Joe Kubert, 1926-2012

Goodbye Joe. 

Such an amazing artist and one of the greats in the world of comic art. I don't have a lot of valuable material possessions, but I do treasure my Kubert original. I have owned this page from Brave and Bold # 43 (1962) for over 4 decades and never get tired of looking at it. I have learned so much about cartooning just from looking at this single sheet, which Joe probably cranked out in a very short time.

Brave and the Bold # 43: Joe Kubert Original Art

I collected comic books in the 1960s and up to the start of the 1970s. The discovery of underground comix made me eschew my collector side and embrace the artist/publisher part of the game. I sold all my comic books (which helped pay a big chunk of my first year of college) and didn't look back.

But I did keep one item. This page of original art from Brave and the Bold # 43 (September 1962), with pencils and inks by Joe Kubert, was too beautiful to sell. I acquired it through a trade with another collector in the Olympia area, I think he got one of my Golden Age comics with Captain America in exchange.

This is page 15 of a story featuring Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and the Manhawks. I'm sorry my phone doesn't take real clear photos, but you can see Dreamer the cat sitting next to the framed art. The closeup photos are about as good as my phone will take.

The piece was apparently thumbtacked on all corners by someone in the past, and aside from a small tack rust ring in the upper left edge, this work is in excellent shape. There are a few spots where you can see whiteout was used in the lettering and drawing. I never get tired of admiring this great work and feeling inspired by Kubert, a master cartoonist.

City Limits Gazette: Bil Keane Speaks!

Some local press for CLG and "The Bil Keane Watch." The reporter, Michael Drummond, shared his notes with me. Shortly after this article, Bil Keane contacted me directly!

You can bet we at CLG HQ were totally delighted and overjoyed when The Master himself joined in on our "Bil Keane Watch."

All I can say is Mr. Keane is a true class act. He had a very gracious and funny response. He also became a CLG subscriber!

Note the number of nostrils on Billy.

I consider this one of my most precious pieces of original art (the other is an early 60s Joe Kubert pencil and ink with Hawkman). It is framed and here we see it today in my living room, behind the TV my neighbor gave me, a special fez, and Buster, the dignified cat.