Wilda

Want a song to hum while you are reading Mel Graff's Secret Agent X-9 dailies from the 50's?
Here's Graff's own little tune: Wilda.

Now, who's Wilda? She was Phil "X-9" Corrigan's gal in the daily strip. They later married and had a girl named Philda...

While I'm at it: here's a pin-up of Wilda done by Graff.

This and that

Chilling on Hedvig's couch in Gothenburg at the moment. She's inking with her Wacom and we're drinking Tequila Rose Java Cream. A soft Friday evening in other words. :)

Thought I'd post a few random things. Like a goodie bag.
Something for everyone. :)

First off is a set of new drawings by Hedvig. These are taken from her latest blog post, where she also shows some artwork that she did with a friend when she was seven.

Next we have three original Scorchy Smith dailies by Frank Robbins. Won them in an auction yesterday. Wooha! These more than makes up for the one that was lost in the mail a few years ago. (Hmm... I still don't have them. Lets hope they make it safe across the Atlantic...) Will probably post some better scans when I get them.

It's still a few weeks until X-mas but if you want to get in the right mood already Andrew Pepoy has just released Simone & Ajax #23 online for free. Just click HERE. If you like good girl art and lemmings you're in for a treat!

One of mine and Hedvig's new favourite blogs is Sandro Cleuzo's Inspector Cleuzo blog.
Sandro is a really great artist and visiting his blog is very inspiring.

To round off this post with something really nerdy, here's something from the past.

During the Stockholm leg of Carl Barks' European tour in 1994, I had the pleasure to shake hands with the old maestro.
An this is me sticking a copy of Voodoo Hoodoo from 1949 in front of him, asking for a signature. The things you find on YouTube...

I remember how he put his fountain pen to the book and, yikes, it made a blot. But he was fast as lightning, pulling out a handkerchief (or was it a paper napkin), soaking it up not leaving a trace of the blot. Then calmly signing it. Needless to say that's a comic book that I really treasure.

At the same meeting I saw a (still) unpublished cover rough for "Which Witch Is Which?", and a half page from Silent Night rolled up in a pink plastic bag...

Star Angel by Barks and Williams

Here's an odd and interesting thing.
An unfinished childrens book by Carl Barks and Garé Williams.

The credits reads:
Words by Carl Barks
Illustrated by Garé Williams Carrol
Williams was, as you probably know, the maiden name of Garé Barks. That dates this dummy to somewhere between 1952 (when they met) and 1954 (when they got married).




This dummy was auctioned off many years ago. It had somehow ended up in the hands of Grandey and Morby and they sold it along with many other rather personal Barks items on eBay. Unfortunately the images were pretty small. [I think the poem was quoted in the item description. I saved it but I can't find it now. Anyone who is more organized than me who saved it?]

The two paintings and the sheet below were recently sold by Jerry Weist on eBay as part of his "Barks Estate" auctions. I guess they were both by Garé. Maybe done after roughs by Carl?



"Do you ever look up in the heavens at night
and wonder what's making those millions of lights?
It's the little star angels, up there in the dark -
a million star angels, each blowing a spark.
And each little spark that we see from afar
becomes in the darkness a beautiful star."

"Do you ever look up in the heavens by day
and wonder who's taken the star lights away?
It's the little star angels up there in the sky
who've covered their sparks 'till the sun has gone by.
They've covered their sparks and slipped into their beds
and pulled a blue blanket up over their heads."

[If you are the owner of the original book dummy, feel free to drop me a line. I'd love to read it and see it larger then the small images above.]

Gus and Gussie

It was a busy weekend so the Gus and Gussie samples I promised to post had to wait a while.
Here are three strips from August 1929, the last year of the strip. The strip ended in early 1930 and Paul Fung began working on Dumb Dora instead.
The mood in these dailies reminds me a little of Frank King's Gasoline Alley. Nice, eh?



Coming up next: some Barks stuff...

"Giga"-Havank by Danier

It's getting close to X-mas now so why not get yourself a gift that you know you want? Unless you wish for new underwear (or something equally boring) here's a big whopper of a book that will fit neatly beneath your x-mas tree.
Danier's new giant sized version of the second Havank album "De schaduw op de tast"!

I don't have the book myself yet but I got some snapshots that will give you a hint of what to expect. (Click on the images to enlarge.)









If you got the big Franquin QRN book or the Havank teaser from 2008 you're familar with the format.

It's available in two versions (with or without a sketch page) and is limited to only 200 copies. So don't expect that these will be available forever...
The price (for the regular edition) is €110 + postage.
You can get the book from Danier himself by mailing: lijnlust AT xs4all.nl

Super quiz

I know there are plenty of experts on old newspaper comics out there.
So here's challenge for you!
Let's see who can beat the rest.
From wich strip is this taken?


Who said it should be easy? ;)

OK! I know it's almost impossible. You deserve a hint:
It's from the 20's. And some nice samples will be posted here soon. :)

Edit: To give you a reasonable chance to figure this out here's an image. (With the main character's face deleted.)

