Sunday, July 12, 2015

All In Black And White For A Couple Of Bucks

Saturday Leftover Day.

In July 1958, Murphy Anderson took over the daily and Sunday Buck Rogers strip from Rick Yager, who had left after a contract dispute with the syndicate. On researching it, I saw that Hermes has published both a collection of all of Anderson's daily strips (including his late forties/early fifties run) and a collection of his Sundays. Having been burned a couple of times, I have decided not to buy anymore books from Hermes. I do not like their design, their production quality or their choice of material. Still, people learn and maybe these books represent a growth in their capabillities. Is there anyone out there who can tell me if these books are okay, because I really would like to see these strips (having clipped bits and pieces of them everywhere). Also, I am curious to see if they have included the first two weeks of unsigned strips after Yager left. They do not seem to be by Yager and nor by Anderson. Apparently someone else filled out Yager's storyline. Anderson starts signing on July 7. There is a weird copying of 7-11 going on at 7-19, though.



2 comments:

Al said...

Thanks for posting this generous sampling of Buck Rogers strips by Murphy Anderson, Ger. I need to save the link to your blog so I can keep up with entries as you post them.

luifel said...

Dear Ger: after examining the unsigned strips, I was left with the impression that they were done by Murphy Anderson himself, trying to emulate Yager's style, which is fairly simpler than Anderson's slick style; he must have found it difficult to do so, as his style is far more elaborate, considering the way he inks his drawings. The way he poses the characters, and hand gestures look like his own. Also, as far as the settings are drawn, Anderson was not a designer, and all his dials and gauges are always the same, no matter what type of story he is drawing. I LIKE his style, but I think he's a far better inker than a penciller. (Editor Julius Schwartz thought so, too!)