Darryl Cunningham (born 1960) is a British author and cartoonist who has written the books ''Science Tales'' (also known, in the US, as ''How to Fake a Moon Landing''), ''Psychiatric Tales'', ''The Age of Selfishness'' and ''Billionaires: The Lives of the Rich and Powerful''.

Biography

Cunningham graduated from Leeds College of Art in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He has stated that his influences include

Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's prim ...

Egon Schiele Egon Leo Adolf Ludwig Schiele (; 12 June 1890 – 31 October 1918) was an Austrian Expressionist painter. His work is noted for its intensity and its raw sexuality, and for the many self-portraits the artist produced, including nude self-portr ...

, and

George Grosz George Grosz (; born Georg Ehrenfried Groß; July 26, 1893 – July 6, 1959) was a German artist known especially for his caricatural drawings and paintings of Berlin life in the 1920s. He was a prominent member of the Berlin Dada and New Objec ...

. The book ''Psychiatric Tales'' was partly inspired by Cunningham's years spent working as a health care assistant on an acute psychiatric ward in his native England, as well as his own experience with acute depression.

Books

Cunningham's books include ''Psychiatric Tales'' (2010, Blank Slate Books) and ''Science Tales'' (2013,

Myriad Editions Myriad Editions is an independent UK publishing house based in Brighton and Hove, specialising in topical atlases, graphic non-fiction and original fiction, whose output also encompasses graphic novels that span a variety of genres, including ...

). The foreword for the American edition of ''Science Tales'', entitled ''How to Fake a Moon Landing: Exploring the Myths of Science Denial'', was written by Andrew Revkin. ''Psychiatric Tales'' received a positive review in '' The Observer'' from Rachel Cooke, who wrote that it was "an unsettling but rewarding experience." Cian O'Luanaigh also reviewed the book favourably, writing that it provides "an enlightening look at mental illness." ''Science Tales'' also received critical acclaim, for instance from '' New Scientist'', who wrote that Cunningham's "charming artwork complements his concise arguments". The book was also called "fantastic" by Cory Doctorow, who wrote that Cunningham "has a real gift for making complex subjects simple." ''Billionaires'' describes the lives and influence of Jeff Bezos, Rupert Murdoch, and the Koch brothers.

Cartoons and comics

In addition to his books, Cunningham is well known for his cartoons, which have appeared on the website of Forbidden Planet, and have also been featured in the Act-i-vate collective. Additionally, his biography of

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

has been featured on io9, and his strip about global warming, posted on his blog in December 2010, has been featured on Phil Plait's blog Bad Astronomy, with Plait saying that Cunningham is "careful to present the facts, and to be balanced where called for." He has also created several webcomic strips, including ''Super-Sam and John-of-the-Night'' and ''The Streets of San Diablo''.

References

External links

darryl-cunningham.blogspot.co.uk
— Cunningham's blog British cartoonists 1960 births Living people British writers People from Keighley British sceptics {{UK-cartoonist-stub