The Stripper's Guide blog discusses the history of the American newspaper comic strip.
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Thursday, March 16, 2006
Roy Powers, Eagle Scout: Week 1
I'm back on the road for a business trip, so it's time to take a break from the regular posts and enjoy an interlude with a strip from yesteryear. This time I've picked out Roy Powers. The strip was syndicated by the Philadelphia Public Ledger and was credited throughout the run to one Paul Powell. This was a pseudonym, I'm told, for Paul Roberts. But that doesn't help much since I don't know who Paul Roberts is. Anyway the writing, which is not exactly high-caliber is of little concern with Roy Powers. It's the art by Frank Godwin, Kemp Starrett and Charles Coll (and occasional other, lesser, talents) that make this strip. The art was never credited, so it's an exercise in art spotting.
I think the story that starts here today (which originally ran starting on January 2, 1939) must be Godwin, but I'm open to being corrected. Interesting side note to Roy Powers is that the strip used what we normally think of as story numbers (you can see the series here starts at K-1), but in reading through the material for 1939 I found that the stories don't really begin and end in time with the letter changes. Kinda weird - wonder if they refer to something else? If the letters all ran the same number of strips I would assume that they were just some sort of internal reference, but the 'story letters' range anywhere from 4 week to 19 week runs.
This is one of the super-fun strips to read (and just look at). I agree that it's Godwin. Jimmy Thompson also did a short stint on it. Love to see as much as we can of this one.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
That sure looks like Godwin to me. Great choice, I look forward to seeing more!
ReplyDeleteHallo
ReplyDeletepart of the strip was published in Czech Boy Scout magazine "JUNAK" 1947 before communist destroyed democracy and boy scouts.
Do you somebody know at which magazine have been published first? We suppose in Famous Funnies #38 September 1937.
Regards Paul stapanull@seznam.cz
Hallo Paul,
ReplyDeleteI think it was at The Seattle Post-Inteligencer (Monday May 24, 1937 - Saturday July 3, 1937)part A by Kemp Starrett. See
http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2009/02/frank-godwin-1889-1959-roy-powers-eagle.html
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