Per an obituary from Millard Family Chapels, cartoonist and teacher Frank Stack passed away on Sunday, April 12, aged 88. Stack, who also worked under the name Foolbert Sturgeon, was best-known for creating The Adventures of Jesus, a satirical take on the Second Coming of Christ, widely considered to be the first underground comic, in 1962. Other work included Harvey Pekar‘s American Splendor, Pekar and Joyce Brabner‘s 1994 graphic novel Our Cancer Year, and publishing early comics by Freak Brothers creator Gilbert Shelton.
An undated photo of Frank Stack, courtesy of his family
Frank Huntington Stack was born in Houston, Texas, on October 31, 1937, and initially studied journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, before switching to art, and graduated from there in 1959. While there, he joined the staff of student humor magazine The Texas Ranger, and became its editor, publishing comics by his fellow student Shelton. His association continued with the magazine continued after his graduation, with The Adventures of Jesus debuting in its pages before being collected by Shelton two years later. He adopted the Sturgeon pseudonym at the time as a way to avoid the wrath of right-wing Christians.
He served in the Army from 1961 to 1962, and taught fine art at the University of Missouri from 1963 to 2001. In the meantime, he had several articles published in The Comics Journal, and his strips The Case of Dr. Feelgood and Dorman’s Doggie were syndicated by the Underground Press Syndicate from 1976 to 1978. He joined the American Splendor team in 1986, and contributed to it until 2001. He also worked as an actor, appearing as unnamed old men in Adam Wingard‘s A Horrible Way to Die (2010), and the director’s segment of V/H/S (2012).
Stack was honored during his lifetime with the Harvey Award for Best Original Graphic Novel (for Our Cancer Year) in 1995, an Inkpot Award in 2011, and an induction into the Eisner Hall of Fame in 2025. He was married to Robbie Powell from 1959, until her death in 1998. He is survived by two children, Joan and Robert, six grandchildren, his brother Steve, sister-in-law Carolyn, and a son and daughter-in-law.
The cover of Fantagraphics’ edition of The New Adventures of Jesus (2006)
For more on Stack’s life and career, check out a local obituary from the Columbia Missourian, and a round-up from The Daily Cartoonist. You can also browse his artwork (some of which includes erotic drawings) on his agency’s website.
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