The Genius of HANK PORTER..

I was cruising thru sections of eBay a few nights ago.. When I came across a Seller that was auctioning off samples of 'Original Art', by Disney artist: Hank Porter.. Most of these, look to be developmental sketches.. Or perhaps, ideas that never made it Final Art.. But they're still mighty cool to look at!


After I attended Sheridan College in the early 1980's.. I spent some time working retail for 'The Dragon Lady' comic-book shop, here in Toronto.. It was then, that I first discovered Porter's work as a Designer of military insignia for various WW2 detachments. The designs would occasionally appear as full-page promos, in the older issues of 'LIFE Magazine' that we'd sell..

There was something about these Designs, that fascinated me.. Seeing familiar Funny Animals, acting in overtly aggressive ways.. These emblems seemed an ideal blending of Cartooning & Illustration disciplines. Iconic poses of animated creatures, delineated in rich colors & lush inklines!


Not long afterwards, I wrote to the Disney Archives, asking if they could help direct me to find more of this WW2 material? Their Archivist: David R. Smith wrote back a kind letter, stating that almost ALL of the Disney insignias were printed in a Stamp series once, designed to raise funds for the War Effort.. But that due to a lack of interest, little of this material has ever been republished by the Disney Company.. And he felt that there wouldn't be significant public demand, to reprint them now, etc.

Well, he must've received a few more inquiries, after mine.. Because only a few short years later (in 1992), 'Abbeville Press' published the terrific 'Disney Dons Dogtags' book! An album that I dearly love.. Yet I wish it had been more complete, too.. As it contains only a fraction of the overall artwork, actually created.


Hank Porter began running his own successful Commercial Art studio in Buffalo N.Y., in 1925. He later applied for a job at Disney, in 1936.. Where he became a valuable staff artist in their Publicity Art Department, 'til 1950.
From the very beginning of WW2, different military units began adopting divisional "mascots" as their representative insignia. And though both the 'Walter Lantz' & 'Warner Bros.' studios also contributed insignia designs,-- the lion's share of them, were still created by Hank Porter thru Disney Studios..
Porter headed up Disney's official 'Military Insignia' department.. Designing & drawing most of the emblems, himself. And supervised the work of others.. including, artist: Roy Williams. Simultaneous to this work, Porter also contributed artwork for many of the illustrated adaptations of Disney's 'SILLY SYMPHONY' cartoons; that appeared monthly in 'Good Housekeeping' magazine..

If you can still find the 'Disney Dons Dogtags' book.. I heartily recommend getting a copy!
To read (and SEE!) more about the career of Hank Porter (and others),-- I'd also direct you to visit the most-excellent David Lesjak BLOG entitled: 'Toons At War'..

See ya!

Send For The PATTI WAGGIN!

I know it's been a bit of a drought here, re: new posted Artwork.. I hope to remedy that, very soon.. But in the meantime, I'll distract you with another Burlesque Girl entry!
Presenting... Miss PATTI WAGGIN!!

I dunno much about her, frankly.. She performed early on, as: "Patti Brownell".. And also danced as: "Patti the Co-Ed".. aka. "The Girl With The Educated Torso"! haha
She always looked younger than her years.. And I think she had a fresh girl-next-door "look" to her, that reminded patrons of a vibrant, young College Girl?
She was built leaner & more-muscular than the 50's-era norm, for PinUp Girls.. And from what I've read, had something of a Tomboy personality..
She was raised in the mountainous town of Burney, California.. And got her start at the 'New Follies' Theatre, in downtown Los Angeles. She sez her parents taught her to "hunt and fish, like a man.." Whatever that means..
Oh yeah,-- she also liked to race Harley-Davidson motorcycles, on outdoor courses.
She was also married briefly, to 'Chicago White Sox' pitcher: Don Rudolph.. And (I believe) retired to Bakersfield, California; after her Striptease career had ended..

The initial photo at the Top of this posting, was something I'd grabbed off the Web once. But these other 4 photos, I'm lucky enough to own..
Recently, a California eBay Seller was putting up a lot of Patti's personal memorabilia.. Items he'd secured at an Estate Sale, after Patti had passed on. I kept getting outbid on some of the nicer stuff.. So I was thankful to get these!
I was able to get about a dozen small-ish Contact Print photos, that were from her personal scrapbook. Many of these I have not seen before.. But I've seen some of the others, used in her publicity promotion..
These 2 photos were clearly shot outside of an unknown Burbank Theatre.. With Patti showing off both the Marquee and Lobby Poster, for her show..
I spent some time scrubbing these clean of dirt & dust, using Photoshop.. Hope you enjoy looking at 'em!

These last 2, are some of my favorites.. She had a kind of Pageboy brunette haircut, that reminds me of "Bettie Page". In a lot of her photos she puckers-up, to give you that "bee-stung" lips effect.. I suppose that was another of her performing trademarks? I dunno..
In fact, if anyone has any information on her.. Please post it & lemme know!
'Til next time.. See ya!!

