"André François Artist" A Film by Sarah Moon

Above via ComicArtFans.


André François, a cartoonist, illustrator and satirist, passed away in 2005 at the age of 89. His inky style, and bold line lampooned the lives of artists, generals and everyone in between in cartoons he drew for Punch and La Rire and many European publications. He appeared in US outlets like The New Yorker, Holiday, Sports Illustrated. He was a busy childrens book illustrator, and created advertising posters as well, winning a Cesar Award for his poster work. In addition to painting, Mr. François created collages.

Milton Glaser, quoted in the Times: "Along with Saul Steinberg, he was the shining light of world illustration in the 50's. All of us beginning our practice at that time were deeply inspired by him."

A 1949 Punch cartoon.

He was born André Farkas in Romania in 1915. He studied art in Budapest, but moved to Paris in 1934 to study with the French Art Deco poster artist A.M. Cassandre. He attended Cassandre's new school. Five years later, two big events occurred: he changed his name to François and he married an Englishwoman, Margaret Edmunds. They were wed 66 years, and had two children.

He was a Jewish, Leftist artist. He hid from the Germans at a farm in Savoie, and eventually moved to Grisy-les-Plâtres, because it was an inexpensive place to raise a family. He contributed many drawings and cartoons for the leftist newspapers Action and Les Lettres Françaises. He also painted and created collages.

"He seems to capture an idea with a pounce. He throws it to the ground in a frenzy, hacking at it with quick strokes to delineate its likeness. He never waits to pretty it up, smoothing its fur or arranging its limbs with the decency due unto death. His ideas are never mummified in technique or stuffed, or tanned and stretched. They are not fossils of style." - Walt Kelly

From the Times:

"After publication of his anthologies of cartoons, 'The Penguin André François,' originally published in 1952 in England, and 'The Tattooed Sailor and Other Cartoons From France' in 1953, his work became sought after by art directors in the United States. In 1958 'The Half-Naked Knight,' published by Knopf, attracted a growing legion of artist acolytes with his ribald and slyly witty imagery. He was also commissioned to make visual essays for Holiday and Sports Illustrated and covers for The New Yorker.

"In 2002 a devastating fire in Mr. François's studio destroyed nearly all of his work. Despite failing health, his friends say, he was determined to leave more tangible examples of his legacy than those reproduced in books, and in his last years set about trying to produce a body of new work."

Sarah Moon created this 2004 documentary "André François Artist," which runs about a half hour.



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ADDENDUM

Norman Hotz, my longtime editor at Reader's Digest sent an email. Before he was with the Digest, he worked as editor for Travel & Leisure magazine. Here's his note, along with a previously unseen André François piece. Thanks for sharing this, Norman!

"Thanks for posting this Mike. I was fortunate enough to collaborate on a few projects with him back in the mid-seventies. The attached image is an unpublished piece, which I figured his fans would enjoy seeing. It was done for a Travel & Leisure Travel Europe special issue. I would have to go to his agent John Locke's place at a prearranged time to make the phone call. No internet, no e-mail back then. John was also a great help with the language."

From the Dick Buchanan Files: Punch Cartoons 1950 - 1959

Well, it's been a busy week in the world (pandemic, stock market plunge, too many cartoonists dying) and here at the Mike Lynch studio. I did a career day and am working a large project that I have to finish today. I'm thankful the good ol' Dick Buchanan has sent on a great old batch of Punch cartoons to share. Not only that, he has researched these British cartoonists, who may not be as well known to us. Some great cartoons here, as well as great information. (Leslie Starke's cartoon has long been one of my all-time favorite wordless gag cartoons.) Wow! Thank you, Professor Buchanan and take it away!

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Punch Cartoons
(1950-1959)

Every once in a while, the Clip File crew turns its attention to the ink slingers on the other side of the Atlantic. Punch published the first cartoon in 1843 and for more than a century the very best cartoonists appeared in its pages. As you might imagine, the Cartoon Clip File is bulging with cartoons clipped from pages of Punch. Here a few cartoons by Punch cartoonists of the 1950’s.

Spoiler Alert: British cartoons are pretty much like American ones—some are funny, some not so much. These are mostly funny. Put your spectacles on and take a look . . .


1. SHEILA DUNN. During the mid-century, women cartoonists were as scarce in London as they were in New York but Sheila Dunn was one who managed to succeed. Punch December 27, 1950.

