He was an advertising writer, a filmmaker, and a cartoonist, and young Matt began drawing cartoons on his first day of school. Homer Groening was a creative man who encouraged creativity among his children. His father, Homer, mother, Margaret, and sisters, Lisa and Maggie, would later be immortalized as The Simpsons. Groening was born on February 15, 1954, in Portland, Oregon, where he grew up with his parents and four sisters and brothers. The Big, Beefy Book of Bart Simpson (2005). The Simpsons Beyond Forever! A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family-Still Continued (2002). The Simpsons Forever! A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family, Continued (1999).īart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror: A Spine-Tingling Spooktaculer (2001). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family (1997).īart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror: A Heebie-Jeebie Hullabaloo (1999). That wealth has also allowed him to keep his first love, the alternative strip Life in Hell, as funky and unconventional as it was in 1977 when it was a hand-stapled, self-published zine, or amateur comic book. Ever the comic book fan, Groening has used his wealth to create two comic publishing companies, called Bongo and Zongo. While most comic artists consider themselves lucky to earn a living at their art, Groening has become a multi-millionaire from his work on The Simpsons, one of the longest-running television shows in the history of the medium, along with theĭozens of comic books and graphic novels generated by the show.

Cartoons are cartoons.… They're the most fun thing out there.'

' I always think it's a mistake for cartoonists to demand cartoons be treated as art. Groening's work is widely respected and has influenced many creators of graphic novels. While none of his characters are drawn realistically, each of them has become a distinct and memorable personality, and each speaks a bit of truth that is both touching and humorous. Groening, who freely admits to a lack of ability to draw, has nonetheless managed to use a skillful pen to communicate his painfully humorous outlook on every institution of modern life. Few cartoonists have had such a far-reaching effect on the popular culture of their times as Matt Groening, creator of the cynical and silly worlds of Life in Hell, The Simpsons, and Futurama.

Love Is Hell by Matt Groening