Daniel Torres' ROCCO VARGAS!

Humble apologies, for my long absence.. I've spent the past couple of weeks, hurriedly completing my 'CFA-APA' contribution! The deadline was November 15th. And I only got it sent out via FedEx, this aft.. Fortunately, our Editors always afford us, a little bit of wiggle room!

For those that don't know.. An 'APA' is an 'Amateur Press Association'.. A kind of an old-school Fanzine, published by (and for) it's own Membership.. In our case, it's a sophisticated group of 'Original Art' collectors/enthusiasts. We only ever publish 55 copies or so, about 3 times a year.
Each issue, features a different "theme" for articles to follow. And this time 'round, it was: "International Comic Art".. So I chose to write about Daniel Torres. One of my favorite-est European artists!

Normally, writing my article comes pretty easy.. But truth-be-told, I knew very little about Daniel Torres.. Outside of the fact that he was from Spain; and that I liked his work a lot..
I found relatively little info about him, online. And what I did.. was all written in Spanish. A language which I am definitely not fluent in!
Last week (fortunately), I was able to purchase the new 'ROCO VARGAS Sketchbook' at my comic-book shop.. It's excellent!! I can't recommend it, highly enough! And that helped me sort out some of Torres details for my article..

I had a hard time just picking out a few JPEGs from the book to showcase here, on my Blog.. I only scanned the cover and a few interior pages.. It's a 48-page hardcover, that is loaded with conceptual sketches, color comps, vehicle & character designs.. And even storytelling 'page breakdowns' that you can compare to the finished books, if you have them..
The English-language translations were all published as: 'ROCCO VARGAS'.. with an added "C" to the name. The earliest stories started out as a kind of swashbuckling Space Opera.. But later issues, informed us that 'ROCCO' was in fact a mild-mannered Science-Fiction writer named: "Armando Mistral"; who just happens to get drawn into a lot of adventures, mystery, and intrigue..
I actually own relatively few of the books, myself.. As Torres' work is notoriously difficult to find on these North American shores! If you enjoy the 'Clear Line' style popularized by artists like Yves Chaland and Eddy Vermeulen.. Give Daniel Torres' work a look,-- you might really enjoy it, too!

S'more "Funny Animals"!

Okay, here's that page of "Funny Animal" development doodles, that I mentioned earlier..
Granted, a lot of it is still quite sketchy.. But I hope it gets the idea across?
The 'Pulp'-style crimefighter here, is obviously supposed to be the Rooster dude..

A lot of this, was inspired by looking at a lot of early Will Eisner & Jack Cole artwork.. I even gave the Police Commissioner owl in the Lower Left, a 'Dolan' -esque hairlick! Most of the other characters on the page, are various ne'er-do-wells of different sizes & shapes.. I think the weird monkey character in the fedora, was riffed off a Jack Cole 'Silver Streak' character..
I looked at a fair share of Milton Stein stuff, too.. But I don't think any of that, really shows itself in these sketches?

Hope you likey.. See y'all laterz!

I LOVES Me Dem "FUNNY ANIMALS"!

Anybody that knows me.. Already knows that I'm slowly assembling my own scrapbook/binder of Frazetta's old-timey 'Golden Age' comic-book work. And a big chunk of that, was the beautiful "Funny Animal" text illos & stories; that were published by 'Standard Comics' in the mid-to-late 4o's..
Today, was an awfully good day for me.. As I received the last of 3 different "Funny Animal' books that I'd been waiting on, won off eBay. This last one, was entitled: 'BARNYARD COMICS' #20. And not only did it have 3 different (2 of which, are featured here) text illos. But it also had a very nice 7-page "Barney Rooster" story!


If memory serves,-- both the 'Big Ears' and 'Forest Concert' illos were featured in the Kitchen Sink 'Small Wonders' trade paperback; published in '91. But I have a complete Checklist of the entirety of Frazetta's comic-book output.. And it's pretty shocking just how much artwork, is actually still missing from that particular book..
Plus, it was only published in black&white. To truly appreciate how gorgeous this stuff looks, it behooves you to see them in color! There's something about that slightly off-register printing on old yellowing pulp, that really enhances the "warmth" of these Pics!


Featured above, is the custom Christmas Card that I created for my family, in 2005.. It was my own attempt at staging some "Funny Animals" in a similar way. Unfortunately, I recall that the yellows didn't printout all that well; skewing towards a more-greenish tint.
This digital JPEG-version is actually closer to the original intent of the color scheme.

Off-and-on, I've also been developing a 'Pulp'-style crimefighter story, using s'more "Funny Animals".. I hope to get some of that stuff posted on here, later.
'Til next time, see ya!

The Mighty THOR!

Okay.. Time again, to "Feed The Blog.." Damn, has it already been a whole week since I last fed this thing?!
Anywayz,-- here's an unfinished THOR sketch I'd been workin' on..


