Comic strips reigned supreme back in the 1930s. The Sunday sections were printed much larger than they are today and were a thing of beauty to behold.
Prince Valiant 1/29/1939 by Hal Foster
Adventure strips thrived during these years as there was room to tell a story. To see how much things have changed, just compare these two Sunday pages below from 1934 and 2002.
On the left – Flash Gordon 2/25/1934 by Alex Raymond. On the right – Flas
Jump ahead from 2002 to now and the comic strip Sunday pages have regrettably shrunken even smaller.
Here’s an example of my hometown paper the Star Tribune (my hand shown on the bottom left for scale). Unless you have a jewelers loupe you’re at a loss to see – much less read – what’s going on.
Here’s a comic page artist Terry Beatty (Ms. Tree, Rex Morgan M.D.) wrote and drew for Big Funny back in 2009 that really drives the point home.
Big Funny – Terry Beatty
Granted all is not doom and gloom – whereas comic strips in the newspaper may be on life support, we’re in a golden age as far as comic strip collections that are being published. Check out the Library of American Comics and Fantagraphics to name just a few.
I also feel like comic strips are being given a renewed life and readership online as fans of the medium now have the ability to binge weeks worth at a time. The big two comic strip sites being King Feature’s Comics Kingdom and AMU’s GoComics.
As times changes, so does the comics biz. Another example of this is that even though comic book sales have shrunk over the years, graphic novels have increased in popularity.
From an article in Publishers Weekly; “Over the past five years, the North American graphic novel market has welcomed a wave of new readers and grown from about $805 million in sales in 2012 to more than $1 billion in 2017.”
From the Comics Beat; “Overall, graphic novel sales in 2021 were up 65% from 2020…The growth was led by adult graphic novels, up 107%, but it’s important to note that this category includes manga which led the charge, up 17 million units.”
To sum up…
In the early 1900s onwards comic strips reigned supreme. By the 1940s comic books had taken off. In the 1960s indie comics/undergrounds entered the fray. In the 1980s self-published/alternative comics joined in at the same time graphic novels were just getting their sea legs. In the 1990s online content joined the mix. And now in the 21st century graphic novels and manga have taken flight.
And that’s not to say comic strips and comic books have been replaced and have gone away, it’s just that they aren’t the only game in town anymore.
Cartoons, comics, graphic novels – whatever you want to call it – the packaging keeps changing, but sequential art is just as popular now as it’s ever been. And as long as the stories are strong and the artwork delivers, the art form will continue to have an audience.
And that’s my two cents. See you in the funny papers…
Having premiered January 3, 1977, The Amazing Spider-man comic strip officially ended its run on October 21, 2023.
It had been in reprints since Roy Thomas and Alex Saviuk‘s run on the strip had come to an end. March 17, 2019 was their last Sunday with March 23, 2019 being the last daily.
Amazing Spider-Man – Roy Thomas, Alex Saviuk and Joe Sinnott March 17, 2019Amazing Spider-Man – Roy Thomas, Alex Saviuk and Joe Sinnott March 23, 2019
The Spider-Man strip started in January of 1977 written by Stan Lee and drawn by John Romita. Following Stan Lee’s run on the strip Roy Thomas had written the strip uncredited for a number of years (more on that at SyFy.com). Artists that followed Romita included Fred Kida, Larry Lieber, and most recently Alex Saviuk with Joe Sinnott inks.
After the announcement of the strip’s finale, Joe Sinnott’s son Mark posted the following to his Dad’s Facebook page.
The following year, Joe Sinnott passed away (October 16, 1926 – June 25, 2020). Truly the end of an era!
With adventure strips being far and few between on today’s comics page, I thought it would be of interest to look at a few notable comic strip finales.
Note: Thanks to Allen Lane who posted a number of these to the Yahoo Classic Adventure Comic Strip Group.
Buz Sawyer was created by Roy Crane and first appeared November 1, 1943. Crane worked on the strip until his death in 1977.
For more in-depth info on Buz Sawyer I defer to Ray Contreras for the following info.
