Ralph Hagen

Ralph Hagen was born on a farm in Northern Alberta, Canada, in the spring of 1959. At the age of 5, he began drawing, using grocery bags for paper. Twelve years later, he sold his first cartoon. Thrilled with his first sale but nevertheless, in need of a day job, Ralph took to the oilfields, pulling wrenches for 25 years and raising three daughters with his wife, Brenda. All the while, he continued to cartoon, landing his work in magazines and papers such as Reader's Digest, The Saturday Evening Post, and Woman's World, among others. In 2004, Ralph began cartooning full time with no regrets. In fact, he is happy to report he's never since been frostbitten on the job. He also plays guitar and hockey and ponders outer space and the complexities of aircraft — but not all at the same time. Currently residing in the country west of Edmonton, Alberta, Ralph and Brenda make room in their family for three cats, a dog, and four horses that are housed across from a dairy farm and kitty-corner to a beef farm. No connection, of course. Ralph would like to dedicate The Barn to his biggest fan, his father, Stan Hagen, who left this world in 2004 — and sincerely hopes they get the comics in heaven.