Sunday Meskin Measures Day.
I am still in two minds about how to continue with these Sunday posts, now that I have reached the end of the Mort Meskin Vigilante stories in Action Comics. I have three more Vigilante stories by Meskin and Robinson from Western Comics, but it has been brough to my attention that presenting comlete runs like this, I might actually be diminishing the chances of them ever being collected by DC.
So for now I am stepping aside to examine the collaboration between Meskin and Robinson. For me personally, this represents the best period of Meskin's career (although I can understand why some people prefer the early stories he did at DC).
What I actually would like to di, is try and show you all the Meskin/Robinson and Meskin solo stories (with or without the help of George Roussos), but there are a couple of things standing in my way. First of all, I have not yet got all of them. Some I have to scan myself, some are just out there. The other problem is the timeline. All comic books are made sometime before the publication date (duh!). The actual time between production and publication can differ, though. So although we have a timeline for the publication dates of the work Robinson and Meskin did together, we do not know which one was drawn first.
What we do know, is that Meskin worked for DC on two series, Johnny Wuick and the Vigilante. At some point he added a couple of Wildcat stories as well, which I will show later. Then he drops out of Vigilante for a coulple of issues, while George Roussos takes over. Johnny Quick keeps on coming every month, without fail.
Then, at the start of 1948 everything happens as once. Meskin starts working with Jerry Robinson at Standard and Prize and even pick up the Vigiante again, also with Robinson. But the Vigilante stories he does for the new Western title, seem to be solo stories. He also does solo stories for Standard just before the ones he does with Robinson. And as we can see here, his first story for Prize may have been solo as well. So why the drop in work for Action Comics? Was he doing the Western Comics stories in advance? And getting new clients such as Standard and Prize makes sense to me if they were the result of his work with Jerry Robinson. But why are the first ones solo? And how does the Billy the Kid story for Hillman fit in which may of may not have been done with Jerry Robinson's help?
Jesse James Rides Again
Vigilante / comic story / 12 pages Western Comics (1948 series) #1
January-February 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin
Inks: Mort Meskin
I have this as Meskin and Robinson, but indeed there seems to be more of Meskin here than I first thought. If so, the amount of Meskin pencils in the work that is attributed to Robinson is even bigger than I thought. It could very well be, that this is pure Meskin and what we see in their collaboration is Jerry punching up and slicking up Mort's rough pencils before inking.
The Roamin' Roman
Johnny Quick / comic story / 9 pages Adventure Comics (1938 series) #125
February 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin
The Cowboy and the Killers
Vigilante / comic story / 10 pages Western Comics (1948 series) #2
March-April 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin
Inks: Mort Meskin
Another one I will have to have a look at.
Tubby Watts, Athlete
Johnny Quick / comic story / 9 pages Adventure Comics (1938 series) #126
March 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin
The Brady Gang
Famous Cases of the FBI / comic story / 7 pages Real Fact Comics (1946 series) #13
March-April 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin ?
I have shown this story. Harry mendrick agrees with me that it is inked by Meskin and offers the interesting theory that he might have done only the spotting, after someone else did the line inking. There may be some George Roussos pencilling going on here as well.
Mayhem in the Meal-o-Mat
Johnny Quick / comic story / 9 pages Adventure Comics (1938 series) #127
April 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin
The Night of the Freak Murder
comic story / 8 pages Headline Comics (1943 series) #29
April 1948 Prize
Inks: Mort Meskin
Steven Brower has this as Meski and Robinson. I will go and have a look. I haven't scanned it yet, though.
The Birthday That Backfired!
Vigilante / comic story / 9 pages Action Comics (1938 series) #119
April 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin
The Two-Faced Bandit of Mesa Town
Vigilante / comic story / 10 pages Western Comics (1948 series) #3
May-June 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin
Inks: Mort Meskin
Again, no Robinson?I'll have to have a look.
The Miracle Farmer
Johnny Quick / comic story / 8 pages Adventure Comics (1938 series) #128
May 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin
The Slowpoke Crimes!
Johnny Quick / comic story / 8 pages Adventure Comics (1938 series) #129
June 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin
Billy The Kid
comic story / 15 pages Western Fighters (1948 series) #v1#2
June-July 1948 Hillman
Pencils: Mort Meskin
Inks: Mort Meskin
I showed this and came to the conclusion Robinson must have had a hand in this. Now I am not so sure anymore. Why did he not sign it? He signed all the other collaborations they did? I really have to go back to that Headline story, because I am curious if that has Robinson...
Eye of the Lady Serpent!
Black Terror / comic story / 10 pages The Black Terror (1942 series) #23
June 1948 Standard
Script: Jerry Robinson ?; Mort Meskin ?
Inks: Mort Meskin (signed)
Now here we have a real Robinson/Meskin collaboration. Signed even.
The Nimble Names Crimes
Johnny Quick / comic story / 9 pages Adventure Comics (1938 series) #130
July 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin
The Four Notches of Hate
Vigilante / comic story / 10 pages Western Comics (1948 series) #4
July-August 1948 DC
Pencils: Mort Meskin
The Inferior Male
comic story / 8 pages Young Romance (1947 series) #v1#6 (6)
July-August 1948 Prize
Inks: Mort Meskin
I think I showed this. If not, I will.
The Crossroads of Crime
Fighting Yank / comic story / 10 pages The Fighting Yank (1942 series) #25
July 1948 Standard
Inks: Mort Meskin (signed)
The Shadow of Dismal Island
Fighting Yank / comic story / 10 pages The Fighting Yank (1942 series) #25
July 1948 Standard
Inks: Mort Meskin (signed)
Murder Special Delivery
comic story / 8 pages Justice Traps the Guilty (1947 series) #v1#5 [5]
July-August 1948 Prize
Inks: Mort Meskin (signed)
2 comments:
It looks similar to Kirby, Sinnot as well.
I guess whatever Kirby characteristics you are seeing are surface elements, which we also associate with Kirby because there were elements of Kirby's studio inking that Meskin took as well. The punch om page nine of the first story is very unlike a Kirby punch. He would almost always show the swingthrough and more of the after effect of a punch than the actual moment of connecting.
Post a Comment