The Art of Richard Thompson

A tribute to the cartoonist known as “Michelangelo with a sense of humor,” the creator of the beloved comic strip Cul de Sac (Pat Oliphant, editorial cartoonist).

Richard Thompson is renowned among cartoonists as an “artist’s” cartoonist. Little known to all but those close to him is the extent of his art talent. This is the book that will enlighten the rest of us and delight us with the sheer beauty of his work.

Divided into six sections, each beginning with an introductory conversation between Thompson and six well-known peers, including Bill Watterson, the book will present Thompson’s illustration work, caricatures, and his creation, Richard’s Poor Almanack. Each section is highly illustrated, many works in color, most of them large and printed one-to-a-page. The diversity of work will help cast a wider net, well beyond Cul de Sac fans.

“Even working wordlessly, from his wheelchair, Thompson was, and is, the supreme comedian. And that comic timing is among the embarrassment of rich gifts on beautiful display in The Art of Richard Thompson . . . one of the most anticipated art-retrospective books of the year.” —The Washington Post

“A new collection of art, interviews and commentaries . . . a more complete portrait of a multi-talented artist whose career ended far too early.” —IndieWire