BangZoom Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 I wonder what respected authors like Hodding Carter (a Pulitzer Prize winning editorial writer) thought of the lurid covers that paperback publishers used to sell their books. I watched a Ken Burns documentary about Huey Long the other day on Netflix. Carter's widow was interviewed about Hodding's public opposition to the popular Louisiana governor and she revealed that when she heard that Long had been murdered she feared her husband might have been the one who shot him. ("I can't remember any Saturday night that I went anywhere that we didn't talk about killing Huey Long.") Those certainly were turbulant times. Doohickamabob, I noticed your It Rhymes with Lust paperback. Do you have any photos of the book you can share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straw-Man Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I wonder what respected authors like Hodding Carter (a Pulitzer Prize winning editorial writer) thought of the lurid covers that paperback publishers used to sell their books. I watched a Ken Burns documentary about Huey Long the other day on Netflix. Carter's widow was interviewed about Hodding's public opposition to the popular Louisiana governor and she revealed that when she heard that Long had been murdered she feared her husband might have been the one who shot him. ("I can't remember any Saturday night that I went anywhere that we didn't talk about killing Huey Long.") Those certainly were turbulant times. Doohickamabob, I noticed your It Rhymes with Lust paperback. Do you have any photos of the book you can share? popular u.s. senator by the time she was worried her husband killed him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doohickamabob Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Doohickamabob, I noticed your It Rhymes with Lust paperback. Do you have any photos of the book you can share? I am going to follow your links and refresh my history/literature so I have a baseline chance of holding a semi-intelligent discussion with you about Huey Long and Hodding Carter. Regarding "It Rhymes With Lust," I see you noticed my M.O. of putting cool books in the corner and wondering if anybody will notice. (Not really -- the "Lust" book happened to be out.) Here's the pic, I hope you enjoy it: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GACollectibles Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Mentallo Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 BZ - Dark Horse published a reprint of It Rhymes with Lust in 2007. Sorry for the blurry pics - camera in one hand and digest in the other! This may be heresy (pace Joanna!), but while Baker is a master draftsman, with an graceful, gracile line, he is not comparatively versed in the use of spot blacks in the way that, say Reed Crandall displayed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doohickamabob Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 BZ - Dark Horse published a reprint of It Rhymes with Lust in 2007. Sorry for the blurry pics - camera in one hand and digest in the other! This may be heresy (pace Joanna!), but while Baker is a master draftsman, with an graceful, gracile line, he is not comparatively versed in the use of spot blacks in the way that, say Reed Crandall displayed! Nice job with the one-handed pics! I need to get the Dark Horse reprint. Those are some vintage female poses by Baker. Interesting about the spot blacks. I've also heard it referred to as zip-a-tone. It's kind of 3-D! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Mentallo Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I see why you might think I was referring to zip-a-tone! Actually spotting blacks is an old term which refers to the use of blacks to create a sense of balance, mood, light, shadow - and even color! - in the absence of color itself. Whereas four color art tends to depend more on line to do the heavy lifting. Here is a link: http://stephendestefano.blogspot.com/2006/12/spotting-blacks-part-1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicnoir Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 BZ - Dark Horse published a reprint of It Rhymes with Lust in 2007. Sorry for the blurry pics - camera in one hand and digest in the other! This may be heresy (pace Joanna!), but while Baker is a master draftsman, with an graceful, gracile line, he is not comparatively versed in the use of spot blacks in the way that, say Reed Crandall displayed! Nice job with the one-handed pics! I need to get the Dark Horse reprint. Those are some vintage female poses by Baker. Interesting about the spot blacks. I've also heard it referred to as zip-a-tone. It's kind of 3-D! Zip-tone is shading film used to create half-tone effects. They are in dot, hatch and cross-hatch patterns.The film is cut and placed on artwork with the excess then cut off. Spot blacks are solid blacks laid down with brush and india ink. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doohickamabob Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I see why you might think I was referring to zip-a-tone! Actually spotting blacks is an old term which refers to the use of blacks to create a sense of balance, mood, light, shadow - and even color! - in the absence of color itself. Thanks for the link and giving me yet another way to look at and appreciate Baker art. I do see what you mean, and he is very good at it. (I'll have to go look at some Reed Crandall picto-fiction work for other examples.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doohickamabob Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Zip-tone is shading film used to create half-tone effects. They are in dot, hatch and cross-hatch patterns.The film is cut and placed on artwork with the excess then cut off. Spot blacks are solid blacks laid down with brush and india ink. . Thanks, I should know these things. I was looking at some Torchy artwork and I notice Bill Ward / Gill Fox often put crazy little swirling patterns on the female characters' dresses. I assume that is also some sort of zip-tone cutout effect. For example: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronty Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 no I don't think that's zip a tone at all. Its not shading; its line work. Highly suspect that's all hand drawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronty Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 besides did they even have zip a tone back then? thought it wasn't in widespread use til the 70s? ( I could be wrong) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBedrock Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 besides did they even have zip a tone back then? thought it wasn't in widespread use til the 70s? ( I could be wrong) Everett was using it as early as the first Sub-Mariner story in Motion Pictures Funnies Weekly and Marvel #1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamstrange Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Wally Wood frequently employed zip-a-tone for his science fiction scenes but it was in use by others well before him. http://comics.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=807&lotNo=9736#Photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicnoir Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) besides did they even have zip a tone back then? thought it wasn't in widespread use til the 70s? ( I could be wrong) Everett was using it as early as the first Sub-Mariner story in Motion Pictures Funnies Weekly and Marvel #1. Actually, Everett was using something I believe was called crafttint board. The drawing was done on a special board that had a texture that was made visible with a chemical applied with brush. Roy Crane used it all the time on Buz Sawyer. Edited June 3, 2011 by comixnoir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Here are some nice examples of artwork by Roy Crane that was reprinted in Captain Easy #13. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Very cool. This is the first time I've ever seen The Case of the Winking Buddha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangZoom Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Thanks for the photos. Now I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamstrange Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 The depth of field he created was incredible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doohickamabob Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 no I don't think that's zip a tone at all. Its not shading; its line work. Highly suspect that's all hand drawn You're probably right. It's just that he uses it a lot. Anyway, I am happy to get back to talking about Matt Baker. Also that art posted from Captain Easy is remarkably good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...