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Maltese Cartoonist Ġorġ Mallia Dies at 68

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Maltese cartoonist Ġorġ Mallia, who died at the age of 68 — Maltese cartoonist, author and academic Ġorġ Mallia has died at the age of 68.

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Maltese cartoonist, author and academic Ġorġ Mallia, whose cartoons appeared in the Maltese press for decades, died on August 19 at the age of 68.

Mallia worked across cartooning, illustration, books and academia, becoming a familiar figure in Maltese cultural life. His cartoons commented on everyday life, society and politics, while his work for younger readers introduced his drawings and stories to several generations.

His involvement with Maltese comics stretched back decades. He contributed cartoon strips to Il-Ħaddiema Żgħażagħ in 1980, created Il-Familja Borg in 1988 and had a regular cartoon panel in The Times between 1990 and 1992.

From 1993, Mallia drew the socio-political strip One Family for The Sunday Times. He also produced editorial cartoons and continued publishing cartoon work in the Maltese press in later years.

Alongside his cartooning, Mallia wrote and illustrated children’s books. His published work included Ktieb ix-Xwejjaħ, Avventura taħt l-Art and the Pullu series for young children.

Mallia also had a long academic career at the University of Malta. He was Professor of Media and Communications and headed the Department of Media and Communications. His academic work included visual communication, graphic narrative, storytelling and the relationship between comics and other forms of media.

The University of Malta had previously described his research and teaching interests as including graphic narrative and storytelling, alongside print and presentation media and instructional technology.

Mallia also chaired Malta’s National Book Council between 2005 and 2013.

Following his death, tributes came from Malta’s cultural, academic and political communities, as well as from former students and colleagues.

In a retrospective published on August 20, Malta’s public broadcaster TVM recalled Mallia’s ability to use only a few lines to tell a story and to comment on everyday life, society and politics.

His death ends a career that remained closely connected to drawing, books and the study of visual communication.