Category Archives: Meskin, Mort

The Art of Romance, Chapter 3, The Field No Longer Their’s Alone

Posted February 15, 2008 in 2008/02, 5 Studio, Art of Romance, Artists, Draut, Bill, Infantino, Carmine, Kirby Or Not, Kirby, Jack, Meskin, Mort, Periods, Prize, Robinson, Jerry, Serial Posts, Topic, z Archive.

(Young Romance #5 – #8)

In this chapter I will be writing about the next four issues of Young Romance (#5 to #8). For the most part this set is a continuation of the earlier issues. The main artists were same; Jack Kirby, Bill Draut and the team of Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin. A couple of minor artists that appeared in issues #1 and #2 do not reappear, but a new one would have a contribution which I will discuss in more detail below. Young Romance is still on a bimonthly schedule. This is surprising because by now S&K and Prize were surely aware that they had a hit. When the crime genre Headline (starting with issue #23, March 1947) was a success Simon and Kirby launched Justice Traps the Guilty for Prize seven months later. Yet after over a year they neither made Young Romance a monthly nor created another title. Other publishers had not failed to notice; based on “All the Romance Comics Ever Published (?)” romance titles began to appear published by Fox (My Life #4, September 1948), Timely (My Romance #1, September), and Fawcett (Sweethearts #68, October). Perhaps Prize along with Simon and Kirby were surprised at their own success and fearful that it was just a fad.

Young Romance #8 (November 1948) “Love or Pity”, art by Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby continued to be the most prominent artist for Young Romance. Kirby did nine out of the twenty stories in these four issues, or 97 out of 177 pages. It may have been even more since as I will discuss below a tenth story may also have been penciled by Jack. Kirby would continue to create the first story in the comic. This lead story would remain the longest story in the comic with thirteen or fourteen pages while other stories would have at most nine pages. The design of the lead story splash page would continue to have a character’s speech balloon used as the title caption. I particularly like the splash for “Love or Pity”. The design is done quite well with a close-up of a couple dominating the page and another section enacting a little scene like some sort of tableau. We have seen this emphasis in design for some of Simon and Kirby’s double page splashes, but it is also to be found in a number of the smaller splashes drawn by Kirby in Young Romance. In the depiction of the large couple we only get to see the face of the woman, the man’s face and his emotions remain a mystery. The woman arches her left eyebrow, looks askance and her hand’s placement on the man’s shoulder seems tentative. All this makes her appear apprehensive and her attempt to dispel her concerns by moving closer into the man’s embrace seems to have failed. From the title caption we learn why, she is uncertain about the man’s true feelings. Many have described Kirby’s woman as not being truly beautiful but it is a criticism I do not share. I find the woman in this splash attractive enough and, more importantly, very human. While some other artists might have been able to make the woman appear even more beautiful I do not know any that are able to invest them with the same sensitivity that Kirby has. Jack does not draw Barbie dolls but rather woman whose appearance reflects their personality and emotions. I find that makes Kirby’s woman truly beautiful indeed.

The second section of the splash depicts a crowd looking disapprovingly on as the woman runs away in shame. Jack has chosen a low viewing angle so that the woman towers over the background crowd giving drama to the scene. The woman’s pose is rather unusual; she looks more like she is tripping and about to fall. Not an inappropriate metaphor for her descent into scandal. The second section is well done but its impact suffers from its diminished size. Envision this section enlarged and expanded toward the right and you can imagine what a double page romance splash might have looked like had Simon and Kirby ever done one. It is too bad they never did.

