RIP KIRBY

JOHN PRENTICE

John Prentice (17 October 1920 – 23 May 1999) was a cartoonist who took over the comic strip Rip Kirby upon the death of the strip's creator, Alex Raymond.

Prentice was born in Whitney, Texas. From 1940-1946 he served in the United States Navy and participated in the battles in Guadalcanal, Midway, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After a six-year term with the Navy he went to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, he moved to New York City and worked in a variety of illustrator jobs. He also helped produce some comic books, penciling and inking comics by 'National' and the 'Ziff-Davis Studios', mostly through the 'Kirby-Simon' studio before being tapped to replace Alex Raymond. Prentice drew the strip for the next 43 years. He got assistance of Fred Dickinson, who did the continuity of the series.

Prentice worked occasionally for DC Comics in the 1950s, providing artwork for the first issue of Showcasecomics' story, Fireman Farrell.

Prentice received the National Cartoonist Society Story Comic Strip Award for the series in 1966, 1967, and 1986.