Thursday, May 8, 2014

ARCHIE COMICS #34 - #35
Sept - Dec 1948

After doing the lead story in the previous issue, just like that, Ray Gill was one of the regular artists on Archie’s main book! Maybe Vigoda needed a vacation. Here though, we get the first real glimpse of Harry Lucey's take on Archie!
Of course, he'd later go on to put a defining look to the series.....

(from Archie Comics #34, Sept-Oct 1948 with art by Harry Lucey)


 Actually, Vigoda probably DID need a vacation, as he'd been doing everything Archie for the last 2 years!
But he wasn't going anywhere - he'd be around doing Archie stories for another decade.

But for now, in the main Archie book, Gill would get his chance to shine for awhile.

(from Archie Comics #34, Sept-Oct 1948 Harry Lucey art)


Ray Gill would become the main regular artist for bit, even though his real thing was writing.

Gill had come from Novelty Press where he’d been making a living in comics for the last ten years. He is one of the least talked about early Archie artists, disappearing from comics almost all together after he finishes this year and a half run on the main title.


From: SangorShopMay 19, 2014 at 4:58 PM
Ray Gill (1918-1984) career in comic books runs from around 1937-1954. He spent most of his carrer, working for LLoyd Jacquet's Funnies, Inc, which produced material for both Novelty and Marvel, among other places. He did mostly writing for Funnies, but also served as an editor in the early 1940s. Indeed he gave Mickey Spillane his first writing job. Gill's first work for Archie was as a writer. He left to become an editor and a junior partner co-owner at Stanley Morse's publishing empire. And left comics in 1954 to become an editor at Fawcett books, where he edited books such as "How to do low cost plumbing repairs" etc. And of course, his brother Joe was the staff writer at Charlton comics.

Readers feel free to send in any additional info on some of these creators! I'll gladly print them in the post!
Special thanks to SangorShop and also check  out his History of Comics blog! (http://sangorshop.blogspot.com)


(from Archie Comics #34, Sept-Oct 1948 Ray Gill art)


Gill's clean style seems to be the perfect transition between Vigoda (who was starting to show the Montana Newspaper Strip influence) and what would eventually become the house style for Archie.
But in particular, Samm Scwartz's 'softening' of the look of Betty and Veronica, which probably doesn't get the recognition it deserves, would lend itself to the overall style of Archie Comics in general.


(from Archie Comics #34, Sept-Oct 1948 Samm Scwartz art)


Ray Gill though, gets to introduce us to Dilton Doiley in the comic!

Sort of.

(Yes, I know this characters name is 'Dilbert'. Actually Dilton first appeared in Montana's Newspaper strip about 5 months earlier, and wouldn't make a 'Dilton' appearance in the comic book until Pep Comics #78 in January of 1950, but c'mon! You know that's him!)


(from Archie Comics #34, Sept-Oct 1948 Ray Gill art)

A rather wordy fan club ad!

(from Archie Comics #34, Sept-Oct 1948 Unknown art)


And just like that, BillVigoda is back with a cover to Archie, the first non-Al Fagaly cover in over two years.
And Hot Fudge Sundae's were only 25 cents!

(from Archie Comics #35, Nov-Dec 1948 Bill Vigoda cover art)


Vigoda also has a 9pg story ‘The Old Home Town’...but the rest is Ray Gill...

(from Archie Comics #35, Nov-Dec 1948 Ray Gill art)

...who teaches us the art of Archie's babysitting!

(from Archie Comics #35, Nov-Dec 1948 Ray Gill art)


Same Schwartz's Betty and Veronica stories were starting to really look good, and the influence would be well noticed by George Frese!

And: ‘The Sport of Queens’ features the first Mr./Mrs. George Cooper (Betty's Mom and Dad!)

(from Archie Comics #35, Nov-Dec 1948 Samm Schwartz art)

Another example from the previous issue.
Which incidentally featured another 'artiste' out to 'render' our two lovely heroines, this one modeled after Bob Montana himself!


(from Archie Comics #34, Sept-Oct 1948 Samm Schwartz art)


Another fan club ad!

(from Archie Comics #35, Nov-Dec 1948 Unknown art)

These stories and more can be found in:

    












2 comments:

  1. Ray Gill (1918-1984) career in comic books runs from around 1937-1954. He spent most of his carrer, working for LLoyd Jacquet's Funnies, Inc, which produced material for both Novelty and Marvel, among other places. He did mostly writing for Funnies, but also served as an editor in the early 1940s. Indeed he gave Mickey Spillane his first writing job. Gill's first work for Archie was as a writer. He left to become an editor and a junior partner co-owner at Stanley Morse's publishing empire. And left comics in 1954 to become an editor at Fawcett books, where he edited books such as "How to do low cost plumbing repairs" etc. And of course, his brother Joe was the staff writer at Charlton comics.

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  2. Thanks for the info! It's much appreciated!

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