Brad Holland 1943 - 2025

 

Illustrator and artist Bradford Wayne (Brad) Holland passed away on March 27th after heart surgery. He was 81 years old.

Holland's work appeared regularly in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Playboy, Rolling Stone and many other publications. Hos original paintings are in museum all over the world, and he had one-man gallery shows at the Museum of American Illustration and the Musée des Beaux-Arts.

 

Born in Fremont, Ohio, he mailed off drawings to Walt Disney and The Saturday Evening Post when he was fifteen years old. He would received a box of drawings back two years later with a rejection letter on Walt Disney stationery. He subsequently bought a bus ticket to Chicago, before being hired at the age of twenty by Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. Three years later, he moved to New York City to try his hand at being a freelance illustrator. 

By the late 1960s, his work appeared regularly in Playboy and The New York Times.

 

Wikipedia:

"In Holland's ink drawings, which were most prominently featured on the op-ed page of The New York Times, the artist has credited German satirist Heinrich Kley and Austrian expressionist Alfred Kubin as having significantly informed his own black-and-white work. The artist also sites Mexican muralism of the 1920s as being of significant inspiration and in particular 'Los Tres Grandes' (the three great ones): Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros.[15] The artist also credits the short story writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne as having influenced his sensibilities.[2]"

"It was the accepted standard of the time (1968) that art directors dictated or implied what they wanted an illustrator to create as a finished assignment. When Holland entered the illustration field, his philosophy was entirely different from what his predecessors had accepted as common practice. He vowed to never render anyone else's idea but rather always find a better, more personal solution to any illustration assignment he might accept." -- Steven Heller, Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame.

 

An advocate for creative rights, Brad founded The Illustrators' Partnership of America (IPA) in 1999. Its goals were to help artists with rights issues. In the early 2000s, there were a series of meetings with Brad, board member Cynthia Turner, and representatives from the Graphic Artists Guild and the National Cartoonists Society. I was the NCS National Rep at the time, so I was there. Brad was passionate about artists not being screwed over by usage rights and stock illustration houses. 

 

There are many tributes online.

Steven Heller writes:

"He was my first professional friend, critic and inspiration when at 17 I stumbled into the worlds of satiric art, illustration, magazines and graphic design.

"We had a natural bond and tumultuous relationship that I think is endemic to all closely tied, emotionally driven, unforgettable and irreplaceable relationships. We had great adventures, illuminating experiences, deep respect for and loyalty to one another.

"Brad had heart issues dating back to when we first met in 1967. ('I share aortic valve insufficiency with Abraham Lincoln,' he’d proudly tell me.) He was frank about his problems but he was also invincible, so it seemed. When the day after New Year 2025 we talked by phone, he mentioned that he was having a heart procedure in mid-March. He was more concerned with finishing the paintings for a major exhibition at Nuages Gallery in Milan scheduled for late January. From the sound of his voice, I figured the 'procedure' would turn out well."

Via The Daily Cartoonist:

The Steven Heller remembrance ends with a number of links to further reading and biography.

Also: Playboy’s Ribald Classics illustrations by Brad Holland (recommended for adults only)

more recent fine art images by Brad Holland at Margarethe Hubauer

an appreciation of Brad Holland’s talent at NY Art World

a gallery of Brad Holland drawings and art from the Society of Illustrators

Brad Holland’s birth date found at Prabook.

PBS American Masters Documentary "Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse" Premieres April 15th, 2025

American Masters – Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse, premieres nationwide Tuesday, April 15 at 10 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/americanmasters and the PBS App.

 

Comic Book Historians: Mark Ditko and Mort Todd Talk About their DitkoVerse Publishing Venture

Alex Grand of Comic Book Historians tells us up front that he has some great guests today, and that's true.

