Vaughn Bodé

Vaughn Bodē was an American underground cartoonist and illustrator, best known for creating the character Cheech Wizard and for his distinctive, voluptuous depictions of women. He was born on July 22, 1941, and died on July 18, 1975. Bodē entered the comics scene in the 1960s, becoming a key figure in the underground comix movement. His work, which he wrote, drew, inked, colored, and lettered, appeared in titles such as *Creepy*, *Cavalier Magazine*, and his own *Cheech Wizard* and *Junkwaffel* series. A contemporary of animator Ralph Bakshi, Bodē’s bold, fluid linework and surreal humor influenced Bakshi’s films *Wizards* and *The Lord of the Rings*. Though his career was cut short by his untimely death at 33, Bodē’s characters—especially Cheech Wizard—found a massive second life among graffiti artists, who kept his imagery alive on walls and trains for decades. Posthumous collections like *Vaughn Bodé’s Erotica* and *Das Kampf* continued to circulate, extending his reach into the 2010s. In 2006, he was inducted into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame, cementing his legacy as a singular voice in counterculture comics.