Edit: Here are a few more hints. This artist later took over a strip created by a man who left that strip to create one of the most successful of all time. This artist also worked as an assistant on one of the funniest (at least in the 20's and 30's) and still running strips. In the end of his career he worked as an assistant to a comic strip artist known for his abstract images.

www.cbarks.dk

Wile on the Barks subject I can recommend a visit to Peter Kyllings great Carl Barks site www.cbarks.dk.
It's absolutely loaded with information about Barks. Even if you think you know everything about the man and his comics I bet you'll find things that will surprise you there! With several thousands of pages you can spend a weekend just browsing the pages. :)

Story germs and Gyro ideas

In an earlier post I mentioned the Carl Barks "Story Germs" folder I bought. I thought I should let you see what it looks like.

Notice the "A Few Choice Examples of Businessman's Bebop" newspaper clipping peeking out.

Here we see one of Peggys ideas on top, an "interoffice communication" message from Chase Craig, glimpses of story ideas and a Bob (Calgary Eye-Opener) Edwards letter head.

I also have a Gyro Gearloose folder with lots of ideas and plots.

Here we can see some ideas. Both used and unused. Including an abandoned storyline for Gyro #3. As Barks red notes in the margins shows he used bits and pieces for the mailman story.

Somewhere in this folder is Barks plot for the unfinished Pied Piper of Duckburg story. :)
Hope you enjoyed the photos. :)

Now, I wonder how many sheets were removed from these folders before I bought them...

Vasker Tvättbjörn

I'm currently working on the bonus sections to a book series called BAMSE-biblioteket. For vol 35 I have found some interesting stuff. At least if you are Swedish and a fan of Rune Andréasson and Bamse.
Vol 35 will feature lots of stuff from the mid 60's when Rune's earlier creation Teddy was transformed into Bamse. And some detours! Like this one, where Lille Skutt's best friend is Vasker Tvättbjörn instead of Bamse... From an early episode of "Nalle ritar och berättar".

I wonder if Rune would have had the same success with
"Vasker Tvättbjörn - världens renligaste tvättbjörn"...

PS. Volume 35 will be in stores February 2010.

Sorry for the "of Swedish interest only" post. :)

Covers of covers

Here's something cool!
Robert Goodin has started a blog devoted to covers of covers.
Follow this LINK to see what I mean. Well worth checking out!

Can you see wich cover this is a cover of? If not, just click HERE.

Modesty Blaise 992 needed!

[Edit: Thanks to Finnish Modesty Blaise fan Väinö Rinne we have now secured a far better version of this strip! Thanks Väinö!]

Here at Egmont in Sweden we are currently preparing the Modesty Blaise story "The Vikings" for publication, and have located a fair number of originals and other good sources that will assure that this version will be stunning.
However, we lack any acceptable proof of the final strip #992.
Does anyone have access to a better version than this?

If you do and would like to help us please mail johan dot kimrin at egmont dot se
Thanks!

Herriman in the 20's

Just have to share this one. From the collection of Ron Goulart.

It was just sold on eBay with the following description: An original glossy 8"x10" photo of GEORGE HERRIMAN, on the left with hat. Next to him is fellow cartoonist TOM McNAMARA. Then Herriman's two daughters. Unknown chap on right. Picture was taken at the Toluca Lake area of the San Fernando Valley, in the middle 1920s, when this area was opening up and being developed.

eBay oddities

Some people are just begging for the cops to knock on their doors.
Like The Gallery on Baum. They are continuing to sell forgeries on eBay for loads of cash. The Krazy Kat drawing I showed some time ago sold for $769.99! And the "Larson" cartoon went for $1035. They are really drawing their own money!
I wonder how much this "Caniff" will fetch...
[Edit: It went for $76. For a piece of worthless paper! Wooha! There are sooo many suckers out there!]

From the item description: "Any monetary refunds after initial 7 day return policy must include a signed letter by a noted authority stating item is not as described and what is wrong with item. We do not accept opinions." That pretty much says it all.

And while I'm on thew subject of odd eBay objects. What's this? "Carl Barks, Scrooge and Christmas".

The ISV "festival"...

I'm back from the so called ISV "festival". Well, what was supposed to be a big fair with lots of comics was a small room with a few publishers and fanzines.
The doors were wide open out to the street, so it was like standing outside all of the time with no heat turned on inside. We had to wear winter coats and were freezing most of the time. The light in the room was bright white (with white walls were we weren't allowed to place any posters or signs etc.) and there was no cosy feeling at all.
It felt that there were pretty few visitors. Most of them having no idea why there were people selling comics. (It took place on the first floor of a design store located in an old building.)
I checked the sign outside and it proclaimed this was a masqerade. (!) You'd think it would say there was an exhibition going on and comics for sale. But no. I told one of the persons in charge and the reply was that's the way it is and no new sign was needed. I decided to shut up... Can't argue with someone who thinks a comic festival is a masquerade.
I bet they were all warm and cosy on the second floor where the small, small comics exhibition was. And I won't even mention the programming wich was a mess and almost insulting when it came to the "Nils the Cat" signings etc we were supposed to do.

Groan... I'll stop griping here.
I just HAD to write something down to get rid of my frustration...
No more ISV for me.

Asterios Sneath

I just knew I had seen Asterios Polyp somewhere before... :)


(Yes, I know it's probably just a coincidence that he looks like someone in an old Captain Easy story, but...)