This will be a new feature on this site, and here’s my explanation.

First of all, I’ve been showing you lots of my own cartoons that were published as long ago as 1957, and I realize that many of those old drawings and gags look real amateurish. But they are out there for all to see, and I will continue to post them no matter how personally embarrassing they may get.

Second of all, I have a huge collection of hardcover and paperback cartoon anthologies and cartoon magazines. Some of these date back to the early 1940’s.

What I plan to do is go through this collection, and whenever I see an early cartoon by a  “big name” (living or dead) cartoonist, I’ll post it for your examination.  I’ve come across many such early cartoons, and quite often there are dramatic differences in the drawing style, and humor, of the cartoonist at the beginning of his/her career.

For instance, as Case in Point No.1, here are some cartoons by the late Mischa Richter, from a book published in 1944. The title is “The Good Humor Book”, and although it’s hardcover, it looks like a low-paying anthology. It contains hundreds of cartoons, including many “regulars” of that era, like Jack Markow, the four Roth brothers, Hank Ketcham, Adolph Schus, Ed Nofziger and Gardner Rea. But these guys were all in their heyday, and their drawing styles had already evolved. I’m only going to post cartoons of artists whose styles were still emerging. You probably wouldn’t be able to identify them, if the signatures weren’t there.

I’ve also included a photo of Mischa Richter from the 1940’s. To follow Richter’s professional development, just check out his cartoons in The New Yorker, or look him up in The Cartoon Bank.

And remember, “we all have to start somewhere”.

 Mischa Richter

 

Posted by Eli on Thursday, March 13th, 2008 at 11:15 am.