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Good afternoon, Kids! So nice to visit with you all again!
Today, let’s go for a long multi-chapter romp with Harvey master, Warren Kremer!
Unlike so many comic book artists, Warren Kremer did not have a long and varied resume. After studying at the School of Industrial Arts in New York City, he worked briefly in pulp magazines and as a cartoonist for Ace Publications. After WWII, his friend Steve Muffati brought him to Harvey Comics, where he worked steadily for 35 years, establishing the Harvey house-style and himself as a legend in the process
Let’s enjoy this Casper adventure wherein our favorite friendly ghost has to school a wayward bear cub, save the day for Mother Nature, and show an angry ogre who’s boss! This is from The Friendly Ghost Casper No. 23, July 1960.
Oh, and let's not overlook the great cover to this issue - another Kremer cover classic!
Coming up next, let's visit with another Harvey character I've neglected for too long, Playful Little Audrey!
I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!
--Your friend, Mykal
Good afternoon, Kids! So nice to visit with you all again!
Today, let’s go for a hayride with the Brownies, curtesy of artist, Don Gunn!
The Brownies, in case anyone was wondering, where characters (imaginary little sprites) created by Canadian artist, Palmer Cox in 1887. Dell Comics picked up the theme, and Mr. Don Gunn was the principal artist (among others) that handled their stories throughout the fifties. His work on this title was always wonderful and was influenced by the great Walt Kelly.
Mr. Gunn’s work here is appropriately rich and lush ala Kelly. Don Gunn was one of the great Four Color/Dell craftsman and professionals that did an absolute ton of work through the ‘40s and ‘50s. All his work strikes me as eye candy! Oh, he did this luscious cover as well. Enjoy!! This comes from Four Color - The Brownies No. 398 (May-1952).
Coming up next, I believe it's high time to visit again some work by one of Harvey's greatest artists, Warren Kremer!
I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!
--Your friend, Mykal
Good afternoon, Kids! So nice to visit with you all again!
Today we have a companion piece to the Big Blog's last post which highlighted the work of the mysterious Holly Chambers. Why was he mysterious? Have a look at the previous post for the sad and fascinating details of Mr. Chamber's life (what little of it is known).
Today we come to another story from Cosmo Cat #2 (September-October 1946) featuring a story by Pat Parrish.
But who was Pat Parrish? I had not previously heard of Pat Parrish and, after finding this story in Cosmo Cat and doing days of research, I can find less about Mr. Parrish than I had been able to uncover about Mr. Chambers. At least with Mr. Chambers, there were artists (Howie Post) that had known Holly Chambers and spoke about him in print, relaying some unhappy, barebone fragments of a life.
Not so with the legacy of Pat Parrish. There is absolutely nothing at all from any quarter about his life or times that would suggest a life. Not the tiniest thread upon which to hang a story.
So. I'll come to the point: I think "Pat Parrish" was a pseudonym for Ellis Holly Chamber, and I'll tell you why.
First - the artwork. It is so similar in several key features - features which often determine an artist's unique style: The hands seem to have an odd, blossoming life of their own, fat digits seeming to point in impossible directions (I love Chamber's hands). And the feet. Certainly, the work comes from the era of "bigfoot" cartooning, yet with Chambers (and/or Parrish) the feet appear positioned utterly at random - not moving forward or backward particularly. Character poses and facial expressions are often very similar as well.
Then there is the storytelling. Simply put, there's a dark, underlying violence to the stories of Mr. Parrish that is exactly the flavor of a Ellis tale; that is , the "comeuppance" of Cosmo Cat's adversaries are often harsh and brutal (with just a tinge of realism - not "cartoon violence”).
And Lastly – according to the Grand Comics Database, there are exactly 7 comic book credits for Pat Parrish, every one a comic from a Fox Publishing comic (Usually Cosmo Cat) and every one Ellis Holly Chammbers has a credit somewhere in the issue as well!
So, Kids, I rest my case. Of course, so many readers of the Big Blog are far more knowledgable than I. If anyone has a varying opinion, please let me know!
So, be it Holly or Pat, either way it is a neat, little story. Enjoy!!
Coming up next, the enjoyable work of Don Gunn!
I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!
--Your friend, Mykal
Good afternoon, Kids! So nice to visit with you all again!
Today we have some rare work from the Golden Age of comics, Mr. Ellis Holly Chambers (both cover and story).
I have not been able to find even a shred of biographic information regarding Mr. Chambers. There seems no information to be found regarding year of birth or death, birthplace, family . . . nothing.
The only scrap that has been passed down that I've been able to find comes third-hand from the great Harvey artist, Howie Post; who apparently shared a studio with the artist in the ‘40s in New York City.
This interesting if distrubing scrap comes from my friend Sherm Cohen and his blog, Cartoon SNAP!:
"Milton Knight provides some tantalizing information about cartoonist H. Chambers:
'It's Holly Chambers! (Holly was his middle name; I think his first name began with an E.) My late friend, Howie Post, used to share a studio with him and had several vivid tales to tell: he described Chambers as a handsome, charismatic "psychotic" who could walk out with a bar stool and stare down the bartender with a 'what are you going to do about it?'
Post also revealed that Chambers was a heroin addict who could shoot up and complete a comic book overnight: 'Who needs women when you have this??'
As colorful as his comics, that was Holly Chambers. Howard lost track of him in the 50s, and suspected that he was "rubbed out" by his drug connections.”
It would seem there is just enough known or rumored about Mr. Chambers to make him forever a mysterious legend. If anyone out there has any more cheerful or biographical info on Mr. Chambers or his life, I'd be very happy to hear it. As of now, his wonderful, joyful work will be his most meaningful and endearing legacy.
This story comes from Cosmo Cat #2 (September-October 1946)
Coming up next, another artist from the same Cosmo Cat issue! Pat Parrish!
I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!
--Your friend, Mykal
Good afternoon, Kids! So nice to visit with you all again!
Today, making his first appearance on the Big Blog, is cartoonist Al Hartley.
Before WWII, Mr. Hartley worked as a commercial artist in New York City before serving as a bomber pilot in the European theater. After the war, he went to work for Ned Pine’s Standard Comics and its imprints, Better Publications and Nedor Publishing. In 1949, Mr. Hartley went to work for Stan Lee at Timely Comics (which merged into Atlas Comics – the forerunner to Marvel).
As Marvel moved into the Silver Age, Mr. Hartley realized that he didn’t have much interest in drawing superheroes. In 1967, he became a born-again Christian and went to work for Archie Comics, increasingly placing his growing faith at the center of his stories. In 1972, Mr. Hartley launched Spire Christian Comics. In 1980, he was awarded the prestigious Inkpot award.
Here we find the kind of romance/teen story Mr. Hartley loved and for which he is best remembered. This comes from “Cookie” (April-May 1947)
Coming up next, a real rarity! A 10-page story from Ellis Holly Chambers from 1947. You do NOT want to miss it!
I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!
--Your friend, Mykal
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