Paging John Wayne

Here's a page from an early 1950s romance comic book, of all things, in which the Duke himself--John Wayne--supposedly answers questions written in to...where? Well, he had his own comic book from the same publisher, with that same logo, so this was likely meant to appear there. The art above looks like it MIGHT be by Frank Frazetta. 

The thing is, while you KNOW Wayne never actually wrote any of this, it sounds like things he would say, even if not the way he might say them. A press agent, perhaps? But then again, just because they'd licensed his name and image didn't mean they had any contact with him or his people. Ah, well. Fun reading anyway.

 

Sad Sack Meets Miss Lace-1947

Milton Caniff was just starting out n his new STEVE CANYON strip when he spoke in Chicago in 1947 and made this drawing of wartime favorites--His own Miss Lace from MALE CALL and George Baker's not yet known much outside the military, SAD SACK.

He's seen here posing with Chicago legend Marshall Field III, founder of THE CHICAGO SUN, in a photo that made the cover of the magazine THE QUILL. 

 

New Peanuts Documentary

   

Producers Ron Howard and Bryan Grazer have a brilliant new PEANUTS documentary/animated special called WHO ARE YOU, CHARLIE BROWN? premiering next week on Apple TV. Check out my advance review here:

https://forcesofgeek.com/2021/06/who-are-you-charlie-brown-review.html

Invisible Men Nets Eisner Nomination!

The 2021 Eisner Award nominations were released this week, the Academy Awards of comic books. In the running for Best Comics-Related Book is Yoe Books/IDW's INVISIBLE MEN, the indispensible comics history volume published late in 2020 by Craig Yoe, copy-edited by Randall Cyrenne, and researched and written by the indomitable Ken Quattro over a period of quite a few years.

INVISIBLE MEN is an important work of comics scholarship, revealing as it does the surprising number of African-American comics artists who have pretty much always worked in the field, albeit hidden for decades behind the anonymity of newsprint or four-color pulp paper curtains.

Chapter after chapter introduces the reader to not just the somewhat recognizable names of  Matt Baker or A.C. Hollingsworth but to more whose names had been covered up or forgotten: EC Stoner, Jay Jackson, Calvin Massey... 

I provided some info to Ken years ago as he researched this book, and then worked a bit behind the scenes  as part of my long-term commitment to Yoe Books, so yes, maybe I'm a tad prejudiced, but make no mistake, this is a book that has long needed to be written and Ken Quattro has written it.

If you are a current or past comics professional, you are eligible to vote in this year's Eisner Awards and we hope you'll consider a vote for INVISIBLE MEN. Voting is open now for a limited time. With no Comicon again this year, winners will be announced in an upcoming online ceremony as last year. 

 

 

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While you're at it, if you don't yet have a copy, it is highly recommended! Since I was involved with it, however slightly, I never did a full review but any good collection of books about comics history needs to include INVISIBLE MEN by Ken Quattro! Order here: 

https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Men-Artists-Golden-Comics/dp/1684055865

Shout out also to quite a few of my other virtual friends who have this year also gotten well-deserved nominations: Trina Robbins, Mark Evanier, Noah Van Sciver, Grant Geissman, Kim Munson, Michael J. Vassallo, Roy Thomas, and my BACK ISSUE editor, Michael Eury! I only had a couple of short articles in the mag, myself,  last year but I nonetheless share in the pride of the nomination!