Young Romance #6 (July 1948) “Disgrace”, art by Jack Kirby

One change that seemed to have taken place from the earlier issues of Young Romance was that action no longer appeared quite as commonly in Jack Kirby’s romance stories. Not that action disappeared completely, it would always show up in more Kirby romance stories then it does in those by any of the other studio artists. “Disgrace” is a case in point. If I had to pick one Kirby romance story most likely to satisfy the general Kirby readership, this would be the one. The heroine feels trapped in a coal mining town which she detests for the violence its inhabitants so frequently adopt. Her brother has managed to escape the town but she is dismayed at his career as a prize fighter and his particularly brutal nature. She falls in love with a man only to discover that he also is a professional boxer. She cannot accept more violence in her life so she breaks it off. Later she finds to her horror that her brother and former love are scheduled to meet in the arena. Where does her loyalty lie, with her violent brother or the man she still loves? Jack Kirby is justly famous for his depiction of a punch and the fight in this story is a pure slugfest.

Young Romance #8 (November 1948) “Love Can Strike So Suddenly”, art by Jack Kirby

Kirby may have tuned down his use of action but he still looked for means to keep his stories exciting. One of his techniques was to make use of the exotic location of some of the stories. Had the splash of “Love Can Strike So Suddenly” depicted a normal local it would have seemed quite banal. All the main characters are just standing around. Even the dialog is not nearly dramatic enough to rescue this page. However by inserting his cast into a street in India, Jack has made this one of his memorable splashes. I am sure Kirby has swiped this from some source, perhaps National Geographic, but I am also certain that he has made his version far more interesting then the original. I have recently discussed this story; it is the source for a swipe used years later in Simon and Kirby’s own romance comic In Love.

Young Romance #7 (September 1948) “Mother Said No” page 4, art by Jack Kirby and Carmine Infantino?

The Jack Kirby Checklist does not include “Mother Said No” among its listings of Kirby’s work. It is easy to understand why, the man in the first panel of the page imaged above does not look he was drawn by Jack. Or does he? Kirby often drew his men with wild eyebrows but these look excessive even for Jack. But how much of these exaggerated eyebrows were in the original drawing and how much were due to the inker’s interpretation of the pencils? The layouts throughout the story look like they were done by Jack. It is hard to be sure, but once the eyebrows are ignored a lot to the drawing looks like Kirby to me.

Charlie Chan #1 (June 1948) “The Hit and Run Murder Case” page 9, art by Carmine Infantino

Nearly identical men’s eyebrows seen in “Mother Said No” can also be found in work that Carmine Infantino did in Charlie Chan. Compare the man in the third panel of page nine of “The Hit and Run Murder Case” shown above to the one in the first panel of the page I previously presented from “Mother Said No”. Further examples of Infantino’s work for the Simon and Kirby studio can be found in an earlier post. While the details of the eyebrows seem to match in the two stories, the proportions used in drawing the faces do not. Nor are Carmine’s layouts in Charlie Chan similar to those found in “Mother Said No”. The inking for “Mother Said No” was done in the studio style which would normally suggest Jack or Joe’s involvement. However Carmine used the studio style inking in some parts of Charlie Chan, particularly the splashes. I really need to do a more thorough comparison, but some of the spotting in “Mother Said No” does not look like it was done by either Jack or Joe. My initial conclusion is that in “Mother Said No” Carmine was inking Jack’s pencils. If that is true what is not clear is whether Kirby’s pencils were not very tight, or if instead they were overwhelmed by Carmine’s inking. In either case I am presently inclined to consider this a joint piece with Jack as the primary artist.

There is a serious problem with the analysis that I presented above because of an interview of Carmine Infantino from The Jack Kirby Collector #34. In that interview Carmine clearly said that Charlie Chan was the only work he did for Simon and Kirby, and later added that he never inked Jack’s pencils. I really want to do a more careful analysis before I am ready to contest Infantino’s statements so for now I consider my conclusions as preliminary. Hopefully a re-examination of this issue will be the subject of another post in not too distant future.