“Henry (Hank) Schlensker joined Crane right after the war (Schlensker had been a flyer in the war) and started working on the BUZ Sundays as soon as he joined Crane in 1946. In 1950, looking to ease his workload on the daily strip, Crane moved Schlensker from the Sundays to the daily strip. Around 1969, due to chronic ulcers, Roy Crane stepped back from the strip completely. Ed Granberry, who had been assisting on the writing, took it over completely; and Schlensker worked on the art for the daily, as he had basically for many, many years; only now without Crane’s involvement. Clark Haas and later Al Wenzel drew the Sunday after Crane switched Schlensker to the daily. Crane would look at the finished product, but after working years on the strip (both daily and Sunday), Schlensker and Granberry knew their stuff.“
Henry (Hank) Schlensker continued on Buz Sawyer after Crane’s death in 1977. After Schlensker’s retirement John Celardo took the reigns, working on Buz from 1983–1989. Upon Celardo’s sign-off, King Features discontinued the strip.
Buz Sawyer – John Celardo October 7, 1989
Buck Rogers by writer Philip Francis Nowlan and artist Dick Calkins debuted on January 7, 1929. Writers following Nolan included Rick Yager (who also drew it), Jack Lehti, Ray Russell, Fritz Leiber and Howard Liss. Artists following Calkins included Russell Keaton, Rick Yager and George Tuska.
Howard Liss and George Tuska’s finale strip appeared June 13, 1965.
Buck Rogers – Howard Liss and George Tuska June 13, 1965
The strip was given a second life in 1979 by writer Jim Lawrence and artist Gray Morrow, followed by writer Cary Bates and artist Jack Sparling. The finale strip appearing December 25, 1983.
Buck Rogers – Cary Bates and Jack Sparling December 25, 1983
One of the most memorable finales for a comic strip happened before the strip in question actually even ended. I’m talking of course of Milton Caniff’s Terry and the Pirates.
Looking to have the financial stability of ownership of his strip (something Caniff was denied at Tribune-News Syndicate with Terry), he accepted an offer from the Field Newspaper Syndicate to create a new strip that he would have ownership of. That strip would be Steve Canyon.
In Caniff’s iconic final Sunday page Terry says goodbye to Jane Allen as Caniff says goodbye to his Terry and the Pirates readers.
The story so far – Romance is in the air for Terry and Jane Allen until it’s discovered that her old flame, Snake Tumblin, is still alive and in a base hospital somewhere in Australia. Sacrificing his own happiness, Terry secures Jane a flight and escorts her to the airfield…
Terry and the Pirates – Milton Caniff December 29, 1946
That last panel is the killer as Caniff adds a double meaning to the writing on the wall.
As pointed out by R.C. Harvey in the foreward to the Complete Terry and the Pirates Volume 6, the Sunday page was not the last strip Caniff drew. Because the Sunday pages were due well in advance of the dailies, the following daily strip – printed the day before the momentous final Sunday page – was actually the last strip drawn.
Terry and the Pirates – Milton Caniff December 28, 1946
Caniff’s replacement on Terry and the Pirates would be George Wunder, who would go on to draw the strip for another 26 years. Here’s Wunder’s last Sunday page.
Terry and the Pirates – George Wunder February 25, 1973
Terry and the Pirates would be revived in 1995 by Michael Uslan with art by the Brothers Hildebrandt. The following year they left the strip and were replaced by writer Jim Clark and artist Dan Spiegle. A year after that the strip was discontinued.
Terry and the Pirates – Jim Clark and Dan Spiegle July 27, 1997
Secret Agent X-9 began on January 22, 1934. It was created by writer Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon) and drawn by artist Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon). Writers that followed Hammett in those early years included Don Moore and Leslie Charteris. The artists that followed after Raymond left the strip were Nicholas Afonsky and Austin Briggs. In the 1940s Mel Graff took over the writing and drawing chores, followed by Bob Lubbers (pseudonym “Bob Lewis”) in the 1960s.
