Monthly Archive: June 2010

Al Williamson, the youngest artist in the acclaimed EC stable of artists, died yesterday after a long illness. Born in 1931, he was raised in Bogotá, Colombia, Williamson was attracted to American comic strips, notably Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon, before relocating to the United States at age 12. As a teen, he attended Burne Hogarth’s Cartoonists and Illustrators School, meeting several future colleagues, notably Wally Wood and Roy Krenkel.

After assisting Hogarth on the Tarzan Sunday pages, he made his first professional sale in 1951, selling a story to Adventures into the Unknown #27, cover dated January 1952. Just a few months later he arrived at EC, contributing to Tales from the Crypt #31. His photorealistic style and strong brush line led him to contribute primarily to the science fiction titles including Weird Science and Weird Fantasy. His other clients included Avon Publications, Fawcett Comics, and Standard Comics. When EC folded, he went to work for Atlas (before it became Marvel) and then reteamed with many of his EC pals at Harvey Comics, where he did noteworthy inks over Jack Kirby features.

Williamson achieved a dream when he took over writing and drawing Flash Gordon comic books in the 1960s, which were collected only last year. These stories earned him the first of many awards, the 1966 National Cartoonists Society Award for Best Comic Book. Throughout the 1960s, Williamson produced stories for the Warren black and white magazines in addition to advertising work.

In 1970, he and writer Archie Goodwin, who became one of his closest friends, took over Raymond’s Secret Agent X-9 which was eventually renamed Secret Agent Corrigan. The duo reteamed to produce the early years of the Star Wars comic strip in addition to producing adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back and Blade Runner. On his own, Williamson adapted the Dino DeLaurentiis Flash Gordon movie and completed his work on the space hero with the 1995 Marvel miniseries (written by Mark Schultz).

By the 1980s, Al was having doubts about his ability and sought the less stressful demands as an inker, notably over Curt Swan’s Superman for DC and later over John Romita, Jr. on Daredevil work which won the team the Harvey Award multiple times.

By the 2000s, Williamson was already ill and slowed his output until he was inking just Spider-Girl and completed an illustrious professional art career around 2005. He was voted into the Eisner Hall of Fame in 2000.

The subjective of at least six retrospective books, Williamson’s influence as an artist and a professional continues to be influential on the current generation of creators. He made his home in Pennsylvania with his wife Corina, until his death.

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20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has collected ten films from their vault and colorfully packaged them in the just released Cinema Pride Collection
, celebrating homosexuality on the silver screen. As a straight man, I find the movies a sometimes accurate window into a lifestyle not my own, and at other times, I cringe at the horrible stereotyping that goes on.

Gays in the cinema started off as stock sissy characters that knowing audiences recognized queerness through characterization. It wasn’t until 1936’ [[[My Man Godfrey]]] before any touching was allowed and even then, the briefest of beard strokes. Gays continued to be see in parts that never acknowledged their sexual identity although they were trotted out now and then as the villain such as Clifton Webb’s murderous Waldo Lydecker in Laura.

If the movies touched on homosexuality at all, it was to imply that all male environments, notably the military, was a hotbed of opportunity. Gay men and women were often depicted as self-hating and suicidal because they could not “cure” themselves or overcome societal shame. This brings us to the oldest film in the collection, 1962’s [[[The Children’s Hour]]], one of the first Hollywood productions to even attempt an honest portrayal of lesbianism. The adaptation of Lillian Hellman’s play, directed by William Wyler, was drastically watered down thanks to the existing production code of the day but still offered fine performances from Karen Balkin, Fay Bainter, Audrey Hepburn, and Shirley MacLaine – notable that two acclaimed adult actresses played lovers.

While Andy Warhol’s shorts were among the first American productions to openly display same-sex romantic scenes, the Europeans were far more open and accepting of different lifestyles. Their emphasis on dramatic storytelling and avoidance of typically pat-endings allowed gay cinema to evolve more rapidly allowing them to laugh at 1979’s wonderful [[[La Cage aux Folles]]], also included here. By the time that charming French film was remade in America as [[[The Birdcage]]], everything was far brighter, far more over the top and filled with welcome star power (Robin Williams, Gene Hackman) to overcome any squeamishness over the subject matter. Comparing the two in this set, I still prefer the original in its more low key, honest portrayal of more varied gay relationships.

Once again, the Europeans show how portray the human condition in stark terms with 1985’s [[[My Beautiful Laundrette]]]. Hanif Kureishi adapted his stage play that mixes in many messages, not just homosexuality but also England’s struggle with the immigrant experience, class structure and social mobility. Stephen Frears directs a largely unknown cast in a strong story that earned its accolades.

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After 86 years in publication, Tribune Media Services announced the cancellation of the “Little Orphan Annie” comic strip. On June 13, Sunday papers will showcase the last strip featuring America’s favorite redheaded orphan. 

Harold Gray’s “Little Orphan Annie” was once published in hundreds of newspapers, but is now seen in fewer than twenty. The strip will end on a cliffhanger, with Daddy Warbucks wondering what happened to Annie during her latest encounter with the Butcher of the Balkans.

Steve Tippie, TMS’s vice president of licensing, said that while Ted Slampyak and Jay Maeder, the artist and writer of “Little Orphan Annie,” produced terrific story strips, there weren’t enough resources to keep the comic syndicated.

Annie has had a hard knock life, surviving the Great Depression, World War II, and countless adventures. Despite the comic strip’s cancellation, this is not the last we’ll see of Annie and her canine companion, Sandy. Tippie said that while it is very unlikely “Little Orphan Annie” will be revived in newspapers, “that doesn’t mean that Annie won’t come back … whether it’s [in] comic
books, graphic novels, in print, electronic. It’s just too rich a vein
[not] to mine.”

In fact, Annie will return to the limelight much sooner than some may have expected.

Producer Arielle Tepper Madover announced that she will bring the musical Annie back to Broadway in the fall of 2012. Madover said that Thomas Meehan, who wrote the book for the 1977 Annie musical, will update the script to accommodate modern audiences. In 1997, Annie returned to Broadway but was ill received, and failed. Though she didn’t give an explanation as to why the 1997 Annie failed, Madover believes her musical will succeed because Meehan and her creative team will modernize the show, and will more likely resonate with audiences.

The 1977 musical Annie, which lasted six years on Broadway and won a Tony Award for best musical, was based off Gray’s “Little Orphan Annie.” With the comic strip ending this week, it is encouraging to see that Gray’s redheaded legacy will continue to charm audiences for years to come.

Born in 1910 in Zumbrota, Minnesota, Charles Clarence “C.C.” Beck started learning art via correspondence course before studying at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Minnesota. Fawcett Publications hired him as a staff artist in 1933.

Initially Beck worked on pulp magazines, but when Fawcett started producing comic books in 1939 Beck was assigned to draw Whiz Comics, starring a character called Captain Thunder. The character’s name was changed before the first issue ever came out—to Captain Marvel.

Beck drew not only Whiz Comics but Spy Smasher and Ibis the Invincible, and in 1941 he set up his own studio in New York City—he later added a second location in Englewood, NJ, and oversaw artwork for most of the Marvel Family line while also producing commercial art. Fawcett discontinued its comic book line in the early 1950s and Beck was forced to close his studios in 1954.

After that he only worked on comics occasionally, though he did illustrate the first ten issues of DC’s Shazam! series (continuing Captain Marvel, whom DC had purchased from Fawcett). Beck retired in the 70s and moved to Florida, where he wrote an opinion column, “The Crusty Curmudgeon,” for The Comics Journal. He died in 1989.

Beck was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1997.