John Hambrock was born and raised in Ft. Wayne, Ind. As a boy, he displayed a unique talent for art, receiving numerous awards for his artistic achievements. John continued his education at Indiana University, and later, Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla., graduating with a degree in graphic design. He won his first major marketing award while still in college, taking first place in the Philip Morris National Marketing Competition for college students.

In 1985, within months of completing college, John was recruited by James Courtenay James Inc., a small design agency in Chattanooga, Tenn. Loving the South but longing for the big city, he moved to Chicago in 1986 and landed a position with the Hirsch Design Group, a well-established Loop advertising and design agency. That same year, John married Anne, a woman he had known since high school. Years later, Anne would become a driving force in helping him achieve success in his newly emerging cartooning career. After almost 10 years as an art director with Hirsch, John decided the time was right to start his own agency, In-House Communications. Specializing in industrial advertising, packaging and print design, his client list includes major industrial and retail manufacturers, as well as one of the country’s leading law firms.

In 1999, John began developing the idea of a boy-genius character named Edison. He spent five years honing his drawing and writing skills, occasionally submitting samples to King Features Syndicate for development consideration. King Features saw potential in the precocious 10-year-old and in November 2006 launched The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee in newspapers. Three short years later, the feature was nominated “Best Newspaper Comic Strip” by the National Cartoonists Society in 2009. In 2010, The Edison Files, the first collection of The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee comic strips, was published.

When not cartooning, John loves sailing Lake Michigan and spending time with his wife, daughter and two sons.