Professional Heckler

Book excerpt: Duncan Macpherson (1924-1993) was one of the greatest of Canadian cartoonists. He began his career as an illustrator for the Montreal Standard and Weekend Magazine, then joined the ranks of Maclean's and finally the Toronto Star. He won six National Newspaper Awards and a Molson Prize, among other honours. A formidable and groundbreaking artist, he was also an alcoholic who struggled with many personal demons. Professional Heckler is the first biography of Macpherson. Written by Terry Mosher, well known under the pen name Aislin for his decades of cartoons in the Montreal Gazette, the book is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of examples of Macpherson's drawings, paintings, and cartoons, as well as archival photographs. Both an admirer of Macpherson's work and a longtime student of the art, craft, and business of cartooning, Mosher brings a professional expertise and encyclopedic knowledge of the history of cartooning that allow him to comment on facets of Macpherson's work from a practical standpoint. With humour and affection, he provides remarkable insights into the artist's character, style, influences, personal foibles, and way of working. A delight to read, Professional Heckler is a pioneering work on an influential and controversial cartoonist that makes an essential contribution to the history of visual arts in Canada.