Two Christmas Stories in Four Color!

Today, Christmas bells keep ringing with two festive stories from Four Color No. 1154, December 1960. I'm not sure who did the wonderful cover, but the first story, "A Surprise For Santa," has the art and scripting of John Stanley. PS: Comic book expert and historian, Alberto Becattini, has identified this as the artwork of Dan Gormley - not Stanley. The second story, "Xavier Patch," is a real gem by an artist unknown to me (but hopefully known to someone) I love the line work and draftsmanship on display in that one (and the story has a simple holiday warmth, also easy to love)! PPS: Hooray! Mr. Becattini has supplied the ID: "Xavier Patch" is the work of Mel Crawford.

Andy Panda and the Police Pup!

Let's follow up last post with some more Dan Gormely - this time cartooning an Andy Panda story from Four Color No. 216, February 1949. Kevin Langely of Cartoons, Model Sheets, and Stuff; has commented in a previous post on Gormely's luxurious inking, and I couldn't agree more. His easy, bouncy drawing is pretty swell, too. Page after page of top flight stuff. And, as is always the case with Gormely, what a magnificent cover!

Here come two more of those famous Dell one-color, front and back inside covers!

Dan Gormley in Four Color!

Dan Gormley was a principal artist for Dell's Four Color during the 1940s and 50s; and certainly one of the unsung names that made that historic comic so superb. He has become better known in recent years for providing a great deal of the artwork on John Stanley's take on Bushmiller's Nancy; but his best stuff came when working in his own highly individual style - usually on various Walter Lantz creations (like here with Oswald the Rabbit). This is from Four Color No. 183, March 1948; and Gormley did all the pages as well as this super cover.

More work from Gormley. These next two, one-color pages are from the front and back inside covers. These one-color inside covers (sometimes done in black and white as well) are one of my favorite features from this era of Four Color. I often wonder how many kids tried their hand at drawing for the first time, staring at the seductive lines of these inside covers.