This is the BIG one!
Another great thing to do at your local library is have a dig through the newspaper collections. On a recent look through local press I found this 1962 advertising strip for the monster movie "Gorgo"
Quite nice actually. I wonder who drew it? I remember strips like this advertising movies 20 years later for things like "Clash of the Titans".
This paper had another delighful feature. Design Gorgo's head.
Looks like the same artist. I got curious and a referral to Phil Hardy's Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Movies got me a look at a photo of the big monster.
Comics were used a lot more in the past to advertise anything and everything. I'm looking forward to chancing upon more of them.
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The GORGO comic art is by the legendary Steve Ditko, creator of Spider-Man (Steve drew and plotted the first 30 or so issues of Spider-Man). Steve also drew many issues of the 1960s GORGO comic book series. I am always surprised whenever people don't know who he is, or can't recognize his work! In the past few years several books have been published on his life and work. - John Bender
ReplyDeleteDitko. I sort of see it in the first panel, now that you mention it. Ditko is usually so distinctive, but I missed it here. Do you know who inked it, John?
ReplyDeleteDave, it's been so long since my last post you may be dead - HEAVEN FORBID! (Just kidding! I had no idea you posted a return question for me! Next time write me and let me know!) My answer: Ditko almost always did his own inking and this because he penciled very loosely (no blacks/shadows) and achieved fine finish only during inking. The GORGO promo you found was, in my opinion, inked by the same artist who drew and inked the "GORGO competition" promo - which was NOT drawn by Ditko. I think what happened was Ditko supplied more finished pencils than usual and then a newspaper / ad-agency staff artist did the inking. (The ad agency art-director probably had never heard of "Steve Ditko", and did not trust any "funny books" artist to deliver an image suitably inked for newspaper reproduction.) After inking Ditko's piece the same (now unknown) staff artist then drew the "competition" art following Ditko's style for Gorgo's claws. By the way - THANK YOU so very much for sharing these pieces with us! You are very kind to do so. Please feel encouraged to write me at bipcress@comcast.net - John Bender
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