Young Romance #6 (July 1948) “Gossip”, art by Bill Draut

Kirby did not draw all the stories in YR #5 to #8; Bill Draut remained a significant contributor with seven stories out of twenty, or 52 pages out of 177. Bill’s art started to change. Gone were the splashes with an emphasis on design, I do not believe it would reappear in Draut’s work until 1954 for In Love. I suspect Joe Simon had a hand in laying out some of the earlier Draut splashes for Young Romance, but from this point on Draut would do it himself. The other change would be the appearance of more and more traits that would be typical of Draut. Note the brickwork for the fireplace in the “Gossip” splash. This is a Draut trademark that will reappear from time to time through his association with the Simon and Kirby studio. Another Draut trademark, which actually showed up before, is the brunette’s pose. Draut portrays a person’s anger by leaning the torso and thrusting the head forward, and sometimes having the person clench their fists. This is a pose not quite like any that I have seen Kirby use and it is one of the reasons that I do not believe Jack was providing layouts for Bill as some authorities have claimed.

Young Romance #5 (May 1948) “Jealousy”, art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin

The final two contributors to Young Romance #5 to #8 was the team of Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin. I attribute three stories from issues #5 and #6 to Robinson and Meskin, one of which (“The Inferior Male”) was signed. The Jack Kirby Checklist credits the splash page of “Jealousy” to Jack Kirby as inked by Joe Simon. The expressive formality of the foreground couple is not typical of Kirby. Nor are the long and simple eyebrows usually found in Simon’s inking. The only thing that suggests Kirby/Simon to me is some of the Studio style inking such as the abstract arch at the top of the wall and the picket fence crosshatching on the lower part of the woman’s dress (see inking glossary). However the “Jealousy” splash presents cloth folds created by long, narrow sweeping brush strokes, this is exactly the inking technique used by Mort Meskin. Also note the man has a type of grin that is so typical for Mort. The eyebrows found in “Jealousy” may also be found in the Robinson and Meskin work found in these early issues of Young Romance. The unusual formal pose of the couple would not be surprising for Robinson and Meskin. The only problem with a Robinson and Meskin attribution for the “Jealousy” splash is the Studio style inking which is not found in other R&M art. I think the best explanation for this discrepancy is that either Simon or Kirby in their roll as art editor stepped in to touch up the splash. I feel the splash matches the art in the rest of the story and it all should be attributed to Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin.

July marked the last month that Robinson and Meskin art would appear in Simon and Kirby productions. Mort Meskin would return by himself over a year later, after which he would be a frequent contributor until the end of the studio. This is all very hard to reconcile with Carmine Infantino’s TJKC #34 interview where he says that he accepted the Charlie Chan job for the experience he would get by working with Kirby and Meskin. Carmine even describes Mort as working right next to Jack. Carmine’s stay was from June 1948 until February 1949 (cover dates). This does overlap Robinson and Meskin’s period (January to July 1948) but is well before Meskin’s solo return in December of 1949. I just do not find it creditable that Mort was working in the studio at a time when he and Robinson were probably producing more work for other publishers then for S&K. Would Mort and Jerry have been working separately? Would the small amount of work for S&K justify Mort’s presence in the studio? I am afraid I have to conclude that Carmine’s memory has failed him; perhaps he has mixed up the time of his presence in the studio with that of his brother Jimmy who did work for S&K at the same time as Meskin.

