Monday, March 18, 2024

Charley Harper Illustrations

Every year I make sure and buy the Charley Harper calendar. Its a tradition. I keep it nailed up in the kitchen, by the door, so I can see it as I go in and out. I love his humorous and graphically geometric approach to depicting nature, particularly birds. 


From his official bio

"Charley Harper (August 4, 1922–June 10, 2007) had an alternative way of looking at nature. His serigraphs were large expanses of rich color, which gave the viewer a very different perspective on the animal kingdom. A conservationist as well as an artist, Harper revealed the unique aspects of his wildlife subjects through highly stylized geometric reduction. Harper said he was 'the only wildlife artist who has never been compared to Audubon,' yet his wildlife art was just as instructive—the only difference was that Harper laced his lessons with humor. Harper believed that humor made it easier to encourage changes in our attitudes and awareness of environmental concerns."

 Here are some early examples of his illustration work from the books Tin Lizzie (1955) and Dinner for Two (1958 edition). He was developing his style here. This is all thanks to the Charley Harper Prints site

















Related:

Charley Harper in Ford Times Magazine 1961 - 1965

Friday, March 15, 2024

Happy 93rd Birthday, Mort Gerberg!


Mort Gerberg wrote this very kind comment on March 9th on my Facebook page.

I have known Mort since the late 1980s when I took a cartooning class from him at the New School for Social Research. Later, I would see him in the now-old New Yorker offices in Times Square on Tuesdays, and a number of us would go out to lunch after showing our roughs to Bob Mankoff.

As you guys know, I had posted about listening to old Fibber McGee and Molly shows. That's what got this reaction. I had also noted that it had been five years since Mort's big career retrospective at the Museum of the City of New-York.


"Fibber McGee and Molly was one of my favorite shows, too, Mike..when listening to all those radio shows formed my earliest education (and least expensive, too) for what was funny ... and what wasn't. Haven't thought about it in years, but just listening, forced us all to create the pictures we imagined inside our own heads. I remember usually mentioning in my classes, things like Jack Benny doing his bit about walking to his vault where he kept his money. Do you remember those classes? Anyhow, Mike, I wanted to thank you, belatedly, for posting those photos and remembrances --- I was also surprised that it's been five years since the opening night ----of my retrospective. But, as the old saying goes --- I couldna' done it without you....Best in class!"
 
 
A few days after he posted this on my Facebook page, Mort celebrated his 93rd birthday by downhill skiing at Beaver Creek Ski Resort in Colorado with his daughter and grandson. Check out his Instagram.
 
Well, I sure remember being a kid and listening to old radio show recordings and trying to figure out why something was funny and why people laughed at certain things. And I sure remember the classes and the amount of work that went into creating a gag cartoon batch. And how relentless you have to be when working and that you have to treat it like work, drawing and writing every day.  

I am blushing, but thanks so much for the very kind words and I am so glad to be part of the cartooning world. You are a dear friend.




Thursday, March 14, 2024

Wednesday, May 29 2024 Zoom Program: New Yorker Cartoonist Bob Eckstein

 

New Yorker cartoonist Bob Eckstein will present a free Zoom program on May 29th from 7 to 8pm:


Join author Bob Eckstein as he celebrates the book birthday of his most recent release, "Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums". This book is filled with lush and whimsical illustrations paired with stories and anecdotes from curators, museum workers, museum visitors, and more. We hope you can join us for what will be a fun and fascinating conversation!

Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums is a collection of the greatest and most beloved museums of North America, illustrated and explored through fun and fascinating anecdotes. Curated by Bob Eckstein, author of the New York Times bestseller Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores, this delightful twist on an art history book shows these institutes in a way not seen before, illustrated in a lush and idealized style.

The 75+ museums featured include the biggest and boldest names (MoMA, the Whitney) and the more offbeat (Museum of Bad Art, the Museum of Jurassic Technology). They span the US, Canada, and Mexico and include those specializing in art, natural history, academia and science, and more. The 155 original pieces of artwork illustrate a story about the museum or showcase a particular work of art in its collection.

Bob Eckstein is an illustrator, cartoonist, writer and snowman expert. He's done cartoons for places like the New York Times, MAD magazine and The New Yorker. In 2016 Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores (Penguin Random House) was published. In 2018,  The Illustrated History of the Snowman by Globe Pequot was published along with a postcard set called World's Greatest Bookstores: 100 Postcards by Clarkson Potter of Penguin Random House. His work has been exhibited in: The Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco, Smithsonian Institute, The Cartoon Museum of London and in 2018, The Sordoni Art Gallery at Wilkes University. I've been nominated Gag Cartoonist of the Year (twice) by the National Cartoonists Society.