"Alex Grand speaks with Steve Ditko’s nephew, Mark Ditko, and longtime Ditko collaborator Mort Todd about their DitkoVerse publishing venture, a project dedicated to “remastering” and re-presenting classic Steve Ditko stories in high-quality editions . They describe their upcoming Indiegogo campaign, which kicks off a broader plan to keep Ditko’s independent work in continuous print leading up to what would have been his 100th birthday in 2027. The initial releases include Mister A—relettered and published in color for the first time—along with Fantastic Giants (featuring Charlton monster stories), Static (a superhero title), and a revised edition of Avenging World, Ditko’s philosophical opus. Mort Todd, who worked with Ditko as far back as the mid-1980s, explains the painstaking restoration process—cleaning up original black-and-white artwork, recoloring, and updating lettering in a way that stays faithful to Ditko’s intent. Mark emphasizes that the family’s focus is on honoring Steve Ditko’s desire to keep his work available and of high quality. The interview also touches on personal anecdotes—such as Ditko’s private yet supportive nature—and highlights their shared commitment: all funds raised will go directly into producing and distributing further reprints and unreleased material so future generations can appreciate Ditko’s unique blend of storytelling, philosophy, and artistry."

Ditkoverse publications are here: http://www.igg.me/at/ditkoverse1

 

David Kunzle Early Comic Strip History Books Available for Download

 

If you know comics history, then you know the name David Kunzle. His research into early graphic narrative stories was groundbreaking. His scholarly books on "comic strips before comic strips" of the 19th century helped cement the prehistory of sequential art. I go to his books again and again and always find something new and fascinating -- and funny.

Above are a couple of his earliest books, and they tend to go out of print. But now you can download these two at the Topferriania site.

Hat tip to Antoine Sausverd. who first reported this:

 

"On the bibliographic page dedicated to David Kunzle, it is now possible to download his two huge essential volumes: 'The Early Comic Strip: Narrative Strips and Picture Stories in the European Broadsheet from c. 1450-1825' (1973) and 'The History of the Comic Strip: The Nineteenth Century' (1990).

Related:

The Comics Journal Profiles David Kunzle
Video: David Kunzle on The Rebirth of the English Comic Strip: A Kaleidoscope, 1847-1870

Stephen SIlver: "Generative A.I is here to stay. You won't be able to stop it."

 

My talented colleague Stephen Silver (Animation Character Designer of Kim Possible, Danny Phantom, Clerks, and more) talks about utilizing generative AI techniques in animation. In particular, Stephen says it's here to stay. Like any tool it can be used and/or abused. In this video, he talks frankly about its impact and then shows an AI short from Staircase Studios. Staircase is embracing AI and hiring artists, writers and directors at industry rates to produce animated entertainment. You can decide for yourself about how real it looks and how it holds up as a piece of entertainment.

"Pouya Shahbazian, a producer on the Divergent franchise, has launched Staircase Studios AI, an artificial intelligence-driven film, TV and gaming studio.

"Staircase touts its own proprietary AI workflow, ForwardMotion, which claims to be able to produce near-studio-quality movie releases for under $500,000 each. The studio, which said it aims to produce around 30 low budget projects in the next three to four years, unveiled a teaser with the first five minutes from its debut feature, The Woman With Red Hair, directed by Brett Stuart and from Michael Schatz’s 2016 Black List script" -- Hollywood Reporter

 

Here's Stephen, and he shows the film as well. (It begins at 5:49.):

 

Syd Mead Gallery Show March 27–May 21

Artist Donato Giancola visited a NYC gallery show of Syd Mead's work. "Future Pastime” which is on view at 534 West 26th Street, March 27–May 21.

 

Donato adds that there are "two dozen paintings by the futurist Syd Mead are now on exhibit in a Chelsea gallery in Manhattan. Technically and conceptually brilliant. The work offers a broad range of gouache paintings, spanning five decades of his artistic legacy. Well worth the trip if you are a fan of the genre or his art."

 

Syd Mead - Future Pastime

534 W 26th St

NY, NY

Tues-Sun 10-6pm

Hanging until May 21

 

Artnet has a feature article on the exhibit.  

Here are a few of the pictures that Donato took.

From the Dick Buchanan Files: Gag Cartoons of the 1930s

Dick Buchanan has delved into his personal collection of magazine cartoons to come up with an exclusive look at the great cartoonists of the 1930s. There are many familiar names here: Dr. Seuss, 
Charles Addams, Marge, Jack Cole, Chon Day and others. What's of interest is that there are certain cartoonists who were best known for other work, and here they are drawing gag cartoons. Cartoonists like Jack Cole who may be best known for his Plastic Man comic book or the Playboy cartoons he would create 20 years later. Or Dr. Seuss, who is best known for his children's books. It comes as a surprise to see them, selling single panel cartoons to the old Life magazine or Judge.

