Woody Woodpecker - "Woody Buys a Car"

I love the art of Dan Gormley; who did the pencils, inks, and lettering for all of the following (including the lustrous cover). Little is known about Gormley. He worked for Dell on-and-off throughout the 40s and 50s. What happened to him after about 1958 is anyone’s guess. Nothing seems known about his private life. Place or date of birth? Death? Favorite color? All a mystery.

What is known, for sure, is that he had an incredibly bold, cleanly-rounded style that is pure pleasure. This is from Four Color No 336, June/August 1951.

These two, black & white, one-page stories are from the inside covers. Gormley was certainly an artist that was well served by black & white: nothing to get in the way of those luscious brushes.

This last one is from the back cover. On the other hand, color certainly didn’t do Gormley any harm.

Andy Panda in "The Mighty Mites"

In the post war Four Color books, Andy Panda and his friend, Charlie Chicken, were featured in some of the most surreal adventures ever staple-stitched between comic covers. This darkly-tinged, rollicking tale of an insane inventor intent on world domination is top of the class. The art here is all Dan Gormley, and no one drew the Panda any better. Gormley did this beauty of a cover, too.

What’s cool about Andy (besides Walter Lantz' design) is his heroic optimism; his very aggressive positivism. With the Panda, if you can't get on board the positive express, you'd best get off the tracks! Notice how he glares and balls up his balloon fists whenever Charlie’s attitude flags. This is from Four Color No. 198, September 1948. Scans are from my own comic.

PostScript: I have learned from my good friend, Gabriel (Joyville), that this great story is by John Stanley, which makes perfect sense. For a wonderful essay on this story, please visit Frank M. Young's blog: Stanley Stories.

More Gormley from the inside front cover. I love the hatcheck girl. Then as now, good help is hard to find.