John Callahan

John Michael Callahan (February 5, 1951 – July 24, 2010) was an American cartoonist, artist, and musician. Accident and career Callahan became a quadriplegic in an auto accident as a passenger in 1972 at age 21. The accident happened in Callahan's car, which was being driven by a man he did not know too well. Following this, Callahan became a cartoonist, drawing by clutching a pen between both hands, having regained partial use of his upper body. His visual artistic style was simple and often rough, although still legible. Callahan's cartoons dealt with subjects often considered taboo, including disabilities and disease. His black humor may be exemplified by the title of his "quasi-memoir", Will the Real John Callahan Please Stand Up? The subject matter and treatment of his cartoons share something with the work of Charles Addams, Gahan Wilson, and especially Charles Rodrigues, although it is much more aggressive than even the Playboy cartoons by these cartoonists.