Benito JACOVITTI!

I'm back, folks!!
I apologize again, for the long delay between Postings.. But Life has become increasingly busy for me. The month of April saw me get married to the lovely Suzanne Dargie. Plus,-- my amazing 80 year-old Dad took a whole bunch of us to Holland with him, for an incredible 12-day vacation..
While in Amsterdam, I was able to visit the 'Lambiek' and 'GoJoker' bookstores.. And hunt down some albums featuring one of my favorite European artists: Benito Jacovitti!
This guy's work is astounding to me.. And even more astonishing that his work hasn't been reprinted for North American readers! I only have his work in foreign languages.. Mostly in Dutch, which I have a working comprehension of..
I only discovered his work in 1974, when my family first visited the Netherlands. Jacovitti's stories appeared regularly in the popular Dutch anthology: 'PEP Magazine'.. That publication featured many of his popular characters.
'Jack Mandolino' was a lot of fun.. Mandolino is a small-time crook that can't seem to get a break.. Despite the best efforts of his small Devil sidekick, who's constantly offering advice from his big book of "Dirty Tricks"..
'Cocco Bill' may have been his most popular character.. Jacovitti did quite a few stories with him. And from what I can gather, was propably his most-recognizable character. I have yet to see a 'Cocco Bill' story that lays out why exactly it's so necessary to always have a Set Square on his saddle. But it definitely fits into the absurdist worlds Jacovitti creates!
I already had a number of the 'Cocco Bill' books gifted to me by a good CFA-APA friend: Deiderik Van Rappard.. So instead, I bought a volume featuring 'The Zorry Kid'; Jacovitti's spoof on the famed ZORRO character..
I'm always at a loss, trying to describe Jacovitti's work to my friends.. Much of it, strikes me as reminiscent of Don Martin's MAD stuff. Especially the staging and the animated movements. Do I also detect a bit of Prohias' SPY vs. SPY here, too? Not sure. Some of the more grotesque surrealism, has something of a Basil Wolverton feel to it..
Either way, I really enjoy all of it!
Apparently, Jacovitti completed a very popular adaptation of 'Pinocchio'.. But alas, I haven't been able to locate that one. Instead, I lucked-into snagging another Jacovitti rarity: his 1983 'KAMA SUTRA' book!
Basic Blog decorum prevents me from sharing any of the bawdy/ribald pages from the interior of this remarkable volume.. But I can show you what the cover looks like:
Benito Jacovitti passed away at the age of 73, in December 1997. He created more than 60 different characters; and produced artwork & stories for more than 150 different books. He was easily one of the most prolific & original artists in comic-book history..
Why should it require taking a trip to Europe to get my hands on some of this stuff?!

That's all for now..See y'all, the next time!!

Of Christmases Past..

Has it really been more than a month between Blog posts?! For SHAME!!!

Sorry, Folks.. but as mentioned in the prior posts, I've been insanely busy with freelance work lately. And on top of that, me & Suzanne have been bogged down with the details of purchasing our very own home.. So there's been literally waves of bureaucratic/legal paperwork for me (us) to wade thru.. Posing another significant distraction, from regular bloggin'-time!

Normally at this time of year (like most everyone else?),.. I'm caught up in the hectic buzz of the 'Holiday Season' hullaballoo.. Shopping for small gifts, finding a nice Christmas Tree, etc.. But also working hard on finishing the artwork for yet-another Dannys family Christmas Card.. An annual tradition, that I began back in 1989..
They've proven to be very popular with friends & family, over the years.. But I've been forced to concede that I simply won't have the time, to complete one this year.. Of course I'm bummed about it, as it'll be the first time I've missed a year.
With luck, I'll find a way to squeeze in work on another new Card, before the 2008 deadline looms up & bites me on the bum.. But in the meantime, I thought I'd share a few of my "older" examples..
Some of the talented artists in my "Friends" links will recognize these. But hopefully, will appear "new" to the rest of you..

This "Sinterklaas" one, is from 2003.. I was going for a kind of Ferdinand Horvath treatment, I think? The white steed looks a bit bland.. But I was quite happy with the way that 'Sinterklaas' and 'Zwarte Piet' turned out! I'm 1st-gen Canadian, myself. But I come from a double-Dutch genetic background.. Both of my parents emigrating to Canada from Holland, in the early 1950's.. So, I think they got a kick out of this one. Even though Dutch folks really celebrate their Christmas on December 5th, rather than the 25th..

'Sinterklaas' ended up looking a little bit shady & unorthodox, which is what I wanted.. A man that enjoys a good cigar, and possibly the occasional alcholic beverage, as well? heh His costume details worked out, too.. A mix, from a number of referenced examples..
'Black Peter' should probably look a bit more serious, too. I think he was supposed to cart away naughty children in bags, in the original Dutch legend.. But he looked so hysterical in those ballooned Spanish pants I gave him.. That I couldn't resist making him much more cherubic & ebullient! haha He seems so elated, to help out ole St. Nick!
The Jolly Elf at the pipe organ here, is my Card from 2004.. And, another favorite of mine! I guess because I used a very traditional 'Santa Claus' design.. the drawing came together very quickly & easily.. I was lucky enough to get some nice animated movement within the main Pose.. I wanted him to look like he could teeter over completely, at any given moment?.. Having half his Right Ass Cheek hangin' off the edge of that tiny wheeled stool, certainly helped in that regard! hehe

The musical Elves in the background, were a last-minute addition, to help balance-out the composition, a bit better.. Their contrasting poses seemed a good fit, with each other. It's a shame that the L'il Reindeer's silhouette gets a bit buried in the color scheme I used for the pipe organ, though.. When it came time to design the organ pedals, I went for a gas/brake scheme.. hah!
Was I subconsciously going for a 'Rankin-Bass' or 'PuppetToons' vibe, with this one? Not sure, myself..

Okay, this 'Three Minstrels' example, was from 2005.. And is very obviously the result of poring over far too many of the 40's-era Frazetta "Funny Animal"comic-books I've been consistently purchasing on eBay!
My versions tend to look a little less spontaneous than Frank's.. But I hope they haven't come off as completely stiff or dull, either? I was pretty happy with the poses & composition, actually. And I'm fine with the cottage and BG details, too.. But for whatever reason, I had a helluva time pushing the Printer to recreate the colors found in my original Digital File.. An ongoing frustration that I've had with all of the Cards I've done over the years.. But particularly so, with this one!

Anyways, that's all for now, Folks.. I'll be trying my darndest to not let another complete month roll by, before I get another "new" Post, up again.. 'Til then, keep yer fingers crossed & say a l'il prayer for me! 'Til then, see yuz..