 2. DAVID LANGDON. Langdon was invited to join Punch in 1937, the when cartoon styles were changing. He concentrated on pure humour at a time when the simplified drawing and the short caption were taking over from stylized drawing and laborious captions. Punch August 13, 1950.

3. IONICUS. Joshua Armitage adopted the pen name “Ionicus” to distinguish his light-hearted work from his more serious oil painting. Punch November 11, 1950.

4. LESLIE STARKE. After have cartoons rejected by every cartoon editor in London, Starke decided to try The New Yorker. His first submission resulted in a sale which appeared in the New Yorker in 1947. He soon was appearing in all the British magazines. Punch December 20, 1950.

5. RUSSELL BROCKBANK. Brockbank drew his first car at the age of 4 and became world renowned for his motoring, motor racing and aviation cartoons. He was art editor of Punch from 1949 to 1960. Punch July 6, 1951.

"While you're about it, ask him if he knows a good place for lunch"

6. BERNARD HOLLOWOOD. Hollywood was one of a vanishing breed—the self-taught artist. He was editor of Punch from 1957 to 1968. Punch December 5, 1951.

7. SIGGS. L.L. (Lawrie) Siggs appeared in The New Yorker twice but he was a frequent contributor to Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post. Punch January 16, 1952

8. KENNETH MAHOOD. Like many of his fellow Punch cartoonists, Mahood also aspired to be a serious artist, becoming a successful abstract painter. Punch September 10, 1952.

9. ANTON. Antonia Yoeman was the other woman cartoonist who appeared in Punch. Beginning in the late 1930’s Yoeman and her brother teamed to produce cartoons signed Anton. Yoeman continued alone after 1949. Punch Almanack for 1953 November 3, 1952.

10. GEORGE SPROD. Sprod was in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during WWII. Many prisoners kept a diary but Sprod felt he wasn’t a writer so he turned to drawing. Punch Almanack for 1953 November 3, 1952. [George Sprod's nephew has a some video here and tells the story of his uncle lying about his age to join the army, tells the story of his 3 1/2 years in a POW camp and shows many drawings of his here.]

11. SMILBY. In 1951 Francis Wilford-Smith was awarded a £100 Punch scholarship, offered to encourage young cartoonists, and within six months drawings appeared in Punch, Lilliput, London Opinion and Men Only. Punch June 17, 1953.

"I just don't know how they can live in this heat."

12. RONALD SEARLE. Searle is fondly remembered as creator of St Trinian's School a gag cartoon series about a girl’s school where sadistic teachers met their match by a bunch of juvenile delinquents. Punch. June 24, 1957.

13. GEORGE ADAMSON. Adamson was born in the Bronx, U.S.A. and arrived in London via Bombay, India. His first Punch cartoon appeared in 1939, launching a career that spanned half a century. Punch April 30, 1958

"I'll take the giant size."

14. ERIC BURGIN. Burgin began drawing while in the RAF during WWII, but returned to his factory job after the war. His first Punch cartoon was published in 1951 and he became a full-time cartoonist in 1953. Punch October 29, 1958.

15. FFOLKES. At the age of 17 Brian Davis sold his first drawing to Punch in 1942, signing it "brian". He went on to study painting at the Chelsea School of Art later adopted "Michael Ffolkes" as his artistic name, becoming a professional cartoonist in 1949. Punch September 30, 1959. 

DC Nation Animation: Robert Valley's Wonder Woman

Robert Valley wrote and directed these three 90 second stylized shorts featuring Wonder Woman for DC Nation in 2013. Re-conceptualized as a 1970s cool super-heroine -- she has an invisible sportscar instead of an invisible jet -- these grand Wonder Woman experiments deserve another look. Here are all three:

Norma Martin, Don Martin's Widow, Asks for Help

Via DailyCartoonist:

Norma Martin, the widow of the famed "Mad's Maddest Artist" Don Martin, asks for help in battling for her husband's trademark.

Norma Martin has opened a gofundme account to raise money
for legal fees in a fight to keep “Don Martin” a part of their family.

"He made other people rich. But he was only rich in talent. I am his widow
living on social security, and I am trying to keep MAD and DC Comics, who are owned by AT&T, from stealing his name, trademark and work. How are they doing this and why should anyone care? Every creative person strives for recognition. It represents their talent. Whether a writer, painter, musician,
poet, cartoonist, dancer, and so on, they all appreciate recognition.