Click here to register.

Presented in collaboration with the Ashland Public Library and other area libraries.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Dragon Ball Z Creator Akira Toriyama 1955 - 2024

 

Akira Toriyama, the creator of the Japanese animated series Dragon Ball Z, passed away on March 1st due to an acute subdural hematoma. He was 68 years old. 

 


 

Via People:

Dragon Ball Z’s official X (formerly known as Twitter) account confirmed the news on Thursday.  

"'We are deeply saddened to inform you that Manga creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1st due to acute subdural hematoma,' a condition where blood collects between the skull and the surface of the brain.

"The account shared that at the time of his death, Toriyama 'still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm.' The post said that there were many goals he still looked forward to achieving.  

"'Thanks to the support of so many people around the world, he has been able to continue his creative activities for over 45 years. We hope that Akira Toriyama's unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come,' the social media announcement continued, while showing gratitude to those who had supported him throughout his career. 

"According to the account, a funeral service for Toriyama had already been held 'with his family and very few relatives.'"

 

 IGN called him an anime and gaming legend:


"Toriyama first broke into the manga industry at the age of 23 when he entered an amateur manga creator contest in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine. From there, Toriyama made a name for himself with the serialization of the beloved gag manga Dr. Slump in 1980.

"In 1984, Toriyama published the seminal fantasy action comedy shonen battle series Dragon Ball, which would later spawn the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super series. Dragon Ball's influence later inspired other like Eiichiro Oda, Tite Kubo, and Masashi Kishimoto to create One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, and classics. 

"Toriyama also played an influential role in gaming history, his art serving as the basis for Dragon Quest — one of the very first console RPGs in Japan. In the mid-90s, Toriyama famously teamed with Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii and Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi to make Chrono Trigger, which is still considered one of the finest games ever made.

"The last project Toriyama was reportedly working on was the original character designs for the upcoming Dragon Ball Z spin-off series, Dragon Ball Daima. Its story follows the adventures of a chibi-stylized Goku and Vegeta's adventures in Dragon Ball's whimsical world. Sand Land, a game based on another one of Toriyama's works, is due to release in April.

"During an panel at New York Comic Con 2023, Daima executive producer Akio Iyoku told the crowd that Toriyama was 'deeply involved beyond his usual capacity' overseeing Daima's story, character design, and more.

"'Additionally, [Toriyama] has planned entirely new episodes for the storyline so please look forward to the start of the series,' Iyoku said.

"Dragon Ball Daima is slated to release in the fall of 2024."

 

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

José Delbo 1933 - 2024


 

 Photo montage by CBR.

José Delbo, a comic book artist best known for his work on Wonder Woman and The Transformers series, passed away at the age of 90. 

 


"The Monkees" #8 (January 1968)


Via CBR:

 

"Born in Argentina, Delbo began his career as a professional comic book artist when he was just 16 years old, drawing the Argentine Western comic book, Pancho Negro. In 1963, due to political instability in Argentina, Delbo moved to Brazil, and then two years later, he moved to the United States. His work as a Western comic book artist in Argentina led to him working in Westerns for Charlton Comics in the United States, most notably a long run on Billy the Kid.

"It was his Western work that got him his first gig working for Dell Comics, as well, as he was hired to draw Dell's comic book adaptation of the TV series, The Big Valley, in 1967. His work on that series led to work on a number of Dell's other TV adaptation comics, with Delbo drawing comic books based on Hogan's Heroes, The Monkees, Gentle Ben, The Mod Squad, The Brady Bunch, Nanny and the Professor, The Young Rebels and The Young Lawyers.

"In the early 1970s, with his Billy the Kid run coming to a close, Delbo began to work for DC, including a few issues of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, following Jack Kirby's iconic run on that series. Delbo then became the regular artist on Wonder Woman at the end of 1975, continuing to draw the book until the early 1980s.

"During that timeframe, Delbo also drew a number of other features for DC in anthologies, like Superman Family, Batman Family and World's Finest Comics. Briefly, Delbo became the regular artist on the main Superman/Batman feature in World's Finest Comics before he left DC after 1985.

"Delbo moved to Marvel, where he began to work on Marvel's licensed comic books. First, he drew the Thundercats series, but then he moved over to an acclaimed run on Transformers in the late 1980s..."


