Todd Klein's Blog, page 108

And Then I Read: EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SNIFTER OF TERROR Season 2 #6

Image © Ahoy Comics

This humorous horror anthology has been a hoot through 12 issues. This time the first main story is by Carol Lay, a fine cartoonist with a long history in comics. Her take on Poe’s Purloined Letter is unusual and funny, and her treatment of Poe himself as the story host is possibly the best one yet.

For variety, the Robert Louis Stevenson’s story about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is adapted by Paul Cornell and Steve Yeowell. I don’t know if adapted is quite the right word. Perhaps “referenced in amusing ways” would be closer. The story is a funny look at British vs. Scottish customs and language.

Wrapping up the visuals is another brilliant episode of Poe Vs. the Black Cat by Hunt Emerson, this time four pages, making for an explosive finale reminiscent of the Mad feature Spy Vs. Spy.

Recommended, as is the entire series.

<br />

The post And Then I Read: EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SNIFTER OF TERROR Season 2 #6 appeared first on Todd's Blog.

Rereading: HENRY REED’S BIG SHOW by Keith Robertson

The fourth book in the Henry Reed series was first published in 1970. Henry is making his third visit to Grover’s Corner, New Jersey for the summer, staying with his aunt and uncle and renewing his friendship with business partner Midge Glass. Henry and Midge are again looking for a way to make money, and Henry suggests they put on some kind of show outside the barn and on the property he owns. Before that can be worked out, the star character arrives, a smart and eccentric horse named Galileo. He’s been gifted to Midge, who has become horse-crazed, and Henry agrees to let her keep the horse on his property. They build a corral fence to contain him and set up a stall at the back of the barn. Galileo soon proves to be as much an inventor as his namesake. He keeps inventing ways to get out of the fence, and much time is spent catching him. Galileo also proves to be fun to ride for Midge, and when Henry buys an old carriage at an auction, he’s also good at pulling it. Before long, the three of them are in a protest parade in Princeton where Galileo gets lots of attention.

When a struggling rock band’s car and caravan trailer breaks down in front of Henry’s barn and Henry agrees to let them stay in his yard while the car is fixed, the band agrees to perform as thanks, and their loud music soon draws a crowd. It’s Henry’s first big show, though not one he planned. Artist Robert McCloskey’s funny and wonderful art is a large part of the appeal of these books, and I can’t resist showing his visualization of the band. It’s a spread, but here it is in two parts to show it better.

As you can see, a state trooper has been called to the scene by irate neighbors, but things are worked out to everyone’s satisfaction.

Henry tries to put on a play, but that doesn’t go well, and then he has a better idea: a rodeo. Lots of kids in the area have horses, and everyone loves the idea, except some of their parents. The rodeo is fun and funny, like this entire book, and cheerful chaos continues to follow Henry and Midge through it. Keith Robertson knew horses well, he wrote a number of books in which kids and horses star, and this is one of the best.

Recommended.

My reviews of the previous books:

Henry Reed, Inc.

Henry Reed’s Journey

Henry Reed’s Babysitting Service

The post Rereading: HENRY REED’S BIG SHOW by Keith Robertson appeared first on Todd's Blog.

Ira Schnapp in REAL FACT COMICS

This and all images © DC Comics

REAL FACT COMICS ran for 21 issues from March/April 1946 to July/August 1949. Editors Jack Schiff and Murray Boltinoff worked on it uncredited, with Schiff handling scripts and content and Boltinoff handling art editing most likely. Non-fiction educational comics had found a niche by the mid 1940s, and were a good response to criticism about the violence and sexuality of many comics. Typically they did not sell well, and this was DC’s only attempt. Some of the stories were more fiction than fact, particularly “The True Story of Batman and Robin!” in issue #5 and the science-fictional “Just Imagine” regular feature, some with art by pulp artist Virgil Finlay, that introduced the DC character Tommy Tomorrow. I have looked and not found much lettering by Ira Schnapp, but quite a lot by the unknown letterer who inspired Ira I’ve nicknamed Proto-Schnapp. I believe he lettered this and many of the covers. I don’t know who designed the logo, it could be Proto-Schnapp, or Ira, or someone else. It’s not particularly well-done, the word REAL seems like an afterthought. The word COMICS is from earlier DC logos.

