80th Anniversary of D-Day Commemoration

Remembering R.C. Harvey

I was saddened by the news today of the passing of R.C. "Bob" Harvey, cartoonist and comics scholar and historian. While I didn't know him well, we connected many years ago when I was starting out due to our shared interest, of course, in cartoonist Milton Caniff—I believe he first reached out to me knowing my work was deeply inspired and influenced by Caniff. We exchanged some letters and I'd see him at conventions, where he'd often stop by my table to say hi and catch up on my issues.

I enjoy comics history and scholarship nearly as much as comics themselves, so Bob's work in this area always interested me. Over the years, I was aware that he was working on a biography on Caniff, so I'd always ask about its status. I was delighted when Fantagraphics released it, called Meanwhile... —though he told me he had to cut it down a bit for length, the book still came in at nearly 1000 pages. I obviously was the target audience, but it says much about Bob's writing skills that I found the book to be a great read and engaging—I tore through it in less than a week. It sits in a prominent place on a bookshelf and I still occasionally go through it.

One other nice connection—Bob received the Inkpot Award from San Diego Comic-Con the same year as me in 2018! It was more than well deserved and I'm glad I had the opportunity to congratulate him in person.

Below: A sample of Bob's clean cartooning style and the cover to his biography of Milton Caniff.

Remembering Neal Adams

The many posts about the passing of the great Neal Adams is a tribute to his influence and impact on the field of comics. He was a bridge between the Golden and Silver Ages of comics to the modern age, bringing in a breath of fresh air into the field with a slick commercial art style that was new in comic books. Along the way, he drew tons of comics for the major publishers, and many small ones and, along with writer Denny O’Neil and others, helped Batman shed the “campy” image from the ‘60s TV show, building the modern foundation of the character as it stands today. (Even today, my own efforts at drawing the character is heavily influenced by Adams’ take on the character.)

Just as importantly, he was a significant activist and champion for social issues as well as artist’s rights: he helped bring “relevance” to comics (also often with O’Neil) and tried to create a union for comics professionals. He also successfully fought for the return of artist’s work (including that of Jack Kirby’s) and, along with cartoonist Jerry Robinson and others, on the eve of the release of the 1978 Superman film, persuaded (or, rather, shamed) DC Comics/Warner Brothers into providing Superman’s impoverished creators—Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster—a pension and modicum of financial security, as well as creator credit, by using the attention to the movie as leverage.

Adam’s did so much work that is fondly remembered and admired—my personal favorite is 1978’s Muhammad Ali vs. Superman (with O’Neil again). At first glance, it might seem like a cheesy idea, but Adams and O’Neil took the job seriously and produced what I often consider (as I know others do) the greatest single Superman story ever—an epic space opera of Superman cleverly teaming with Ali to save the world against invading aliens.

Adams also provided work and mentorship to many cartoonists, especially through his comics and illustration studio, Continuity Studios.

Though I’d often go by his table at comics conventions, I had the opportunity to meet him back in 2019 at an event organized by local cartoonists that he kindly hosted at his L.A. Continuity office. After his talk, he invited me to sit with him and was delighted to learn that I was Filipino (he asked)—he spoke about how much he admired the great Philippine-based cartoonists who broke into the industry in the 1970s.

I had intended to also bring my copy of Muhammad Ali vs. Superman for his autograph (pictured above), but told him that I had forgotten it. He laughed, slapped my back and said, “Next time!”

Being on the eve of the pandemic, I didn’t find the right time to follow up, but regardless it was a thrill to get these memorable few moments with him and this photo. He always seemed so hale and active, so the news was a bit of a surprise to me. My condolences to his wife and widow; the news of his passing is giving his legacy and influence the attention it deserves.

See the original post on Facebook (with additional photos).

Read my 2019 post about meeting Neal Adams.

Read my 2008 look back at Superman vs. Muhammad Ali.

Remembering Will Eisner on his Birthday

Jean-Paul Belmondo

For anyone who's read the series, Belmondo's reputation as a maverick inspired the character as much as his rugged look. pic.twitter.com/eYXzaYBj78

— Randy/WCGComics • Inkpot Award 2018 SDCC (@randywcgcomics) September 7, 2021