Todd Klein's Blog, page 304

And Then I Read: DARK HORSE PRESENTS 8

Images © Dark Horse Comics and the respective copyright holders.

This issue was presold for me. A new “Hellboy” story by Mignola, Arcudi and Fegredo that’s a fine coda to the recent cataclysmic battle in his series, and a new “Beasts of Burden” story by Dorkin and Thompson lead it off in fine fashion, well worth the price alone. Next up is the beginning of a new urban gang series, “Concrete Park,” that doesn’t appeal to me, though it has some nice art. Then we have a new chapter of Neal Adams’ “Blood,” also not really my cup of tea, though with great art, and the final chapter of Howard Chaykin’s “Marked Man.” While I didn’t care for any of the characters it that one much, it does wrap up well. “The Once and Future Tarzan” is a new series by writer Al Gordon and artist Tom Yeates. This is a winner in my book: gorgeous painted art and an intriguing story that puts Tarzan in a somewhat ambiguous setting that could be in the future, or certainly in the present, though still with his jungle skills and lion companion. “The Massive” by Brian Wood and Kristian Donaldson begins a new series about a North Sea oil rig that’s intriguing, and has more attractive art. “Time To Live” is a clever time loop story by Martin Conaghan and Jimmy Broxton, the kind that would have fit well into 2000 AD magazine, and is fun to read here. More nice art, too! “The Many Murders of Miss Cranbourne” begins a series that seems to combine an Agatha Christie old lady detective with a clever and bloody killer. Didn’t care for the art on this one. Finally Chapter 2 of “Skulltar the Questionable” continues the Conanesque satire in an amusing if overly broad way.

Here’s a great Jill Thompson page from “Beasts of Burden.” Is there an artist out there handling animals as well as this in comics? Can’t think of any.

Recommended!

And Then I Read: IRREDEEMABLE Volume 8

Images © Boom Entertainment, Inc. and Mark Waid.

The Plutonian, Mark Waid’s super-powered hero turned villain, is back on Earth at last, and wasting no time making everyone on the planet, and especially in America, very fearful indeed, beginning with the the destruction of cities and countless people when he uses his heat vision to burn a giant Plutonian symbol into the very ground of the continent. Now, there’s a statement!

The few remaining heroes and government authorities are struggling to find an way to kill or control this mad character, and there are few options. The governments of several countries conspire to release SOMETHING from a long-hidden prison. Something that they suspect will be almost as deadly as Plutonian himself. When they do, Mark Waid has more surprises for us.

The art by Peter Krause, Diego and Eduardo Barreto, and Damian Couceiro is all well done, and the styles blend almost seamlessly to avoid any distraction from the horrifying yet fascinating events of the story. (This may be the last published work of Eduardo Barreto, recently deceased I’m sorry to say, a wonderful artist I enjoyed working with several times in the past.)

I believe there’s one more collection coming to finish this epic. Can’t wait. Recommended!

And Then I Read: SWAMP THING 10

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

The lumbering hulk of a story Scott Snyder is telling in this book continues to gather momentum, as we meet up with what was probably Swamp Thing’s most vicious enemy, made all the more dangerous because he’s Abby’s father as well. By having Anton Arcane narrate most of the issue, he gets us deep into that twisted mind in a most chilling and effective way, and even the somewhat hopeful moments—Abby and Swampy returning to their old bayou home and the possible rebirth of the Parliament of Trees—are so overshadowed by the menace of Arcane that we barely have a chance to enjoy them. This is an excellent example of suspended terror!

The art and coloring by Francesco Francavilla is quite effective, capturing the menace of Arcane and the moody atmosphere of the swamp equally well. He does fine with the main characters, too. While the ending is predictable, this is still a gripping read.

Highly recommended!

And Then I Read: JUSTICE LEAGUE 9

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

Writer Geoff Johns spends much of this issue laying the groundwork for a new villain. It’s not a bad idea, I have to say I’d like to see an interesting new villain rather than a recycled one like Darkseid. The JL don’t yet know what’s going on, but are trying to catch up, after other villains the new one has hit up for information. One other character is being tortured for info — Steve Trevor. Though they don’t yet know their foe, his path is becoming clear. The banter going on during the issue is entertaining. In all I’m enjoying the storyline.

The Shazam backup continues to appeal to me as well. Despite my general dislike of darkening old characters, I have to say I kind of like what Geoff is doing with Billy Batson and other members of Captain Marvel past. Nothing much super going on yet, but it’s an interesting ride. And the final reveal shows that magic and power are just around the corner.

