Sad news. Tulsa World editorial cartoonist Doug Marlette was killed this morning in a single-car accident in Mississippi when the car in which he was a passenger hydroplaned and struck a tree. Marlette had previously been with the Charlotte Observer, the Atlanta Constitution, and Newsday, and the writer and artist for the comic strip Kudzu, a gentle satire of Southern small-town life. According to a story on the World's website, he was returning from his father's funeral in North Carolina and on the way to visit friends in Oxford, Miss.
Marlette began drawing for the World in February 2006, and he was a visiting professor at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, where he lived.
Condolences to his family and his colleagues at the World.
Comments (3)
Man, that's just real sad news, especially for those of us who have enjoyed his work for the last umpteen years. Kudzu is a classic, both for it's style and it's knowing satire of Southernness.
Papers all across the country are shedding their cartoonists. I hope that they find someone to take over that job rather than just phasing it position out.
Posted by manasclerk
|
July 10, 2007 4:35 PM
Posted on July 10, 2007 16:35
A horrible way to go, and I'm not just saying that because I have to drive across Mississippi tomorrow.
I was always hoping that when Jim Lange crumbled into dust the Oklahoman would make a bid for Marlette, but so much for that.
Posted by CGHill | July 10, 2007 7:42 PM
Posted on July 10, 2007 19:42
Yep. I've long suspected Dave Simpson carries around a Marlette voodoo doll and probably uses it ALOT.
Condolences to the family.
Posted by Paul Tay | July 11, 2007 9:39 AM
Posted on July 11, 2007 09:39