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A question for OA comic strip collectors

Started by Mighty Hal,

23 posts in this topic

Mighty Hal

Mighty Hal

Posted
Posted

Everyone knows that, for a period of time in the '50s, Frank Frazetta ghosted for Al Capp with Li'l Abner. Frazetta pieces now sell for more than Capp originals which led me to wonder how many comic strips have ghosts doing the work? Dennis the Menace, clearly, and Garfield, I think, but are there others?

 

Besides the ghost artists, there are several strips that now are being drawn by replacement artists: Hagar, B.C., Blondie, Andy Capp, others. For the comic strip collectors out there, does it matter to you if the original artist did the work or not?

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Claudio

Claudio

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It mattered to me if the artist did the work or not. I was looking for a Garfield a while ago but then I was told that Jim Davis didn't really draw any of the strips past the first couple of weeks. So I stopped my search.

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NightGallery1

NightGallery1

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Hal Turner - I did read a very good book some years ago about collecting comic strip art. Sorry, but I can't for the life of me remember who the author was off the top of my head (could have been Weiss). I'll check my storage areas and when I locate it I'll get back to you.

 

I do have a somewhat small collection of strip art (two of which are pictured in "The Comics before 1945" by Walker) - I'm pretty picky though... one criteria is that they all have to be nighttime scenes.

 

My partial wish list includes - Calvin & Hobbes, Peanuts (I think they're overpriced, but do regret passing up on one example that sold a few years ago), Addams Family, The Far Side, Krazy Kat, and a Rusty Riley by Frank Godwin (the guy was a master draftsman).

 

One thing that I've noticed throughout the years - strip art seems to be a more acceptible collectible amongst the general public than comic book art. I assume it's because of their association with newspapers as opposed to (what my dad used to call them) funnybooks.

 

-Bill

 

 

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Satya-migration

Satya-migration

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I have been holding off on quite a few strip purchases because I want to know more about ghost artists and be sure that an example I have is not by a studio artist. I've read that most of Roy Crane's latter-period Buz Sawyer pages were ghosted, so I am especially more careful about the example I would want to buy. The same with majority of syndicated strips.

 

Bill, would appreciate more information about the book you were talking about.

 

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adamstrange

adamstrange

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There are lots and lots of examples of ghosting all the way from doing pencils to the whole thing farmed out to others. Even the greats like Raymond farmed out entire Flash Gordon Sundays to Austin Briggs and there's been some debates about which ones and how much, though I think the authors of the latest Raymond book believe they have provided a definitive answer. Milton Canniff hired Norman Rockwell's son to do the penciling for Steve Canyon and pretty much just did inking in the last few decades of that strip. Eisner regularly relied on a team even when he was "drawing" the Spirit and you actually need to read his interviews and those of his assistants to best sort out who did what.

 

Absent data to the contrary, I personally assume that some work was farmed out over the life of a strip. If you really want an example of a strip by a particular artist then you have to do the research or buy from a knowledgeable source who will guarantee the artist of a particular strip. Since I like comic history and enjoy identifying artists this is part of what makes strip art collecting fun. Others may find it a chore or stressful if they worry they bought the wrong example.

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Mister Trent

Mister Trent

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Are there really this few comic strip collectors among our number? Or is this topic just not of interest to anyone but me?

 

Or both?

 

Oh, I collect all sorts of things, including newspaper strips.

 

Just rmembered . . . Al Willaimson assisted on a week's worth of Frazetta JOHNNY COMET strips - and also Wally Wood completed two of the Sundays (I'd be reluctant to say Wood 'ghosted' Frazetta, because the Wood strips make no real attempt to ape Frank's style).

 

The subject of 'Ghost' artists aside . . . it's interesting to note that:

 

Newspaper strips are usually the work of one artist (or, rather, are credited to one artist).

 

Comic-book strips are usually the work of two artists (penciller and inker).

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CollectingFool

CollectingFool

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Are there really this few comic strip collectors among our number? Or is this topic just not of interest to anyone but me?