Thanks, Dick, for putting this together. Some amazing stuff here! Take it away:

---

GAG CARTOONS OF THE 1930’s 





1930 - 1939 





The 1930’s were tumultuous times, beginning with Prohibition, Repeal, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Dust Bowl and the beginning of World War II. But it was also an important time in the development of the gag cartoon as we know it today. 



From the 1800’s until the late 1920’s most cartoons contained a title above the cartoon and captions noting the identity of the speakers. Captions were divided into two lines -- one for the setup, with the second line delivering the humor. Most cartoons in those days were masterfully executed illustrated jokes. 



Although there were a few single caption cartoons in the early days, it was their appearance The New Yorker in 1925 changed everything. They took the lead in creating the format of the “modern” cartoon. By the end of the 1930’s the single panel cartoon had evolved into gag cartoon as we know it today. 



The 1930’s also saw the debut of the many great cartoonists who were to dominate cartoon world for many decades. Several have been included in this collection. Some had hit their stride style-wise while others were yet to develop their familiar styles. 

This was the age when cartoonists worked with brush, ink and ink wash over graphite under writing on thick ¼” illustration board. 

Here from the dusty shelves of the Clip File Library are some examples of cartoons as they were long, long ago. 










This spectacular Life cover by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) was one of his best. In addition, it contains the germ of an idea that well may have inspired my childhood favorite book, Horton Hatches the Egg. Life May 1934. 






1. GARDNER REA. Judge October 11, 1930.

"At that, sir, you hadn't oughta trumped her ace."

 



2. BILL HOLMAN. King of the screwball cartoonists, Holman’s Smokey Stover would debut in 1935. The New Yorker’s George Booth inserts a dog in many of his great cartoons. Holman also used this device with a mischievous cat appearing in many of his cartoons. This cat, later known as Spooky, earned his own comic strip. Life September 11, 1931.

 "Good Lord! That d--n cat again!"





3. GLUYAS WILLIAMS. One of the foremost cartoonists and illustrators, Williams' work was a fixture in the early New Yorker. He illustrated many of Robert Benchley’s hilarious books. Life September 11,1931.





4. ERNIE BUSHMILLER. Although his comic strip Fritzi Ritz had been running since 1922 (Larry Whittington  was the creator; Bushmiller took it over three years later), occasionally his work appeared in Judge. Nancy first appeared as Fritzi’s niece in 1933. The strip was retitled Nancy in 1938. Judge June 1932. 





5. GEORGE LICHTY. Lichty was best known for the long running panel cartoon Grin and Bear It. Life August 1933.

"Thash funny -- I got 'et in reverse an' we're goin' sideways!"

6. WHITNEY DARROW, Jr. Darrow’s familiar style was in it’s formative stage. Judge June 1934.





7. CHON DAY. Judge June 1934. 

 



8. RICHARD DECKER. Superb drawing by Decker, as always. Life March 1935. 





8. NED HILTON. Another New Yorker favorite for decades, Hilton often had several drawings in each issue. Life March 1935. 





"Abercrombie and Fitch are wondering about their little bill."

9. MARGE. Marjorie Henderson Buell creator Little Lulu began as a gag cartoonist. Life March 1935. 





10. MARGE. Little Lulu replaced Henry as the featured panel on the last pages of the magazine, the spot would later be occupied by Ted Key’s Hazel. The Saturday Evening Post February 5, 1938. 





11. GEORGE SHELLHASE. Life August 1935. 





12. DOROTHY McKAY. Life August 1935 



 

13. CHARLES ADDAMS. Addams rarely strayed from the pages of The New Yorker, but drawings appeared occasionally in True and Collier’s in the 1930’s and ‘40’s. Collier’s January 15,1938. 





15. JACK COLE. Cole struggled as a freelance cartoonist but struck gold when he created the memorable comic book hero Plastic Man. Judge, July 1938. 





 16. LEONARD DOVE. Collier’s January 15, 1938. 





17. SYD HOFF. Judge, 1938.





18. OTTO SOGLOW. Collier’s January 8, 1938. 





19. WILLIAM STEIG. Steig was a favorite of Cartoon Editor Gurney Williams and often appeared both Collier’s and later Look. Collier’s January 7, 1939. 