"My opponents have been using Don’s name on books and magazines all over the world as if it is their property. They have been putting his name on work he did not create. That is what I am fighting. I have done the best I can but will soon need the help of real lawyers. And big companies fight hard and dirty. Law is a complicated animal and I do not know enough to keep on fighting without legal help."

If you have a few bucks to spare, please consider helping Norma.

Allen Bellman 1924 - 2020

Allen Bellman, a golden age comic book artist remembered for being one of the first people to draw Captain America, passed away peacefully after a short illness at the age of 95. His beloved wife Roz and family was at his side.

From comicbook.com:

"Bellman war born in June of 1924 and would become one of the earliest artists to draw Captain America. Over the course of his career, he would work on numerous Timely and Atlas Comics, including All Winners Comics, Young Allies, The Human Torch, Sub Mariner Comics. As with so many of the Golden Age artists, he would go on to work on more than just superheroes, with Westerns, jungle adventures, mysteries, and of course war comics creeping into his oeuvre.

"Apparently a modest man, Bellman maintained a personal website that included a history of Timely Comics, in which his name is not actually mentioned, even though many of the comics he worked on are. According to his bio, in smaller lettering at the bottom of that page, 'I eventually became a staff artist at Timely during the Golden Age of comics and worked on titles such as: The Patriot, The Destroyer, The Human Torch, Jap Buster Johnson and Jet Dixon of the Space Squadron, All Winners Comics, Marvel Mystery, Sub Mariner Comics, Young Allies and so much more.'"

Comic book historian and writer Dr. Michael J. Vassallo, who was a friend to the Bellmans, writes:

"Allen was extremely friendly and answered all my initial questions as if the events had happened yesterday, nearly all pertaining to the freelance work of the Atlas period of Marvel’s history, from 1950 to the time Allen disappeared from the newsstands. That was the work I knew and loved. That was the work likely “anyone” knew.

"I was also shocked to learn just how early on Allen had started at Timely at age 18, joining the staff in late 1942 after seeing an ad in the New York Times. On his father’s advice, Allen answered the ad (Timely was then in the McGraw Hill Building on West 42nd St.) and was hired on Columbus Day. His very first assignment? Background artist on Captain America, then being penciled in the main book by the great Syd Shores and inked by Vince Alascia."

This is just a small part of a profile that Dr. Vassallo wrote. It includes his introduction for Bellman's autobiography TIMELY CONFIDENTIAL: WHEN THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMICS WAS YOUNG, published in 2017.

  All image from Dr. Vassallo's blog.

Comic Book Writer Nicola "Nick" Cuti 1944 - 2020

Nicola "Nick" Cuti, whose comics and media career spanned half a century, passed away on Friday, February 21, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. He was 75 years old. The cause was cancer.

From his Facebook page:

Legendary comic creator Nicola Cuti, whose career has spanned over fifty years, has died.

Sources close to the family have reported that Cuti passed in Tampa on Friday, February 21, 2020, after a battle with cancer. He was surrounded by family and close friends, including his daughter, Jaymee, brother, Emil, and his business partner and friend, Nakoma DeMitro.

Known to everyone as “Nick”, Cuti was born October 29, 1944. He served in the United States Air Force for four years. It was during this time that his first works were published.

An artist and comic and science-fiction writer and editor, he is best known as a co-creator of Moonchild the Starbabe and superhero E-Man, a series he worked on with his dear friend, Joe Staton. Other creations of his included Captain Cosmos, Brightstar, and Starflake the Cosmic Sprite. During his career, he worked alongside legends such as Wally Wood, Stan Lee, and Bill Black, founder of AC Comics. His works were featured in Charlton Comics, Warren Publishing, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics. He contributed to famous franchises such as Vampirella, Popeye, and Creepy Magazine.

In addition to his work in the comic industry, Cuti also worked in many productions for Disney, Universal Studios, and Sony Pictures as an animation background designer. Some of the shows he worked on included Gargoyles, 101 Dalmatians, and The Critic.

