As happens when you're holidaying, reading comes to the fore and my siblings and I would sprawl out on a sunny patch of carpet and swap copies of the home's endless Footrot Flats collection.
Given the cartoonist's ubiquity in Kiwi lounges, most of what we were reading we'd all read before. But like all worthy works of literature, a re-reading was rewarded.
Needless to say he deserves special mention for his skill in sphering both the rural and urban demographics.
Strangely enough, for a comic, and despite the countless written tributes since his death attesting to his humour, that was simply one aspect to his work.
Personally I remember more the dark humour, satire, send ups and subtext that often was anything but humorous.
From where I'm sitting, his powerful and often moving social commentary was in fact his forte.
