Comic Character Ads

Comic strip characters have served as spokesmen for many a product.  I've been collecting comic character advertising for quite a while and thought I'd share a few examples.  Today we have three print ads for Canada Dry Ginger Ale featuring the Terry and the Pirates characters -- all from the George Wunder era.  Below those are two ads for Kraft caramels starring Chet Gould's Dick Tracy and Daisy Mae from Al Capp's Li'l Abner.  I swear I have another Kraft ad featuring Abner himself, but can't find it at the moment.  Abner was also the star of a long running series of ads for Cream of Wheat.  I'll eventually scan some of those and share them here as well.

Crumbling comics

More scans from the crumbling 1930's comic sections mentioned in an earlier post.  These are falling apart and past rescuing, except by scanning.  I've used Photoshop to bring the highly tanned newsprint closer to its original white -- but chunks of paper have flaked off where these were folded, so there are some missing bits here, and in some cases (the Barney Google strip especially) the two scans needed to cover the entire page, don't line up too well when combined. I've trimmed the scans close to the comic strip borders -- the actual edges of the paper are very uneven and missing big chunks of paper.  At least these scans can be saved, while the actual paper comics turn to dust.

There's another Skippy Sunday here -- and a page by Jefferson Machamer.  I'm quite familiar with Machamer's panel cartoons -- largely found in "girlie" magazines of the '40s and '50s-- but this comic strip was a surprise.  Enjoy Toots and Casper and Felix, too.  As always, click on the strips for a larger version.  If you like what you see, please leave a comment!

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A word about the unfortunate ethnic stereotypes seen in some of these vintage strips:  I won't defend them -- they are what they are -- an undeniable part of the past -- a cultural land mine one too often encounters when dealing with art and entertainment of an earlier time.  Fortunately we (well, most of us, at least) have gotten past that sort of thing and these sort of portrayals are no longer a part of our current cultural landscape.  I'm not condoning them, by posting these vintage comics -- but feel it would be dishonest to deny that this sort racially insensitive caricature wasn't part of  comics history.  If you find them offensive, that's because they are -- but I mean no harm by posting them here, and hope the strips can be seen in their historical context.  

More commissions!

Almost caught up on the commissions!  Just one more after these.  For a client who is collecting super heroes and their secret identities -- it's Matt Murdock and Daredevil -- with a big tip of the hat to the late great Wally Wood.  Now to get these packed up and shipped....

Who Knows What Evil Lurks...?

Today we have some Shadow items for the old time radio and pulp magazine fans out there.  First is a promotional photo from the radio show, and below it, a scan of the press release attached to the back of it. (Click on the images for a larger view.)

I searched for years for all three Big Little Books of The Shadow, and eventually got a copy of each one -- but it was a long time (years) between finds, and involved a lot of dumb luck.  This was well before eBay, of course.  So when I recently saw all three of them (in slightly better shape than the ones I already had -- and at a good price!) in a case at a local used book store, I couldn't resist picking them up!  I probably should sell or trade away the extras at this point -- but I do get kind of a kick out of  having two sets, when for years I thought I was never going to even complete one!

ERB fans should note that the cover art for The Shadow and the Ghost Makers is by John Coleman Burroughs.

 The Shadow Scrapbook was published back in 1979. I bought it new, but I guess it's been on the shelf long enough to be considered a vintage item now. If you're a serious fan of the character, it is well worth seeking out.  I had the pleasure of meeting both Chris Steinbrunner and Walter Gibson at a BoucherCon (mystery fiction convention) not long after.  Why I didn't think to bring this along with me to get autographed, I don't know.  But I do treasure the memory of being at a convention party and sitting with several other attendees, listening to Gibson hold court, telling stories about writing The Shadow and his adventures with his good friend Harry Houdini!  

Catching up on commissions!

In between comic book projects, I'm catching up on a few long-overdue commissions.  Today we have Ms. Tree teaming up with Modesty Blaise.  Below that is the always popular Harley Quinn, about to deliver a pie.  Three more and then I'm caught up!  

I'm starting work very soon on a big project. so I probably won't take on any more commissions for the duration.  I do enjoy doing these -- but when print deadlines loom, it's tough to squeeze them into my schedule.  As always, click on the image for a larger view.

Milt Caniff

Some items from the Milton Caniff file -- a cover and article from the "Flatiron" magazine -- and the covers of two Terry and the Pirates coloring books.  I have a lot more Caniff -- so will be posting more in the future.

Maid Marian

Another random item from my collection -- a gorgeous color promotional photo of Olivia DeHavilland in "Adventures of Robin Hood."  The 1938 Technicolor masterpiece is one of my favorite films -- I never tire of it.