R.I.P. MIKE CONSTABLE

MIKE CONSTABLE

by BK MUNN

I just found out the radical Canadian cartoonist Mike Constable died July 3. Constable was an activist, street-fighter, and a prankster who fought for many noble causes. He had an appealing "abstract" or "minimalist" cartooning style that served him well whether he was being published in a lefty rag or a lamestream newspaper or magazine. I just found the above cartoon in a 1978 issue of The Last Post, a left-liberal political newsmag that also featured several Aislin cartoons.

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Mike Constable (1943-2026)

Born in Woodstock, ON, Constable got degrees in sculpture (OCAD) and sociology (Carleton) before co-founding the Toronto underground newspaper Guerilla in 1969. As a cartoonist, he was widely syndicated and published in Maclean’s, Saturday Night, The Toronto Star, etc. After Guerilla folded, Constable launched the satire zine Piranha in 1974. In 1977 he started Union Art Services, a co-operative syndicate that created political cartoons for labour magazines. He also taught art and worked in animation and street theatre. 

A wonderful short documentary about this beret-wearing, bicycle-riding, cat-loving Marxist, "How To Eat a Cat" is available on Youtube.