattotti, comics artist, Paris (FR); and Anette Gehrig, Director and Curator of the Cartoonmuseum Basel Music: Vanessa Lemoine and Gabriela Suárez, Jazzcampus Basel You and your friends are cordially invited. Learn more Artist Talk 'Son of historietas' Saturday, 28.3.2026 5pm–6pm With his unconventional expressionist crime stories, José Muñoz has created classic black-and-white comics. Alongside these, he has also produced a lesser-known painterly and colourful body of work, in which he addresses his themes more freely and less explicitly. In both spheres of activity, he conveys his interest in the effects of a loss of freedom, co-determination and security, as well as in the consequences of social hardship and upheaval. In a talk with curator Anette Gehrig, José Muñoz tells of his escape from Argentina to Europe, his development as an artist in both comics and fine art, and his relationship with masters who influenced him, such as Alberto Breccia and Hugo Pratt. Learn more Sunday guided tour Sunday, 12.4.2026 2pm–3pm Cartoonmuseum Basel is presenting the life's work of Argentine comics artist José Muñoz (b. 1942), who is known for his expressive black-and-white crime stories, depicting the everyday lives of outsiders on the fringes of society. The major retrospective also introduces visitors to Muñoz the painter, and to his love of music and dance, as the artist opens his archives to the public for the first time. Find out more about this socio-critical virtuoso during a public guided tour on a Sunday. Learn more Wednesday morning talks 'Escape into Art' Wednesday, 15.4.2026 10am–12pm In the 1970s, the Argentine comics artist José Muñoz emigrated to Spain to escape the military dictatorship. Together with his compatriot and writer Carlos Sampayo, he explored political violence and exile in the series 'Alack Sinner', which combines crime fiction, social criticism, and contemporary history. Curator Anette Gehrig speaks with her guest, Prof. Dr. Harm Den Boer, about art as a form of resistance. Learn more Cartoon Sunday 'Gangster hunt' Sunday, 26.4.2026 2pm–4pm With stark black-and-white contrasts, dark shadows on angular faces and skewed perspectives, José Muñoz has the perfect set of tools for depicting the back streets and the underworld. In this workshop, we follow his example and try to depict a scene from a crime thriller. Hands up! Learn more

Instagram Facebook St. Alban-Vorstadt 28 4052 Basel +41 61 226 33 60 cartoonmuseum.ch info@cartoonmuseum.ch Tue–Sun 11am–5pm For groups and school classes we offer guided tours and workshops at the desired date.