"Transformers" #41 (Marvel, June 1988)

 

 MakersPlace:

 

"In the 90s, Delbo continued creating comics many of which, such as Captain Planet and the Planeteers, reflected the new attitude of environmentalism that overtook the world at this time. He continued to work on beloved cartoon classics like Disney’s 101 Dalmatians, Little Mermaid and the Mighty Ducks. He also drew the NFL Superpro hero who teamed up with Spider-man to fight crime in the big city.

"It was during these years that Delbo ventured into the profession of teaching at The Kubert School in Dover, New Jersey. He later went on to found 'Cartoon Camp' for young cartoonists which was originally housed at the International Museum of Cartoon Art in Boca Raton, Florida. Delbo’s attention to detail and high expectations made a lasting impression on many of his students. One former student Jim Keefe fondly recalls his classes with Delbo stating:

'José Delbo was a great teacher because he wouldn’t let an inferior drawing slide. When you got a compliment or a good grade from him you knew it was well deserved.'

"Today, Delbo’s work hangs in museums and private collections around the world. He’s been the recipient of a number of awards, including Comic-Con’s coveted Ink Pot Award for a lifetime of service to the comics industry. Artworks in his traditional comic style are highly coveted by collectors, with Wonder Woman #256 Cover Original Art auctioning for $3884 and Wonder Woman #246 Page 1 Original Art auctioning for $2886. José Delbo continues to create, but has taken to a new medium (and greater heights). Instead of illustrating handheld comic books, Delbo’s artwork is now magnified on six foot tall painted murals."

 

 Many good links over at The Daily Cartoonist, including this announcement from his family:

"Today we lost a legend of a father, grandfather, husband, and artist. [Jose Delbo] was as kind and as noble a man as there could be. He left a legacy that we can only hope we are blessed with leaving behind ourselves.

"I know that being able to continue to produce art until the very end brought him such an immense amount of joy through all the difficult times. Even in his recent sickness, he worked on completing and minting a new collection that he wanted to share with the world."

 


Monday, March 11, 2024

From the Dick Buchanan Files: New Yorker Cartoonists Abroad 1966-1968

Dick Buchanan has a great collection of New Yorker cartoonists whose work also appeared in Punch magazine. Unseen in the States, here they are for your viewing enjoyment.  Take it away (and thanks!), Dick!

---

NEW YORKERS ABROAD

Punch Cartoons by New Yorker cartoonists. 1966 - 1968

Thanks to the miracle of fiction, today we travel to London, home of Punch Magazine, where the cartoon was born way back in 1843.

In Great Britain, their work is described as “one joke cartoons,” and it’s drawn with brush, Indian ink on cartridge paper, occasionally with a monochrome wash.

Several Punch cartoonists appeared in the pages of The New Yorker over the years, most notably Ronald Searle whose fabulous covers will be treasured by all for years to come. Some of the other Punch cartoonists to appear in The New Yorker were Michael Ffolkes, Leslie Starke, A.F. Wiles, L.H.Siggs, Kenneth Mahood and Punch editor Bernard Hollowood.

Punch and New Yorker followers have bickered for decades over which venerable magazine is the most important. I agree with old Will Shakespeare who reminds us “The joke’s the thing!”


1. MICHAEL FFOLKES. Ffolkes (Brian Davis) documents Punch’s respect for The New Yorker with this cartoon from Punch, May 25, 1966.








 

2. J.B. HANDELSMAN. Known to Punch readers as “Bud”, this fine cartoonist moved to Great Britain in 1963 and lived there for 11 years, becoming a true regular with a cartoon in many issues, sometimes two. Punch, August 7,1968.





 

3. RICHARD DECKER. Decker was one of The New Yorker’s finest cartoonists. Punch, November 22, 1967.




 

4. PERRY BARLOW. Gag cartoonist and super cover artist, as well. Punch, November 22, 1967.




 

5. CHON DAY. Punch, April 27, 1966.




 

6. JOSEPH MIRACHI. Punch, July 19, 1967.




 

7. CHARLES SAXON. Another cartoonist who also created many New Yorker
covers of the years. Punch, September 4, 1968.




 

8. CLAUDE. (Claude Smith) Punch was home to many no-caption cartoons.
This one is similar to his New Yorker work. Punch, February 9, 1966




 

9. ROBERT DAY. Punch, April 13, 1966




 

10. ED FISHER. Punch, February 1, 1972




 

11. MARTHA BLANCHARD. Ms Blanchard was not a New Yorker cartoonist.
However, she was, indeed, a New Yorker—she lived a just a few blocks
North of Washington Square. Punch, March 2, 1966




 

12. “BUD” HANDELSMAN. Full-page color cartoons were reserved for Punch
regulars and this one is a nice one. (Younger readers may need to google
transistor radios—they were cool.) Punch, May 25, 1966






-- Edited from a blog entry that originally appeared on April 10, 2017.