Many of the styles that Ira used I think came from Proto-Schnapp, with a few differences between them. Proto-Schnapp’s regular lettering tended to be wider, rounder and sometimes bouncier than Ira’s, though it can be a tough call. His open letters were looser and often more rounded than Ira’s. This cover from 1947 has styles that Ira used as well as some he didn’t, so I’m calling it the work of Proto-Schnapp.

Toward the end of the series, beginning with #17 from 1948, it gets harder to tell whether the covers were lettered by Ira or Proto. I think this is still Proto based on the style of the open letters in the lower right caption, and the loose rounded look of the open letters in the one at lower left, but it’s very close to Ira’s work. I think Proto-Schnapp was an older man probably working on staff at DC who Ira befriended and learned a lot from.

Issue #18 from 1949 has lots of handsome Western poster lettering that I don’t recall Ira doing anywhere else, and the “Action-Packed blurb is too loose to be his, so this is again by Proto-Schnapp.

Issue 19’s cover is a very tough call. It could be either Ira or Proto. I am leaning toward Proto because of a few styles here that Ira did not do elsewhere, but again he was learning from Proto, and might have been copying him more on this title than usual.

Issue #20 is another tough one. Again I am leaning toward Proto-Schnapp because of the loose quality of the open and display lettering.

The final issue has cover lettering that I can finally say is by Ira Schnapp. Notice how the display lettering is more square and regular and the script lettering is narrower. This is the only cover I’m calling for Ira Schnapp on this book.

Inside the book there’s again plenty of lettering by Proto-Schnapp, though other letterers were also used. Here’s a page from Issue #7 of “Just Imagine” with art by Virgil Finlay, a prolific science fiction and fantasy pulp artist whose only comics work was a few stories for DC. The caption lettering is very much like Ira Schnapp’s work, but the titles are too loose and rounded and bouncy. This is by Proto-Schnapp.

The issue #9 story “Sky Writers” is the first one that I think has lettering by Ira Schnapp. Notice the lettering is very regular and most letters would fit into a square. Proto-Schnapp tended to go wider and rounder.

Issue #14’s “The Isle of the Dead,” seen here, is the next one I think Ira lettered, and the script captions are an interesting window into Ira’s handwriting, I believe.

Issue #19 has two stories I think Ira Schnapp lettered, this one and “Old Glory Corner.”

The final issue has this one story lettered by Ira. In all, his involvement with this title was minimal. Here’s a list of his work in it:

#21 cover

#9 July/Aug 1947: “Sky Writers!” 4pp

#14 May/June 1948: “The Isle of the Dead” 4pp

#19 March/April 1949: “The Weapon That Won the West!” 4pp, “Old Glory Corner” 4pp

#21 July/Aug 1949: “The Man Who Was Kind to Animals” 6pp

That’s a total of 22 story pages by Ira on this book. More entries in this series are on the Comics Creation page of my blog.

Ira Schnapp on Wikipedia.

Real Fact Comics on Wikipedia.

The post Ira Schnapp in REAL FACT COMICS appeared first on Todd's Blog.

Incoming: THE HIKETEIA Deluxe Edition Hardcover

Image © DC Comics

A new printing has arrived of this fine book written by Greg Rucka, art by J.G. Jones and Wade Von Grawbadger, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by me. The cover art is from the original 2002 edition. It’s slightly larger than the earlier printings, as with all the Deluxe Editions. Both the story and art are excellent, a fine stand-alone Wonder Woman story that draws on Greek myth in ways rarely seen in Wonder Woman stories. I’m not sure when it will be available, perhaps it already is. Check with your comics retailer or get it from Amazon, below.

The post Incoming: THE HIKETEIA Deluxe Edition Hardcover appeared first on Todd's Blog.

