Mel Casson's "Angel"

Today we have the charming work of Mel Casson (July 25, 1920-May 21, 2008), and his signature strip, “Angel,” which ran in syndication from 1953 to 1966.

A little background on Mr. Casson: A child prodigy, He sold his first cartoon at the age of 17 to the Saturday Evening Post and quickly had wis work appear in the pages Esquire, The New York Time, the Ladies Home Journal and other leading publications. .

Mr. Casson served in the infantry in WWII and survived the Normandy landing on D-Day. He finished the war as a Captain and earned five Battle Stars, the Croix de Guerre, and two purple hearts. .

After getting out of the Army, Mel Casson spent the rest of his life drawing comics strips; “Sparky,” “Angel,’ and “Redeye” among them (he worked on “Redeye” – a strip about a tribe of Native Americans in the 19th century – until near his death in 2008 at the age of 87. .

These two, sweet stories come from Four Color No. 576, August, 1954. .

Well, that's all for now, Kids! Coming up: Some very early work of Owen Fitgerald and a couple of suprises!

I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!

--Your friend, Mykal

Frazetta and Bradbury: Funny Animal Masters!

Frank Frazetta (Fritz) became a legendary artist in his lifetime, one best known for his powerful illustrative work. Who among us of the appropriate age hasn't bought a John Carter of Mars or Conan the Barbarian paperback reprint on the strength of the cover alone? But that doesn't mean Frazetta wasn't a master funny animal cartoonist, too. See for yourself! Early in his career, he did a fair share of funny animal work. This Dodger the Squirrel story comes from Coo Coo Comics No. 41, September 1948.

You want to see more kids' comics from Frazetta, right? Then, boy, do I have good news! Craig Yoe and IDW Publishing have collected all of Frank Frazetta's funny work in one volume! Needless to say, I've already got mine on preorder. I know you will want to do the same. Just click HERE!

And just for good measure, let's do a seldom seen Jack Bradbury story from the same issue! Masterful, indeed! For those that may not know, Bradbury is at the top of my personal favorites list. Isn't it easy to see why?

This ad comes from the back cover of the same issue. A flashlight, much like a pocket knife, was one of those tools a boy longed for to feel grownup like his Dad.