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Like so many other artists of his era, Gil Turner began his artistic career as an animator, having begun his career at Walt Disney Studios in 1933 and moving very quickly to the animation unit at several studios.
Mr. Turner worked for a “Who’s Who” list of great animation studios throughout the 1940s and into the 1960’s: MGM (Barney Bear), Walter Lanz (Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy), UPA (Mr. Magoo), Hanna-Barbera (as a kid and later as an adult fan, I saw his name on several Flintstones and Yogi Bear episodes), and Format Films (Alvin) among them.
But it is Mr. Turner’s comic book work for which I love him best. Interspersed throughout his animation career, he turned a ton of pages for “funny animal” comics like Coo Coo, Giggle, Barnyard, and Ha-Ha. From 1947 onward, Turner was a regular artist on Dell’s Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, creating original stories for Big Bad Wolf and his lovable son/sidekick Lil’ Bad Wolf and contributing art for stories featuring Mickey Mouse, Bucky Bug, and Dumbo. Sadly, Mr. Turner died very young (53) in Los Angeles in 1967.
Here we see Mr. Turner at work on Custer Bear in Coo Coo Comics No. 33 (May 1947)
Well, that's all for now, Kids! Coming up: I have a real treat in store for you guys! A book length story (which I will do in two parts) featuring the great artist of western-themed comics, Evertt Raymond Kinstler, from Santiago - a Dell Four Color from 1956!
I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!
--Your friend, Mykal
Hi, Kids! I’ve missed you guys! Today we have a very nice Supermouse story on tap that I’m sure you’re going to enjoy.
Supermouse was created in 1942 by Kin Platt, an animator who had once worked for Terrytoons. Thus comes much speculation regarding Supermouse possibly being a forerunner for the much better remembered Mighty Mouse. Supes, as he was often called, was a charming creation in his own right, drawing his power from a bite of his “supercheese,” often supplied him by his ever-loyal girlfriend, Annabel.
Over the years, many great artists have put their stump on Supes, among them Gene Facette, Milt Stein, and Jack Bradbury. This story, however, is drawn and inked by the very prolific and always elegant Al Hubbard, who left his animating mark with nearly every major studio of the time, MGM, Walter Lanz, Warner Bros., and of course, Disney.
Today’s clever story was written by Richard Hughes and appeared in Coo Coo Comics No. 33 (May 1947).
Well, that's all for now, Kids! Coming up: Let’s do another story from Coo Coo Comics (1947) this time displaying the work of animation legend, Gil Turner!
I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!
--Your friend, Mykal
Today we are going to love the work of Jack Bradbury, a legend in great kids’ comics from the Golden Age! This story, featuring one of his signature characters, Tuffy the Cat, comes to us from Coo-Coo Comics No. 33 – May, 1947.
Mr. Bradbury began his art career as an animator for Walt Disney Studios in 1934 around the age of 20. He worked as an “in-betweener” (the animator who creates all the drawings between the extremes of the action of a cartoon character), eventually working up to larger features. Mr. Bradbury worked as an animator on “Pinocchio” (1940), “Fantasia” (1940), and “Bambi “(1942). He left Disney after the animation strike of 1940, worked at an aircraft factory briefly, went to work for the animation department at Warner Brothers and eventually worked the remainder of his career in comics.
During the 1940s, Mr. Bradbury drew comics for Better Publications (Nedor/Better/Standard/Pines) which produced Coo Coo Comics and many other fantastic titles. Bradbury began for Western Publications in the late 1940s, where he would illustrate many Disney Characters for Dell Four Color (Comics).
Jack Bradbury artwork exemplifies the extremely high standard of kids’ comics cartooning in the Golden Age, where artists like Dan Gordon, Al Hubbard, Lynn Karp, Ken Hultrgren, Jack Bradbury, Jim Davis, Otto Feuer, Howie Post, Carl Barks, and many others provided the kids of America with consistently beautiful work.