Comic-Con@Home 2020

If you’re into comics you probably already know about the online version of the San Diego Comic-Con running through this weekend. I’ve been enjoying watching and listening to some of the panels, which began going up Wednesday. You can find a complete list on their website with links to the panels so far, and the upcoming schedule. I’m participating in just one panel, above. An odd choice for me, but I did do some coloring for DC in the late 1970s, and wrote two blog posts about it that moderator Anina Bennett likes. There will also be a livestream for one hour afterwards for comments and questions. Please note the posted times are PACIFIC time, so for East Coasters like me, it’s three hours later. Here’s the full details from Anina:

I’m excited to be doing two online panels for ComicCon@Home this month! I hope you can join us for “Gender, Race, & Comic Book Coloring” with Marissa Louise Czerniejewski, Mildred Louis, Zoe D. Smith, Todd Klein, and yours truly. Watch for FREE on July 25 at 2pm PT: https://sched.co/d4y6. UPDATE: The livestream after-panel Q&A will be July 25, 3pm PT on www.twitch.tv/ml_illo!

Panel description:
Did you know that comic book colors used to be hand-separated by an army of women in Connecticut? That “benday dots” are named after a real person? Or that there’s a technical reason African-American skin tones look wrong in old comics? Geek out on the hidden corners of comics history, from the Golden Age up to today’s digital era, and learn about the craft of coloring with color artist Marissa Louise (Amethyst), comics creator Mildred Louis (Astrea’s Nexus Studio), researcher and essayist Zoë D. Smith (University of Chicago), and master letterer/former DC production artist Todd Klein (Sandman). Moderated by author Anina Bennett (Boilerplate).
Comic-Con International
#SDCC2020

The post Comic-Con@Home 2020 appeared first on Todd's Blog.

Ira Schnapp in REAL SCREEN COMICS

This and all images © DC Comics

In 1941, Screen Gems began producing a series of animated short cartoons featuring The Fox and the Crow, with classic rivalry/adversarial stories between Fauntleroy Fox and Crawford Crow, characters created by Frank Tashlin. Between 1941 and 1949, 21 cartoons were issued through Columbia Pictures, and three more through UPA to 1950. These and other Screen Gems cartoon characters Tito and his Burrito and Flippity and Flop (a bird and cat) began appearing in comics from DC in REAL SCREEN FUNNIES #1, Spring 1945, above. I believe the logo and cover lettering is by an unknown letterer I’ve nicknamed Proto-Schnapp because his work was the model for that of Ira Schnapp. The tagline “Featuring the Fox and the Crow” from this cover appeared off and on through the book’s run.

With issue #2 the title was changed to REAL SCREEN COMICS, bringing it in line with all other titles from DC. The word balloon on this cover might be by the cover artist or by Proto-Schnapp, I suspect the latter.

Proto-Schnapp continued to letter some of the covers, though others had no lettering. This balloon is closer to the work of Ira Schnapp, but is subtly different: rounder and wider, with thinner letters. The differences are slight, so I could be wrong, but I feel this is still by Proto-Schnapp.

Issue #37, April 1951, is the first cover on this series I feel sure is by Ira Schnapp. It’s very similar to his other cover lettering of the time, and Proto-Schnapp’s work had disappeared by this time, either because he retired or died.

Most Real Screen covers were a single gag scene, issue #54 was an exception, it had a four-panel strip with typical Ira Schnapp story lettering. Perhaps it had been planned as an inside page and was used on the cover when cover art was late.

Once Ira began lettering the covers, those with any lettering at all usually used his. Issue #122 is the final one. I see Ira Schnapp lettering on these covers:

37, 41, 43-45, 47-50, 52, 54, 58-74, 76-77, 80, 82, 85-87, 89, 91-95, 97-102, 105, 108-119, 121-122, that’s 61 covers.