 

I've been focusing mainly on comic strip art for a while now. I usually am only interested in the original artist. There are certain exceptions though. I love Raboy on Flash Gordon and Williamson on Secret Agent X-9 but don't care for Prentice on Rip Kirby.

 

I think for people who actually like artwork that's well done and affordable strip art is the way to go. For those that just want to buy their childhood favorites or buy art for the CAF WOW factor, usually strip art has no appeal.

 

Ruben

http://www.collectingfool.com

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comicartcom

comicartcom

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the list of ghost artists is too long to list much less remember

 

Comic strips being the most common place to have ghosts, literally all of the strip artists used them at some point

 

Chester Gould was assisted by Moores in the 30s-40s

 

George Mcmanus was assisted from the 20s-40s by a gent whose name escapes me

 

Caniff was assisted by Noel Sickles and Caniff also assisted Sickles

 

Raymond always did his own stuff, but for several weeks in 1938, he was either ill or on vacation and Falsh Gordon was done by Austin Briggs who later did teh strip after Raymond left in 1944

 

Raymond himself ghosted Chic Young's Blondie until he left for Flash Gordon and he also assisted Chic's brother Lyman on Tim Tyler's Luck. Raymond handed both of these to his brother once he began FG

 

Hal Foster always said he never used assistants, however it is known that his son assisted him on Tarzan and Prince Valiant and Wayne Boring assisted Foster in the 1960s

 

It is believed that Jose Salinas' son ghosted or assisted his pop on Cisco Kid

 

Segar never used assistants, however during a period when he was ill, the strip was ghosted by Doc Winner who was King Features in-house replacement for sick or vacationing artists

 

Hogarth was assisted by Dan Barry, John Celardo and Al Williamson as well as others, though Williamson's tenure is reportedly as little as 3 weeks of the Tarzan sunday

 

Joe Shuster was assisted and ghosted by numerous artists from 1939-1945 including Leo Nowack, Wayne Boring and John Sikela

 

Will Eisner was assisted or ghosted by a large number including Lou Fine, Jerry Grandanetti, Bob Powell, Klaus Nordling

 

Lou Fine was assisted by Reed Crandall

 

Cliff Sterrett was assisted by Sid Greene before Greene took over Polly and her Palls

 

Comic strip artists usually tapered off their work once they started making the jack and they would do loose pencils sometimes or even just writing, after all these guys were making serious money. Caniff was one of the highest paid people in the late 30s-early 40s with a salary of near or over $100k in those years and more once he created Steve Canyon. Raymond was also making huge sums as were every one of the major comic strip artists of the time period and being ghosted was as common as anything.

 

Al Capp almost never lifted a brush after he "made it" and Li'l Abner was ghosted by a crapload of artists, as well as having come up himself as a ghost artist for Zack Mosley on Smilin Jack and Ham Fisher on Joe Palooka

 

Comic book artists of course were really not paid much money usually and that's why you rarely see a ghost artist in comics. Bob Kane and Joe Shuster being 2 notable exceptions (both were making close to $100k a year in the early 40s). But comic strips were ghost alley...

 

 

 

 

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jjonahjameson1

jjonahjameson1

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the list of ghost artists is too long to list much less remember

 

 

Raymond always did his own stuff, but for several weeks in 1938, he was either ill or on vacation and Falsh Gordon was done by Austin Briggs who later did teh strip after Raymond left in 1944

 

Raymond himself ghosted Chic Young's Blondie until he left for Flash Gordon and he also assisted Chic's brother Lyman on Tim Tyler's Luck. Raymond handed both of these to his brother once he began FG

 

 

Hiya, Rich...I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that Raymond was ghosted by Stan Drake for a few weeks, no?

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comicartcom

comicartcom

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Hiya, Rich...I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that Raymond was ghosted by Stan Drake for a few weeks, no?

 

Maybe.. I can't remember the details

 

I do know that Stan feels that the car crash that killed Raymond, in which Raymond was driving his sport car with Stan in the passenger seat reportedly followed an argument between the two where Raymond accused Stan of sleeping with his wife, and Stan felt that Raymond was trying to kill him and he was in the hospital for awhile afterward.

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