The art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams on the main story, and Gary Frank on the backup continues to be excellent, aided by great coloring and lettering.

Recommended.

Schnapp Logo Pairing

Top image © DC Comics, Inc. Bottom image © Trojan Publishing or the current copyright holder.

This is premature, I hope to write a more complete blog post at some point, but I couldn’t resist offering this image. Alex Jay has been digging up some pulp magazine logos from Trojan Publishing, a company that Ira Schnapp (designer of the SUPERMAN logo that first appeared on issue 6 in 1940) worked for in the 1930s and 40s. I would say this logo for Hollywood Detective from 1944 is pretty clearly his work, wouldn’t you? In fact, it almost begs the question: did the publisher ask him to intentionally copy his own design, or was it just a matter of, “Worked before, I’ll do it again.”?

More about Ira Schnapp (via Alex Jay)

I love it when an article of mine sparks further research! Fellow logo designer Alex Jay has turned up some wonderful information about Ira Schnapp and reported it on HIS BLOG.

While there are some new facts unearthed from census records, the best discovery is a series of 24 newspaper articles Schnapp produced describing and showing famous works of art. One example is above, all are in Alex’s blog post. I haven’t had time to read more than a few snippets yet, but they appear to be well written, and the illustrations, adapting the art for newspaper reproduction, are also by Schnapp, some signed like the one above. The artwork titles are each hand-lettered in a style that certainly fits in with the known work of Ira, too.

Great work, Alex!

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN CORPS 9

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

John Stewart has been accused of murdering a fellow Green Lantern. If you’ve been reading this title a while, this wouldn’t surprise you. We saw it happen, and why, and the reasons justified the act. Now, though, the Alpha Lanterns have come to collect John for a trial before the Guardians. John’s friends put up a fight, but John himself is willing to submit, and so it eventually transpires. Meanwhile, we catch the Guardians talking among themselves, and it’s clear they plan to wreak plenty of havoc in the Corps, as they have so often before, but this time it appears to be quite intentional! The trial takes up the last third of the book, and it’s well handled by writer Peter Tomasi.

The art by Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna is quite good, and they manage to keep things interesting even in this issue, which has lots of talking and not so much action.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: AQUAMAN 9

Images © DC Comics, Inc.

This issue is a convergence of opposing forces pursuing each other. It begins with Black Manta, who is after the members of a super-team which Aquaman once belonged to. He catches up with The Prisoner, one of that team, in Germany, and the results aren’t good for that character. Meanwhile, Aquaman and a jungle she-devil are trying to find Manta by attacking some of his henchmen in the Amazon Rainforest. And back in America, Mera confronts the doctor who is supposed to be helping Aquaman. He has a secret about Black Manta too. Geoff Johns is weaving an interesting mix here, and though I’ve never been very impressed with Black Manta as a character — the huge helmet is a bit silly — I’m enjoying the story so far.

The art by Ivan Reis with a trio of talented inkers looks great — here showing off Aquaman’s new invulnerability. At least, I think it’s new, I don’t recall that power for him in the past.

Recommended.

Neal Adams on Ira Schnapp

Photo of Neal Adams in 1966, © Neal Adams, watercolor painting of Ira Schnapp by Jack Adler, 1960s, © Jack Adler estate.

I’ve never had a long conversation with Neal Adams, though I’ve seen him and exchanged a few words several times at various conventions. Neal was at the San Diego Comic-Con this year, and I wanted to ask him about Ira Schnapp, DC’s main logo and cover lettering designer for many years. Schnapp was on staff at DC from about 1949 until 1968, working in the bullpen, or shared area, and Neal was also there for about the last two of those years, starting in 1967 I believe (maybe 1966). While Schnapp was a staffer, Adams was drawing freelance artwork, but often spent time in the bullpen doing it. I was hoping Neal might have some personal memories of the Ira and his work, and he did. While I wasn’t able to record our conversation, and therefore can’t quote him directly, what follows is, to the best of my memory, what Neal had to say about Mr. Schnapp. And I have to add that, once the subject came up, it brought a warm smile of remembrance to Neal’s face, and the comment, “I loved Ira.”

Ben Casey by Neal Adams, © NEA Syndicate.

Neal told me that he became interested in lettering himself while working in advertising early in his career, and he lettered the Ben Casey strip he did from 1962-66. He learned from an old master. “Was that Ira Schnapp?” I asked. No, Neal said. He met Ira later, at DC Comics.

