Don Wilder took over the writing duties in 1976 as Parker returned his focus to The Wizard of Id. Following the death of Bill Rechin in May 2011, the strip was drawn by Kevin Rechin and written by Bob Morgan, who is Rechin's brother-in-law.^[2][3] Publication of new Crock strips ended with the May 20, 2012, Sunday comic, though reprints of older strips by Bill Rechin will continue to run until at least 2015.

Characters and story

King Features describes Crock as "the greatest and longest-running parody of the Foreign Legion classic, Beau Geste," written in 1924 by P. C. Wren and filmed several times. The comic strip is set in the middle of a barren desert at a desolate fort, where the tyrannical and corrupt Commandant Vermin P. Crock rules over a curious group of beleaguered legionnaires: the cowardly Captain Poulet (French for chicken), the simple-minded Maggot who digs and digs, Figowitz (who just wants a kind word), heavyweight camp follower Grossie (who now owns Le Cesspool, a favorite, yet dilapidated hangout for the characters, and is married to Maggot), the narcissistic Preppie, Mario the Bartender, Jules Schmesse who is always about to be executed, the Arab horde and their stone god Nebookanezzer, the ancient sage, never seen, who lives in a cave and dispenses wisdom and sarcasm, the men of Outpost 5, the Bookmobile, the men being punished in the heat boxes, Quench the ever dry camel, and the Lost Patrol who have been wandering the desert for 20 years, trying to find their way back to the fort.

Theme park

Crock is featured in the Universal Studios Florida theme park, Islands of Adventure, where Crock's fort is part of the "Toon Lagoon" attraction.

References