Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Sponsored Comics: Bless, the Mayor
Here's our first Sponsored Comics strip. To catch up on our discussion of Sponsored Comics, see this post.
Bless, The Mayor, for reasons unknown, was the only Sponsored Comics strip that merited a full tabloid page. It sported hip 1950s-era art by Gill Fox. Fox was an excellent cartoonist who was also at this time producing a minor panel feature called Wilbert for General Features. It was doomed to be cancelled just a few months later in 1959. Gill was also producing occasional filler comic strips for the New York Daily News during this time, and as I understand it, also working for advertising firm Johnstone & Cushing. A busy guy, but not too busy to produce these really eye-catching pages for Sponsored.
Comments:
Ger Apeldoom couldnt get Blogger to accept his comment so I'm posting it along with my reply:
Okay, that does it. A complete 'forgotten' strip by Gil Fox. I want a reprint book of this material. Talk to Fantagraphics.
This strip wasn't included in the originals sold by hlowery or in the
huge amount of originals by Fox sold by Heritage after his death last year. Those Heritage originals showed he worked as a fill in artist for another panel... called Side Glances. Also from the same period, I have a charming little sunday strip about a beat cop. All in a different style.
Ger Apeldoorn
My reply:
Hi Ger -
I find sometimes you have to submit twice before Blogger accepts your identity. Free software = Buggy software.
I imagine Lowery only got the originals that Maurer didn't have to return to his stable of cartoonists. Maybe Fox was one of those who wanted his originals returned, and then later he tossed them. I didn't keep close track of the Lowery auctions, but I think you'll see a lot of material from Sponsored that those guys didn't get. If you kept track, and you can get Blogger to accept your ID, I'd really like it if you could comment on that aspect of each one when I post it.
And Fox wasn't exactly a fill-in on Side Glances, he did it for 24 years.
Best, Allan
Okay, that does it. A complete 'forgotten' strip by Gil Fox. I want a reprint book of this material. Talk to Fantagraphics.
This strip wasn't included in the originals sold by hlowery or in the
huge amount of originals by Fox sold by Heritage after his death last year. Those Heritage originals showed he worked as a fill in artist for another panel... called Side Glances. Also from the same period, I have a charming little sunday strip about a beat cop. All in a different style.
Ger Apeldoorn
My reply:
Hi Ger -
I find sometimes you have to submit twice before Blogger accepts your identity. Free software = Buggy software.
I imagine Lowery only got the originals that Maurer didn't have to return to his stable of cartoonists. Maybe Fox was one of those who wanted his originals returned, and then later he tossed them. I didn't keep close track of the Lowery auctions, but I think you'll see a lot of material from Sponsored that those guys didn't get. If you kept track, and you can get Blogger to accept your ID, I'd really like it if you could comment on that aspect of each one when I post it.
And Fox wasn't exactly a fill-in on Side Glances, he did it for 24 years.
Best, Allan
The reason I am not getting through seems to have to to with the difference between a blogger account and google account.
Anyway - you didn't comment on the beat cop thing. You know that one or should I send scans?
Anyway - you didn't comment on the beat cop thing. You know that one or should I send scans?
Hi Ger -
Re the cop strip, I'd take a wild guess that it might have been one of those NY Sunday News fillers, but no, it doesn't ring any definite bells for me. Sure I'd like to see a scan...
Best, Allan
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Re the cop strip, I'd take a wild guess that it might have been one of those NY Sunday News fillers, but no, it doesn't ring any definite bells for me. Sure I'd like to see a scan...
Best, Allan