When Neal worked in the bullpen at DC, Schnapp was there, and he loved to talk and tell stories about his life. Many people found this annoying, but Neal enjoyed Ira’s stories and talked with him often. In addition to all the logos, house ads and cover lettering he’d done for DC, Ira had crafted all kinds of lettering for many clients, and it was those other jobs he most wanted to talk about. When he realized Neal was interested, Ira brought in examples he’d saved of some of that early work, which Neal said were mind-boggling.

The first example Neal mentioned were some large, folded up tissue or vellum layouts. Neal said Ira took them out, and started unfolding them, and unfolding them further, until huge letters were revealed, or in some cases just parts of letters. Neal’s jaw dropped with amazement as he told me these were from the work Schnapp did designing the huge carved letters on famous New York City buildings like the James A. Farley Post Office Building on 8th Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets.

Here’s a closer look at some of the carved inscription, which many think is the post office motto, but in fact it was chosen by one of the architects. This monumental façade was built in 1912. Not a lot is known for sure about Ira Schnapp, but his birth in Sassow, Austria is certain, though one record has the year as 1892, another 1895. He came to America with his family before 1910. Jack Adler, who also worked with Ira, reported he was well educated with a background in the classics. What training he might have had in lettering design, if any, is unknown.

Neal and I talked a bit about how such a young man, and an immigrant, might have been given the opportunity to do such important work, but of course we can only speculate. At the time, crafts like this were generally learned through the apprentice system, where a young person would become an unpaid or poorly paid assistant to someone already working professionally. That might have happened though a family connection, perhaps Ira worked with someone doing this kind of work already, showed great aptitude, and rose quickly to the top. Then again, we don’t know if he was the only person designing those giant letters, or part of a team.

“Do you think he also carved the letters?” I asked Neal, and he said emphatically, no. Ira was not a carver, he was an artist, a designer. He formed the letters using those tissues, and the carvers transferred them to the stones and carved them. This makes sense to me, as I always thought it odd that Schnapp would excel in carving at a young age, but not stay with it. So, reports on Wikipedia and elsewhere about this are wrong.

I don’t think Neal and I spoke of it, but other sources like Jack Adler have said Schnapp also did this kind of work on the New York Public Library Main Branch on 5th Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets. There’s an example above. The construction dates for this building begin earlier, 1905 to 1913, so if Ira did work on it, this might have been the first job like this he did. Again, we don’t know if he was working alone or with a team of designers, but the latter seems likely to me for such a young person. While the letters on both buildings are Roman in style, the ones on the Post Office are more traditionally Trajan, while these seem to show a bit more individual flair that does remind me of Ira’s work.

Neal said Ira also spoke about working on large lettering for Grand Central Terminal at 42nd Street and Park Avenue. this building was constructed between 1903 and 1913. The only large letters I know of on the outside are the ones above, similar in style to those on the Post Office.

There are also letters like these inside in a different style, but perhaps from the same period. All three projects were going on around the same time, and if Ira did work on these three, it was certainly work to be proud of. In 1914 World War I began in Europe, which probably put a damper on such elaborate projects for a while. Nothing is known for sure about Ira’s activities then, but perhaps he found work doing smaller lettering and logos for other commercial markets.

Film title cards is something Ira might have done. Most films were being made in California, but Thomas Edison’s studio in New Jersey could have employed someone like Ira for work like this.

Theaters also used lobby cards like this one to advertise films, but again, they were supplied by the movie studios, usually in California, and generally involved more elaborate art.

Individual theaters also hired letterers to make show cards like these to promote films. I think these are more recent examples, but they illustrate the kind of thing Ira probably did, and Neal remembers Ira bringing in a box full of show card lettering samples that he said were impressive.

Movie magazines like this one (and many magazines of all kinds) also used hand-lettering on their covers, which would be right up Ira’s alley. Pulp magazines were another market that we know Schnapp was involved in at least by 1934, when he started working for the Trojan Publishing Company, owned by Harry Donenfeld and Jack Leibowitz, the men who were publishing Superman and Batman comics a few years later, and very likely Schnapp’s entree into doing logos for comics, beginning with his SUPERMAN logo, based on Joe Shuster’s original design, in 1940.

