“Tumbleweeds” (02/15/1979)
by Tom K. Ryan (1929-2019)
22.5 x 11.5 in., ink on paper
Coppola Collection

Dedicated to the memory of Tom Ryan

From 1965-2007, with his clean art lines and classical, gag-a-day wit, Tom Ryan led a 42-year stint on telling the story of the denizens of Grimy Gulch (population 49), the 6 7/8 Cavalry from the nearby Fort Ridiculous, and the members of the Poohawk tribe.

A classic gag featuring the Poohawk named Limpid Lizard is presented here.

“Tom K. Ryan died March 12, 2019 in Florida. He had devoted 42 of his 92.8 years to the production of a daily comic strip that was among the bellwethers of fresh comedy in newspaper comic strips in the middle of the 20th century. Westerns were all the rage in television of the 1950s and 1960s, and Ryan caught the wave with Tumbleweeds and helped turn comic strip humor in a new direction.”

Introduction to the obituary from The Comics Journal (www.tcj.com/t-k-ryan-dies) written by RC Harvey