-- This has been an edited version of a May 3, 2018 blog entry.

The Garden As of Early April

 

I really didn't think I would post much about the garden. The snow just melted off about a week ago, but the dirt is still frozen. Still, next to the garden, some flowers are coming up to remind me that there really will be a spring. So, here are some pics of the raised beds with nothing in them but last year's dirt, which needs to be refreshed. 

The big bed in the foreground dates back to 2008. The taller ones are newer. I may or may not get rid of that bigger one this year. I have the cedar to make another small boxy raised bed. 

Here are the four newer beds, three big ones and the boxy one. And you can see how there's pretty much no sign of green grass yet. Looks kinda dismal. This is late in the day, so there are some shadows on the garden, but for the most part it gets light 8-10 hours a day.

Another view. This was all under snow cover for months until a week or ten days ago. And it still looks like all of nature is asleep.

 

We have a "wintry mix" coming in tonight, but spring will roar into existence regardless of the rain, sleet and shower-door ice on everything tomorrow.

Hy Eisman 1927 - 2025

 

Veteran cartoonist Hy Eisman, whose 80 year career encompassed comic books, advertising, syndicated comic strips and more, passed away on his birthday this past Thursday, March 27th. He was 98 years old. 

"Hy Eisman knew by age five that he wanted to be a cartoonist. He watched a Fleischer Studio animator, his aunt’s tenant, make magic with a pencil. Seeing the Sunday newspaper comics during the difficult Depression years offered another source of inspiration. 

"He drew his way through school. In 1945 Hy was drafted out of Central High into the army as WWII was winding down. Assigned to a hospital unit, he had time to design military health posters and create a comic strip, Parade Rest, for The Camp Pickett News.

"With funding from the GI Bill, Hy graduated from the Art Career School in 1950. For a few years he designed type, packages, and produced cartoons for Fuld & Co., a greeting card company. 

"Through the 1950s, Hy's work appeared in many American Comics Group titles."

-- From his biography at his site. 

The Daily Cartoonist reports that he worked for a variety of comic book companies, including ACG, Archie, Charlton, Dell, Harvey, Western, and other comic book companies.

His syndicated comic strip work included Kerry Drake, Mutt and Jeff, Little Iodine, The Katzenjammer Kids, and more. He assisted Vernon Greene on Bringing Up Father. 

 

 

"He was the ghost penciler for many books inked by Vince Coletta. Roy Lichtenstein appropriated a panel penciled for Private Secretary #1. The painter used it for his 1964 World's Fair mural, 'Girl in Window.' David Barsalou has explored this subject extensively. Eisman is interviewed in the documentary Whaam! Blam! Roy Lichtenstein and the Art of Appropriation"

-- Hy Eisman's site

Hy won two awards for best humor comic from the National Cartoonists Society, and was awarded their lifetime achievement award, the Milton Caniff Award.

Here's a trailer for a proposed 2013 documentary, Hy Eisman: A Life in Comics. I am unsure if this documentary was completed, still in the works or has been abandoned.

1963: Learn English with Walter and Connie | English By Television | BBC Archive

 

From the great BBC Archive, here's a 13-minute short TV production with "Walter and Connie," two young, good looking actors who will help you speak English. Interspersed between the live-action Walter and Connie are a series of animated bits recapping the English that has just been spoken. 

 

"In the 1960s, two of Britain's biggest global stars were pretty much unknown in the UK. Walter and Connie (Brian McDermott and Anne Lawson) were the fictional couple that helped teach English to the world and were besieged by fans on personal appearances across Europe. 

"This is the entire first episode of the English By Television series (a spin-off of the BBC's popular and successful English By Radio output, which had been running since 1943). Walter and Connie at Home was made by Claudia Productions for the BBC, in conjunction with the British Council, and was first broadcast in 1963. 

"A fascinating Archive on 4 episode looking into the history of the BBC's language learning enterprise, titled Do You Speak English?, is available on BBC Sounds - presented by none other than the real-life daughter of 'Walter', Josephine McDermott."

The USPS Betty White Postage Stamp Debuts Today

 

Illustrator Dale Stephanos created the Betty White postage stamp from a 2010 photo by Kwaku Alston. The USPS Forever stamp is available today. 

