Editorial cartoonist Stuart Carlson dies at 66

For immediate release:

Kansas City, MO (June 14, 2022) — Andrews McMeel Syndication is saddened to announce that longtime syndicated editorial cartoonist Stuart Carlson passed away on Friday, June 10, at the age of 66 following a sudden illness.

Carlson, known for his elegant linework and even-keeled yet incisive perspective, was the staff editorial cartoonist for the Milwaukee Sentinel, later the Journal Sentinel, from 1983 to 2008. He continued drawing sharp, funny cartoons on national issues for syndication in nearly three dozen markets up until his final hospital stay. Carlson’s final works touched on the ongoing nationwide gun debate following the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

He won numerous awards for his editorial cartooning, which appeared across a wide spectrum of media, including The New York Times, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Barron’s, Playboy magazine and on ABC News’ “Nightline.” The National Press Foundation named him the nation’s best cartoonist in 1991, and he was also a recipient of the John Fiscetti Editorial Cartoon Award.

Among his other works, Carlson co-created the comic strip “Gray Matters” with Jerry Resler, which appears on GoComics.com. Another reader favorite was his and wife Mary Carlson’s creation, “Beanie the Brownie,” a Christmas-themed serial about Beanie, one of Santa’s helpful elves, that appeared in print and online at GoComics.com.

“Stuart’s humor and artistic talent conveyed so much in such a small space,” said Brent Bartram, Andrews McMeel Syndication’s Chief Strategy Officer and General Manager. “And despite an increasingly polarized political world, he was able to disarm even his staunchest critics with a chuckle and an appreciation for his work. After 25 years together, we’ll miss him dearly.”

Carlson’s hometown paper, the Journal Sentinel, noted his passing with a piece Monday, which can be seen here.

Here are a selection of Carlson’s most popular and most recent cartoons.

 

About Andrews McMeel Syndication:

Andrews McMeel Syndication (AMS), now in its 52nd year, is the world’s largest independent newspaper feature syndicate. AMS is a division of Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU), an integrated media company based in Kansas City, Missouri, and home of iconic comics such as Calvin and Hobbes, Doonesbury, Peanuts, The Far Side® and Garfield, and contemporary favorites Sarah’s Scribbles, Breaking Cat News and Phoebe and Her Unicorn. Other divisions include global publishing house Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Andrews McMeel Entertainment, the film and television division. No matter the medium, AMU aims to bring joy and inspiration to people’s lives through the work of our talented creators (andrewsmcmeel.com).