The story lettering for many early issues, including the first one seen here, looked like this, large wide letters made with a wedge-tipped pen. Nothing like either Ira Schnapp or Proto-Schnapp. Credits in general are scarce in the Grand Comics Database on this title, with only a few guesses about artists on the first issue, and nothing on later ones until #26. Possibly the stories were done by animators, or were supplied by a shop or packager. Or perhaps no one has been able to match styles with other DC funny animal art of the period. A lot of creator credits from the 1940s are unknown.

By issue #23, April-May 1949, the lettering is smaller and there’s more of it, bringing this book closer to a typical DC Comic, though the style is not one I recognize. This might suggest a change of editors. The only editor listed on the book is Whitney Ellsworth, but he was the editor-in-chief overseeing the entire line and very unlikely to be involved with this title. Larry Nadle was editing the humor books by the late 1940s.

In issue #31, Aug.-Sept. 1950, Ira Schnapp’s story lettering begins to appear often, on multiple short stories in each issue from here until the end of the series. By issue #35 he was lettering the majority of story pages, and continued to do so until the final issue, #128. The book continued with a new title, TV SCREEN CARTOONS for another ten issues, but I’m not covering those in this article. The lead feature was always The Fox and The Crow, and they often appeared in the final story too, and other short fillers. DC funny animal stories tended to be lighter on words than other genres, but some of the stories in this book buck the trend by being more wordy. In many cases I think the balloon shapes were put in by the artists, as seen here, where the letters are touching the balloon borders. They are inconsistent and not as well done as Ira’s own balloon shapes.

Another regular feature, also from the Screen Gems cartoons, but less popular and less of them, were the bird and cat Flippity and Flop, seen here from issue #55, with a dog character trying to protect the bird from the cat. One odd thing about this series is that the features did not have regular reappearing logos very often. Generally the title was lettered differently on each one by the letterer in lieu of a story title. I really like this one by Ira. In some cases they may have been done by the artist.

The third regular feature was Tito and his Burrito, also in a few cartoons, shown from issue #48, obviously Mexican characters that would probably not be as welcome today, though they seem appealing. Unlike the other features, the conflict here was more often about Tito and his family finding ways to get by. Aside from an occasional humor page from other DC books, a two-page text story in each issue to satisfy 2nd-class mailing requirements (sometimes about Fox and Crow), puzzle pages, house ads and public service pages (often lettered by Ira Schnapp) that’s the content of this title. It shrunk in size from 52 to 44 to 36 pages (those numbers include covers) over the years, but was otherwise very consistent. The license fees paid for the use of the characters must not have been onerous. The Fox and the Crow starred in their own long series from DC and also appeared in COMIC CAVALCADE. I’ve long thought that Ira Schnapp did more work on humor titles than anywhere else, and here’s a good example. Below are a list of all the stories he lettered in it. Numbers in parentheses are the story number in that issue for a particular feature. Usually only Fox & Crow had more than one. Some one-page stories listed here are actually two-thirds or a half page to make room for an ad.

#31 Aug/Sept 1950: Fox & Crow (hereafter F&C) 8pp (1), F&C 7pp (3), F&C 6pp (9), F&C 1pp (last story)

#32 Oct/Nov 1950: F&C 7pp (story 4), F&C 7pp (6), F&C 1pp (7), Flippity & Flop (hereafter F&F) 7pp, F&C 1pp (8), F&C 7pp (9)

#33 Dec 1950: F&C 8pp (1), F&C 1pp (2), F&C 8pp (3), Tito and his Burrito (hereafter T&B) 7pp, F&C 8pp (5)

#34 Jan 1951: F&C 8pp (1), F&C 8pp (2), F&C 1pp (3), T&B 7pp, F&C 1pp (4), F&C 1pp (5), F&C 7pp (7)

#35 Feb 1951: F&C 8pp (1), F&F 6pp, F&C 1pp (3), F&C 8pp (4), F&C 1pp (5), F&C 2pp (6), T&B 6pp, F&C 1pp (7), F&C 1pp (8), F&C 8pp (10)