From 1967 to 1980 the strip was written by Archie Goodwin and drawn by Al Williamson and relaunched as Secret Agent Corrigan. Here’s Goodwin and Williamson’s last strip from February 2, 1980.
Secret Agent Corrigan – Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson February 2, 1980
Following Goodwin and Williamson was veteran cartoonist George Evans. Evans would write and draw the strip until 1996. Upon Evans’s decision to retire from producing the strip, King opted to discontinue it.
Secret Agent Corrigan – George Evans February 10, 1996
Another comic strip Alex Raymond started back in 1934 was the topper to his famous Flash Gordon strip, and that was Jungle Jim. Artists that followed Raymond on the strip were John Mayo and Paul Norris. After a 20 year run Jungle Jim wrapped up in 1954.
Jungle Jim – Paul Norris August 8, 1954
Rip Kirby premiered March 4, 1946 and was also created by Alex Raymond. Raymond’s work on Rip Kirby would win him the Reuben Award in 1949 for “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.”
Alex Raymond’s career was cut short in 1956, when at age 46, he was killed in a car crash. King Features sought out a replacement and found it in John Prentice. After John Prentice died in 1999 (after an amazing 43 year run on Rip Kirby) the decision was made by King Features to discontinue the strip. Frank Bolle would ghost the final week (to “ghost“ is when an artist fills in for another artist by mimicking his style).
Rib Kirby – Ghosted by Frank Bolle June 26, 1999
Alex Raymond’s most renowned comic strip, Flash Gordon, first appeared January 7, 1934. It has had a number of artists and writers over the years (myself included), some of whom I highlighted on this Sunday page.
Flash Gordon – December 26, 1999.
Quick side note: Dan Barry‘s assistant, Bob Fujatani (October 15, 1921 – September 6, 2020), gave a great interview in 2019 to the the Connecticut Post talking about his career in comics.
The Flash Gordon Dailies were discontinued on two occasions. The first in 1944 shows Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkov in a ticker tape parade having returned from Mongo after successfully saving the Earth.
Flash Gordon – Austin Briggs June 3, 1944
The dailies were revived in the 1950s with artist Dan Barry at the helm. In 1990 the dailies were taken over by Bruce Jones as writer and Ralph Reese as artist, followed by artist Gray Morrow upon Reese’s departure. A Buenos Aires studio of artists were hired in 1991 with writing alternating between Kevin Van Hook and Thomas Warkentin. The last daily would be in 1993
Flash Gordon – Thomas Warkentin and a Buenos Aires studio July 3, 1993
Meanwhile the Flash Gordon Sunday page had been running continuously since 1934. I started my tenure writing/drawing Flash on January 21, 1996. It was a fun run, but after a failed contract renegotiation, I deciding to bow out. My last strip, and Flash Gordon’s finale, appeared March 16, 2003.
Flash Gordon – Jim Keefe March 16, 2003
The inspiration for my sign-off was the ending of the first Flash Gordon serial starring Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon), Jean Rogers (Dale Arden) and Frank Shannon (Dr. Zarkov).
Flash Gordon serial – 1936
Originally I had a slightly more surreal ending planned in a Sunday page I did in collaboration with Mutts creator Patrick McDonnell. It was never meant to be though as the page was rejected by the editor up at King Features – his thoughts being “It really didn’t work as a Flash Gordon page.”
Patrick did an end run though and asked the editor, that if it wasn’t going to see print as a Flash Gordon page, could it be used as a Mutts page. The go ahead was given and it eventual saw print on March 23, 2003 as a Mutts Sunday page (with the Flash Gordon title kept intact).
Mutts – Jim Keefe and Patrick McDonnell March 23, 2003
UPDATE: After 20 years of reprinting my run on the strip, King Features finally relaunched Flash Gordon January of 2024 with writer/artist Dan Schkade taking the helm.
You can follow Flash’s new adventures on Comics Kingdom. Not to be missed!
Last but not least, check out the Daily Cartoonist for a Jim Keefe Bonus Round – where D. D. Degg follows up my comic strip finales with a list of when they first premiered.
