From the Dick Buchanan Files: New Yorker Cartoonists 1935 - 1962

Dick Buchanan has a twist. Here are some of the great, classic New Yorker cartoonists with some gag cartoons that you never saw. Well, to be more to the point, these were NEVER seen in The New Yorker, despite these cartoonists' association with the magazine.

If all of these cartoonists were under contract to The New Yorker at this time (Some may have been, some not, but I'm guessing most were.), then one of the caveats in the contract is that the Magazine gets "first look" at their cartoons. So, these were looked at by The New Yorker, but then rejected. No Sale. So, the cartoonist was free to shop them around, trying to sell them to another publication.

So here are some virtually unseen cartoons by Addams, Hokinson, Shermund, Steig, Steinberg, Chon Day, Whitney Darrow, Jr., and others from publications OTHER than The New Yorker. 

Take it away, Dick! (And, thanks!)

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NEW YORKER CARTOONISTS
(1935—1962)

Some of the Cartoon Clip File’s favorite cartoonists are those who worked for The New Yorker. It was in the pages of The New Yorker in the 1930’s when the modern cartoon was crafted and perfected. Here, clipped from a variety of mid-century magazine, are some gag cartoons by some of our favorite New Yorker cartoonists . . .


1. CHARLES ADDAMS. True Magazine March 1946.

2. WHITNEY DARROW, Jr. Collier’s October 11, 1941.

3. CHON DAY. This Week Magazine November 26, 1961.

4. RICHARD DECKER. Look Magazine December 31, 1962.

5. ELDON DEDINI. Baseball Yearbook 1953

6. SYDNEY HOFF. 1000 Jokes Magazine Spring, 1953.

7. HELEN HOKINSON. Collier’s March 15, 1941.

8. GEORGE PRICE. Life Magazine January, 1935.

9. GARDNER REA. Look Magazine May 15, 1956.

10. AL ROSS. For Laughing Out Loud October – December, 1957.

11. BARBARA SHERMUND. Collier’s September 2, 1939.

12. WILLIAM STEIG. Collier’s February 4, 1941.

13. SAUL STEINBERG. Collier’s June 20, 1942.

14. RICHARD TAYLOR. March 15, 1941.

 15. GAHAN WILSON. Collier’s August 19, 1955.

- Edited from an April 6, 2020 blog entry.

1971 Herb Trimpe Documentary Short

Here is a 1971 documentary short about Marvel Comic book artist Herb Trimpe. It was produced by the New York University's Graduate Institute of Film and TV.

The 33 minute film was co-directed by Jon Michael Riley and Doro Bachrach. Sound by Don Cirillo and cinematography by Eric Reiner. Polly Hacker was production assistant.

"Herb Trimpe was a young star among comic book artists in the late 60s (He began at Marvel in April of 1968.) and early 1970s.

"... This film highlights Herb's attitudes about life and work as a comic book artist, and is shown with his Peekskill, NY friend, Bob Barthelmes, with whom he attended school since kindergarten. Also featured is Flo Steinberg and some footage of the Marvel "bullpen" with other notable comic book artists.

"This may be the only film footage shot at Marvel at that time. Herb's family has given me [Jon Michael Riley] permission to upload this film to make it easier for people interested in Herb and his beautiful comic book art.

"Note: This video was made from an aged and partially damaged 16 mm B/W print that was transferred to DVD. A key word ("anonymity") is missing from the opening voice over lines."

 

 

ALL IN A LINE Cartoons by Saul Steinberg

Before Sacco and Rall, there was Steinberg, drawing another war from another generation.


Below are some of his sketches from ALL IN A LINE, Copyright 1945 by Saul Steinberg; first Penguin edition 1947, reprinted by arrangement with Duell, Sloane & Pearce, Inc.


The first half of the book are (mostly) wordless cartoons and humorous drawings. The second half appears to be taken, with little or no redrawing, straight from his sketch book.



I love the POV drawing on the right hand side. Who knew you could have an open bottle of ink inside a military cargo plane? [EDIT: Orang Basikal comments, "'The drawing on the right' is not in a military cargo plane but in a sampan on a river. Clearly he intended to contrast this with the scene in the cargo plane, on the left. Several of the other pairings are in a similar vein" Thanks, Orang. I stand corrected!]

His line work always impressed me as a combination of Sempé and Van Gogh.






Some great drawings to linger over, and I wish there were more books like this today. The 2000 PBS documentary They Drew Fire was about the formal hiring of artists to cover the war, and why it was done. To my knowledge, Mr. Steinberg was not among these fellows, but moreso an ordinary Navy grunt, jotting down his impressions, which makes him just as valuable.



Perhaps best known for his 1976 "View of the World" cover to the New Yorker magazine, Mr. Steinberg was one of those guys whose cartoons were just a beginning of what would be a life of fine art.

The Saul Steinberg Foundation link here.

This is an edited version of an original blog link dated November 12, 2007.

Video: #VelshiBannedBookClub: 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman

 Via MSNBC:

"The first ever graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize, Art Spiegelman’s 'Maus' is a frank and visceral look at the Holocaust through his father’s eyes. When the schools board of the McMinn County School District in Tennessee banned the classic from the 8th grade curriculum, it was thrust back into the spotlight for a new generation of readers that badly needed it. Spiegelman famously depicts his characters in ‘Maus’ as animals – Jewish mice, Nazi cats, Polish pigs, French frogs, and American dogs -- subverting common Nazi propaganda portraying Jewish people as 'rats,' 'vermin,' and 'sub-human.' The black-and-white drawings masterfully illustrate anguish, love, fear, and brutality. The reader is not just hearing about the depravity of the Holocaust – they’re seeing it. At its core 'Maus' is a memoir –a story about the Holocaust–but it also explores intergenerational trauma, the complexities of family, mental health, and enduring love."

 

Sketchbook: Some Behind the Scenes Sketches for an Historical Comic Book

I think it's the first time in maybe 17 years since I took about ten days off from the blog here in the early part of this month. Sorry about that. Here's why.

It helped me to go full speed ahead in my studio and complete the final push for a new project.

The project, an historical comic book, is now ready to go to press. It's been a fascinating series of illustrations and I had just the greatest editor as well. My part is done now. I'll let you know more about it when it's printed.

I thought I'd show a fraction of the sketches I did. On some of them, you can see my thumb in the photo -- so you can see how small some of the drawings are. Again, these are all prelim sketches and not the finished art. I got to draw horses, prize shorthorn cattle, oxen, covered wagons, the Civil War, Gilbert Van Camp of Van Camp's Beans fame, Amsterdam, WW1, the Berlin Wall, the Vietnam War, newspaper vending machines, Abe Lincoln and Abe Lincoln's friend Will Cumback -- to name a few!