Comics Kingdom | Crock by Bill Rechin

Bill Rechin

About

Crock was created in 1975 by Bill Rechin, Don Wilder and Brant Parker, and remains the greatest and longest-running parody of the Foreign Legion classic, "Beau Geste." The genius of the off-the-wall strip is that it manages to turn the established conventions of the Foreign Legion melodrama, as well as our own social norms, upside down. A group of luckless legionnaires reside in a fort in the middle of the barren desert under Commandant Vermin P. Crock, a tyrannical leader who is known to “hang people by their thumbs for the silliest mistakes.”

Crock chronicles the adventures of Commandant Crock and the assortment of hilarious characters stationed at this grim, desolate outpost, including the cowardly Captain Poulet, the simple-minded Maggot, camp follower Grossie and the ever-astray Lost Patrol.

Crock is highlighted as part of Universal Studios’ theme park, Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Fla. Crock's fort is one of the anchors for the park’s “Toon Lagoon” attraction, joining other nationally syndicated comics in larger-than-life three-dimensional displays.

Crock is distributed worldwide by King Features Syndicate to more than 200 newspapers.

Awards and Distinctions:

Among the 10 titles published internationally are: "Crock: I Hate Mondays"; "Crock: You'll Pay For This... All of You"; "Crock: Are Those Your Good Pants?"; "Crock: There's No Escape from the Legion...or this Book"; "Crock: Here's Sand in Your Nose."

Crock was honored during a White House Rose Garden press conference by President Ronald Reagan where he paid tribute to the strip for Rechin’s and Wilder’s efforts to promote automobile safety.

Bill Rechin was twice honored by No Greater Love for his contributions to the White House-commissioned nonprofit organization honoring fallen American servicemen.

Characters

Vermin P. Crock

His name says it all. The commandant with the iron fist and heart of stone.

Captain Preppie

"Anytime I need a lift, I look in the mirror."

Figowitz

The lost soul who waits for a kind word.

Captain Poulet

Second in command, who once said, "Doesn't everybody bungle?"

Maggot

Loves putting himself in a hole.

Grossie

She loves Maggot (whom she recently married) and cheesecake.

Quench

Smarter than the average camel, he gives no one a free ride.

Author

Bill Rechin

Rechin, born in 1930 in Buffalo, N.Y., is rumored to have produced his first cartoon while a parochial school student. The monsignor was not amused. But in the decades since, thousands of others have laughed out loud over the humor in his strips Crock, Out of Bounds and Pluribus.

A graduate of the Albright Art School in Buffalo, Rechin forged an extensive career as a cartoonist and graphic artist. He moved to the Washington, D.C. area in the early 1950s while serving in the Army during the Korean War. During his military service, he produced training materials and manuals, graphic aids, film strips and animated cartoons. Following his discharge from the Army, Bill remained in Virginia to take the position of art director and eventually vice president for a major graphics studio in Washington, D.C. Working in a range of mediums, he produced a variety of projects and visuals for major government agencies.

Following the regional success of his first comic strip Pluribus, he teamed with Don Wilder and Brant Parker to create Crock and made cartooning a full-time endeavor. The feature celebrated its 35th anniversary year in 2010 and turned out its 12,999th cartoon strip in 2011.

Bill is a past president of the National Cartoonists Society, past chairman for the NCS District of Columbia chapter and a recipient of the NCS’s 1993 Reuben Award for “Best Newspaper Panel” for his Out of Bounds feature.

Bill was also instrumental in forging the longtime relationship between members of the National Cartoonists Society and Washington-based No Greater Love, an independent nonprofit that works to honor the sacrifices of our fallen military personnel and their families.

Rechin (pronounced “WRECK-in”) lives near Fredericksburg, Va. surrounded by memories of his beloved wife Trish, the companionship of an overweight dog and daily visits from at least one of his seven flawless children.

Beetle Bailey