Friday, March 08, 2024

From the Dick Buchanan Files: A Profile of Gag Cartoonist Jeff Keate (1912- 1995)

Magazine cartoonist Jeff Keate (1912- 1995) is the topic of the day. He was born March 10, 1912, so this Sunday is his 112th birthday. He was from Western Canada, and he moved east to the States. By the time he was 33 years old, he was living and working in New York City, and on his way to being one of the most published gag cartoonists. His work spanned gag cartooning as well as many syndicated features. You can always tell a Jeff Keate single panel cartoon because he wrote his signature neatly in upper case letters in the bottom right or left-hand side of the art, with one little line angled above his first name, and another under his last. 

Dick Buchanan has a lot more, including 25 of Mr. Keate's published magazine cartoons from 1939 to 1969. Thanks and take it away, Dick!


---

 

JEFF KEATE




Self Portrait from Best Cartoons of The Year 1945. Published by Crown Publishers, New York, 1945.


Robert Jefferson Keate, who signed his work Jeff Keate, was a prolific cartoonist whose work appeared in many national American magazines in mid-20th century America. Keate was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was inspired to be a cartoonist by his father, who, rather than punish young Jeff for drawing on the walls, put frames around the scribbles.


Keate left Canada to attend college in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Later he studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, class of 1936. For the next few years he remained in Chicago, drawing cartoons for Chicago newspapers by day and drawing gag cartoons to submit to magazines at night. Keate had one drawing in The New Yorker (1938) and his work began to appear in The Saturday Evening Post and Collier’s. He was also a writer for syndicated comic strips Dotty Dripple and Filbur McFudd.
 

In 1945 Keate moved to New York City and his career finally was on the fast track. At that time, he was selling 20 cartoons a week. Keate was one of seven contributors to the syndicated gag panel Today’s Laugh, which began September 1, 1947 with his cartoon. He began drawing Time Out! a sports oriented syndicated gag panel which ran from 1946 until 1984. And also drew the comic strip Rufus, which ran a single year, 1950. 

Over the years his cartoons appeared in most of the prestigious major magazines, Collier’s, Look, Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal, True, and This Week Magazine, as well as many minor magazines such as 1000 Jokes Magazine, Boys’ Life and the Humorama titles--Joker, Breezy, Jest, Romp, etc. His career as a magazine gag cartoonist spanned five decades, during which thousands of his drawings were published. 


Profiles of Jeff Keate often mention he dated legendary comedienne Phyllis Diller while he was living in Chicago, so we won’t bother to mention it here. However, we do know they were lifelong friends.
In a 1950 interview with Editor & Publisher magazine Keate said his cartoons were drawn with no other meaning or purpose than a laugh. 

In that spirit we have assembled a collection of Jeff Keate cartoons . . .

 

Collier’s  December 23, 1939.

 

 



Collier’s  December 4, 1940.    

 



American Magazine  March, 1942.


 

American Magazine  March, 1944.


 

The Saturday Evening Post  January 6, 1945.


 

Collier’s  September 14, 1946.


 

This Week Magazine  July 18, 1948.


 

Collier’s  August 28, 1948.

 

American Magazine  June, 1950.


The Saturday Evening Post  July 22, 1950.

 

Boys Life  March, 1951.

 

Collier’s  February 16, 1952.


 

Here!  March, 1952.


American Legion Magazine  June, 1953.



Collier’s  February 5, 1954.




The Saturday Evening Post  17, 1954.


American Magazine  February, 1955.


 

Field Enterprises, Inc.  June 3, 1969.


 

The Saturday Evening Post  April 27, 1957.



Look Magazine  May 12, 1959.



1000 Jokes Magazine  June – August, 1958.




The Saturday Evening Post  June 29, 1957.

 

1000 Jokes Magazine  December, 1957 – February, 1958.



True Magazine  October, 1958.


For Laughing Out Loud  January – March, 1959.