Saturday, May 22, 2010
Herriman Saturday
The really interesting part of this cartoon, though, is the gentleman shaking Berry's hand in the middle vignette. Am I crazy or is this fellow the very image of another character who will be making his debut a mere three days hence up the coast a bit in Frisco?
Labels: Herriman's LA Examiner Cartoons
Friday, May 21, 2010
Obscurity of the Day: Jed Cooper, American Scout
In any case, today's obscurity is Jed Cooper, American Scout by writer Lloyd Wendt and artist Dick Fletcher. You'll find an article describing the strip and the creators in this News of Yore posting. Eye-pleasing Frank Robbins-esque art on the strip belied a pretty humdrum Colonial-era story of adventuring. The strip was hobbled by running as a third-page Sunday-only feature, so the story moved along at a very slow pace.
Jed Cooper was just one of a pretty long list of ChiTrib adventure strips of the 40s and 50s that just never seemed to be able to attract a newspaper clientele. Nevertheless, the Trib and partner NY Daily News kept some of these strips going for years despite the lack of interest. This one made it over a decade, starting on November 13 1949 and ending March 26 1961.
PS: It has since been established beyond all doubt that Rick and Richard Fletcher are indeed two different people, just an odd coincidence that they were both drawing for the ChiTrib.
Labels: Obscurities
Comments:
Not perhaps the most convincing sources, but the "Jed Cooper" artist is Richard Martin Fletcher (according to Lambiek's Comiclopedia and "The funnies: 100 years of American comic strips" by Ron Goulart), and the Dick Tracy one is Richard E Fletcher (according to an obituary in El Tiempo, and according to "Dick Tracy and American culture: morality and mythology, text and context" by Garyn Roberts.
# posted by 
: 5/21/2010 9:14 AM
: 5/21/2010 9:14 AM
So which Fletcher did "Surgeon Stone"? The few originals I've found online--I've never seen the strip itself--aren't nearly as well-drawn as this one.
Probably, someone already has passed this information to you, anyway here it is: but the series started, in fact, an half-standard Sunday and ended as an half-Tabloide. Probably, most of its existence it was a third-standard page.
# posted by : 6/29/2011 5:24 AM
: 6/29/2011 5:24 AM
Hi,
Richard M. Fletcher and Dick Fletcher is the same person. He is the creator of Jed Cooper and Surgeon Stone, and I know this because he is my grandpa.
Richard M. Fletcher and Dick Fletcher is the same person. He is the creator of Jed Cooper and Surgeon Stone, and I know this because he is my grandpa.
# posted by : 11/04/2013 7:28 PM
: 11/04/2013 7:28 PM
This is true of what the person said previously... I am his son Richard Martin Fletcher II. 845-807-1207
# posted by : 5/29/2014 10:14 AM
: 5/29/2014 10:14 AM
In the early 1940'es Super Comics ran monthly installments of "Jim Ellis, Adventurer" by Richard Fletcher. It appears to be an original comic book story rather than a newspaper strip, but is unusually well drawn for comic book material of those days.
The artist is credited as "Richard," not "Dick," and the drawing style is visibly different from Jed Cooper and Surgeon Stone, with heavier inks, dramatic angles, and a more dynamic page composition.
The artist is credited as "Richard," not "Dick," and the drawing style is visibly different from Jed Cooper and Surgeon Stone, with heavier inks, dramatic angles, and a more dynamic page composition.
# posted by : 6/18/2015 2:56 PM
: 6/18/2015 2:56 PM
"Jim Ellis" was done by Richard M.(Dick) Fletcher. He also worked on various strips assisting the original artists & was skilled in many mediums. He was a good friend of mine.
# posted by : 9/10/2015 4:23 PM
: 9/10/2015 4:23 PM
Both Richard M. (Dick) Fletcher & Richard E. (Rick) Fletcher were from Burlington, Iowa & both worked at the Tribune. Dick Fletcher also worked on "Dan Dunn" & "Terry & the Pirates". He had a strip called "Jack & Jean" to get kids to collect newspapers for the war effort. A great talent & good friend!
# posted by : 6/24/2019 3:05 PM
: 6/24/2019 3:05 PM
Hi.
I'm Franck, trying to write a paper about this cool obscurity, also published in two french comics papers in the 50's : Coq Hardi (period 1951-1953) and Far West (1955), but would like to kwow, like you if the Dick and Rick Fletcher are the same person. So twelve years after this original post, do we have conclusions ? (Because the "family" members who post anonymously... well... what credit ?)
I'm Franck, trying to write a paper about this cool obscurity, also published in two french comics papers in the 50's : Coq Hardi (period 1951-1953) and Far West (1955), but would like to kwow, like you if the Dick and Rick Fletcher are the same person. So twelve years after this original post, do we have conclusions ? (Because the "family" members who post anonymously... well... what credit ?)
