Vermont HCR 240: House concurrent resolution congratulating Aziza Malik on being named the 2024 Vermont Teacher of the Year

Bill Text

R-292 Page 1 of 1
2026

VT LEG #389087 v.1
No. R-292. House concurrent resolution congratulating Stephen R. Bissette on his
designation as the sixth Vermont Cartoonist Laureate.
(H.C.R.240)
Offered by Representatives Bartholomew of Hartland and Burrows of West Windsor
Whereas, in a nationally unique collaboration between the Center for Cartoon Studies
in White River Junction and the Vermont Arts Council, the Vermont Cartoonist Laureate
program advances the recognition of comics as a distinctive and powerful artistic
medium, spanning graphic novels, journalism, children’s literature, and other forms of
storytelling, and
Whereas, the graphic artists previously so honored were James Kochalka, Ed Koren,
Alison Bechdel, Rick Veitch, and, most recently, Tillie Walden, and
Whereas, the newly designated sixth Vermont Cartoonist Laureate is Stephen R.
Bissette of Windsor, a Waterbury native and a 1973 graduate of Harwood Union High
School (and a 2025 inductee into the school’s hall of fame), and, professionally, he is a
proud alumnus of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art’s first graduating
class, an internationally recognized and honored cartoonist and publisher, a dedicated
artists’ advocate who was a signatory of the 1988 Creator’s Bill of Rights, and a founding
faculty member of the Center for Cartoon Studies, and
Whereas, in 1976, prior to enrolling at the Kubert School, Stephen R. Bissette began
his comics publishing career with Abyss, and his reputation as a leading comic book artist
and groundbreaking contributor to the medium’s horror genre were confirmed when he
served as the cocreator and an artist (with Alan Moore and John Totleben) of Saga of the
Swamp Thing, a comic series that introduced the enduring character of John
Constantine, and
Whereas, his career contributions to comic book creation and publication have ranged
from the dinosaur epic Tyrant, the adaptation of Steven Spielberg’s film 1941 as a
graphic novel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle projects, and as the cocreator and coeditor
(again, in collaboration with John Totleben) of the influential Taboo anthology, and he
introduced an important outlet for independent comic book publishing and a home for
boundary-pushing creators, and
Whereas, Stephen R. Bissette, whose graphic artistry has extended to many unique
applications, is the winner of top professional honors, including multiple Jack Kirby
Comics Industry Awards, the Inkpot Award, and the Eisner Award, all outstanding
credentials for this career recognition, now therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly congratulates Stephen R. Bissette on his designation as the
sixth Vermont Cartoonist Laureate, and be it further
Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
Stephen R. Bissette, the Center for Cartoon Studies, and the Vermont Arts Council.