Broadened Horizons

That decrepit old bookstore I had wandered into one miserable afternoon became a refuge for me, eventually heading down there most Saturdays to explore its mysteries. The owner, Jim Payne, became a friend and book advisor. Many times I couldn't afford the books and magazines he was showing me, but he seemed determined to broaden my horizons, bless his heart. Over time he sold me many small change wonders and even loaned a few items that I dutifully brought back the next visit.

He, of course, knew of my interest in art and drawing particularly, as well as comics and cartooning. He would cut some prices here and there so I could afford the drawing books, such as the Andrew Loomis books.

A 1947 book of Axel Gallen-Kallela drawings was a nice purchase for $6. Jim told me if I didn't like it after a while I could bring it back for an exchange, which I never did. It's only in the last few years that I realized the importance of the Kalevala fantasies that Gallen-Kallela will always be associated with. 

Broadened Horizons

Above is a really low res pic that I found recently on the internet that evidently shows the end result of the sketches above it. I haven't seen any books of his finished art, though I've seen a few pieces here and there.

Broadened Horizons

These drawings of snowy trees are beautiful in their simplicity.

Broadened Horizons

Again, only recently have I seen the finished art for the above sketch of Vainamoinen, the chief hero of Finnish epic.

Here, Gallen-Kallela paints a sensual rejection of Vainamoinen. I had seen this triptych before, but had not associated it with my book of drawings. Appropriate to Vainamoinen, my horizons are constantly broadening.

The Great Comic Book Heroes

The Great Comic Book Heroes

If I'm not mistaken, part of the iconic image of the Spirit, shown below, also appeared in the Playboy article, setting the stage for reintroduction of one of comic's BEST heroes, a NON-superhero to a new generation of readers. In fact, from what I understand, Feiffer was responsible for thousands of us fanatics searching for golden age material, slowly but surely raising the value of the original material.

I bought Feiffer's book at a college bookstore in Chicago, summer of '66, while staying with my brother. I read and reread it all summer, devouring Feiffer's text that examined the characters as well as their creators, the first time they had been taken somewhat seriously, but tongue in cheek as well. Feiffer's descriptions from his fanboy and professional point of view, laughingly and lovingly gave a validity to my (our) obsession with the genre. 

I have always read a lot of books in all genres, but that summer I was especially fond of Asimov's Foundation series and all of Feiffer's books. The comic book book is still around and available and all of the stories certainly have been reprinted elsewhere, but for those who haven't done so, it's worth reading Feiffer's analysis. As you can see from the scan, I loved this particular book to pieces, and still own it. I've seen copies at the library. 

This Spirit story, of course, has been reprinted elsewhere, but I'm posting it here for the 'record'. It showed me what comics could be. Shame on Frank Miller for debasing the character and his mythos in his atrocious film. Thank you Jules Feiffer for 'keeping the Spirit alive.'

The Great Comic Book Heroes

Discovery of the Golden Age of Comics

I started reading Playboy when I was 13. Yes, really—reading it. Oh sure, the pictorials were eye openers and cleared up a lot of mysteries for me, but I was reading John Updike and Ian Fleming and enjoying Shel Silverstein's journal drawings of Fire Island. I loved the James Bond serials, and because of that, went out to buy the paperback 007 novels. I truly was a 'mature reader' at 13. 

But I still loved the comics of course, and the October '65 issue of Playboy had an article about the golden age of comics by Jules Feiffer. Which showed me what I had been missing (besides what the pictorials were showing me). It was the first time I had seen the golden age heroes. Iconic panels of the heroes were printed in full bright colors, with a great text by Feiffer. It was promoting a book that I just had to have.

The first Playboy I ever bought—right off the newsstand at my local drugstore. I must have looked old for my age, or else the clerk didn't give a $#*@. Playboy covers in the 60's were lovely—very well designed and executed, with the bunny logo being artfully incorporated in each cover. They were sexy and classy. Art Paul was a fabulous art director. In the 70s he gave me a nice motivational interview, but never gave me a job. C'est la vie. 

Fleming, Ian Fleming.

Probably the best playmate of the year ever.

An interview with Peter O'toole. Very cool.