I wasn’t drawing my cousin Byrne per se, but the contractor in recent Sally Forth strips was certainly inspired by him.
The shamrock on the jacket is even in reference to my cousin’s remodeling company.
I told Francesco Marciuliano (the writer on Sally Forth) that unbeknownst to him, he pretty much summed up the relationship I had with my cousin Byrne in this current run of strips.
For proof, here is the gift Byrne got for me on my 50th birthday.
It’s poignant for me to give this shout out to my cousin as he died of a sudden illness back in 2016. Gone way too fast and way too soon.
So raising a glass to toast his memory. A beloved family man, he’s been sorely missed (especially that wicked sense of humor).
The following is from artist Mirko Ilić’s Facebook page.
The girl in the image is 14-year-old Catholic Polish girl Czesława Kwok. The young girl was deported to Auschwitz from her home in Zamość, Poland in December 1942, along with her mother as part of the Nazis’ secret A-B action, the deliberate extermination of the Polish intelligentsia.
According to reports, Czesława was photographed by “the famous photographer of Auschwitz” Wilhelm Brasse, a young Polish inmate in his twenties, as part of a project by officials to document those taken to the death camp. Trained as a portrait photographer at his aunt’s studio prior to the 1939 German invasion of Poland beginning World War II, Brasse and others had been ordered to photograph inmates by their Nazi captors.
The photos of Czesława were taken just moments after she was beaten by a female prison guard — apparently the young girl couldn’t understand the orders that were being barked at her in German, as it wasn’t her native tongue. Brasse, who died in 2012, said the prison guard had beaten the girl across the face with a stick, leading to her cut lip. Speaking about his memory of Czesława in in 2005 documentary The Portraitist, photographer Brasse recalled “she was so young and so terrified. The girl didn’t understand why she was there and she couldn’t understand what was being said to her.
“So this woman Kapo (a prisoner overseer) took a stick and beat her about the face. This German woman was just taking out her anger on the girl. Such a beautiful young girl, so innocent. She cried but she could do nothing. “Before the photograph was taken, the girl dried her tears and the blood from the cut on her lip. To tell you the truth, I felt as if I was being hit myself but I couldn’t interfere. It would have been fatal for me. You could never say anything.” Though ordered to destroy all photographs and their negatives, Brasse became famous after the war for having helped to rescue some of them from oblivion, and keeping the memory of the photographed inmates alive.
Czesława died in March 1943, just three months after arriving at Auschwitz, weeks after her mother Katarzyna. According to the Auschwitz Memorial, she was killed by Nazi doctors with a lethal injection of phenol into the heart.
Artist Marina Amaral has coloured the portraits of the young girl, bringing a more haunting, lifelike quality to the images.Mirko Ilić
-Mirko Ilić
Born in Bosnia, Mirko Ilić has worked as Art Director of the Time Magazine International Edition and Art Director of the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times. In 1995 he established his firm Mirko Ilić Corp.
My Polish Catholic Grandfather, Luke Kasmar, came to America about 47 years prior to this photo being taken (around 1895). The girl in the photo above was the same age as my Mom.
The Kasmar family circa 1942. My 14-year-old Mother is on the far right.
First met Pat Lowery freshman year of the Joe Kubert School back in 1986. We were roommates in an apartment over a bar in Dover, New Jersey — He got me a part-time gig when I was first starting out (in the Empire State building no less) — And New Year’s Eve 1992 (along with fellow Kubert School alum Mark McMurray) we celebrated in Times Square.
Since then he’s worked on such film franchises as Star Wars, Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings – and as a major name drop, has worked for legendary stop-motion animator Phil Tippett.
I haven’t seen him since the San Diego Comic Con about twenty years ago, so I made the trek out to St. Louis, Missouri and visited him at his current entrepreneurial pursuit, owner of The Good Luck Bar and Grill.
In honor of this momentous occasion we recreated a pic from a quarter century prior. FYI: My wife Deb stood in for Pat’s friend Dave from the original pic.
Had a GREAT time catching up over a few Guinness. Here’s to good friends who have survived the long haul – Sláinte!