Search for 'Fletcher' on this blog and you will find Ink-Slinger Profiles of the two cartoonists. Definitely two different fellows.
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Thursday, May 20, 2010
Obscurity of the Day: Cynthianna Blythe
Cynthianna Blythe, the tale of a young beauty and the beaus who pursue her, ran on the back cover of the Herald's magazine section from May 2 1909 to February 13 1910 (thanks to Alex Jay for the running dates).
The feature sports art by Wallace Morgan and verses by Harry Grant Dart. While I realize that Morgan was the more celebrated illustrator in his time, I sure wish they'd traded places -- I just love Dart's draftsmanship and page layouts.
Labels: Magazine Cover Comics, Obscurities
Comments:
Simply breathtaking. When you look at art like this which was the norm at the time, and you look at newspaper artwork today, there is unmistakably no comparison whatsoever. These pieces belong in a museum of illustration or coffee table book. Do major city newspapers even hire local artists anymore? I don't mean small neighborhood freebie papers.
# posted by : 5/20/2010 8:40 AM
: 5/20/2010 8:40 AM
Cynthianna Blythe was a fashion cutout doll that the Herald had as early as August 1909, and new sets of her with new clothes were sold by mail as late in as May 1910.
# posted by : 5/20/2010 9:27 AM
: 5/20/2010 9:27 AM
Wow! I always thought of Morgan as more of a magazine illustrator...this is beautiful work.
I agree that Dart did great drawings, too. I especially liked the science-fictiony "future glimpses" he did for Judge.
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I agree that Dart did great drawings, too. I especially liked the science-fictiony "future glimpses" he did for Judge.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Obscurity of the Day: Little Umjiji
Little Umjiji was created by the great Ferd Long for the New York World comics section on November 4 1900, but he failed to follow up after that single episode. Griffin picked up the title and produced episodes between February 24 and May 19 1901.
Thanks to Cole Johnson for the scans!
Labels: Obscurities
Comments:
Nowadays, we really don't have "cute" strips like this except possible for MUTTS and perhaps others I am not aware of. Everyone has a sarcastic sense of humor nowadays in the funnies.
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# posted by : 5/19/2010 9:47 AM
: 5/19/2010 9:47 AM Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Obscurity of the Day: Joe of the Musical Habit
Joe's inconvenient habit is that whenever he hears music he gets the urge to dance. In the sure hands of cartoonist Ed Carey this leads to predictably boisterous and hilarious action. While the joke is, of course, repetitive, the humor is in how the wild action is depicted. I particularly enjoy this example, where Joe's habit seems to be contagious and the hoity-toity assembly joins right in.
Joe of the Musical Habit was a feature of McClure's top-of-the-line version of their Sunday comics section from July 30 to October 1 1905, too short a run if you ask me.It only got full page color billing a couple of times, usually relegated to half-page interior appearances instead.
A tip of the hat and a little soft-shoe to Cole Johnson who provided the sample. Thanks Cole!
Labels: Obscurities
Monday, May 17, 2010
Obscurity of the Day: Four Comical Coons
The series appeared in the New York World comics section from August 12 to December 9 1900, and when the standard title wasn't used the number of kids was sometimes cut back to just two or three.
Thanks to Cole Johnson for the samples.
Labels: Obscurities
Comments:
Symbols are a form of shorthand, but they stop short of meaning one thing. Where does a 'racist symbol' start and stop being racist? I do laundry and eat watermelons, if I drew a black person doing these things, would it then be viewed as racist intent from everyone's perspective? I'm wondering because I just read an interview with Picasso where he says that when he drew a hammer and a sickle together, he didn't do it thinking of communism, but of the objects themselves. Separately, when Picasso drew a bull, he agreed it symbolized brutality and darkness, but refused to agree with the interviewer that it equaled fascism.
Now, these cartoons are ultimately cowardly, and racist as hell, presuming a philosophy and message that go beyond cartooning, now that we view all art as being an explicitly drawn message. At the time, they might've believed or laughed off those images in a more thoughtless way, but they did their share of harm. Now of course, the comics themselves say way more about those attitudes than any newspaper article.
Did the artist want to draw cartoon blacks, feeling impelled to script them toward these stock characters, or vice-versa?
If you believed we were worse off for having this record, you could easily not have posted it, so I suspect there's your message is that artists must be politically and socially conscious? When we ask the type of visual artists who are 'only an eye' to broaden their range, will they still have a drawing ability? Sorry for sounding so goddamn ponderous, but it's almost like there's another issue at work here besides racism, the 'tunnel vision' of many artists.
