Sean Martin (cartoonist)

Sean Martin
Born (1960-12-29) December 29, 1960
Nationality Canadian
Area(s) Cartoonist
Notable works
 Doc and Raider

Sean Martin (celebrated birthdate December 29, 1960, actual birthdate unknown) is a Canadian cartoonist, illustrator, and graphic designer, best known for the Doc and Raider comic strip series which appeared in LGBT publications in the 1980s and 1990s.An adoptee, his birthdate was based, according to a conversation with his adoptive mother, on the date he was taken from a Catholic-run orphanage in Montréal. Raised in Texas, it's believed he was born in Canada, although no documentation exists to fully say either way.

Martin lived in New York and San Francisco before moving to Canada in 1986. He officially took Canadian citizenship in 1989. He published the first Doc and Raider strips in a Vancouver gay publication in 1987. Although the issue featuring Doc and Raider turned out to be the final issue of the publication, the strip was quickly picked up by other LGBT publications, including the Xtra! newspapers in Canada. The arrangement was a unique one in that Martin's fee for providing the panel was instead turned over to local charities and organizations, not necessarily LGBT ones; in its time, Doc and Raider underwrote everything from AIDS hospices in New Zealand to an arts festival in Scotland, resulting in total donations of close to a quarter million dollars (US). The characters have also been used to promote safer-sex practices and AIDS education, as well as rodeos, country dance conventions, and film festivals around the world.

Martin published two books of the comic: Doc and Raider: Caught on Tape in 1994 and Doc and Raider: Incredibly Lifelike in 1996. A third, to be presented as an eBook, is currently in the works. He has also written a manual for theatre designers, "Big Show Tiny Budget", based on his years as a scenic and costume designer, and a novella, "Triptych".

Martin retired the regular strip in 1997, although he drew two special five-page stories for the Little Sister's Defence Fund[1] anthologies What's Right and What's Wrong in 2002. He has continued to work as an artist and graphic designer, and has more recently explored projects to revive Doc and Raider in new formats, particularly with a more political satire slant, as well as short form animations. Currently, in addition to the CG reprise of Doc and Raider, which can be viewed at its website, http://docandraider.com, Martin has also turned to illustrating such projects as Candide, Gilgamesh, and Aesop's Fables.

During his time in Calgary, Martin worked extensively with the Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo, providing graphic design for the organization's posters and brochures. His work was honoured in 2001, with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Gay Rodeo Association. Martin's illustration work has also been celebrated: his series of images for Candide are part of the permanent Voltaire collection at the University of Wittenberg. The cartoon strip archive is now housed at the National Archives of Canada and the Pride Archives at the University of Western Ontario.

References

  1. ↑ Detained at Customs: Jane Rule testifies at the Little Sister's trial. Lazara Press, 1995. See the third page for correct spelling of "Defence Fund."


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