This is the issue that introduced the golden age of heroes to me. Jules Feiffer was a terrific contributor of text and cartoons with his own inimitable style. I had all of his books of cartoons, like Sick, Sick, Sick and all the diatribes of Bernard Merganthaler—was that his name? I'm winging this from memory, having divested myself of those books decades ago.

Discovery of the Golden Age of Comics

These were some of the panels (to the best of my recollection) that were reprinted in the Playboy article by Feiffer. It must have been promoting his book, since the copyright on the book was of that year. I bought the book the following summer, having dreamt about it until then. Have I told you what a dork I was?

This was the very first image I ever saw of golden age Superman, and the brightness of his colors compensated for the crudeness of his drawing. I came to love that simplified drawing style.

And this Batman panel sent me soaring. Not even the newly introduced 'New Look', courtesy of Carmine Infantino, was as serious and dramatic as this panel. I yearned for more.

I think by this time I was introduced to Jay Garrick as the Flash, thanks to the Silver Age Flash and Justice League, but it was exciting to see the original in action.

Golden age Green Lantern had a mystique and spookiness that the silver age GL couldn't touch.

And speaking of spooky, this Spectre panel is my favorite logo panel of any comic, anytime, anywhere. This is what comics was all about. Too bad the stories didn't always live up to the promise, or premise, but there were some that were pretty good. I'm grateful for the DC archives of Spectre stories (as well as all the other DC archives). Shame on you DC for not continuing the archive run for the mainstay golden age heroes. Even losing money, it should have been subsidized for posterity sake.

Welcome to My Morgue II

M.C. Escher (detail)

Welcome to My Morgue II

I added these images to my morgue when I was still a kid, and I have no idea where from, or who did them or anything other than the publisher copyright. They are somewhat old, and more than somewhat beautiful. And I've honored them all these years.

Update: Transatlantic Hun informs us that these are probably by Nelly Littlehale Umstaetter Murphy (1867-1941). Well alright, thanks Hun.

Curious Volume

One of the curious volumes that my father apparently acquired as an estate auctioneer...

Kevin the BOLD

Back in the mid 60s, I had an afternoon paper route where a truck would drop off a couple of huge bundles of papers that I had to fold and put rubber bands around before loading them on my bike. I constantly had printer's ink on my hands and newsprint aroma in my nostrils, and I loved it! I saved not only comic strips, but the editorial cartoons (Paul Conrad at that time), and news photos that I would practice drawing from. On Sundays, I regularly clipped Prince Valiant, Steve Canyon, The Green Berets by Joe Kubert, Pogo, Peanuts, and a bunch of miscellaneous.

I delivered the afternoon paper, but mom also subscribed to the morning paper, so I clipped a lot from both. I had quite a collection of strips, but I wasn't at that time an archivist, so I clipped really close to the borders, sometimes dipping to the inside of borders. I am so ticked at myself that I didn't just save the entire comic sections from both papers and just leave it at that. I would have had a beautiful run of some beautiful strips.

In time, I would grow tired of keeping all those strips in order and was overwhelmed by the boxes and boxes I had accumulated of them. So I tossed them.

Well, I did keep some samplings of favorites (and even those have disappeared slowly over the years). I still have a good long run of Pogo, but everything else came down to a handful of samples.

Five Sundays of Kevin the Bold actually made the cut to survive to this day, and they are posted here. I've already posted one of these, but I found a few more and wanted to make a set, though far from a continuity.

I wish I had kept more.

In the interest of full disclosure, I've cleaned these scans up a little, to get rid of the worst of the bleed-through from the other side (Bugs Bunny—yuck), and I've accentuated skin blush. In the 30s and 40s skin blush was beautifully displayed throughout the comics, but by the 60s, colorists didn't want to be bothered much with subtleties and comic page people always looked washed out. Well, these days I don't have to put up with that crap!

And Leonardo put in some time in the strip. How cool was that!

Angelina is a fine looking lass, isn't she?

If anyone has good scans of Kevin the Bold, or other earlier strips (like the Alley Oop time travel Sundays) PLEASE drop me a line. Like anyone is even looking at this blog, or ever will.