#36 March 1951: F&C 7pp (1), F&C 1pp (2), F&F 7pp, F&C 1pp (3), F&C 7pp (4), F&C 1pp (5), T&B 7pp, F&C 1pp (6), F&C 1pp (7), F&C 1pp (8), F&C 8pp (9)

#37 April 1951: F&C 8pp (1), F&F 7pp, F&C 6pp (3), T&B 7pp, F&C 1pp (4), F&C 2pp (5), F&C 1pp (6), F&C 1pp (7), F&C 7pp (8)

#38 May 1951: F&C 8pp (1), F&C 1pp (2), F&C 6pp (3), F&F 7pp, F&C 1pp (4), F&C 7pp (5), F&C 6pp (6)

#39 June 1951: F&C 8pp (1), F&F 6pp, F&C 2pp (2), F&C 1 pp (3), F&C 6pp (4), T&B 7pp, F&C 1pp (5), F&C 1pp (6), F&C 7pp (7), F&C 1pp (8), F&C 1pp (9)

#40 July 1951: F&C 6pp (1), F&C 7pp (2), F&C 1pp (3), F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (4), F&C 1pp (5), T&B 6pp, F&C 1pp (6), F&C 1pp (7), F&C 7pp (8)

#41 Aug 1951: T&B 6pp, F&C 7pp (2), F&C 1pp (3), F&F 7pp, F&C 2pp (4), F&C 1pp (5), F&C 7pp (6)

#42 Sept 1951: F&C 8pp (1), F&F 7pp, F&C 8pp (2), F&C 7pp (5)

#43 Oct 1951: F&C 8pp (1), F&C 5pp (2), F&F 6pp, F&C 3pp (3), T&B 7pp, F&C 1pp (4), F&C 7pp (5)

#44 Nov 1951: F&C 8pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&C 3pp (2), F&F 7pp, F&C 2pp (3), F&C 1pp (4), F&C 7pp (5)

#45 Dec 1951: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&C 2pp (2), F&F 7pp, F&C 7pp (3), F&C 1pp (4)

#46 Jan 1952: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, F&C 7pp (2), T&B 6pp, F&C 5pp (3)

#47 Feb. 1952: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 4pp, F&C 7pp (2), T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (4)

#48 March 1952: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&C 4pp (2), F&F 6pp, F&C 2pp (3), F&C 6pp (4)

#49 April 1952: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, F&C 2pp (2), T&B 6pp, F&C 2pp (3)

#50 May 1952: TB 6pp, F&C 7pp (2)

#51 June 1952: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 4pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#52 July 1952: F&F 3pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#53 Aug 1952: T&B 7pp, F&C 7pp (2), F&F 6pp

#54 Sept 1952: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#55 Oct 1952: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 7pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#56 Nov 1952: T&B 6pp, F&F 5pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#57 Dec 1952: F&C 6pp (2)

#58 Jan 1953: F&F 2pp, F&C 2pp (2), F&C 6pp (3)

#59 Feb 1953: F&F 3pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (3)

#60 March 1953: F&C 6pp (1), F&C 2pp (2), F&F 2pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (3)

#61 April 1953: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 4pp (2)

#62 May 1953: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&C 1pp (2), F&C 6pp (3), F&F 5pp

#63 June 1953: T&B 6pp

#64 July 1953: T&B 4pp, F&F 6pp

#65 Aug 1953: F&F 4pp

#66 Sept 1953: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 5pp, T&B 5pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#67 Oct 1953: T&B 6pp, F&C 1pp (2), F&F 6pp

#68 Nov 1953: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 4pp, F&C 5pp (3)

#69 Dec 1953: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 5pp, F&C 6pp (3), T&B 1pp

#70 Jan 1954: T&B 4pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 2pp (2), F&C 6pp (3)

#71 Feb 1954: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#73 April 1954: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 5pp (2)

#74 May 1954: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#75 June 1954: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#76 July 1954: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#77 Aug 1954: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#78 Sept 1954: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#79 Oct 1954: F&F 5pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#80 Nov 1954: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#81 Dec 1954: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 5pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#82 Jan 1955: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 5pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#83 Feb 1955: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#84 March 1955: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 4pp, F&C 7pp (2)

