Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Santa's Secrets, Day 2
Howard Boughner, the cartoonist on Santa's Secrets, was a bullpenner at NEA who first got a regular byline on an obscure weekly strip titled Mac. He produced a trio of Christmas strips in 1938-40, this one being the last. After Clyde Lewis left the Hold Everything panel Boughner took it over without a byline, finally being awarded one a year and a half before the feature was canceled.
Boughner exhibits here a delightful style, clean and uncluttered yet very stylish. It's easy to see why he was an invaluable member of the NEA's staff. Boughner also lent his pen to a number of other features as an assistant and ghost.
![](http://bp3.blogger.com/_Tkt_A2r1p6I/R16Myzwg9kI/AAAAAAAABt8/9wwrZy5uBgI/s0-d/santassecrets06.jpg)
![](http://bp3.blogger.com/_Tkt_A2r1p6I/R16Myzwg9lI/AAAAAAAABuE/Vec5pbNU0hE/s0-d/santassecrets07.jpg)
![](http://bp0.blogger.com/_Tkt_A2r1p6I/R16MFDwg9hI/AAAAAAAABtk/udZxxvYlR6I/s0-d/santassecrets08.jpg)
![](http://bp1.blogger.com/_Tkt_A2r1p6I/R16MFTwg9iI/AAAAAAAABts/zr7QyEmUgS8/s0-d/santassecrets09.jpg)
![](http://bp2.blogger.com/_Tkt_A2r1p6I/R16MFjwg9jI/AAAAAAAABt0/DcPbH7DUKLs/s0-d/santassecrets10.jpg)
Boughner exhibits here a delightful style, clean and uncluttered yet very stylish. It's easy to see why he was an invaluable member of the NEA's staff. Boughner also lent his pen to a number of other features as an assistant and ghost.
![](http://bp3.blogger.com/_Tkt_A2r1p6I/R16Myzwg9kI/AAAAAAAABt8/9wwrZy5uBgI/s0-d/santassecrets06.jpg)
![](http://bp3.blogger.com/_Tkt_A2r1p6I/R16Myzwg9lI/AAAAAAAABuE/Vec5pbNU0hE/s0-d/santassecrets07.jpg)
![](http://bp0.blogger.com/_Tkt_A2r1p6I/R16MFDwg9hI/AAAAAAAABtk/udZxxvYlR6I/s0-d/santassecrets08.jpg)
![](http://bp1.blogger.com/_Tkt_A2r1p6I/R16MFTwg9iI/AAAAAAAABts/zr7QyEmUgS8/s0-d/santassecrets09.jpg)
![](http://bp2.blogger.com/_Tkt_A2r1p6I/R16MFjwg9jI/AAAAAAAABt0/DcPbH7DUKLs/s0-d/santassecrets10.jpg)