“Ahoy Me Hearties!” Captain Pugwash, Bits of Movable Paper, and the Bible: A Tribute to John Ryan

A short celebratory article about the life and career of the English children’s book author/illustrator, John Ryan, most famous for creating the eponymous pirate Captain Pugwash. This article documents Ryan’s early career at school and in the army, and his rise as a freelance cartoonist, working first for Eagle and Girl comics (and in the process creating Captain Pugwash, Harris Tweed, Sir Boldasbrass, and Lettice Leefe) and then developing his characters for books and television. There is also a brief discussion of Ryan’s biblical retellings for children and the recent controversy surrounding the names of Pugwash’s crew.