As the weekly editorial cartoonist for Computerworld from 1987 to 1999, Rich honed his skills as a visual satirist of the rapidly expanding and ever changing computer industry. His wonderful takes on high-tech can be found in three books: The 5th Wave - BYTEing Humor by Rich Tennant (1992, Andrews and McMeel), which has gone into five printings and been translated into German and Dutch, Version 2.0 - More BYTEing humor by Rich Tennant (1995 Andrews and McMeel), and his newest book, Downloaded (2000, Andrews and McMeel), containing over 200 computer cartoons! His extremely popular series is also featured in corporate publications, and syndicated through Universal Press Syndicate to newspapers worldwide.

Acknowledged as "the father of the computer cartoon" (Forbes ASAP Magazine), Rich Tennant has been honored as one of the 200 people who have shaped the computer industry in this century by the Association for Computing Machinery and the National Academy of Engineering.

In 1992, Rich became the resident cartoonist for the best selling, "...for Dummies" book series. Each of the several hundred technology titles, from the very first, "DOS for Dummies" to the most current technologies, features Rich's relevant cartoons. With over 50 million Dummies books in print, The 5th Wave cartoons have followed the publisher's move into general interest titles such as Cooking , Alternative Medicine, Golf, Classical Music, Carpentry, Weddings, Resumes, Auto Repair and many, many others.

Rich has been highlighted in articles appearing in The New York Times, The Boston Globe and Forbes ASAP. He has been featured on television programs - such as Greater Boston (PBS) and JCN Profiles (Jones Computer Network) - and he has given humorous presentations of his work at seminars, conferences and user groups across the country.

Nominated for 2 Reubens Awards by the National Cartoonists Society for "Best Newspaper Panel" and "Best Advertising and Illustration".

1999 National Calendar Awards for "Best Cartoon Art - Promotional Division" and "Most Humorous Wall Calendar - Promotional Division".