Saturday Leftover Day.
Easy day for me as all the images are grabbed from the internet. Some are no longer available, though.
Over at John Kricfalkusi's blog some readers mentioned how much Irv Spector's style in the mid fifties looked like Walt Kelly's. The similarity is extra clear when you compare Spector's comic book work to Wlat Kelly's comic book work. I think both have their roots in solid animation principles and experience, but there are differences.
First off, let me show you another iggle Comics cover that could be by Spector. His son Paul mentioned that the cover of Giggle #96 was by his father. This one from #98 is less clearly so. The inking line is there.... but the characters and poses are not familiar to me.
In the same issue is another spenser Spook stoy, which does not seem to have been drawn by Spector, but rather by the regular Spenser Spook artist, whoever that may be. Is there anyone who can help me with that?
Here's another Spenser Spook splash from Giggle #94, also not by Spector.
Paul Spector has been showcasing the animation work of his father over at another blog. Try the link to Michaeel Sporn's blog and scroll down for some of Spector's storyboard from his work in the sixties for Famous Studio's and some cartoons of his period in the Signal Corps by cartoonist Cobean. Somewhere along that, there are also some cartoons Spector did when he was working on Chuck Jones' animation special about Pogo. Here are two of those images from that source.
And now for the real thing. A Pogo story from Pogo Comics #9 in 1952. As you can see, Walt Kelly spend a lot less time with these comic book stories than he did on his newspaper strip. That mkaes them more cartoony and fast. Lots of delicious slapstick, which he didn't always get to use in the newspapers. For those of you who though Spector's multi-panel house on the onepager Osh was special, have a look at the two panel tree Kelly draws. And it wasn't the first time he did that either. I'd say it's a case of great minds thinking alike. Pogo comics is one of the things that has come down in price with the advent of e-bay. These were books that were well sold, so they turn up regularely on e-bay, just as old Mad's and Playboys hardly cost anything these days. I want to start selling some of my surplus stuff on this blog at some point. If there are any takers, I could offer a complete set of Pogo comiccs (including the earlier Four Color books) on cd at a reasonable price.
2 comments:
by the time the book was renamed Spencer Spook, half of the comic were reprints, and the only two "new" artists were Irv Spector and Ken Hultgren. I recall (but cant find my notes) that Hultgren was gone before Spector. And yes, spector did that cover too (Hultgren was in LA and didnt do covers at this time)
Thanks, Steven. If you find your notes, feel free yo share them.
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