Cartoon by Monte Wolverton, 2016, caricaturing Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Monte Wolverton is a U.S. comic artist and editorial cartoonist. He is notable as the house cartoonist, former art director and managing editor of the Protestant magazine The Plain Truth since 1985, while drawing acerbic political cartoons under the banner 'Wolvertoons', syndicated by Cagle Cartoons. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was also a cartoonist for Mad magazine. As the son of cult cartoonist Basil Wolverton, he has also been involved with reprints of his father's classic work.
Early life and career
Monte Wolverton was born in 1948 in Vancouver, Washington, as the son of legendary comic artist and cartoonist Basil Wolverton. He was named after Monte Bourjaily, a publisher who had given his father a lot of valuable creative and professional advice. Encouraged by his father, Monte Wolverton was interested in drawing. When he studied at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design, his interests shifted more towards magazine art direction, advertising and publication design, corporate image and creative consulting. He studied editorial photography with Earl Theison, photographer for Look. For a while, he was a freelance graphic designer, active in the Pacific Northwest.
It wasn't until the mid-1970s when Wolverton's father had a stroke and quit drawing that Monte felt he had to carry on his legacy. Apart from his father, Monte Wolverton has been influenced by Robert Crumb, Virgil Finlay, Johnny Hart and Robert Williams. Wolverton's earliest cartoons ran in such magazines as Petersen Publishing's CARtoons magazine, CB Radio, Creative Computing and Youth.
'Dr. Dean Cleanbean Deals with Drug Difficulties' (from Dope Comix #5, January 1984).
The Plain Truth
In 1985, Monte Wolverton returned from the Pacific Northwest to California to become art director for The Plain Truth. By then, the magazine was still a free-of-charge monthly magazine published by The Worldwide Church of God. It followed the controversial "British Israelism" doctrine, claiming that the people of Great Britain are the "direct descendants" of the Ten Lost Tribes of ancient Israel, something that has never been confirmed by any believable historical research. When its founder Herbert W. Armstrong died in 1986, the magazine began selling subscriptions and its tone changed to more mainstream Protestantism. Wolverton gradually took on more editorial duties for the magazine as well.
'Dreaded Medical Conditions of Our Times' (Mad #360, August 1997).
Mad Magazine
Between 1994 and 2002, Wolverton followed in his father's footsteps by occasionally illustrating articles in Mad. Most of his contributions showcased his ability to draw wacky characters in satirical situations. A notable collaboration was his team-up with underground comix legend Jay Lynch for 'One Fine Day at the Candy Store' (issue #375, November 1998). He also drew the border drawings on the cover of issue 368 (April 1998).
Cartoon ridiculing U.S. President George Bush, Jr., 27 June 2005.
Wolvertoons
In 1997, Monte Wolverton grew irritated with Republican senator Newt Gingrich's disproportionate attacks on President Bill Clinton, which increased once Clinton got tangled up in the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. Later Gingrich turned out to have had an extramarital affair himself, divorcing from his wife in 1999, something Wolverton found "double hypocritical". To express his outrage, Wolverton started making weekly political cartoons, titled 'Wolvertoons', which he made public on his website. Some magazines and papers also ran them, including The Washington Post. Through Daryl Cagle and his Cagle Cartoons, Wolverton's work was syndicated to over 850 daily and weekly publications, including the L.A. Daily News. Wolverton frequently received hate mail and even death threats for his political cartoons.
Two beauties from 'Lena's Bambinas'.
Basil Wolverton
Monte Wolverton has been involved in several reprint editions of his father's comic book work. Together with Michael T. Gilbert, he drew a two-page introduction comic to the 8th issue of 'Mr. Monster's Super Duper Special' (Elipse, 1987), which was dedicated to Basil Wolverton monster stories. He has written forewords and introductions to reprint editions by Dark Horse Comics and Fantagraphics, and adapted his father's style for the illustrations in 'Lena's Bambinas' (Fantagraphics, 1996). The book featured equally grotesque family members of Lena the Hyena, a repulsive girl drawn by Basil Wolverton for Al Capp's 'Li'l Abner' strip in 1946. Monte Wolverton also edited the Fantagraphics collection 'The Wolverton Bible' (2009).
Other activities
Monte Wolverton has been additionally active as a painter, sculptor and writer, based in Westlake Village, California. He is the author of the novels 'Chasing 120' (2014) and 'The Remnant' (2016), and has made promotional artwork for the U.S. Forest Service.
Wolvertoon with self-portrait.