He was twice awarded the Warren’s Ray Bradbury Award and was also awarded the Inkpot Award at the San Diego Comic Con for his career achievements. He was a fixture at many conventions including the Tampa Bay Comic Con and Spooky Empire in Orlando. He has been a special guest at the San Diego Comic Con and Infinity Comic Con, where he was asked to create the badge. He was scheduled to be a guest at Sci-Fy Bartow in Tampa and Mega Con in Orlando this year.
Cuti’s hobbies included being an amateur magician, an avid reader, and a huge space exploration supporter.

Cuti was a loyal and devoted father, son, brother and friend. He is survived by his daughter Jaymee Cuti, of Portland, Ore., brother, Emil Cuti of New Port Richey, Fla, Great-Aunt Lee Sica of Holiday, Fla, and many cousins. He will be deeply missed by family, friends, colleagues and fans.

Speaking personally, he was, along with Joe Staton, the guy who created E-Man. E-Man, which was a rare superhero title from the mostly-scary comics/king fu comics/licensed comics company Charlton, first appeared in 1973. It was a light-toned, fun superhero comic that Cuti said was inspired by the Thin Man movies and Plastic Man. It was canceled after two years and 10 issues. It was, oddly, Charlton's lowest selling title but most-subscribed to comic book. It was a cult hit, and would return more than once from different comic book companies. Cuti and Staton had succeeded in creating a terrific series. I always enjoyed the book and collected all of its original run.

Frank McLaughlin 1935 - 2020

Comic book and comic strip artist Frank McLaughlin passed away on Wednesday, March 4th at Milford (CT) Hospital. He was 84.

A prolific and in-demand artist, Frank worked for all of the major companies.

From Newsarama:

"McLaughlin was best known for his work at Charlton Comics, where he broke into the industry and co-created the character Judomaster partially based on his own study of martial arts.

"McLaughlin went on to work at DC, Marvel, Valiant, and Archie, where he worked on Adventure Comics, Justice League, Defenders, Captain America, and more.

"McLaughlin also taught art at Hamden, CT's Paier College of Art, as well as Guy Gilchrist's Cartoonist's Academy."

Frank also drew comic strips, including the Superman strip and Brenda Starr. From 2001 to 2008 he was the artist for the long running Gil Thorp comic strip.

In 2006, I was honored to be a part of a charity event at Guy Gilchrist's Cartoonist's Academy with Frank. Guy, Frank and myself gave short presentations on what we do for a living. I knew Frank by reputation, and I was a bit nervous. No need. He treated me like a long lost pal. Such a gracious, talented fellow.

That's me, near the end of the evening. "Crazed Mike Lynch and Frank McLaughlin count the cash! Please note that Frank has all the 20 dollar bills on his side."

Rest in peace and may the road rise to meet you ....

Links:

Daily Cartoonist

Wikipedia entry - which is extensive and pretty amazing to see all the work he did

My July 25, 2006 Guy Gilchrist's Cartoonist's Academy Charity Event blog entry.

From the Dick Buchanan Files: Gag Cartoons 1947 - 1962

Dick Buchanan has arrived with another grand selection of vintage magazine single panel cartoons for our amusement. Once again, I hand over the keys to the blog to Dick. Thanks so much. I always enjoy these!

Take it away, Dick!

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GAG CARTOONS
(1947 – 1962)

Here’s a look at some of the assorted gag cartoons recently added to the ever-expanding Cartoon Clip File. These are cartoons by the leading cartoonists which appeared in the great magazines of the past. Take a look . . .

1. IRWIN CAPLAN. The Saturday Evening Post July 24, 1948.

2. PAUL PETER PORGES. The Saturday Evening Post June 1, 1957.

3. GARDNER REA. The Saturday Evening Post May 28, 1949.
 

4. CLYDE LAMB. 1000 Jokes Magazine Winter, 1951.

5. VIRGIL PARTCH. Look Magazine May 8, 1962.

6. JOSEPH SERRANO. True Magazine October, 1958.

7. RAY HELLE. Collier’s May 23, 1953.

8. JEFF KEATE. Liberty Magazine June 8, 1946.

9. BRAD ANDERSON. The Saturday Evening January 12, 1957.

10. SIDNEY HARRIS. Cartoons & Gags June, 1961.

11. JOHN RUGE. Look Magazine May 15, 1956

12. JOHN NORMENT. The Saturday Evening Post March 27, 1954.

13. STAN FINE. This Week Magazine November 16, 1952.

14. HERB WILLIAMS. Collier’s May 24, 1947.

15. TOM HENDERSON. The Saturday Evening Post March 20, 1948.

Russ Cochran 1937 - 2020

EC Comic enthusiast, and early publisher of EC Comics reprints, Russ Cochran, passed away on February 23rd at the age of 82.

