Rob Stolzer

No worries at all. It's a lot of info to go through. And since you mentioned Ralph, I should mention that he is a HUGE fan of Bill Mauldin's work. In fact, Ralph worked with Mauldin to try and get a Willie and Joe animation special in the 1970s, but they could not get the TV studios interested. Still, Ralph loved working with Mauldin. I'll add one more Mauldin story. Some of you might recall Lew Sayre Schwartz, one of Bob Kane's many, many Batman ghosts. Lew was an art collector as well and he loved to chat. In the 1940s, not long after Mauldin returned home from the Mediterranean Theater, he attended a National Cartoonists' Society event in NYC. Mauldin was able to bring his Willy Jeep home with him from the war, and he gave Lew a ride to the function. But Mauldin got so blasted at the event, he wound up driving down one of the one-way streets in NYC the wrong way. If you've read the wonderful Todd DePastino biography about Mauldin, you'll know that he was a tea-tottaler before the war, but what he saw in Italy changed him forever. He apparently felt a lot of guilt for having the success he did while so many people he knew were killed in battle. Finally, before I drone on too long, if you're interested in this kind of stuff, please consider checking out my Gregor Duncan website. Duncan was a well-known illustrator and even had stories in the first 10 issues of Whiz Comics before heading out to war. He got to know Mauldin at the Stars & Stripes office, but was sadly killed in action just days later. Duncan's comics work was not all that good, but it was an industry in its infancy and a way to put food on the table during the Depression His illustration work was far better, but his life was fascinating. He and his wife were in the club Cafe Society when Billie Holiday introduced "Strange Fruit". Now that's something.

The reason why Mauldin's WWII originals are so scarce is because he donated the bulk of them to the 45th Division Museum in Oklahoma City.

Many thanks for the attribution and link to my website. One clarification: I did not know Mauldin, though I wish I did. I do think he's one of the most important wartime cartoonists ever to put pen to paper. He influenced a bunch of the EC guys and I'm sure influenced M*A*S*H as well. One final note: I'm lucky enough to own that Bloody Ridge original, which is an incredible piece in context to what Mauldin wrote about it.

I don't use the Photomerge function in Photoshop, but use both Auto-Align-Layers and Auto-Blend-Layers (under Edit in the top menu) frequently. If you are scanning a large Sunday page and have six pieces to join, those two functions make it so much easier. Plus, the Auto-Blend function removes the discoloration where pieces are joined.

For anyone interested in reading about odd, eccentric and sometimes forgotten cartoonists and illustrators, you might like to check out my website at inkslingers.ink The latest blog post is about the cartoonist Mal Eaton and his often wonderful Peter Piltdown Sunday page. You can see that post here: Mal Eaton's Scratchy Big Feet I've pictured a bunch of nice Eaton artwork from my collection in the post. Thanks and take care. Best, Rob

Yep, I've been supporting Farel Dalrymple's Patreon for years, and I recently started supporting Noah Van Sciver's as well.

Hi Everyone, I forgot to post that I put up a bunch of stuff for sale in my CAF sale gallery a couple of days ago. It's most comic strip stuff, but there is a sweet Mike Royer Mister Miracle piece listed as well. You can check things out at: Rob's CAF Sales Gallery Many thanks. Best, Rob

It won't be this one, since it's in my collection.

Hi Everyone, I have a number of new items available for direct sale, including a great Kevin Nowlan piece, a signed/ltd edition of the Joe Kubert Artist's Edition book, and much more. You can see the art at: Rob's Eclectic Art for Sale Many thanks. Best, Rob

Hi Everyone, I have a new round of weekly eclectic eBay art auctions up and running, including work by the illustrator David Stone Martin, Gaar Williams, Paul Rigby and more! There's also a pair of cool Art Nouveau nature illustrations. To check them out, please go to: Rob's eBay Auctions Thanks for looking and take care. Best, Rob

Wow! Thanks so much! I really appreciate the research and help. And images! Thanks again. Best, Rob

1) As many folks have said, but what you like/love. If you love the piece, even if you decide to sell or trade it at some point, someone else will love it. 2) Don't worry too much about what is popular. See #1. Buy what you like/love. Best, Rob

