Chris Browne 1952 - 2023

Above via Chris Browne's Facebook page.

Chris Browne, who took over the Hagar the Horrible syndicated comic strip, passed away after a long illness on February 5th, 2023. He was 70 years old. Chris continued the strip for some thirty years, after the death of its creator Dik Browne, Chris's father. Hagar the Horrible had just celebrated its 50th anniversary.

 

Via Comicbook.com:

"His sister Tsuiwen Browne-Boeras confirmed the news in a statement on Facebook, writing: "With much sadness, I am here to announce, my brother Christopher Browne passed away peacefully in Sioux Falls, SD after a long-term illness. After our father passed away, he was the face of our family's cartoon strip Hagar the Horrible. Besides drawing Hagar, Chris drew and illustrated children's books. He always had a sketchbook in hand and loved to draw for people. He will be very much missed by his family and friends as well as his fans throughout the world."

"The National Cartoonists Society also wrote about Brown's death, adding: 'We are sad to announce the passing of one of our longtime valued members of the NCS community, Chris Browne. Hagar had only just celebrated his 50th anniversary the day before...We will miss his talent and his gentle and kind soul.'"

 

Via Comics Beat:

"Hägar the Horrible, which satirised contemporary American society under the guise of its faux Viking-era setting, began February 4, 1973. It was created by Richard Arthur Allan 'Dik' Browne for the King Features Syndicate. The strip proved immensely popular and is syndicated in approximately 1900 newspapers, across 56 countries, around the globe. A framed copy of the cartoon was even spotted in the background of President Joe Biden’s Oval Office at the White House.

"Following the retirement and death of its creator, Dik’s sons Chris and Chance Browne – plus illustrator and cartoonist Gary Hallgren who has drawn the series since 2015 – took over the reins. Chris’ thirty-plus year tenure on the character (his brother Chance works mainly on the continuation of their father’s other series Hi and Lois but assisted with edits) – from 1989 to 2023 – makes him the strip’s longest serving cartoonist (his father retired in 1988, accumulating 16 years of material)."

The Daily Cartoonist lists his many other cartooning accomplishments.

"Then in the late 1970s well into the 1980s Chris was a regular contributor to the Playboy Funnies pages creating an assortment of strips and characters. (Chris wasn’t as lewd as most of the others in the Playboy Funnies.)

"Through the years he found time to contribute to Heavy Metal, Esquire, Sarasota Magazine, The New Yorker, Dope Comix, and others. And even a children’s book. "

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Chris created two comic strips, each with an autobiographical approach. Chris Browne’s Comic Strip (1993-94) and Raising Duncan for five years beginning in 2000. 

Chris also has an extensive site collecting sketches, paintings and cartoons.