"Speaking to Today, Boston-based illustrator Dale Stephanos opened up about the upcoming stamp honoring White’s life. 'It’s just a great photo — a sweet spot in her older years,' Stephanos said. 'I just kind of used that as reference and then kind of changed the colors and tried to make it more handmade than a photo would be.'

"The stamp sees White in a stylized portrait, dressed in purple instead of the red that she wore in the original photo, to reflect a protest of sort that Stephanos saw in White’s career and attitude.

"'Purple is the color of protest. She had such a positive personality. She never seemed angry, even though protest is a form of anger,' said Stephanos." -- Coming Soon

Here's the official USPS video:

Victoria Semykina on Plagiarism and Creating Art

 

Above from Victoria Semykina's Instagram. Someone had copied one of her illustrations and passed it off as their own. Hers is on the left, and the plagiarized version is on the right. She posted this a week ago and I still think about it. She could "out" the person who stole her art and berate them, but she takes this as an opportunity to reveal a real hard fact about drawing for a living. While some amateurs may be looking for an easy key that solves the challenge of finding and creating the work, Victoria knows it's damn hard work. And it's rewarding work. The work is the point.

"A friend sent me this image, and wow… that familiar mix of ugh and amazement hit me right away. Is it 100% plagiarism? No, of course not. But the ‘inspiration’ is so obvious it might as well be waving at me.
⠀
"I’m not here to name and shame—no internet drama today. Instead, I want to talk about something that’s been bugging me for a while.
⠀
"To simplify, there are two ways to create art:
⠀
"The first way is to get an idea, sketch, gather references, wrestle with colors, composition, and all the tricky bits. It takes time and effort. Eventually, after all that, you end up with something dreadful and start again. It’s exhausting. But I believe that’s also what makes art art.
⠀
"The second way is when you take an image that already works. You tweak a few elements—swap a boy for a girl, a minor shuffle here and there—and... a 'new' piece is born! Quick, easy, and terribly convenient.
⠀
"What worries me is that many new artists think this is a normal way to work. Some even go so far as to teach it—offering tutorials on how to 'borrow' and 'blend' into something 'original.'
⠀
"But here’s the most important thing I wanted to say:

"When you train your brain to copy, it learns to repeat, not create. When you train your brain to create, it will become a fountain of ideas, showering you with new thoughts, new visions, and sparks. The mind, after all, is a muscle, and its greatest pleasure is invention.
 

"So, don’t rob yourself of that joy."

Higgins Ink Co., Inc: The "All American" Art Cartooning 1944

 

I got a surprise in the mail from my good friend Dick Buchanan: a copy of The All American Art -- Cartooning, which originally was published in 1944. This is the 12th printing from 1958. It's always fun to dive into this old world from the golden days of cartooning. 

Don Herold drew the cover, and the interior has many of the cartoonists of the day represented. And some of them comment about their work. The book opens with an uncredited essay, "The Theory of Humor." There are also sections on pen and brush exercises, anatomy, draping, the comic strip, what they call "single box comics" (gag cartoons), political cartoons, sports cartoons, caricature and so on.

Below are a few selections from the 64 page book, as well as the entire gag cartoon section. Thanks again, Dick!

As usual, there are some cartoons that are not politically correct, such as this first one. Others, like Ned Hilton's, reference something that was going on in 1944 (rationing) but is now a thing of the past.

If this is the Garrity I think it is, he would go on to be The New Yorker's cartoon editor. 

A Barbara Shermund cartoon from Esquire. Do read Caitlin McGurk's recent biography of Ms. Shermund.

 

Otto Soglow from Collier's Magazine:

 

A few pages of basic cartoony anatomy. Artist uncredited.

 

This is the only time I have ever seen instruction on page breaks or spot illustrations. No artist credited.

 

A cartoon by Richard Taylor, as well as an essay by him opens the "Spot or Gag Cartoons" section. 

 

William Steig, Whitney Darrow, Jr.

 

Syd Hoff, Rodney DeSarro, Jay Irving:

 

Hilda Terry, Don Herold, Virgil Partch.

 

Gluyas Williams, Irving Roir, George Wolfe, Halpert.

 

Frank Beaven, Mischa Richter.

 

Baer, John Groth, Lawrence Lariar.

 

John Milligan, Gardner Rea, David Huffine, Crockett Johnson.