Hi All, I've recently picked up the pages below from Anthony Snyder. Anthony had them listed on his site as a DPS, but I have my doubts about that, as the action on the two pages doesn't appear to connect. Anthony also did not know where the pieces were published and I'm hoping that one of you eagle-eyed Nino fans might now something about the page(s). Thanks in advance! Best, Rob

Hi All, I've got five new eBay art auctions up and running, with work by Gene Colan, Roy Crane, Paul Maybury, Edwina Dumm and Clifford McBride. To check them out, please go to: Robart's eBay Auctions Thanks and take care. Best, Rob

Hi Everyone, I have five new pieces of art up and running on eBay, including work by Michael Kaluta, Dave Cooper and Phil Mendez. To check them out, please click Robart's eBay Auctions Thanks for looking and take are. Best, Rob

Hi Everyone, I have a few things up on eBay, including some cool old comic strips and some sweet illustration art. If you enjoy fairies and bees, check out the 1914 Harold Gaze watercolor illustration. Thanks! Rob's eBay Auctions Best, Rob

Hi All, I have a super-sweet cartoon illustration by Harrison Cady up on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/123851423617 The piece is from 1908, and appeared in St. Nicholas magazine, accompanying Carolyn Wells' "Happy Chaps" series. It's a great example of Cady's work, and is priced to sell. Thanks! Best, Rob

Hi All, I have three examples of partial daily strips of Bob Oksner's Miss Cairo Jones up on eBay right now. Oksner's daily strip ran from 1945 to 1947 and is quite rare, There are some wonderful shots of the lead character in two of the pieces: Miss Cairo Jones on eBay Thanks for checking them out. Best, Rob

So I picked up a few odds and ends in one lot recently, including this old, possibly unpublished western comic strip. This came with three daily strip fragments by Bob Oksner, so it's possible that it's by him. A couple of the panels look to be swipes, possibly from EC Comics. The second panel sure has a Williamson and/or Wood vibe to it. Does anyone have a clue what this might be? Thanks. Best, Rob Stolzer

Hi All, I'll be issuing my next eList of original cartoon artwork (and two rare books) in the next week or so. If you would like to receive the list email, which goes out to my private mailing list first, please drop me a line at: rob@robstolzer.com. There will be approximately 15 items on the list, going back to the turn of the last century. Thanks. Best, Rob

Hi All, I put 19 pieces up for sale in my CAF sale gallery on Monday evening. There are plenty of nice items remaining, if you'd care to take a look: Rob's CAF Sales Gallery Folks on my mailing list get advanced notice of my sales, so if you'd like to be added to the mailing list for future sales, drop me a line at rob@robstolzer.com. I'm likely done with sales lists for the year, and run no more than one a month, though they're not that regular. Thanks. Best, Rob

Hi All, My next eList of original comic strip and cartoon art will be emailed tomorrow. There are 11 items on the list, including a 1947 Phantom daily, a 1947 Mickey Mouse daily, and a Bill Mauldin cover to one of his books. If you would like to receive this eList with the rest of my mailing list, please drop me a line at rob@robstolzer.com. I send the list out at a specific time, to give everyone a shot at the artwork, no matter what time-zone you live in. Thanks. Best, Rob

Hi All, I have a sweet WWII Pin-Up Girls panel by the great Russell Patterson currently up on eBay: Russell Patterson 1944 PIN-UP GIRLS Also, for those of you interested in older cartoon-illustration work, I have an early caricature by New Yorker great, Gluyas Williams, also listed on eBay. The piece is from 1919: GLUYAS WILLIAMS 1919 Caricature Thanks for checking them out. Best, Rob

Hi Everyone, I currently have three comic strip originals up on eBay, by Roy Crane, Edwina Dumm, and Bill Holman. If you dig that kind of stuff, please check them out at: Robart's eBay Auctions Thanks! Best, Rob

Hi Everyone, For one week only, through next Friday, 15 December, I am offering any item in my Sales Gallery at 20% off of the listed price. So if there are any pieces that you've been mulling over, now is the time to mull a little more! I will be glad to hold pieces for a short time, but can only hold pieces at the discounted price if you contact me about them this week. The gallery can be found at: Rob's CAF Sales Gallery - 20% OFF! I will be back with new art listings in the New Year, so want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a healthy and happy holiday season. Many thanks and take care. Best, Rob