Jack Davis (cartoonist)
Jack Davis | |
---|---|
Born | John Burton Davis Jr. December 2, 1924 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | July 27, 2016 St. Simons, Georgia, U.S. | (aged 91)
Occupation(s) | Cartoonist and illustrator |
Years active | 1950–2014 |
Spouse |
Dena Roquemore (m. 1950) |
Children | 2 |
John Burton Davis Jr. (December 2, 1924 – July 27, 2016) was an American cartoonist and illustrator, known for his advertising art, magazine covers, film posters, record album art, and numerous comic book stories. He was one of the founding cartoonists for Mad in 1952.[1] His cartoon characters are characterized by extremely distorted anatomy, including big heads, skinny legs, and large feet.[2]
Early life
Davis was born December 2, 1924, in Atlanta, Georgia.[1][3] As a child, he adored listening to Bob Hope on the radio and tried to draw him, despite not knowing what Hope looked like.[2]
Career
Early work
Davis saw comic book publication at the age of 12 when he contributed a cartoon to the reader's page of Tip Top Comics No. 9 (December 1936). After drawing for his high school newspaper and yearbook, he spent three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he contributed to the daily Navy News.[1]
Attending the University of Georgia on the G.I. Bill, he drew for the campus newspaper and helped launch an off-campus humor publication, Bullsheet, which he described as "not political or anything but just something with risque jokes and cartoons." After graduation, he was a cartoonist intern at The Atlanta Journal, and he worked one summer inking Ed Dodd's Mark Trail comic strip, a strip which he later parodied in Mad as Mark Trade.[4]
Comic strips and comic books
In 2011, Davis told The Wall Street Journal about his early career and his breakthrough with EC:[5]
I was about ready to give up, go home to Georgia and be either a forest ranger or a farmer. But I went down to Canal Street and Lafayette, up in an old rickety elevator and through a glass door to Entertaining Comics where Al Feldstein and Bill Gaines were putting out horror [comic] books. They looked at my work and it was horrible and they gave me a job right away! Every time you went in to see Bill Gaines, he would write you a check when you brought in a story. You didn't have to put in a bill or anything. I was very, very hungry and I was thinking about getting married. So I kept the road pretty hot between home and Canal Street. I would go in for that almighty check, go home and do the work, bring it in and get another check and pick up another story. [The actual cross street to Lafayette was Spring Street, not Canal.]
Davis was particularly noted for his depiction of the Crypt-Keeper in the horror comics, revamping the character's appearance from the more simplistic Al Feldstein version to a tougher, craggier, mangier man with hairy warts, salivating mouth and oversized hands and feet, who usually did not wear shoes. Among the classic horror tales he illustrated were "Foul Play", which was cited in Dr. Fredric Wertham's book Seduction of the Innocent for its depiction of "a comic book baseball game". Others, like "Tain't the Meat, It's the Humanity", "Death of Some Salesman", "Fare Tonight Followed by Increasing Clottiness", "Tight Grip" and "Lower Berth", were Crypt-Keeper classics. He did the covers for every issue of Crypt from issue No. 29 to No. 46. In his work for Harvey Kurtzman's war comics, he tackled a variety of subjects and had a particular affinity for depicting American Civil War stories. He also did many covers for Frontline Combat, Two-Fisted Tales and Incredible Science Fiction as well. The editors, William M. Gaines, Albert B. Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman, have said he was the fastest artist they had in those days, completely penciling and inking three or more pages a day at times. His use of the brush to create depth and mood was unique and memorable. His wrinkled clothing, scratchy lines, and multi-layered layouts were so popular in the 1950s that other artists at rival companies began copying the style—notably, Howard Nostrand in Harvey's horror comics.[6] In the late 1950s, Davis drew Western stories for Atlas Comics. His 1963 work on the Rawhide Kid (#33–35) was his last for non-humor comic books.
His style of wild, free-flowing brushwork and wacky characters made him a perfect choice when Harvey Kurtzman launched Mad as a zany, satirical EC comic book in 1952. He appeared in most of the first 30 issues of Mad, all 12 issues of Panic and even some work in Cracked. Davis contributed to other Kurtzman magazines—Trump, Humbug and Help!—eventually expanding into illustrations for record jackets, movie posters, books and magazines, including Time and TV Guide. In 1959, he completed an 88-card set of humorous cartoons for Topps Chewing Gum Co. called Wacky Plaks, also a 66-card monster-themed set called "You'll Die Laughing", and a 66-card set of Funny Valentine cards. In 1960, Davis illustrated another 66-card set of Funny Valentine cards and in 1961, a set of Giant Funny Valentine cards. In 1964, he illustrated a set of Nutty Awards postcards, also released by Topps Chewing Gum Co., and in 1980 he helped illustrate a set of Topps Bazooka Wanted Posters. Davis illustrated two children's picture books, Bobby and the Magic Pen and The Misadventures of Don Quixote (both still available online). He also has a first-published book of his sketches on Amazon, "The Jack Davis Sketchbook of Untold Spooky Ghost Stories". Davis enjoyed his sketches more than his final artwork because he felt it represented his creative talents.
