Greg Peters (September 24, 1962, in Marquette, Michigan [1] – August 2, 2013, in Jefferson, Louisiana) [2] was an American editorial cartoonist best known for his détournement-based comic strips "Suspect Device" and "Snake Oil". [3]
Peters began producing "Suspect Device" in 1996, when he was working at the Times of Acadiana as a graphic designer and his editor asked him to produce a cartoon about gambling. [4] "Suspect Device" appeared in the Times until 1998, when — in the wake of a dispute with his publisher over whether to publish an installment of "Suspect Device" that might offend an advertiser— [5] Peters [2] and his editor [6] both resigned; [5] "Suspect Device" then appeared in Gambit from 1999 until 2010. [2]
In 2003, he launched "Snake Oil", in The Independent. [4]
In addition to cartooning, Peters worked at Louisiana State University Press. [2]
In their 2003 awards, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies gave "Suspect Device" an "Honorable Mention" in the category "Cartoon: 4 or fewer papers", specifically citing "Peters' dry, allusive wit", skill at collage, and "opinions (that) are frequently unexpected". [7]
In 2004, Peters participated in an exhibition at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. [4]
In 2006, the Louisiana Press Association awarded him first place for Editorial Cartoon. [8]
In their 2007 awards, the National Newspaper Association ranked Peters second in the category "Best Original Editorial Cartoon (non-daily)". [9]
Peters moved to Louisiana in 1990, after he discovered that graduate school applications fees were cheaper there. [4]
He was a frequent contributor to the Dysfunctional Family Circus, [5] whose reuse of copyrighted graphics has been described as "the foundation for Suspect Device's format". [4]
Peters had aortic stenosis [10] and throughout his life [11] underwent multiple surgeries to correct this. [2]