John McPherson swears he's never moonlighted as a plumber, astronomer, or any of the other professions depicted in his cartoons. He did earn degrees in mechanical engineering and English, and eventually worked as a freelance cartoonist selling to the Saturday Evening Post, Campus Life, and Yankee magazines. Universal Press Syndicate offered John a contract in 1992, and Close to Home was born. The artist also creates a monthly cartoon for Live! magazine called The Fan.