Virgil Partch

Virgil Franklin Partch (October 17, 1916 – August 10, 1984) was an American magazine gag cartoonist of the 1940s and 1950s, generally signing his work VIP. Additionally, he created the newspaper comic strips Big George and The Captain's Gig. He published 19 books of illustrations and drew art for children's books.

Despite being a gagwriter for The New Yorker, his own cartoons were rarely published there because, according to comics historian Bhob Stewart, "New Yorker editor Harold Ross disliked VIP's drawing style."

Born in Alaska, from a mother with the maiden name Pavlof, Partch studied at the University of Arizona and the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. He later worked for the Disney studios, where he was among those fired after taking part in the Disney animators' strike of 1941. Soon, he began selling gag cartoons to large-circulation magazines, including Collier's, The New Yorker, Playboy, and True. After he left Disney, he worked briefly for Walter Lantz on Woody Woodpecker cartoons.

Partch was drafted into the US Army in 1944, and by the end of his two-year stint had been transferred from the infantry to become art director and cartoonist of the Army's weekly newspaper, the Fort Ord Panorama.

Out of the Army, Partch freelanced for ERA Productions. He published a number of books of single-panel cartoons, some previously published, others done specifically for the books. His 1950 bestseller, Bottle Fatigue, focused on alcohol-themed humor, sold nearly 95,000 hardcover copies by the decade's end.

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