Gil Thorp is a long-running sports-oriented comic strip created by Jack Berrill, which debuted on September 8, 1958. The comic focuses on the life of Gil Thorp, the athletic director at Milford High School, who also coaches the football, basketball, and baseball teams. While the comic revolves around sports, it also explores important social issues, such as teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and steroids, reflecting the challenges faced by teenagers.
History
The strip was inspired by baseball player Gil Hodges and Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe. The setting of Milford, where the strip takes place, was named after New Milford, Connecticut, where Berrill began writing the strip. Over the course of Berrill’s 38 years of writing the strip (until his death in 1996), he tackled sensitive social issues of the day, including divorce, drug abuse, and sexual harassment. As editorial standards loosened, the strip was able to address more controversial topics, sometimes drawing strong reactions, such as when the Denver Post received 30,000 calls after a week’s worth of strips was delayed.
Writers
After Berrill’s death, Jerry Jenkins, co-author of the Left Behind series, took over writing duties. Jenkins introduced more religious themes into the strip, with stories about an Orthodox Jewish football player and a teen pregnancy storyline. Following Jenkins, Neal Rubin of the Detroit News became the writer in 2004. In 2022, Henry Barajas, a graphic novel writer, was announced as the new writer for the strip, starting in July 2022.
Artists
Berrill himself drew the strip from 1958 to 1993, after which Warren Sattler, a colleague of Berrill’s, took over the artwork due to Berrill’s glaucoma. Frank Bolle, Ray Burns, and Frank McLaughlin followed as artists. After McLaughlin’s death in 2000, Frank Bolle returned as the interim artist, later succeeded by Rod Whigham. In September 2024, Rachel Merrill will take over the art duties for Gil Thorp.
The Bucket
The Bucket was an online forum hosted by the Chicago Tribune named after the teen hangout featured in the strip. It was a popular space for fans (referred to as “Bucketeers”) to discuss the strip and other topics, operating for 15 years before being shut down.
The comic continues to resonate with readers, maintaining its blend of sports and social commentary, evolving with the times while still focusing on the lives of high school athletes and the challenges they face.
External links
- Gil Thorp on GoComics.com
- Gil Thorp at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016.
- "Gil Thorp Gets Benched" by Michael Miner, Chicago Reader, April 18, 2003 (Archived May 13, 2003).