#85 April 1955: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#86 May 1955: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#87 June 1955: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 7pp (2)

#88 July 1955: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2), F&F 6pp, F&C 5pp (3)

#89 Aug 1955: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#90 Sept 1955: F&C 7pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#91 Oct 1955: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, F&C 2pp (2), T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (3)

#92 Nov 1955: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp (1), F&C 1pp Reprint (2), F&F 6pp, T&B 1 pp (2) Reprint, F&C 6pp (3)

#93 Dec 1955: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#94 Jan 1956: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, T&B 6pp (1), F&C 1pp (2), T&B 1pp (2), F&C 6pp (3)

#95 Feb 1956: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&C 1pp (2), F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (3)

#96 March 1956: F&C 6pp (1), F&C 1pp (2), T&B 6pp (1), T&B 1pp (2), F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (3)

#97 April 1956: F&C 6pp (1), F&C 1pp (2), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (3)

#98 May 1956: F&C 6pp (1), F&C 2pp (2), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (3)

#99 June 1956: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#100 July 1956: This issue is unusual in that all the main characters are featured in and cross into each other’s chapters of a four-part continued story. Schnapp lettered all the longer stories, there’s a one-page reprint he did not letter. F&C 8pp, F&F 5pp, T&B 3pp, F&C 8pp

#101 Aug 1956: F&C 6pp (1), F&C 1pp (2), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 1pp (3), F&C 6pp (4)

#102 Sept 1956: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#103 Oct 1956: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 5pp (2)

#104 Nov 1956: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 4pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#105 Dec 1956: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#106 Jan 1957: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#107 Feb 1957: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, T&B 7pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#108 March 1957: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#109 April 1957: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, F&C 1pp (2), T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (3)

#110 May 1957: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#111 June 1957: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#112 July 1957: F&C 6pp (1), F&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 1pp (2), F&C 6pp (3)

#113 Aug 1957: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&C 1pp Reprint (2), F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (3)

#114 Sept 1957: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#115 Oct 1957: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#116 Nov 1957: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 4pp (2), F&C 6pp (2)

#117 Dec 1957: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 7pp (2)

#118 Jan 1958: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#119 Feb 1958: F&C 6pp (1), F&C 1pp Reprint (2), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (4), F&C 1pp Reprint (5)

#120 March 1958: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#121 April 1958: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 6pp, F&C 3pp (2), T&B 6pp, F&C 5pp (3)

#122 May/June 1958: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 7pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#123 July/Aug 1958: F&C 8pp (1), F&F 6pp, F&C 1pp Reprint (2), T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (3)

#124 Sept/Oct 1958: F&C 6pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&C 1pp (2), F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (3)

#125 Nov/Dec 1958: F&C 6pp (1), F&F 8pp, T&B 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#126 Jan/Feb 1959: F&C 8pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#127 March/April 1959: F&C 8pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&F 6pp, F&C 6pp (2)

#128 May/June 1959: F&C 8pp (1), T&B 6pp, F&C 4pp (2), F&F 4pp, F&C 4pp (3)

That’s a total of 2,334 inside pages lettered by Ira Schnapp on this title, if my math is right, not including the few reprints. Not all of it is great lettering, but Ira was consistently readable, and I think there are many more titles in the 1950s with as much of his work as this one.

More on Ira’s lettering can be found on my COMICS CREATION page.

Ira’s Wikipedia page.

The post Ira Schnapp in REAL SCREEN COMICS appeared first on Todd's Blog.