Chapter 1, A New Genre (YR #1 – #4)
Chapter 2, Early Artists (YR #1 – #4)
Chapter 3, The Field No Longer Their’s Alone (YR #5 – #8)
Chapter 4, An Explosion of Romance (YR #9 – #12, YL #1 – #4)
Chapter 5, New Talent (YR #9 – 12, YL #1 – #4)
Chapter 6, Love on the Range (RWR #1 – #7, WL #1 – #6)
Chapter 7, More Love on the Range (RWR #1 – #7, WL #1 – #6)
Chapter 8, Kirby on the Range? (RWR #1 – #7, WL #1 – #6)
Chapter 9, More Romance (YR #13 – #16, YL #5 – #6)
Chapter 10, The Peak of the Love Glut (YR #17 – #20, YL #7 – #8)
Chapter 11, After the Glut (YR #21 – #23, YL #9 – #10)
Chapter 12, A Smaller Studio (YR #24 – #26, YL #12 – #14)
Chapter 13, Romance Bottoms Out (YR #27 – #29, YL #15 – #17)
Chapter 14, The Third Suspect (YR #30 – #32, YL #18 – #20)
Chapter 15, The Action of Romance (YR #33 – #35, YL #21 – #23)
Chapter 16, Someone Old and Someone New (YR #36 – #38, YL #24 – #26)
Chapter 17, The Assistant (YR #39 – #41, YL #27 – #29)
Chapter 18, Meskin Takes Over (YR #42 – #44, YL #30 – #32)
Chapter 19, More Artists (YR #45 – #47, YL #33 – #35)
Chapter 20, Romance Still Matters (YR #48 – #50, YL #36 – #38, YB #1)
Chapter 21, Roussos Messes Up (YR #51 – #53, YL #39 – #41, YB #2 – 3)
Chapter 22, He’s the Man (YR #54 – #56, YL #42 – #44, YB #4)
Chapter 23, New Ways of Doing Things (YR #57 – #59, YL #45 – #47, YB #5 – #6)
Chapter 24, A New Artist (YR #60 – #62, YL #48 – #50, YB #7 – #8)
Chapter 25, More New Faces (YR #63 – #65, YLe #51 – #53, YB #9 – #11)
Chapter 26, Goodbye Jack (YR #66 – #68, YL #54 – #56, YB #12 – #14)
Chapter 27, The Return of Mort (YR #69 – #71, YL #57 – #59, YB #15 – #17)
Chapter 28, A Glut of Artists (YR #72 – #74, YL #60 – #62, YB #18 & #19, IL #1 & #2)
Chapter 29, Trouble Begins (YR #75 – #77, YL #63 – #65, YB #20 – #22, IL #3 – #5)
Chapter 30, Transition (YR #78 – #80, YL #66 – #68, YBs #23 – #25, IL #6, ILY #7)
Chapter 30, Appendix (YB #23)
Chapter 31, Kirby, Kirby and More Kirby (YR #81 – #82, YL #69 – #70, YB #26 – #27)
Chapter 32, The Kirby Beat Goes On (YR #83 – #84, YL #71 – #72, YB #28 – #29)
Chapter 33, End of an Era (YR #85 – #87, YL #73, YB #30, AFL #1)
Chapter 34, A New Prize Title (YR #88 – #91, AFL #2 – #5, PL #1 – #2)
Chapter 35, Settling In ( YR #92 – #94, AFL #6 – #8, PL #3 – #5)
Appendix, J.O. Is Joe Orlando
Chapter 36, More Kirby (YR #95 – #97, AFL #9 – #11, PL #6 – #8)
Chapter 37, Some Surprises (YR #98 – #100, AFL #12 – #14, PL #9 – #11)
Chapter 38, All Things Must End (YR #101 – #103, AFL #15 – #17, PL #12 – #14)

Horrible Mort Meskin

by Harry Mendryk

Posted January 18, 2008 in 2008/01, 5 Studio, Artists, Featured Work, Harvey, Meskin, Mort, Periods, Topic, z Archive.

By 1954 Mort Meskin had been providing work for the Simon and Kirby studio for four years. Even more important then the amount of time spent was the volume of work; Mort executed more work for S&K then any other studio artist. There were even periods that Mort’s page production rates exceeded Kirby’s who was justly famous for his productivity. Mort’s contribution went beyond volume; he played an important part in the S&K classic Boys’ Ranch (1951). It was Mort who persuaded S&K to create that unusual title Strange World of Your Dreams (1952) for which he listed as an Associate Editor. 1954 was an important year for both Meskin and S&K as well. In that year Simon and Kirby would return to the superhero genre with Fighting American published by Prize. Even more important Joe and Jack would create their own comic publishing company called Mainline. Considering Meskin’s contributions in the past, it would be expected that he would play a significant role in these projects, but he did not. Mort provided no help with Fighting American and only shows up in a few initial issues of the Mainline titles. Since Mort was creating art for the Prize romances (still being produced by Simon and Kirby) his absence from the other projects is hard to explain. 1954 was of note for Mort because it marked his return to providing art for DC. This was not an exclusive arrangement, as mentioned above Mort would continue to provide work for the Prize romances. Meskin also did one work for Harvey’s Chamber of Chills.

