Hogan's Heroes: The Best of Bill Hogan's Political Cartoons

John Wright is Documents Librarian at Queen’s University.

Canada, as our major news outlets often overlook, is a country with
distinct regional voices. Hogan, published in the Monton
Times-Transcript, gives cry for the Maritimes. New Brunswick and East
Coast issues come to the fore. Some of these have garnered national
attention—Miramichi, Colombian cocaine smugglers, C.O.R.
(Confederation of Regions)—and some involve national figures from the
east, such as McKenna and Wells. They are fleshed out by Hogan, who
provides them a home setting. Combine this additional dimension with the
rough, broad humor we traditionally associate with the Maritimes, and
Hogan gives us a caricaturist’s taste of the region.

However, regionalism should not be confused with a parochial focus.
National issues are dealt with, and many Maritime issues (unemployment,
free trade, inflation, and bad politicians, for example) are national
issues. Going through Hogan’s Heroes provides an eastern angle to many
things about which Canadians feel strongly. While the humor may not be
to everyone’s taste, this collection should be read by those who think
Canada stretches from Quebec City to the Muskokas.