Rereading: HENRY REED’S BABY-SITTING SERVICE by Keith Robertson

The third book in the Henry Reed series, published in 1966 when I was fifteen, was the one that I found the funniest. The book continues directly after the second book, Henry Reed’s Journey, as Henry and the Glass family are just back from their cross-country trip. It’s July 11, so some of the summer has passed, and Henry and his friend and business partner Midge Glass are looking for a way to make some money. They take a survey, and the highest requests are for babysitters. Henry was hoping for something more exciting, but as he soon finds out, babysitting can be pretty exciting. For instance, their client Danny is a young daredevil who knows no fear, and keeping him from harm is a challenge. Young Belinda is even more difficult: she is an expert at hiding, making Henry and Midge frantic with worry, until they realize she always comes back, pretending she was never gone. Then there’s the family who live in a trailer and hire Henry to watch their son. Henry and the boy go for ice cream, and when they get back, the trailer has been stolen.

Henry and Midge’s nemeses, the Apples, are away, but renting their house next to Henry’s barn is another family with two annoying teenagers who own a small red sports car that seems to have it in for Henry and Midge. Every time one of the Sebastians and their car appear, trouble follows. There are plenty more amusing adventures in the babysitting business. I was also a teenage babysitter myself, so I understood Henry’s problems completely, and was rooting for him all the way. His and Midge’s eventual triumph over the Sebastians was even more satisfying.

Recommended, great summer reading. Reviews of the first two books:

Henry Reed, Inc.

Henry Reed’s Journey

Keith Robertson on Wikipedia

<br />

The post Rereading: HENRY REED’S BABY-SITTING SERVICE by Keith Robertson appeared first on Todd's Blog.

Ira Schnapp in MUTT & JEFF

This and all images © DC Comics

A few years ago I did a number of blog posts searching for Ira Schnapp lettering in various early DC Comics titles, both on the covers and on stories. I’ve just spent a few days updating those previous posts because my mind has changed about Ira’s involvement in a lot of the material before 1949. Many things I had sourced to Ira I now think were lettered by another unknown letterer who Ira used as a model for his own work. I’ve nicknamed that person Proto-Schnapp. I wish I could find a name for him, but I’ve had no luck with that. There’s little information about early DC staffers, and everyone who might know is gone. Having done that, I’m going to try to find time for some new posts on the subject, beginning with this one. It’s a very easy entry, as you’ll see.

In 1907, Harry “Bud” Fisher created a daily comic strip called “A. Mutt” about a hapless fellow betting on horse races and usually losing. It appeared briefly in The San Francisco Chronicle. The strip was seen and liked by William Randolph Hearst who convinced Fisher to bring it to Hearst’s paper, The San Francisco Examiner in 1908. Fisher did something no other cartoonist of his time managed: he put a copyright notice for himself on the final episode that ran in the Chronicle, and that allowed him to gain control of the strip and all its rights. Mr. Mutt was soon joined by another hapless character, and the title changed to Mutt and Jeff. It was syndicated by Hearst’s King Features and became one of the most popular and longest-running strips of all time. Fisher became very wealthy, and by the time the strip added a Sunday page in 1918, most of the work on it was done by assistants and uncredited help. By the early 1930s, Bud Fisher was no longer involved in the strip at all, and starting in 1932 Al Smith became the regular artist (and possibly writer, I’m not sure). Al Smith did Mutt & Jeff for about the next 50 years.

Collected Mutt & Jeff strips appeared in a few hardcover books, and in 1939 All-American Comics, a sister company of DC Comics, began publishing them in comic books. All the interior pages of the comics were newspaper strip reprints, most or all by Al Smith, who may also have done the lettering. The covers initially also had the same style of lettering. In 1946, All-American was bought out by and merged with DC, and all their titles came under the editorial control of DC, though nominally under the All-American editor-in-chief Sheldon Mayer for a while. Looking through the covers, the first one I see with Ira Schnapp lettering is issue #43, above, dated Dec. 1949-Jan. 1950. Ira lettered a few more in 1950, then others did them for a few years.

In 1954, Ira was back as cover letterer, in his now familiar style seen on nearly all the DC covers from about 1950 to 1967. This one is particularly charming, I think, with some nice sound effects.

Schnapp lettered many Mutt & Jeff covers from then on, including this one from 1957.

The final DC issue, and the final one lettered by Ira, was issue #103, June 1958. The license then went to Dell briefly, and Harvey, who continued to publish the feature until 1965.