The hero of this story is the meek and troubled Oscar Pert. He could have been happy, if only he was not oppressed by his wife, Martha. The only important thing in life for Martha was the continual depositing of money into the bank. Everything else must be sacrificed. Oscar lost his friends when he was no longer able to pay club dues. Martha would not even let him spend a little money for milk to give a stray cat. But finally Oscar devises a new means to happiness. We see him in his cellar stealing moments away from Martha, designing some project. His increased sense of contentment is noticed by all but understood by none. That is until Martha discovers his drafting ruler and pawns it off. Apparently that is the last straw because that night Martha hears a strange ticking noise coming from the cellar. She finds a box down there and when she investigates the box’s opening the trap is set. The story ends with Oscar making his own rather gruesome deposit to the bank vault.

Chamber of Chills #24 (July 1954) “Credit and Loss”, art by Mort Meskin

The story was not written by Mort, but he makes the most of it. He is at the top of his form in story telling, and that means a lot because Meskin was a consummate graphic story teller. His shifts in distance and perspective are done not just to provide variation, but as a means to advance the story itself. Take the sequence that starts the tale; a panel of a broken record introduces the theme of repetition, the next panel has advances the theme with a close-up of a woman’s nagging mouth, with the final panel a more distant shot providing an introduction to the main characters of the story and their relationship.

Chamber of Chills #24 (July 1954) “Credit and Loss” page 4 panel 5, art by Mort Meskin

Mort’s art is excellent, particularly the inking. The splash panels uses the S&K studio style with bold picket fence brush work (for an explanation of this term, see the Inking Glossary). The image of the skeletal hands with ledger is not a literal summation of the story but it does effectively symbolize the theme. I cannot explain what the ruled background represents, perhaps another visual reference to a financial ledger? In any case it is a pleasing pattern as if designed by Mondrian. After the splash Meskin drops using the S&K studio style and adopts his more typical inking methods. However that is a little misleading as Mort’s inking is here much more elaborate then what he had previously been using in work that he had done for Simon and Kirby. For example Meskin typically constructed eyebrows as a couple of overlapping simple brush strokes, but for close-ups in “Credit and Loss” the eyebrows are made with numerous brushstrokes that suggest the individual hairs. Instead of simple brushing for shadows on faces, here Mort provides some careful crosshatching. Meskin even seems to take much more effort with the drawing as well. The close-ups of Oscar are some of the best portrayals that Mort has ever done. The large soulful eyes and small chin suggest his submissive character. But note how in the panel I provide above how Mort subtlety reveals Oscar’s awakened spirit of resistance.

With such a great piece of art it is a wonder that Mort Meskin did not do more work for Chamber of Chills. I really do not have the timing of Meskin’s non-S&K work down very well, but perhaps it is nothing more then having been returned to the better paying DC Mort felt no need to pursue work from Harvey. Joe Simon’s collection includes the complete original art for “Credit and Loss”, as well as some other art from the same Chamber of Chills issue. So maybe even at this early date Joe was giving Harvey a hand. If so, Simon was not passing onto Harvey excess S&K material, this story much more deserves being called horror then anything found in S&K’s own Black Magic. The tale goes beyond what Joe and Jack would have considered to be in good taste. Whatever the explanation for its unique status, “Credit and Loss” is a masterpiece. Unfortunately its presence in a rare comic means it has not been seen by many. Maybe someday it will get the reprint treatment it so richly deserves.

