Bob Bolling has that rare gift few cartoonists have - his character design is just funny on sight. Howie Post (of Harvey fame) and Milt Gross had it, as does modern animation master, John Kricfalusi. It's a quality that can't be taught. Throw great scripting and wonderful layouts into the bargain, and you have classic stuff. Last time I checked, Mr. Bolling was still turning out high-caliber Little Archie stories for Archie Comics! These two Bolling stories come from Little Archie No. 3 (Summer 1957).
Not only does this nifty house advertisement give fair indication of the success of the Little Archie comics, it also boasts a great shot of the man himself!
I think that I actually like Little Archie more than his teenage incarnation. They are much more imaginative. Archie has been around so long, they have stooped to all sorts of gimmicks to keep readers' attentions. There has been Archie Babies, Little Archie, Stone-age Archie, futuristic Archie and Archie Marries Betty/Veronica in alternate timelines. When do we see Senior Citizen Archie?
ReplyDeleteDebbie: I agree - as much as I still love the straight-up Archie comics, Bolling's Little Archie is my favorite encarnation. Senior Citizen Archie . . . Hmmmm.
DeleteI was really drawn into these as a kid (probably identification with the ages?) but now I can really dig on the art. Those mouths, those eyes. He was sneaking real cartooning into sometimes stiff house style at Archie.
ReplyDeleteDig 'em!
Hiya, Jeff! Bolling is just an incredible aritst.
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