Sad news has come this way of the recent passing of Chad Darbyshire (who went by C. Covert Darbyshire). His first New Yorker cartoon appeared in the issue of July 2, 2001. Overall about 30 of his drawings appeared in the magazine in the course of five years. In Warren St. John’s 2004 New York Times article, “Sex With Einstein” about the then new wave of New Yorker cartoonists, he said of Mr. Darbyshire’s drawings that they “often deal with the stresses of contemporary childhood.”
Below: Mr. Darbyshire’s first New Yorker cartoon:
Two of Mr. Darbyshire’s New Yorker colleagues, Matthew Diffee and Drew Dernavich remember their friend:
From Matt Diffee:
Chad was a joy bomb of a man. He was a big bear-hugger, a loud, back-slapping, big-laughing Texan, as quick with trash-talking banter as he was with unabashed acts and words of love. I’ve honestly never known a friend more sincere and open-hearted than Chad. I’m going to miss him terribly.
When I think of his cartoons the one that always pops into my head is the badger one. It shows a man, middle-aged, studious, browsing in a bookstore. A badger is viciously attacking the man’s ankle. Badger spit and bits of khaki cuffs are flying everywhere while the man stands there perusing, somewhat anxiously, a book entitled “So You’re Being Attacked by an Angry Badger.” That cartoon is so Chad. Big and loud but precise too. That word, “angry.” It didn’t have to be in there, but it being in there makes it so absurdly specific and understated and so Chad. I also think of that one, especially now, because Chad loved it and would always end up giggling whenever we, usually he, brought it up in conversation.
Chad was a cartoonist for a relatively short time, five or six years. He was a good one, but I always felt he was built for more collaborative stuff. His latter career leading creative teams proved that. Chad was a people person. He was a lot of things, a salesman, a designer, a pep-talker, a writer/director/producer, a force of nature, a man of faith, a painter, a karaoke powerhouse but most importantly he was a husband, a ridiculously proud father, and a loyal friend. A lot of people, probably everyone, will tell you about the boisterous, hilarious Chad Darbyshire, that’s the part that made you like him, but you loved him if you saw the rest of who he was. I first saw it when we’d been friends for only a couple of years. Way back when we were young men living in New York City.
Despite my pleadings for him not to, despite my assurances that I was fine, Chad drove from the outskirts of Brooklyn to the upper reaches of the Bronx to pick me up in the middle of the night when I called to tell him my dad had died. We drove aimlessly all over New York City that night, talking about our fathers, about nothing, riding in silence. Chad could be unstoppable. I honestly believe there was nothing I could have done or said to keep him from being there for me that night. And he was right. He gave me what I didn’t even think I needed, someone to just be myself with for a few hours. He dropped me off in the gray early morning, drove back across town in time to kiss his wife and waking baby daughter before heading in to work. I slept all day. That is so Chad. It’s what I and many others lost from our lives when he left this world.
I really really hope there is a heaven when we die and I hope, when I get there, I see Chad before he sees me. Otherwise I know he’s gonna blindside me like a linebacker and squeeze the crap out of me.
And from Drew Dernavich:
Chad was one of the first New Yorker cartoon colleagues I met, thanks to Matt Diffee, and we got along immediately. Unlike most of the cartoonists who tend to be of the introverted variety (myself included), he had a big Texas-sized energy. He liked grand entrances and he liked clowning around in public. Once, when we were in Las Vegas, we walked through one of the crowded glitzy hotel pool areas talking loudly and pretending that we were the hotel owners, just to see if we could pull it off with a straight face (I couldn’t). He was engaging and sociable, and genuinely interested in meeting people.
Chad’s entry into cartooning was through fine art, just as mine was, so we had a lot in common. He was intelligent and observant and loved talking about how humor was crafted. He was one of the few cartoonists with whom I had regular discussions about our cartoon batches. We would read each other’s material and then critique and give ideas on how to make them better, and I sold a few along the way solely because of his input
Although Chad stopped submitting many years ago, we remained friends, often conversing about soccer or sitcoms if not about cartoons, and visiting whenever we were in town together, either in New York or Texas. He had several career changes but remained smart and creative and loved his family, and always had an empathetic and engaging ear for whatever was going on in my life. He was unlike anyone I’ve ever met, and I’ll really miss his presence in my life.
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— Mr. Darbyshire’s So You’re Being Attacked By An Angry Badger was published in The New Yorker September 30, 2002.
— To see more of his work visit The New Yorker‘s Cartoon Bank.
A “Chad Darbyshire Memorial and Family Support” Gofundme page has been set up.
Hey there, I’m an old friend of Chad’s. I just found out about his passing yesterday. I usually hear from him once a year or so. I had a sense that something was up, but never dig around until now. Thanks for remembering him here.