Samuel R. "Sam" Joyner 1924 - 2020

Samuel Joyner, former editorial cartoonist of the Philadelphia Tribune and art editor of Color Magazine, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. He was 96.

Not only a journeyman cartoonist for five decades, he was also an historian of African-American comic art.

From Temple University's History Blog:

"While working as a paper boy for the Philadelphia Tribune, his artistic talents were first recognized by publisher E. Washington Rhodes. Following his service in the United States Navy during World War II, Joyner enrolled in the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art (now known as the University of the Arts) to pursue a career as a commercial artist. He graduated in 1948.


"After some difficulty finding employment, Joyner succeeded in selling his work to the Philadelphia Inquirer and Pittsburgh Courier. However, he soon realized that he was not fully valued for his creations at these papers because he was not allowed to attach his name to his art work or draw any non-white characters. In the 1950s, Joyner secured employment as an art director for the African American magazine Color. The magazine was originally based in Charleston, West Virginia, but moved its headquarters to Philadelphia in 1954. While working there Joyner gained national attention for his social and political commentary and satire and used it to encourage other African Americans to engage in activities and dialogues toward the defeat of discrimination and injustice.

From the Philadelphia Tribune obituary:

"Often described as the visual voice for African Americans that was represented in mass-circulated magazines and newspapers, Joyner had a storied career as a teacher, cartoonist and illustrator since the 1940s.

"Throughout his career, Joyner received numerous accolades, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from Temple University in 2002 as well as recognition from the National Newspapers Publishers Association and the Houston Sun."

"Our Schools will continue to stay in trouble as long

as we pay the best teachers less than we pay the

worst football player."

From The Daily Cartoonist:

"Samuel also accumulated a vast knowledge of Black cartoonists and has been selfless in passing on that information to such historians as Tim Jackson and Ken Quattro.
As Tim said in his introduction to Pioneering Cartoonists:

"The task of finding information about the cartoonists in this book was made phenomenally easier when Samuel Joyner from Philadelphia, who also happened to be a pioneering cartoonist himself, contacted me. Joyner maintained files of tear sheets and clippings from various newspapers around the country that featured his comics. He amassed an overwhelming resource that documented African American cartoonists, illustrators, and graphic artists."

I'm indebted to DD Degg for bringing this to my attention.