Chase Craig
Chase Craig | |
---|---|
Born | Wingate Chase Craig August 28, 1910 Ennis, Texas, U.S. |
Died | December 2, 2001 (aged 91) Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. |
Area(s) | Cartoonist, Writer, Editor |
Awards | Inkpot Award (1982)[1] |
Spouse(s) |
Mary Jane Green (m. 1943) |
Wingate Chase Craig (August 28, 1910[2] – December 2, 2001) was an American writer-cartoonist who worked principally on comic strips and comic books. From the mid-1940s to mid-1970s he was a prolific editor and scripter for Western Publishing's Dell and Gold Key Comics, including the popular Disney comics line.
Career
Born in
In the early 1940s he joined, Dell Publishing where he was one of the first artists to draw comic stories featuring Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Elmer Fudd. With the onslaught of World War II, Craig signed on with the United States Navy in 1942 and worked as a training manual illustrator at Hollywood's famed Vine Street Pier. He married Mary Jane Green in 1943.[4]
Craig became the West Coast editor for the Western Publishing (Dell/Gold Key) comics in 1950. Throughout the 1950s and into the 1970s Craig served as editor of Dell/Western Publishing's Disney titles, including Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Uncle Scrooge, Chip 'n' Dale and other titles. Craig recognized the genius of Carl Barks whose Scrooge McDuck, Junior Woodchucks, and other Disney duck characters have delighted generations of fans. Craig served as Bark's last and longest-serving editor. For Dell's Disney titles, Craig created and scripted such characters as the Li'l Bad Wolf, Br'er Rabbit, Little Bear Bongo and José Carioca.[3]
In 1962 Western Publishing began in-house publishing and launched Gold Key Comics. The Los Angeles–based office produced comics licensed by arrangement with
Craig created a number of Gold Key's original characters, perhaps the most notable being, in February 1962, Magnus, Robot Fighter, 4000 A.D. He envisioned Magnus as "a sort of future Tarzan" and enlisted the artistic and story writing talents of Russ Manning for the new series which premiered in February 1963. Craig also created a number of other cartoon characters for Gold Key comics, including, in 1964, The Little Monsters, which ran more or less continuously until February 1978. Craig retired from Western Printing and Lithography in the summer of 1975, but shortly thereafter was hired by Hanna-Barbera to create and supervise the production of a Scooby-Doo comic strip and comic books; he also briefly was a writer for several of Marvel Comics' other Hanna-Barbera titles.[3]
Once fully retired Craig moved to Westlake Village, California, where he served as president of the Northshore Property Owners Association. In 1982, Craig received the Inkpot Award for outstanding achievements in comic art from the San Diego Comic-Con. He died December 2, 2001, at Los Robles Regional Medical Center (in Thousand Oaks, California), following complications after a surgery caused by a fall.
Legacy
Over thirteen linear feet of Craig's artwork, comic books he edited, and work-related correspondence (including letters from Carl Barks and others) were donated by Craig and family members to create The Chase Craig Collection. It is housed at California State University, Northridge's University Library, Special Collections & Archives.[6]
References
- ^ Inkpot Award
- ^ "Wingate Chase Craig – Texas Births and Christenings". FamilySearch. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c Craig entry, Lambiek's Comiclopedia. Accessed November 28, 2018.
- ^ Ventura County Obituaries
- ^ Evanier, Mark. "News from ME, December 3, 2001. Archived November 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Burgenbauch, Zac (May 6, 2014). "The Chase Craig Collection". Peek in the Stacks. California State University, Northridge. Retrieved November 4, 2020.