Cartoonist

Lore & Background

The English satirist and editorial cartoonist William Hogarth, who emerged in the 18th century, poked fun at contemporary politics and customs; illustrations in such style are often referred to as 'Hogarthian'. Following the work of Hogarth, editorial/political cartoons began to develop in England in the latter part of the 18th century under the direction of its great exponents, James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson, both from London. Gillray explored the use of the medium for lampooning and caricature, calling the king (George III), prime ministers and generals to account, and has been referred to as the father of the political cartoon. In the 19th century, professional cartoonists such as Thomas Nast, whose work appeared in Harper's Weekly, introduced other familiar American political symbols, such as the Republican elephant. The most popular was Punch, which popularized the term cartoon for its humorous caricatures.

Reader's Guide

The cartoonist's discipline encompasses both authorial and drafting disciplines. The terms 'comics illustrator', 'comics artist', or 'comic book artist' refer to the picture-making portion of the discipline of cartooning. While every cartoonist might be considered a comics illustrator, comics artist, or comic book artist, not every comics illustrator, comics artist, or comic book artist is a cartoonist. Ambiguity might arise when illustrators and writers share each other's duties in authoring a work. Many strips were the work of two people although only one signature was displayed. For decades, Johnson received no credit. I had been doing it about 10 years before that because Willard had heart attacks and strokes and all that stuff. The minute my name went on that thing and his name went off, 25 papers dropped the strip. That shows you that, although I had been doing it ten years, the name means a lot.'

Did You Know?

• James Gillray has been referred to as the father of the political cartoon.

Literary Roots and the Birth of a Genre

Long before the term existed in critical vocabulary, writers were already exploring the terror of the body in flux. Scholars note that the convergence of nineteenth-century gothic horror with the emerging science fiction tradition created the fertile ground from which this subgenre grew. As Halberstam observes, Shelley's novel shifts the landscape of dread outward and inward simultaneously, replacing external scenery with the intimate horror of sutured flesh. Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis similarly captures the genre's essence through Gregor Samsa's inexplicable transformation into an insect, a narrative that would later echo in cinematic works like The Fly. Film director Stuart Gordon has pointed out that these literary precedents long preceded the trope's arrival on screen, establishing a deep textual lineage for what would become a recognized cinematic category.

From Early Cinema to Academy Recognition

Throughout the 1950s, American productions such as The Blob and The Fly established foundational templates by centering their narratives on mutation and relying heavily on visceral special effects to convey bodily transformation. Canadian director David Cronenberg would go on to become a principal architect of the subgenre, crafting early works like Shivers and Rabid before remaking The Fly with his own distinctive sensibility. Other works, such as Crimes of the Future and Titane, have drawn comparisons to the erotic horror tradition, further expanding the genre's thematic territory.

Defining the Subgenre: Control, Transformation, and Disgust

Body horror distinguishes itself from neighboring subgenres like slasher, splatter, or monster horror not merely in imagery but in philosophical intent. Where those categories often deploy mutilation as a consequence of direct, external violence, body horror typically presents bodily violation as the result of an internal or uncontrolled process—mutation, disease, contagion, or spontaneous transformation that strips the subject of conscious agency. This emphasis on the body's limits and its capacity for grotesque change sets the subgenre apart. The emotional register it targets is specific: a potent blend of physical revulsion and psychological unease, often described by fans and critics as "squick." The genre deliberately plays on deep-seated anxieties about physical vulnerability, the loss of bodily autonomy, and the terror of one's own flesh becoming alien. Recurring tropes include invasion, transformation, and the spread of disease, all of which serve to underscore the fragility of the boundary between self and other. While the subgenre can overlap with erotic horror, as seen in films like Crimes of the Future and Titane, its core concern remains the body as a site of uncontrollable, often horrifying, change.

Global Reach, Cross-Media Expansion, and Censorship

Body horror has proven remarkably adaptable across cultures and media formats. P. Lovecraft's literary legacy, renders obscene bodily transformations through both visual style and storytelling to evoke what might be called abject terror. Canadian cartoonist Michael DeForge takes a different approach, incorporating recurring body horror elements through a less graphic aesthetic. Despite its global popularity, the subgenre has faced persistent controversy. Since the eighteenth century, critics have dismissed horror as socially dangerous, and body horror works in particular are frequently censored or outright banned in various countries due to their graphic violence and taboo subject matter.