V. T. Hamlin

V. T. Hamlin, born Vincent Trout Hamlin on May 10, 1900, in Perry, Iowa, is best remembered as the creator of the enduring newspaper comic strip *Alley Oop*. After studying at the University of Missouri and working as a newspaper reporter, he found his true calling in cartooning. His big break came in 1933 when the Newspaper Enterprise Association began syndicating *Alley Oop*, a caveman strip that blended prehistoric adventure with time-travel fantasy. Hamlin wrote and drew the strip for nearly four decades, developing a clean, expressive style that balanced humor with dynamic action. He collaborated closely with his assistant, Victor LeMoine, who later took over the strip. Hamlin’s signature work includes the early *Alley Oop* Sunday pages, collected in volumes like *Alley Oop: The Complete Sundays*, and the standalone story *Alley Oop and the Dragon of Silene*. He retired from the strip in 1971 and died on June 14, 1993, in Tucson, Arizona. His legacy is that of a pioneer who created one of the most recognizable and long-running comic strips in American newspapers. He received the National Cartoonists Society’s Silver T-Square Award in 1978 for his contributions to the field.