Those Fantastic Filipinos!

Those fantastic Filipino artists never cease to amaze me with their phenomenal detailed work they did for DC, Marvel and Warren in the seventies and eighties. Not to mention all the pages produced in the Philippines by these comic masters way before they ever hit the American shores. I’m impressed with any Filipino work, but especially the artistry of Tony DeZuniga, Rudy Florese, Rafael Kayannan, Jess Jodloman, Rudy Nebres, Alex Nino, Jesse Santos, Alfredo Alcala, and Nestor Infante. Out of these creators, I've only been able to meet DeZuniga a couple of months ago at a local show. He was quite a reserved gentleman with an enormous talent, (his pencil work has to be seen in the originals to be believed) and has a delightfully charming wife. It was a real treat to finally meet one of my most prized comic creators who is still going strong in the business today.

Recently I ran across some Arthur Geroche factoid pages that were planned for DC’s Bible book(s), that were never published up for auction. Unfinished only at the logo, they were beautiful vivid scenes that displayed different trades, carpentry, weaving, and other professions in biblical times. I was lucky enough to purchase some Geroche’s King Arthur factoid pages about armor, warfare, and castle siege engines back in 2001 in San Diego. At that time, a friend saw, but did not purchase the Bible pages, since they were bought up before he could grab them! So finally after seven long years of waiting, here was my chance to own these beauties I’ve heard about, but never seen until now. Unfortunately, one bidder wanted these precious gems even more than I did, as I was greatly outbid at the last second. But at least I have one example of his lush delicate work. Not much more was produced by Geroche, being late to arrive to DC when the Filipino’s contributions were just about ending. The artist did only six brilliant stories for the mystery/horror anthology books that I know of, and these few unpublished factoid pieces mentioned, before drifting off with his peers to find work elsewhere in the industry.

Nestor Redondo, on the other hand was one of the earliest illustrators to sign with National in the seventies (after Tony DeZuniga) and helped bring many of his fellow countrymen to work for DC in his eleven years with the company. Best know for his beautiful run on Swamp Thing and all-time fan favorite, Rima, the Jungle Girl, Nestor ended up doing around fifty horror stories for DC. But surely one of his greatest achievements was his spectacular work on the oversized Limited Collector’s Edition of The Bible. Redondo was the perfect choice to illustrate the special project (over Joe Kubert layouts), since he was a deeply religious man who had already done a biblical adaptation in his home country in one of his comic creations. Nestor also served as art director for Pendulum Press’ Classic series of paperbacks which had many of his friends produce some real stunning little stories. Too bad you lose so much detail when printed in an average size paperback book. When the work at DC was dying out in early eighties, Redondo did a few assorted covers for Marvel and some other publishers before going into animation like many of his peers.

Another one of my beloved Filipino artists is the talented E.R. Cruz, who drew close to an astounding two hundred stories for National’s war, Western, and horror books. But the artists moody noir look was best displayed I believe in the marvelous short-lived issues of DC’s Sherlock Holmes and pulp icon, The Shadow. His extremely detailed inking style with a strange oriental feel was well displayed in those titles and the Pendulum Press issues he illustrated for Redondo, not to mention his work for Warren, Marvel, and Dark Horse. Finally, I wanted to show a page from Rudy Florese who was a solid illustrator with a beautiful graceful line as shown in this wonderful Korak page. He drew many Edgar Rice Burrughs features for DC , mainly over Joe Kubert layouts, and also a handful of chilling horror stories.

Buried Treasure: Jim Aparo's Stern Wheeler

How many artists do you know that would draw a daily strip for free just to get the publicity? Well that is exactly what illustrator Jim Aparo did for The Hartford Times back in March of 1963. With the help of fellow creator and writer, Ralph Kanna, they introduced readers to a thrilling new adventure feature about a private investigator named Stern Wheeler. Both men were working for the William Schaller Company at the time, but secretly wanted to break in to the syndicated newspaper strip market. Aparo had been trying for years to work in comics without any luck, growing tired of his uninspired commercial illustration doing diagrams and instruction sheets, with Kanna working in the Radio/TV division of the firm, and hosting a popular local kiddie TV show part-time.

Stern Wheeler with the help of his crafty assistant and pal, Wally worked for a bombastic cigar chomping boss, J.B. Shoreman for only two brief adventures, "Sea of Matrimony", with some great Aparo underwater action, and "Diamonds in the Rough", starring a beautiful mysterious jewel thief. Working long and hard on this try-out strip, The Hartford Times agreed to publish the story, but unfortunately never paid the creative team a dime! The only form of "payment" received would be their exposure to the different syndicates that would hopefully buy the property. Even with some very slick Aparo graphics and enjoyable Kanna storylines, the two voluntarily pulled the daily after a few short months, believing they were just wasting their time, and continued working for the ad agency. But both men did finally leave the Schaller Company. Kenna ended up illustrating a number of children's books and did instructional videos for his own company, and Aparo was picked up by editor Dick Giordano to draw for Charlton before Jim's move to DC and much success on Batman and other National characters.

National Cartoonist Society Profile: Bill Griffith

Born in Brooklyn, New York on January 20, 1944. Grew up in the quintessential American suburb, Levittown, Long Island (a great place to escape from). Attended art school (Pratt Institute), took student loan and went to Europe. Tried in vain to be the next big thing in the New York art world in 1964-68. Failed miserably. Turned to comics for solace. Broke into the "business" in the late 60's (a dimly remembered period) with first appearances in various New York underground newspapers. Came out to comix mecca (San Francisco) in 1970, settled in for the long haul. Gave birth to Zippy weekly. Started with King Features in 1986. No sign yet of burn-out, but anything's possible. Married to cartoonist Diane Noomin. Currently doing "cartoon-o-journalism" for the New Yorker. Am I done yet?

National Cartoonist Society Profile: Sheldon Mayer

Born April 1, 1917 in New York City. Started haunting newspaper syndicates and newspapers at fourteen. Earned occasionally learned often. In 1935 got published in Major Nicholson's early comic books. No money, but a very amusing contract. Same year joined McClure Syndicate in minor editorial capacity. Ghosted George Storm's Bobby Thatcher as part of the job. Left McClure 1939 to start All-American Comics with M.C. Gaines. All-American joined National Comics (me with it) in 1945. Resigned editorial directorship in 1948 to do a "novel " in comic book form - Scribbly, the kid who wanted to be a cartoonist. Had fun with it till 1950. Now having fun with Sugar and Spike, a comic book about two babies who can walk but can't talk yet. (Have a theory that humans think harder, learn more under the age of two, than they ever do later.) Hobbies: serious writing and sloppy guitar playing. Ambitions: To get my two kids through college, write a hit play (while reclining in a hammock), do a successful daily strip (the same way), and have Morris Weiss ask me for an original.