Still in the movie theater business, Neal Adams told me Ira designed huge title lettering signs for Radio City Music Hall’s premiere of “King Kong.” Neal said these very large signs were set up in the lobby on bamboo poles meant to fit the theme of the film. I haven’t been able to find any photo examples, but Ira continued to do that kind of giant showcard work for the theater at least as late as the 1941 release of “Mighty Joe Young.” It might have looked a bit like the sign above, though from Neal’s description, much larger lettering.

Another arena for hand lettering was advertising, both for newspapers and magazines, and in the store windows themselves, like the example above. All this work may have come under Schnapp’s pen and brush between 1914 and 1941.

This draft card attributed to Ira in an article on Dial B for Blog shows that in 1941 he lived at 515 West 110th Street in New York, was self employed, and worked in what must have been his studio (perhaps shared with others) at 442 West 42nd Street, near the center of mid-town Manhattan. (This is the source of his birth date of 1895.) Ira had already begun working on logos for National Comics, the home of Superman and Batman, but that was probably only a small part of his freelance work. Though I have no hard evidence, I put his joining the DC staff at around 1949 because that’s when his work on covers and house ads suddenly takes a huge leap until, by 1950 he’s doing nearly all of it, as far as I can see.

Neal Adams and I talked a little about Ira’s cover lettering. Neal doesn’t think it’s very good, calling it too old-fashioned. “I love that work,” I told him, but Neal pointed out it was on the comics when I was a kid, and that’s why. He could be right, I suppose.

When Neal first began spending time in the DC bullpen in about 1967, Ira was still the main guy for logos, house ads and covers, but that began to change soon after. Gaspar Saladino had been working for the company since around 1950 lettering stories. He was very talented, showing a natural flair for dynamic lettering design, and was also a high-school classmate of Carmine Infantino. When Carmine took over the editorial reigns, he started shifting the prime lettering tasks to Gaspar. Ira was pretty old by then, either 72 or 75 years old, depending on which birth year is right, and his design capabilities were failing. Some of his work then is not nearly as good as work done even five years earlier. Carmine kept Ira on for a while, but in 1968, he let Ira go, which as Neal said, meant he was sending him home to die. Ira did die in 1969. Neal feels it was a great shame, and that Carmine should have and could have kept Ira on staff longer, even if he was only given less challenging tasks.

Neal wonders what happened to those samples of work Ira showed him. “I wish he’d given them to me,” he told me. “He might have, if I’d asked.” I suspect they were thrown away when Ira died. Jack Adler told me that Ira had no living family when he passed. Census records have revealed Ira had a wife named Beatrice in 1919, and two children named Martin and Theresa, but they seem to have been long gone by the time Ira joined the DC staff, perhaps through divorce or death, we don’t know. Possibly Jack Adler didn’t even know about that early family life of Ira’s, hence his statement.

I had a great time talking to Neal about Ira, and though I never met him, I now feel a little better informed and closer to the man who, in many ways, set the style for logo designers and letterers who came after him, including myself. Thanks, Neal.

San Diego Comic-Con 2012 Sunday

Photos © Todd Klein.

Last day of the con, and fewer pictures than usual, but still not much time to comment, as I’m heading for dinner soon.

In the morning I attended two panels. The first was a Spotlight Panel for legendary comics artist Angelo Torres, above right with Charles Kochman. Torres began working at EC Comics in the 1950s, and had a long and varied career at several other companies and particularly Mad Magazine.

The other panel focused on inking. Here are artists Mark Schultz and Filipino legend Rudy Nebres.

Back in the Exhibit Hall, this shop selling carved wood objects caught my eye.

So did this Cthulhu shop, but not in as positive a way. I love the original Lovecraft stories, and have enjoyed some modern works that refer to it like LOCKE & KEY, but it’s becoming a fad thing now, and way overdone.

Childrens’ book parodies like this are mildly amusing for a moment, but ultimately weaken and dilute the Lovecraft concepts. Yes, I can just avoid them, and I will, but I kind of wish they would stop doing them.

I met up with J.H. Williams III and his wife Wendy mid afternoon, and we spent the last few hours of the con together. I introduced them to some of my artist friends, and vice versa. Here are Joyce Chin and Arthur Adams.

David Petersen, creator of MOUSE GUARD, with his wife Julia.

I think I’ve missed out a good image of Steve Leialoha, FABLES inker, so here’s one.

Finally, artist Chris Schweizer asked to have his picture taken with me, and I reciprocated, giving me the chance to prove I actually was there.

Dinner shortly with some friends, and I’ll be flying home tomorrow. Hope you’ve enjoyed these reports. I’ll be back to regular blogging soon.