In 1961, Davis wrote, drew and edited his own comic book, Yak Yak,
Davis' art appeared in 29 of the first 31 issues of Mad, totaling 66 articles, covers and house ads. But when editor
Davis had a regular comic strip feature, Superfan, in Pro Quarterback magazine in the early 1970s. It was written by his Mad cohort, Nick Meglin.[1]
Advertising and magazines
Davis first worked with TV Guide in 1965, which hired him to illustrate an expansive eight-page advertising supplement for NBC's TV lineup, which featured icons such as
Davis created the cartoon bee which (in decal form) appears on the flanks of all the buses in the Bee-Line running from Westchester to New York City. A Westchester resident at the time, Davis lived directly adjacent to one of the Bee Line's bus routes, and he mentioned in an interview how gratifying it was to see his own artwork drive past his window several times every day. Similar synchronicity happened when Mad moved to 1700 Broadway, where the magazine's fifth-floor production department was next to a wall three feet away that had previously been the location of an immense Davis cartoon for a bank, an advertisement that towered six stories over 53rd Street.[citation needed]
Films, posters, and cover art
Like fellow Mad alumnus
Davis produced the artwork for the poster for the 1963 comedy chase film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. In 2014, he remembered an experience from that year: "My dad had Parkinson's disease, and he paid me a visit. He really had not been to New York in—well, ever—and he came out of the station and saw the signboard [advertising the film], very big signboard in Times Square. That was a big thrill. Little old me ..."[8]
Two years later, he parodied his own Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World image for the cover of the Mad paperback It's a World, World, World, World Mad, his first work for the magazine following an almost seven-year hiatus. Having returned, Davis would remain a regular freelancer for more than thirty years. When the
Davis's artwork for the comedy Western Viva Max! (1969) formed the centerpiece of that film's promotional campaign, and he did the same for the film Kelly's Heroes in 1970. His poster for Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye (1973) presented the film in a comic light.
In 1963 Davis produced a work of cover art for the Richard Wolfe album, Many Happy Returns of the Day! released by
In 1964, Davis created the cover art for The New Christy Minstrels album for Columbia Records which featured songs from the light-hearted Western comedy Advance to the Rear.
In 1966, Davis created the cover art for the Johnny Cash album Everybody Loves a Nut. Davis also created album artwork for such musicians as The Guess Who, Tito Puente, Sailcat, and The Cowsills, as well as for such comedians as Bob and Ray, Archie Campbell, Don Imus, and Myron Cohen. He also provided the artwork for several of Sheb Wooley's comic albums as his character Ben Colder.[9] In 1974, Davis provided artwork for Atco Records' printed advertisements of the Genesis album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
During his tenure with Mad, Davis's specialty was drawing sports-themed articles. This led to his work for Paramount Pictures, painting the poster for The Bad News Bears (1976).
Mascot
While Davis resided on St. Simons Island, Georgia, he sketched various characters and mascots for the College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick, Georgia. His drawing of the Mariner, Capt. Jack, was ultimately selected by the college students and staff as the official school mascot.[10]
Personal life and death
Davis grew up and went to college in Georgia. Following his professional career in New York, Davis and his wife Dena moved to
Awards and exhibitions
Davis was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2003.[7] He received the National Cartoonists Society's Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. A finalist for inclusion in the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990, 1991, and 1992, he received the National Cartoonists Society's Advertising Award for 1980 and their Reuben Award for 2000.[7] He was award the Inkpot Award in 1985.[12]
In June 2002, Davis had a retrospective exhibition of his work at the Society of Illustrators in New York. He was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2005.
In 1989, Davis was commissioned by the United States Postal Service to design the 25-cent Letter Carriers stamp. There was some concern that the cartoon would offend some letter carriers as being too informal and not respectful of their position. However, the president of the Letter Carriers Union gave his blessing, and the stamp was well received. Although postal policy does not allow artists to portray living persons on stamps, one of the carriers in the stamp is an unmistakable self-portrait of Davis.[7]
In 2019, Davis was posthumously awarded the Inkwell Awards Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award for his lifetime of work in the inking field.[13]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0823002696.
- ^ ISSN 0039-8543.
- ^ Richmond, Tom (December 2, 2014). "Happy Birthday Jack Davis!". Richmond Illustration Inc!.
- ^ "Jack Davis". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ Bennett, Bruce (December 3, 2011). "A Really Quick Draw on Pop Culture". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Stewart, Bhob (Summer 1974). "Graphic Story Magazine Interview: Howard Nostrand". Graphic Story Magazine (16): 21–39.
- ^ a b c d McMillan, Graeme (July 27, 2016). "Jack Davis, 'MAD' Magazine Cartoonist, Dies at 91". Hollywood Reporter (Obituary). Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ^ Skillman, Eric. "Working with Jack Davis". The Criterion Collection.
- ^ "Album Covers by Jack Davis - RYM/Sonemic". Rate Your Music.
- ^ Deen, Nathan (February 9, 2015). "Official mascot revealed at Coastal Georgia homecoming". The Brunswick News.
- ^ Zraick, Karen (28 July 2016). "Jack Davis, Part of Mad Magazine's Usual Gang of Idiots, Dies at 91". The New York Times. p. A18.
- ^ "Inkpot Award". Comic-Con International: San Diego. December 6, 2012.
- ^ Almond, Bob (13 April 2019). "2019 INKWELL AWARDS VOTING RESULTS AND CEREMONY". www.firstcomicsnews.com.
External links
- Jack Davis at American Art Archives
- Spotlight on Jack Davis at RankinBass.com
- Jack Davis's Mad contributions at MadCoverSite.com
- Jack Davis discography at Discogs
- Jack Davis at IMDb
- Jack Davis at Find a Grave