Joe Martin (cartoonist)

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Joe Martin
Born1945or1946(age 78–79)
Chicago, Illinois
Occupation(s)cartoonist, comic artist
Years active1970s–present
Notable work Mister Boffo
SpouseMarie (m. 1972–present)
Children5
Website www.mrboffo.com

Joe Martin (born 1945 or 1946) [a] is an American cartoonist.

Contents

Biography

Joe Martin was born in the mid 1940s on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. When he was 16 years old, he was married. By the time he was 20 years old, he had four children, but he also got a divorce. He then met his current wife, Marie, and they have been married for 43 years as of 2015. [1] He also had two cats named Fluffy and Snuggles. [2] Martin formerly lived in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin with his wife and five children, [3] then moved to the Cape Fear area of North Carolina. [1]

Career

In 1976 (or 1979), [b] Martin debuted his first comic strip, named Tucker, although it would only last for two years. Tucker emulated Martin's own beginning of his career by making it about a man who runs an employment agency. [1] Martin has been able to accumulate about 1300 jokes yearly, and he has over 33,000 published since 1978. [3] [4] In 1998, it was common to find Martin's comic strip, Mr. Boffo, appear in the Washington Post. [5]

Cartoons

Martin is the creator of comic strips "Mister Boffo", "Porterfield", "Willy 'N Ethel", "Cats With Hands", and 25 other comic series. [4] He is also the author of How to Hang a Spoon . Willy 'N Ethel, Martin's longest running strip, was able to celebrate its twentieth anniversary in March 2001, in addition to his cartooning career, Martin wrote for the comedy TV series, E/R. [3] [6]

In 2000, he was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "World's Most Prolific Cartoonist." [4] [6]

Exhibitions

In Joe Martin's first exhibition of his paintings, there was not one single person ready to buy one of his paintings. He was confident that by the end of his exhibition, there would not be one left on the wall. The prices of the art ranged from $12,000 to $28,000. The exhibit included ten various oil and acrylic paintings. His art often depicts the absurd and mocks the social norms of life. [7]

Notes

  1. ↑ He was 69 in January 2015.
  2. ↑ Disputed date

References

  1. 1 2 3 Paul, Stephen. "Prolific cartoonist who lives in area keeps up the pace". Wilmington Star News. Archived from the original on 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  2. ↑ "Mister Boffo - Smokeout Comic & Animation". www.mrboffo.com. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  3. 1 2 3 "About Joe Martin". The Mister Boffo World Wide Web Homepage. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 "Most prolific cartoonist per year". Guinness World Records . Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  5. ↑ "The Style Invitational Week 267: The Concept Concept". The Washington Post. 30 March 1998. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Joe Martin". IMDb. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  7. ↑ Wolff, Jennifer. "Unclear On the Concept". Joe Martin. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
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