The Art of Romance, Chapter 2, Early Artists

by Harry Mendryk

Posted January 12, 2008 in 2008/01, 5 Studio, Art of Romance, Artists, Draut, Bill, Kirby, Jack, Meskin, Mort, Periods, Prize, Robinson, Jerry, Serial Posts, z Archive.

(Young Romance #1 – #4)

Young Romance #1 (September), art by Jack Kirby

Simon and Kirby had a pretty consistent modus operandi for developing a new title. Basically it called for Jack Kirby providing much, if not most, of the initial art. This M.O. was adhered to with Young Romance, for the first four issues Jack drew 10 of the 20 stories. Page production rates (the number of pages of art created in a month) at the time of the release were also very high. Joe Simon has stated that before they went around to various publishers, they had already created the art for the initial issues. That way if some unscrupulous publisher liked the idea but wanted to develop it themselves, Simon and Kirby would have a head start. Therefore the high page production rates are misleading because much of the art was actually done earlier. Even so the initial art for Young Romance was rushed. Not that Jack would sacrifice drawing quality, but the inking would initially be rather simple. S&K shop inking traits such as picket fence crosshatching (see the Inking Glossary) would find limited use. The resulting inks would be reminiscent of the Austere inking style from the late fifties which developed from a similar need for increased art production. Although the inking was simpler what was done was quite beautiful, so once again quality was not sacrificed.

Young Romance #1 (September 1947) “I Was A Pick-Up”, art by Jack Kirby.

The drawing for the romance covers are generally not Jack Kirby’s finest work. Kirby’s forte was action, which was not the sort of thing appropriate for romance. Jack would compensate by using various compositional devices to keep the image visually interesting but this was not completely successful. Much of the impact these covers have is based not so much on the drawing itself as the melodrama that is being depicted. The less then graphically successful covers cannot be blamed entirely on romance genre not being conducive to Jack’s talents. Some of Kirby’s best efforts from the period can be found in romance splashes. The one for “I Was a Pick-Up”, shown above, is a great example. This splash is much more graphically interesting then the cover for the same issue. The compositions centers on the semi-reclining figure of woman. Her posture is deliberately provocative while at the same time projects her discomfort at her current predicament. Her pose is echoed in the foreground of bush and tree trunks with one of the fallen tree’s limbs repeating the lady’s bent legs. Part of the lady’s visual confinement is formed by the tree trunks, the rest is the by the arms of her not so gentleman companion and the door of the car. This composition seems so expressive and natural that is easy to overlook some logical inconsistencies. Why is the car door open? If it is for her eminent escape, why does the lady seem to lounge about as if reluctant to leave? I would say the whole point of this splash is to highlight the illogic of her situation. Part of her is fully aware that she should get out of the car but this is battled by the same temptation that lured her into becoming a “pick-up”. Although nothing explicit by today’s standards, this was steamy stuff indeed. Too proactive for a cover where it might attract the unwanted attentions of those critical of the idea of a romance comic book, but just right to attract the potential purchaser who was interested enough to open the book. Not every Kirby romance splash would be this good, but enough of them are to indicate that Kirby could do great pieces of stand alone romance art. His best romance work would just be a little too much for the cover.

Young Romance #1 (September 1947) “Suspicious Bridegroom”, art by Bill Draut.

Kirby did not pencil all the art for the initial issues of Young Romance. Of the first 20 stories, Kirby did 10 while Bill Draut provided 7. Draut had met Joe Simon in Washington during the war and had accepted Joe’s invitation to join them in New York. Bill was a talented artist but had no previous comic book experience. Even so Draut did some nice work for Simon and Kirby in titles they developed for Harvey in 1946 (Boys Explorers and Stuntman). Although some work by Bill Draut was published after that, it was all stuff left over from that quickly scrapped S&K Harvey line. One wonders what Bill did between that attempt and his appearance in Young Romance over a year later. From YR #1 on until the closing of the studio, Bill Draut would be a consistent presence in Simon and Kirby productions.