Marvel's THOR Essential Vol. 2 was easily one of my favorite purchases, of last year..
The 1st THOR Essential tpb was okay, too. But Vince Colletta's inking is a little harder to take, in that one. For whatever reason, his stuff just holds up a little better in Volume 2..

I couldn't resist drawing a Kirby-style THOR running along the Rainbow Bridge, with Asgard in the BG.. Lately, I've been doing a whole series of Kirby characters running, for some reason. I think it's probably just an unconscious attempt to try and analyze the dynamics of why I find Kirby's work so powerful? That whole "exploding off the Page" idea..
This sketch is obviously unfinished. And if you look hard enough, you can still spot where I've been second-guessing some of my creative decisions.. I guess I just got tired of fiddling with this one. So, I filed it away..

I thought it'd make a nice Post, just the same.. Enjoy!

Frazetta's 79th Birthday!!

That's right, True Believers.. The mighty Frank Frazetta turns a hearty 79 years old today! So take the time to say a little prayer, for his continued good health & happiness.. After all, the guy deserves a little respect for all of the great artwork he's sent our way, throughout his long & diverse career!
If you've got artist friends that still prefer a Boris Vallejo -- or heaven forbid: a Mike (Rip)Hoffman -- over The Main Man, himself?.. Slap 'em & tell 'em to their face, what dumbasses they be.. And then go out and find yourself a new batch of friends! heh

Just check out this asstastic.. er, I mean.. fantastic example of the man's handiwork.. Painting a selection of foxy Frazetta chicks for Harvey Kurtzman, as only 'The Living Legend' can!


I know most of you are probably much more familiar with Frazetta's fantasy art oil paintings?.. Maybe others of you, prefer his pen & ink illustration work? Yours Truly loves ALL of it, don't get me wrong.. But I do have a particular predeliction for Frazetta's comic-book art!
That's right.. COMIC-BOOK artwork, amigos!!
Many fans aren't even aware that Frank had a career as a comic-book artist.. Let alone, just how much of it, he's actually done!

About a year ago, I noticed some attention on Internet blogs, being focussed on Frazetta's prodigious "Funny Animal" catalog.. But beyond those lovely Text Illos,-- it's a rare day indeed, when I see someone post (or write) about the actual Story Art, found in those old-timey Golden Age books..

As a hardcore Frazetta fan,-- that's one of the things that has always bugged me.. That even the so-called "experts" tend to be completely dismissive of Frank's cartooning skills.. The oil paintings get all the Glory. And I guess, we should expect that. But the guy completely kicks ass when it comes to creating pure "cartoony" goodness, in his comic-book material!

For your perusal.. Check out the Title page, of this LOOIE LAZYBONES story; as it appeared in 'THRILLING COMICS' #68 [October 1948]:

Ain't that splash page, a beautifully designed thing?!.. The staging & composition, work so well together! And all of the character posing, reads exquisitely.. I'm also very impressed by the color work.. Even if the registration of the printing plates is a tad wonky,-- you've gotta admire those color-to-color skylines!
These LOOIE LAZYBONES stories were clearly bald-faced imitations of Al Capp's L'IL ABNER.. But the stories were done in the late 40's. And as far as I know, Frank only began working for Al Capp as a "ghost" artist after the JOHNNY COMET/ACE McCOY strip ran outta gas. That would put Frank's "Start" date at the Capp studio, around late '53 I think?.. Suffice to say,-- quite a bit after these LOOIE storylines originally saw publication!

Here's page 3 of the same story:


For all you Frazetta trivia buffs..
Note the foreground tree in panel 4 of page 3.. You'll see that Frank has depicted a carving into the trunk, which reads: "Fritz Loves Carol". This was the name of a dancer that Frank was dating at the time, before he met & (eventually) married Ellie!
Frazetta confessed that he grew to become obsessed with Female legs & calves, as a result of dating this "Carol" girl.. And you can witness examples of these (somewhat) muscular Female dancers' legs, in his 'PERSONAL LOVE' #28 romance story, entitled: "Empty Heart".

Okay, so this next one isn't an example of Frank's comic-book work.. But I couldn't resist posting it, anyhow. It's a watercolor rough, for Frazetta's memorable 'The High Side' oil painting! This prelim was up for bid, in one of the more-recent 'Heritage Auctions'..
Ain't she a beauty?! If only had the cash!


Thankfully, the lack of a reliable Frazetta comic-book compendium, will soon be addressed.. Arnie Fenner (publisher of the most-recent trilogy of Frazetta art books) made an announcement on the 'Frank Frazetta Art Forum' ..
If things go as planned,-- Underwood Books will be releasing the first 128-page collection of Frank's comic stories in: 'THE COMIC ART OF FRANK FRAZETTA' in the Fall of 2007!
There will be somecolor examples in the book, but the majority of the material, will be printed in black&white.. Much of it, made directly from negatives of the 'Original Art' pages. The current plan, is to do at least one initial Volume. With perhaps two more Volumes, in the future.