Reed Waller

Reed Waller was born in 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and died in 2020. He is best known as the artist and co-creator of the groundbreaking erotic comic series *Omaha the Cat Dancer*, which he launched with writer Kate Worley. The strip first appeared in the funny animal magazine *Vootie* and later ran in various underground comix during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It evolved into an eponymous comic book series published by Kitchen Sink Press from 1984 to 1993, with a subsequent run by Fantagraphics Books through 1995. The final chapters were serialized in *Sizzle* magazine starting in 2006.

Set in the fictional Mipple City, Minnesota, *Omaha* blended anthropomorphic animal characters with a soap-opera narrative centered on a feline exotic dancer and her lover. The series was among the first to integrate explicit sexual content into a sustained storyline rather than using it purely for shock value, which led to several obscenity controversies. Waller’s detailed, expressive artwork and his role as colorist, inker, and letterer defined the strip’s distinctive look. He also contributed to anthologies like *Critters* and *Pox Special*.

The series earned multiple Eisner Award nominations in 1989 and 1991. Waller’s collaboration with Worley produced a body of work that remains a touchstone in adult-oriented comics, and his collected editions continue to be studied for their narrative ambition and artistic craft.