Ogri

Ogri
Ogri in his early days on a Norvin-style motorcycle
Author(s)	Paul Sample
Current status / schedule	Running
Launch date	1972
Syndicate(s)	Back Street Heroes magazine
Publisher(s)	Ocean Media Group Limited, London

Ogri is a cartoon character of a British rocker-style biker created by English cartoonist and illustrator Paul Sample in 1972 for UK magazine Bike until January 2009, when it was dropped but quickly taken up by Back Street Heroes, the custom motorcycle magazine. Four book collections of Ogri strips have been produced, and a VHS video. Ogri is a tough, leather-jacketed biker with Thor-like wings attached to his helmet. The actor Ewan McGregor is a fan and owns an Ogri leather jacket, bought from Paul Sample on eBay.

Paul Sample draws in black ink line and colour from 1997, in a style similar to Robert Crumb. As with some other cartoonists, such as Carl Giles, a lot of the pleasure in the cartoons comes from looking at the detail in the cartoon frames; there is almost inevitably a subplot going on. The funny and well observed stories about British bikers usually take place within one page, though two-pagers are sometimes drawn.

Several compilation cartoon books collecting the strips have been published in the UK. Sample also produces a variety of Ogri-related memorabilia, including T-shirts, coffee mugs, posters, greetings cards, and badges. The Paul Sample archive, including many original Ogri strips along with other Paul Sample artwork, was auctioned in Shrewsbury in January 2010. There is also an Ogri Motorcycle Club (Osnabruck Garrison Riders Institute), founded in Germany in 1978 when all the members were serving in the Army or RAF.

Bearing a stubbly, unshaven lantern jaw that would not disgrace Desperate Dan, and a nose that appears to have sustained an impact with a solid object at some time in its history, Ogri's rough and unhandsome face belies its essentially good-natured owner. Ogri originally had a blond mane of hair that showed under his helmet, however this changed early in his history to the better-known black scruff he now sports. Well able to deal out violence when it is warranted, Ogri normally asks little of the world except that it should leave him alone and he does not trouble it when it does not trouble him. He enjoys his beer but is seldom if ever seen worse the wear for drink, and certainly never to the extent of being unfit to ride. Ogri is an all-weather rider, and treats inclement weather in the same manner as the risk of injury - with respect, but defiance.