John Marshall

John Marshall embarked on his cartooning journey at the age of 14, spurred by his grandmother’s encouragement to submit cartoons to Parade magazine. To his surprise, he sold one of his cartoons, and a few years later, another found a home at the Saturday Evening Post. After graduating with honors from Ringling School of Art in 1976, Marshall worked as an art director at a Binghamton, N.Y., advertising agency. In 1980, he transitioned to a successful career in freelance illustration and cartooning, with clients including IBM and General Electric. In 1982, he created the syndicated comic strip Buford and illustrated two golf books, one for Golf Digest.

Between 1989 and 2003, Marshall’s editorial cartoons became a regular feature in the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin, earning him an honorable mention in the New York State Associated Press Association Writing Contest in 1996. From 1994 to 2002, his editorial cartoons were featured annually in Brook’s Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year. Marshall served as the artist for Walnut Cove, a comic strip distributed by King Features Syndicate, from 1994 to 2000. In 2001, he introduced the online comic panel The U.S. of Play, syndicated until January 2003. Marshall joined Blondie in December 2002, eventually assuming the role of head artist in May 2005.