To sum up, I see Ira Schnapp lettering on these Mutt & Jeff covers: 43, 45, 46, 48, 71, 72, 75, 76, 78, 79, 82-87, 89-103.

That’s all there is to say and know about Ira Schnapp in this title. Others in the series can be found on my Comics Creation page.

Wikipedia on Mutt & Jeff.

The post Ira Schnapp in MUTT & JEFF appeared first on Todd's Blog.

And Then I Read: THE MYSTERIOUS CIRCUS by Jane Langton

Cover art by Peter Malone

Jane Langton had a long and busy career as an author of novels for children and mystery novels for adults. In 1962 she began a series of fantasy novels called the Hall Family Chronicles with The Diamond in the Window. They take place at #40 Walden Street in Concord, Massachusetts, not far from where Langton actually lived. In each book some kind of magical device brings adventures to the Hall family: father Freddy, mother Alex, son Eddy and daughters Eleanor and Georgie. As the series went along, other friends joined them in the adventures. An Uncle Krishna in India is often the source of the magic items, and each book has one or more villains who plot to destroy the Hall family and the things they love, which include the natural wonders of their home area and the beloved work of Henry Thoreau. I read and enjoyed most of the seven Hall Family books as they came out, but recently learned there were two later ones I hadn’t read yet. This is the first of them, book six. Of course it would be best to start at the beginning, but each book stands on its own.

Uncle Krishna calls from India to say he is sending a cousin to visit them, one they’ve never met. When Andy arrives, the Halls learn he is obsessed with circuses. He wants to be in one, and he has some real magic powers that could make him a fine circus performer, if only he had a circus to join. Before long the Hall children and their friends have taken up his cause and are planning a circus of their own on a vacant lot nearby, where Andy magically sets up a circus tent and reveals the first of Uncle Krishna’s gifts, a real elephant.

While the children are enjoying learning to be circus performers, a lady named Matilda MacIntosh has very different plans for the wild Mill Brook Meadow across the street from the Hall house. She’s decided to make it into a Henry Thoreau theme park, complete with an animatronic Henry and a fake Walden Pond and cabin. She pushes her plan through the town council, despite the objections of Fred Hall, and soon bulldozers arrive to begin clearing the natural landscape to make way for the artificial one. Now the children have a new cause, and they rally to it, but what can even Andy’s magic do against bulldozers?

A fun read, though lightweight and rather predictable. The story arc of all the books in the series is about the same. Still, the characters are appealing and the magic is creative. Recommended summer reading.

Jane Langton on Wikipedia.

The first book in the series and this one:

<br />

The post And Then I Read: THE MYSTERIOUS CIRCUS by Jane Langton appeared first on Todd's Blog.

And Then I Read: ASH & THORN #2

Written by Mariah McCourt, art by Soo Lee, colors by Pippa Bowland,
letters by Rob Steen, cover by Jill Thompson

This new series from Ahoy features a logo I designed. I read the first issue while I was doing that many months ago, too early to review it. Now the second issue has arrived, and it’s equally fun. It follows the Ahoy model of mixing humor and horror well.

Lottie Thorn, shown in action here, is meant to be the world’s new champion against montrous evil, though she has some issues with that. She’s older, cranky, and not sure she wants the job. Her teacher, magician Peruvia Ashlington-Voss wants to train Lottie to meet the challenges of her new role, but seems to be learning on the job too. When she tries to summon her mystical leaders, they have the phone off the hook, and only a small imp turns up to join them. The evil is real enough, not only a magical threat but a menacing corporate presence in the real world. It’s hard to imagine how Ash and Thorn can prevail against them, but then that’s the story, isn’t it?

I love the writing by Mariah McCourt. The art by Soo Lee is uneven at times, but the storytelling works fine. Mariah also supplies some tasty-looking recipes. I enjoyed reading this. Recommended.

The book on Comixology.

The post And Then I Read: ASH & THORN #2 appeared first on Todd's Blog.