Frank Stack

Frank Huntington Stack was born on October 31, 1937, and died on April 12, 2026. An American underground cartoonist and printmaker, he is best known for creating what many consider the first underground comic, *The Adventures of Jesus*, in 1964, which he published under the pseudonym Foolbert Sturgeon to avoid backlash while living in the Bible Belt. Stack’s artistic style—sketchy, loose, and evocative of his background as an etcher—was shaped by influences such as Gustave Doré, Roy Crane, and V. T. Hamlin. His technique of creating etchings on-site earned a feature in *American Artist* magazine. In addition to his comics work, Stack was a prolific printmaker specializing in etchings and lithographs, and his oil paintings and watercolors often depicted landscapes and figures. He spent much of his career as a professor at the University of Missouri. Over the years, his comics credits appeared in titles like *Rip Off Comix*, *Underground Classics*, and Harvey Pekar’s *American Splendor* series, including *Bedtime Stories* and *On the Job*. Stack also contributed to *Alley Oop the Magazine*. His legacy endures as a quiet but foundational figure in the underground comix movement, bridging fine art and counterculture storytelling.