''Big Ben Bolt'' is a comic strip that was syndicated from February 20, 1950 to April 15, 1978. It was drawn by

John Cullen Murphy John Cullen Murphy (May 3, 1919 – July 2, 2004) was an American illustrator best known for his three decades of work on the ''Prince Valiant'' comic strip. Early life and education Born in New York City, Murphy spent his childhood in Chicago ...

, written by Elliot Caplin, and distributed by

King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...

. The strip followed the adventures of boxer and journalist Ben Bolt.

Publication history

In 1950, writer Elliot Caplin (brother of ''

Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written and drawn b ...

'' cartoonist

Al Capp Alfred Gerald Caplin (September 28, 1909 – November 5, 1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip ''Li'l Abner'', which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (w ...

) suggested that Murphy illustrate a boxing comic strip he had in mind. Comics historian

Don Markstein Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

wrote: Murphy was the artist of ''Big Ben Bolt'' from 1950 to 1977. He occasionally used assistants, including

Al Williamson Alfonso Williamson (March 21, 1931 – June 12, 2010) was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western, science fiction and fantasy. Born in New York City, he spent much of his early childhood in ...

(''Flash Gordon''), Alex Kotzky (''Apartment 3-G''),

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...

(''Deadman''),

John Celardo John Celardo (December 27, 1918 – January 6, 2012) was an American comic strip and comic book artist, best known for illustrating the '' Tarzan'' comic strip. Early life Born on Staten Island, Celardo continued to live there most of his life ...

(''Tarzan'') and Stan Drake (''The Heart of Juliet Jones''). In 1971, Murphy took over ''

Prince Valiant ''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stret ...

'', and

Carlos Garzon Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhere ...

became a regular inker. Eventually Murphy left the strip, and

Joe Kubert Joseph Kubert (; September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012) was a Polish-born American comic book artist, art teacher, and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. He is also ...

stepped in to draw ''Big Ben Bolt'', followed by

Gray Morrow Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow (March 7, 1934 – November 6, 2001)Gray Morrow
at the ...

who eventually signed the strip starting August 1, 1977. He was followed by

. Big Ben Bolt ended on April 15, 1978. King Features' email service,

DailyINK DailyINK was an online service created by King Features Syndicate to email many classic and current comic strips directly to subscribers for an annual fee of $19.99. King Features described it as "the all-inclusive subscription service for the tru ...

, began carrying ''Big Ben Bolt'' in June 2010.

Characters and story

As Markstein writes,

Awards

Murphy received the

National Cartoonists Society The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...

's Award for Story Comic Strip for 1971 for his work on ''Big Ben Bolt'' and ''

''.

Publication history

Characters and story

Awards

References

Further reading