Friday, December 24, 2010

Comic strip Christmas cards!

While looking for some more vintage Christmas photos that I wanted to post -- which I still can't find -- I stumbled across these comic strip character Christmas cards which I'd forgotten about! So, a little time with the scanner, and here's another Christmas post for you. Enjoy!

Most of these cards are from a set originally sold in this box -- I don't seem to have them all, as Flash Gordon, the Katzenjammers and a few others appear on the box, but I don't have corresponding cards. Some of the cards below are a different size and appear to be from a different set.










That's a lovely Rip Kirby illo on the front of this card -- which might be by Alex Raymond -- but I suspect a ghost artist at work --the insides (below) certainly are not Raymond's work.
A pair of wonderful Steve Canyon cards sporting art by Milt Caniff -- followed by a George Wunder Terry and the Pirates card.





Though it has his signature, this Prince Valiant image certainly isn't the work of Hal Foster.

Not a comic strip character card -- but I couldn't resist including it -- this 3D card is a hoot! the front has a slot where there must have originally been a pair of red/green 3D glasses in front of this cute critters' eyes. If you have your own 3D glasses, dig 'em out and enjoy the 3D effect on the card's inside illustration. The final image is a small illo from the back of the card.


I hope YOU have fun-a-plenty this holiday season! All the best from the Beatty's house to yours.

Merry Christmas, 1936 style.

Wishing a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to the readers of my blog -- with these photos of Christmas at the Beatty farmhouse in 1936. My father would have been 16 when these were shot. We still have the rocking chair seen at left in the top pic. Many a Beatty child has been rocked in that chair.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Long-lost interview!

In 2003, there was supposed to be an entire issue of Comic Book Artist Bullpen devoted to an extensive interview with me. Though the interview was done and the issue mocked-up, it never saw print. But thanks to interviewer/publisher Jon B. Cooke, you can now read the entire thing on my website HERE. It's full of little-seen and unpublished artwork. My personal details are outdated-- but it's an accurate snapshot of my life at the time. Please have a look!

Monday, December 20, 2010

"What is Christmas?" illos by Lee Mero

This is one of several colorful Christmas booklets illustrated by Minneapolis artist Lee Mero (1885-1977). Enjoy!












Sunday, December 19, 2010

Sinclair Life-Size Dinosaurs!

The Sinclair Oil Company sponsored a display of life-sized dinosaurs at the 1964-5 World's Fair. After the Fair, they sent the dinos on the road. The pics below are of me at the stop they made in Des Moines, Iowa. My father was kind enough to make the drive from our home in Muscatine, so that I could see the display. That's pre-teen me posing in all the pics. I included a blow-up detail of me in the first picture, so you can see the Mold-A-Rama stegosaurus I'm holding. As I recall, it was still cooling from the molding process -- fresh from the machine. I dug out these photos at the request of my fellow dino-obsessed pal, Martin Powell -- whose dad -- at another stop of the cross country tour -- took him to see them, too.





POPEYE's How to Draw Cartoons by Joe Musial

Today I'm sharing a few highlights from this 1939 volume on drawing cartoons the Popeye way by Joe Musial. Musial does a mighty fine Segar impression, doesn't he? This was a recent used book store find.









Saturday, December 18, 2010

In a "Tizzie" over the holidays!

From December 1958, here's a Christmas themed cover from "Calling All Girls" digest magazine -- and a 4 page "Tizzie" comic story from the same issue. If you can ID the artists, please leave a comment!