Here, just look at Mr. Bradbury’s gorgeous, organic work in this funny animal take on the tale Aladin's Lamp!
Well, that's all for now, Kids! Coming up: Let’s do another story from Coo Coo Comics (1947) this time highlighting the work of Al Hubbard and his take of Supermouse!
I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!
--Your friend, Mykal
Today is going to be a fun day! Why? Because I’m posting today an artist completely new to me (but perhaps not to some of my expert readers) making his first appearance on the Big Blog! I love it when that happens.
The cartoonist in question is Dave Gerard, who worked as a magazine cartoonist (Colliers, The Saturday Evening Post, Evening Post and others) during the 1940s and 1950s. Mr. Gerard tried a number of panel strips with limited success before he struck gold this his legacy creation, Will-Yum, a precocious but endearing small boy. Will-Yum was in syndication from 1953 to 1966.
I really love Gerard’s clean style here – very free, organic, and lively, much like his subjects, and his storytelling is charming – again, much like his subjects. Another thing I love? Mr. Gerard, after retiring from cartooning, went into politics and became the mayor of Crawfordsville, Indiana from 1972 to 1976. To my knowledge, Mr. Gerard is the only cartoonist that has made this professional transition!
Dave Gerard passed away in August of 2003.
This comes from Dell Four Color No. 676, February 1956
And just for good measure, here are a couple of B&W inside covers. I love these pages as they always show off the brushwork. Isn’t it gorgeous?
Well, that's all for now, Kids! Coming up: Let’s do a story from Coo Coo Comics (1947) by the great Jack Bradbury!
I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!
--Your friend, Mykal
Good afternoon, Kids! So nice to visit with you all again!
Today the Big Blog will be highlighting another work from the wonderful team of painter, Norman McGary and draftsman, Hawley Pratt
As was true in my last post regarding Mr. McGary, I can find virtually no bibliographic information at all. McGary and his work are listed in several art gallery online sources as an “illustrator of children’s books” or as an illustrator of Hannah-Barbera and Disney characters (as here). And other than a birth/death date (Born October 20, 1930; Died February 10, 2012 – he passed away in California) not much was found.
Mr. McGary did a great deal of work for Golden Books (both big and little). And it all was simply gorgeous. I’ve collected many in my collection and will be sharing them. He often collaborated with the great Hawley Pratt, who always supplied the drawing (as here).
This is from Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har, A Little Golden Book from 1963. The author is Gina Ingoglia Weiner, and I find the story sweet (and a touch melancholy), as I find the cartoons involving the Hanna-Barbera character, Hardy Har Har – the laughing hyena that couldn’t laugh.
Well, that's all for now, Kids! Coming up: An artist and a comic strip character new to me (I love when that happens)! Dave Gerard and his creation "Will-Yum" appearing in a Dell Four Color comic from 1954!
I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!
--Your friend, Mykal
Good afternoon, Kids! So nice to visit with you all again!
Today, and for the next few posts, the Big Blog will be highlighting a wonderful Golden Books painter, Norman McGary.
I could find out very little biographical information regarding Mr. McGary – virtually nothing, in fact. He and his work are listed in several art gallery online sources as an “illustrator of children’s books” or as an illustrator of Hannah-Barbera and Disney characters (as here). And other than a birth/death date (Born October 20, 1930; Died February 10, 2012 – he passed away in California) not much was found.
Mr. McGary did a great deal of work for Golden Books (both big and little). And it all was simply gorgeous. I’ve collected many in my collection and will be sharing them. He often collaborated with the great Hawley Pratt, who always supplied the drawing (as here).
I remember gazing at this book as a child and its beauty left a lasting memory.
This is from Huckleberry Hound, A Big Golden Book from 1960. The author is Carl Memling.
Well, that's all for now, Kids! Coming up: More Norman McGary and Hawley Pratt working with Hanna-Barbera characters - A Little Golden Book starring Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har!
I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!
--Your friend, Mykal
