Dwane Powell was an Arkansas farm boy who became a North Carolina institution.

Politicians knew they’d made it when Dwane skewered them. Framed Powell cartoons decorate walls all over the state. People treasure doodles he did on napkins in bars and restaurants.

For those of a certain age and mindset, he was Mad Magazine come to town. He combined artistic genius, a gut instinct for the jugular, a healthy helping of zaniness and, to leaven it all, a gentle fondness for human folly.

Governor Jim Hunt was a favorite and familiar target: the pompadour, the comb and the weather vane. Dwane’s cartoons covered the Governor’s office walls.

One reunion of Hunt staffers featured T-shirts with a drawing Dwane did: the Hunt Retirement Home, with aging staffers behind walkers and in rocking chairs. From the side, Hunt rushed in, youthful and eager, notes and papers flying behind him. One staffer was saying, “Uh oh.”

If you want to understand North Carolina politics and public life since 1975, you just need a collection of Powell cartoons.

We’ll miss him, and we’re left to wonder: How do we get through the 2020 elections without Dwane?