Draut was relative new to comic book work, but that did not stop him from trying to be innovating. A good example is the splash page for “Suspicious Bridegroom” shown above. The layering of the caption box and two images over a bicolor background is very effective. Particularly with the way the panel for one of the images is skewed and casts a shadow. The woman is very attractive but seems directed more to appeal to a man then a teenage girl reader. It was not unusual for Bill to present “cheesy” images of woman in his earlier efforts in the romance genre.

Young Romance #1 (September 1947) “Suspicious Bridegroom” page 7, art by Bill Draut.

Not all of Draut’s attempts at being innovation were successful. On the top of the splash page for “Suspicious Bridegroom” we find the declaration:

YOU CAN LIVE THIS TRUE STORY… A NEW TECHNIQUE IN COMICS!

The announced technique, showing up in much of the story, consists of providing the images as if view through someone’s eyes. Well that is what it was meant to be but actually it looks like a view from some sort of bizarre binoculars, what with the circular views surrounded by irregular folds (eyelids?) and numerous eyelashes. Frankly the technique is not very effective since it puts a severe limit on what can be shown in a panel. Worse yet it is actually kind of creepy and that casts a chilling effect on was meant to be a romantic scene in the fourth panel. Fortunately this innovation was not to be repeated in future work by Bill Draut or any other artist working for Simon and Kirby. Even though it was a failure, you still have to admire the daring of the attempt.

Young Romance #3 (January 1948) “Love or a Career?”, art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin.

In YR #3 (“Love or a Career?”) and YR #4 (“I Love You, Frank Gerard”) are stories by another artists, or more correctly a pair of artists, Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin. These two works are unsigned but in the same style as signed work done a few months later (see my post on the cover for My Date #4). I have not seen enough of either artist’s earlier work to be confident about how the two artists collaborated, but my suspicion is that most of the pencils were done by Robinson and Meskin did most of the inking. I am not sure how Simon and Kirby met Jerry Robinson, but Meskin was well known from the time that S&K worked for DC. There is a story of both Kirby and Meskin facing deadlines and ending up in the DC bullpen on adjacent drawing tables. Each was intent on getting their own jobs done while other artists gathered to watch two of the industries greatest and most prolific artists racing away. I have not come across any comments from Jack Kirby about Meskin, but Joe has repeatedly expressed his admiration for Mort’s work.

Now that I have introduced most of the artists from the first four issues of Young Romance, this seems to appropriate time to address a subject that I have avoided in the past, that is the question of Kirby layouts. This is a claim that many people have declared about work done by the various artists who worked for the Simon and Kirby studio. Unfortunately the use of Kirby layouts is not the only possible explanation for other artists doing Kirby-like work. Many admired Jack’s artistry so it is not surprising that they would imitate or even swipe from Kirby. From time to time Jack would also assume the job of art editor and fix up the work from other artists prior to publication (for example). One of the criteria I use to distinguish Kirby layouts from things like swipes and art editing is consistency throughout the story. Swiping and art editing will be limited to a few panels here or there, not to the entire story. But if Kirby is truly providing a layout it would be expected that he would do so for the entire story. As for distinguishing a Kirby layout from a Kirby imitator it is necessary to compare the work in question to the layouts found in contemporary Kirby stories. It is expected that Kirby would provide layouts similar to those of his own stories. While it is possible that Kirby might provide simpler layouts, it is not creditable that he would introduce techniques into a layout that he would not use himself.

