Friday, February 27, 2009

No Kids Stuff

Friday Comic Book Day.

Another Mort Meskin Tom Corbett story. I like this style a lot better than the one he was encouraged to adopt at DC not long after that.








Thursday, February 26, 2009

Arabian Knight

Tuesday Newspaper Story Day.

So here I was quietly gathering long runs of Jet Scott to share with you, when about a Month ago a mail went through several Yahoo groups saying that a major publisher was planning to bring out a complete collection of this forgotten strip with the full cooperation of artist Jerry Robinson. Over the next period I will share whatever bits and pieces I have, but for more of the story you will have to wait until the collection comes out and get it.

Jerry Robinson was a major comic book artist in the forties. In the fifties he tough evening classes at the New York School of Viual Art, effectively training a whole new generation of name comic creators. After that he started Jet scott. I have show the first two weeks and some of my other Sundays earlier, but here is a short run form februari 1954. The first Sunday is supposed to be the one for Feb 14th, but it doesn't seem to fit. Maybe I mislabeled it while scanning. I am showing it firsdt, so you can see for yourself. After that is the next two Sundays and the dailies between those.










Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Three Strikes You're In

Wednesday Advertising Day.

Now that I have access to the microfiche archives of newspaperarchive.com I can try and fill the holes in my colection of Alex Kotzky's 'Duke' Handy series of ads from 1958. These ads, drawn in his best ghosting for Milt Caniff style, got him his own syndicated strip not long after that (which was in a totally different style, by the way). There is a three tier version as well as a two tier version, but both use roughly the same artwork.





Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Gingerites

Tuesday Comic Strip Day.

Here's an oddity. This strip appeared in 1947 in selected newspapers and only on sundays. It may have been one of those New York Tribune strips that had a limited distribution*, at least that is where most of my samples have come from. It doesn't seem to have made it beyond the Sunday only stage, but it has a lively style and it seems to me the artist may have worked in animation. His name or the strip does not appear in Jerry Bails' Who's Who. Even Alan Holtz' has not mentioned it, although it would surpise me if he hadn't seen it. It think it may appeal to all you Milt Gross fans out there. Of course, the style may have been too old-fashioned for it's perid, but that doesn't bother us from where we stand. I have more, but that will take some extra scanning.

*Turns out it isn't. See the comments.





Monday, February 23, 2009

Cartoon Observations

Monday Cartoon Day.

I have always loved Gluyas Williams. From the first time I saw one of his clearly drawn cartoons, I have taken. Whenever I see one, I am immediately drawn to it. Problem is, I don't see them that much. He has always been there, but in my mind he is mostly associated with Robert Benchley, some of who's books he illustrated. But apart from that, he is not often mentioned or shown. Part of the problem is, that as good as his work is, there just didn't seem to be too much around. There have been collections, but they do not turn up at seconds hand book stores nearly as much as those by other cartoonists. Even though he lived quite a long time (he didn't die until 1982) he doesn't seem to have left much of a legacy. Part of the problem could be that he produced a daily cartoon series for the best years of his productive life. His daily panel started in 1927 and continued at least until 1946. When I came across some samples of it last month, I was surprised. I shouldn't be, because Alan Holtz had already written about it (and shown a few samples) on his Stripper's Guide blog (which I follow religiously) and there is also a website devoted to his work, which showcases samples from almost every year. Still, I couldn't resist showing you more of his remarkable work. These samples are from the first two weks of 1934, right in the middle of his twenty year run. Of course not every day is as good as the next, but there are several I would not mind to include in a book, if ever one was to be made. Seriously, there is twenty years of this stuff. I'd say it's a book waiting to be made. And not a small one, either. I would like a big one, so we can all see and enjoy the art at the size it was drawn. I used to call this blog The Fabulous Fifties, because I am a big fan of the modern cartooning style of the late fifties and early sixties. Stylisticly Gluyas Williams was as modern as they get. His humor may not be as biting and sarcastic as the best of the 'new' post-war cartoonists, but his observational cartooning is up their with the best.
















I-Dunnit

Sunday leftover Day.

I was away for the weekend, so I am braving the toughest upload hours to play catch-up on my regular sunday posting of the Milt Caniff illustrated serialization of Patricia Wentworth's 1932 novel Nothing Venture. Later today I'll be back with some monday cartoons.