Vaughn Bodé (pronounced "bo-dee") is a cult figure and occupies a unique niche: he's both an underground cartoonist and one of the forefathers of graffiti/aerosol art. In 1968, he worked for the underground newspaper East Village Other and edited EVO’s offshoot comics publication, Gothic Blimp Works. In his psychedelic, sci-fi/fantasy comics, he created Cheech Wizard, who lives on in story and song (such as in the Beastie Boys' Shure Shot “Like Vaughn Bodé I’m a Cheech Wizard never quitting, so won’t you listen?” Bodé won a Hugo Award in 1969 and a Yellow Kid Award in 1974: he was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame in 2006. Bodé is also remembered for his Cartoon Concert show, which has its final showing at the Louvre in Paris. Although he passed away in 1975, Bodé's legacy was cemented when graffiti greats like Mare 139, Kel, Seen and Dondi paid tribute to him.

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