Jok Church
Jok Richard Church (November 28, 1949 – April 29, 2016) was an American cartoonist who created the Universal Press Syndicate syndicated comic strip You Can With Beakman and Jax, later adapted into the TV series Beakman's World. The series premiered September 18, 1992, on The Learning Channel (TLC) cable network and in national syndication (225 stations, a freshman year record). On September 18, 1993, it moved from national syndication to CBS Saturday morning children's lineup. At the peak of its popularity, it was seen in nearly 90 countries around the world.
| Jok Church | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 28, 1949 Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | April 29, 2016 (aged 66) Castro District, San Francisco, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer, Cartoonist |
Notable works | Beakman's World You Can With Beakman and Jax You Can with Beakman: Science Stuff You Can Do by Andrews-McMeel Publishing |
He created his comic strip You Can with Beakman & Jax in 1991 for his local newspaper in Marin County, California—inspired by a stint answering kids' letters for Lucasfilm. It was the first ever syndicated newspaper comic drawn and distributed by computer, a Macintosh SE using Adobe Illustrator 88. The comic strip does not answer readers' questions directly; it gives directions for creating an experiment for one to discover the answer independently.
His weekly newspaper feature was posted to his Twitter mini-blog page the week after newspapers had published it.
Jok Church died in San Francisco from a heart attack on April 29, 2016.