Ham Fisher

Hammond Edward “Ham” Fisher was born on September 24, 1900 (some sources note 1901) in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and died by suicide on December 27, 1955. He is best remembered as the creator and writer-artist of *Joe Palooka*, a newspaper comic strip that debuted in 1930 and became one of the top five syndicated strips for several years. Fisher’s path into comics began with early jobs as a newspaper cartoonist, and he later studied at the Art Students League. His signature work on *Joe Palooka*—a lighthearted sports-adventure strip about a good-natured heavyweight boxer—defined his career, though he also contributed to titles such as *Famous Funnies*, *Big Shot Comics*, and *Humphrey Comics*. He collaborated with writer-artist Al Capp, who briefly assisted on the strip before creating *Li’l Abner*. Fisher’s later years were marred by a public feud with Capp and legal troubles. He received no major lifetime awards, but his creation remained in syndication for decades after his death, with reprints and licensed appearances continuing into the 2020s.