To many of us, me included, he was the guy who told us younger people to look at these amazing EC Comics from the 1950s. He fell in love with them in the 1950s, and even started up a local chapter of the EC Fan-Addict Club. In 1964, he acquired a Ph.D and began teaching at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. He became chair of the Physics Department.

From TCJ:

"'On sort of a whim I decided to write Bill Gaines. My letter said something to the effect that of the members of our chapter, EC Fan-Addict Club number three, one of us is a teacher, one is a minister, one is a doctor, one is a lawyer, and not an axe murderer in the bunch. I thought he would get a kick out of knowing that the influence of the ECs had not been detrimental to us. Anyway, he got a big kick out of the letter and wrote me back and said, 'Next time you’re in New York, or if you’re ever in New York, give me a call and we’ll go out to dinner.' Fortunately for EC fans, Cochran followed up on Gaines’ invitation and the two became fast friends, meeting over dinner and wine many times over the next few years."

This friendship was instrumental in Cochran's urge to reprint portfolios of the classic artwork from the 1950s EC Comics. His reprint efforts were so successful, that he left his position at Drake after ten years, and ventured into the publishing world.

Image from MyComicShop. 


From Bleeding Cool:

"The reprints were compiled primarily from copies of the original artwork pages, which were owned by EC Publisher William Gaines. Cochran befriended Gaines and also handled the resale of the original artwork to collectors via mail-auction catalogues during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s.

"From 1978 to 1996, The Complete EC Library project reprinted almost every EC comic in 66 hardbound volumes contained in 17 slipcases. The complete issue was reprinted in black-and-white with colour covers, including house ads, letters pages, text stories, and editorial content, as well as content prepared but never published. These volumes included annotations and commentary by various comics historians, including John Benson, Max Allan Collins, Martin Jukovsky, Bill Mason, Bill Spicer and Bhob Stewart."

He would go on to reprint classic comic strips, a classic hardcover series of books of Disney comic book artwork, and the Edgar Rice Burroughs Library of Illustration, a collection of art associated with the Tarzan and John Carter books through the decades.

He was a lover of comics who followed his passion.



Links:

TCJ obit
Daily Cartoonist

Claire Bretécher 1940 - 2020

Above: Claire Bretécher at work in 1979. Photo by Jean Luce Huré.



One of the first female cartoonists to break into France's male-dominated comic culture, Claire Bretécher, "a satirical, fearless and lacerating French comic artist" died on February 10 in Paris. She was 79. The announcement was made by her publisher, Darguad, which provided no further details.

From the New York Times:

"Ms. Bretécher (pronounced bruh-tay-SHAY) became a celebrated cartoonist in the 1970s, and her comic strips were a fixture in French newspapers and magazines for decades. Her work also appeared around the world; in the United States she was published in Ms. magazine, Esquire and National Lampoon.

"She brought a mordant wit to gender issues and was so incisive about the human condition that in 1976 the philosopher Roland Barthes called her the 'best sociologist of the year.'"

Above: a 1974 self-portrait drawn for the magazine Schtroumpf.

Claire Bretécher was the first satirist who "meticulously and subtly captured the behavior and conversations of both the adult and adolescent female in her two signature series 'Les Frustrés' (1973-1981) and 'Agrippine' (1988-2009), all in her trademark loose and sketchy trait." (Lambiek)

From Claire Bretécher’s popular strip La Page des Frustés (The Frustrated) which appeared weekly from 1974 to the mid-1980s in France, and reprinted in the US in National Lampoon. The above page is from the 1978 paperback collection National Lampoon Presents Claire Bretécher. Image from the Slings and Arrows site.

 
A couple of one-page strips about the teenage girl Agrippina (Agrippine in France). The long-running series was the subject of four collections, originally self-published by Bretécher, as well as an animated series. Hat tip to Slings and Arrows once again for the scan.

Here is the first episode of the Agrippine Canal+ TV series from 2001. 



A 1977 interview with Claire Bretécher answering questions while drawing:



The Daily Cartoonist has an excellent appreciation of her life and many good links.