Special thanks to Steven Rowe and Sam Kujava for verifying my tentative but sleep-deprived identification of Bob Oksner as the artist on the previous Bob Hope PSA. It actually got me thinking about Oksner and realizing I knew little or nothing about him even though he has long been a favorite artist. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say that nobody from the best PLAYBOY cartoonists to Jazzy Johnny Romita (Senior) or even my revered and admired Wally Wood could draw prettier, sexier girls than Bob Oksner! Here are just a very few examples from the man who won the National Cartoonists Society Award for best comic book
cartoonist at least twice in the early sixties along with a one-page bio that appear
ed in THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS. 
Bob Oksner's Supergirl, drawn for,
ReplyDeleteI think, Adventure Comics in the
early '70's, was the cutest,
sweetest and sexist incarnation of
the girl hero. I think he did
a Mary Marvel story or two during
this time as well, with equally
delightful results.
As a long-time inker for Curt Swan's Superman in subsequent years, he was not my favorite
embellisher. But DC was giving one
of their stalwarts steady work,
and the days of JERRY LEWIS and
BOB HOPE were long gone.
Even later, Bob Oksner became an
instuctor at the Joe Kubert School,
after my time there, darn it!
From what his bio offers, he sounds
like he would be a most interesting
person to get to know!
Sam Kujava is right about Oksner drawing several Mary Marvel stories in the 70s (not to mention this Who's Who entry from the 80s), and he made her look so damn cute that the new Shazam! Showcase volume is almost worth picking up just for those stories alone.
ReplyDeleteBob Oksner passed away yesterday 2/19/07.
ReplyDeleteI just knew there was a reason
ReplyDeletewe had been sharing the love for
the work of Bob Oksner. Rest in
Peace, Mr. O.
The family of Bob Oksner thanks all of you for your kind thoughts. We know that Bob would cherish each and every post.
ReplyDeleteComics have never seen cutest girls than Supergirl and Mary Marvel drawn by the great Bob Oskner. In this age of ugly comics I really miss him.
ReplyDelete