Now, these cartoons are ultimately cowardly, and racist as hell, presuming a philosophy and message that go beyond cartooning, now that we view all art as being an explicitly drawn message. At the time, they might've believed or laughed off those images in a more thoughtless way, but they did their share of harm. Now of course, the comics themselves say way more about those attitudes than any newspaper article.
Did the artist want to draw cartoon blacks, feeling impelled to script them toward these stock characters, or vice-versa?
If you believed we were worse off for having this record, you could easily not have posted it, so I suspect there's your message is that artists must be politically and socially conscious? When we ask the type of visual artists who are 'only an eye' to broaden their range, will they still have a drawing ability? Sorry for sounding so goddamn ponderous, but it's almost like there's another issue at work here besides racism, the 'tunnel vision' of many artists.
# posted by : 5/17/2010 1:51 PM
: 5/17/2010 1:51 PM
I think somehow today, we read words and images as working more 'hand-in-hand' more often than they did then. I suspect the pictures would have meant everything to artist and the words would've meant next to nothing. Kind of the opposite of how people see the stars next to a film review and misread the writing.
I'm not excusing the artist's intent or the harmful effect on black people, I assume he found this funny, but like Robert Crumb, I doubt if he could pinpoint where his intent lied. Authors may write when they make a judgment, but I don't see artists working in the same way. They tend to draw when they find something, even if it isn't 'the truth' and may have a lot in common with prevailing attitudes.
I'm not excusing the artist's intent or the harmful effect on black people, I assume he found this funny, but like Robert Crumb, I doubt if he could pinpoint where his intent lied. Authors may write when they make a judgment, but I don't see artists working in the same way. They tend to draw when they find something, even if it isn't 'the truth' and may have a lot in common with prevailing attitudes.
# posted by : 5/17/2010 2:07 PM
: 5/17/2010 2:07 PM
Hi sharpyoungbull --
Please keep in mind that people come to this blog in many different ways, oftentimes for reasons having nothing to do with an interest in comic strip history. I feel it is important to point out on any blog post that deals in racist imagery that I don't condone or celebrate the content but present the material because it is historically interesting and arguably important.
If someone arrived at this post because they were, say, Googling for racist websites, I want it to be clear that they haven't found a place where these outmoded, unfunny and frankly repugnant views are shared by the proprietor. Ok?
As to the cartoonist's actual intent, my vote is laziness, as it usually is with stereotypical comics. Notice that there is no real attempt at being funny in these cartoons -- Griffin merely trots out the tired old chicken-snatching and other material as if it is all just so inherently hilarious that there no need for any injection of any original humor. I consider it rather pathetic frankly. Same goes for Zim, who was notorious for this kind of garbage. E.W. Kemble, on the other hand, dealt in what we call racist imagery, but I've always felt that a case could be made that his cartoons were sometimes (not always) a cut above this sort of trash.
--Allan
Please keep in mind that people come to this blog in many different ways, oftentimes for reasons having nothing to do with an interest in comic strip history. I feel it is important to point out on any blog post that deals in racist imagery that I don't condone or celebrate the content but present the material because it is historically interesting and arguably important.
If someone arrived at this post because they were, say, Googling for racist websites, I want it to be clear that they haven't found a place where these outmoded, unfunny and frankly repugnant views are shared by the proprietor. Ok?
As to the cartoonist's actual intent, my vote is laziness, as it usually is with stereotypical comics. Notice that there is no real attempt at being funny in these cartoons -- Griffin merely trots out the tired old chicken-snatching and other material as if it is all just so inherently hilarious that there no need for any injection of any original humor. I consider it rather pathetic frankly. Same goes for Zim, who was notorious for this kind of garbage. E.W. Kemble, on the other hand, dealt in what we call racist imagery, but I've always felt that a case could be made that his cartoons were sometimes (not always) a cut above this sort of trash.
--Allan
Hello, Allan, and everyone -----The Stripper's guide is the place for an honest warts-and-all REAL history of the American comic strip, not a selection. Allan Holtz is just who you want as a historian, as he doesn't shackle himself to a "speech code" to filter the controversial aspects away. Racist stuff like the COMIC COONS were definitely part of the story, indeed part of the story of the world in general of it's time. It's important to know that Mr. Griffin and others in 1900 did not have hate in their hearts, just an easy, even lazy, as Allan says, set of quickly identified stereotypes and the shtick expected of them. Stereotypes of many others were also to be found, of course. (Italians, Germans, Orientals, etc.) It's a very basic form of humor -- everyone got made fun of. It was just breathing the American air. One thing that I learned from Griffin's comic was to always check the melons carefully when I'm at the A & P!------Cole Johnson.
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Sunday, May 16, 2010
Jim Ivey's Sunday Comics
Comments:
Okay, that seals the deal. I've been wanting to get over and take Jim to breakfast. I've got to get over and see him with the longer hair and beard.
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