Kirby uses an unusual layout for some of his splashes. It consists of a half splash along with a figure or just the head with a speech balloon that serves the place of title caption. The splash from “I Was a Pick-Up” shown earlier is an example of this layout. This layout is not used by any other artist in the first four issues. However it is not the only splash layout used by Kirby either. Careful examination shows that it is only used on for the first story in the comic. So although it is very distinctive layout, the fact that the other artists do not use it does not prove their stories were not done using Kirby layouts. Although I call this a Kirby layout I might be more accurate to ascribing it to Simon and Kirby. Both Joe and Jack have said that Joe did layouts for some covers and splashes. Did Joe consistently provide layouts? Was Joe providing layouts for Jack only early in their collaboration? At this point I do not have really firm answers for these questions. It does seem to me that many of the splashes and covers have emphasis on design found in work that Joe did prior to working with Jack and would continue to use after they broke up. However this fondness for certain types of designs disappears from Jacks work once he split from Joe. Therefore I am inclined to feel Joe provided some layout guidance to many of Jack’s covers and splashes. However nothing in the layout of Jack stories seem unique to his period of partnership with Joe, so I believe that the story layouts at this stage are Kirby’s alone.

As I previously mentioned, Bill Draut did some interesting designs for some of his splash pages in these early Young Romance issues. He used tilted panels in two of his splashes, a device that does not appear in any Kirby drawn splash from the same comics. Draut also would occasionally introduce a “sexy” or “cheesy” pose; this is something Jack was not seen to do. Bill Draut would develop his own way of telling a story which is only beginning to appear in these early romance works. Still the story layouts that he uses for these first issues of Young Romance only occasionally, if at all, remind one of Kirby. So I would conclude that there are no Kirby layouts under the Bill Draut pencils in the first four issues of Young Romance. Actually this is a conclusion that I have reached for all of Bill Draut’s work for S&K.

The opening splash panel is generally used to as a sort of comic book equivalent of a movie trailer. That is it provides a sort of condensation of what the story will be about. However the splash panel normally is not actually part of the story itself. Sometimes the entire first page is given over to the splash. Five splashes by Kirby and two by Draut from the first twenty stories are full page splashes. I am not sure that much can be deduced from the use of full page splashes, except perhaps that Kirby was more prone to use them then the other artists. Often the first page would be a combination of a splash panel and one or two story panels, and how they are laid out is informative. Kirby’s next most frequent first page arrangement, with three cases, places a single story panel in the lower right corner. That layout is not used by any of the other Young Romance artists. The other arrangement that Jack used was to restrict the splash panel to the top of the page, and provide two story panels below. This is the most common arrangement in the first four issues; Kirby did it twice, Draut five times and another artist also used it once, for a total of eight out of twenty stories. Another possible layout is for the splash panel to occupy the left while the two story panels are placed on the right. That arrangement was not used by either Kirby or Draut in the first YR comics but is used for both stories provided by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin. To me this strongly suggests that Jack did not provide layouts to Robinson and Meskin.

Young Romance #3 (January 1948) “Love or a Career?” page 7 panel 1, art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin

As was the case with Bill Draut, the way that Robinson and Meskin present the story is not consistently like what Kirby did. One exception that might be made is provided in the above panel. Jack Kirby was justly famous for his use of exaggerated perspective. The way the man holds his hand out toward the view does remind one of Jack’s techniques. In my opinion Robinson and Meskin are not as successful in their effort as Kirby would have been, so I do not think this would be an example of Kirby stepping in as an art editor. Although Kirby did have a fondness for this sort of difficult perspective, he did not use it, or anything like it, in any of the stories that he drew for YR #1 through #4. If Jack did not use it for his own drawings, I do not think it would be likely that he would use it in layouts for other artists at that same time. Therefore I conclude that this panel is an example of Robinson and Meskin being influenced by Kirby and it is not based on Kirby layouts.

Young Romance #2 (November 1947) “Dangerous Romance”, by unidentified artist

Normally I do not associate the use of floating heads with Kirby’s covers or splashes. They were not used extensively by Kirby during the S&K period and became extremely rare after he left Joe. Simon on the other had used them on some of his covers done early in his career as well as after the split-up. Whether it is another suggestion that Joe may have been involved in laying out some of the splashes, or that Jack may have just adopted if for a period, but the use of floating heads becomes frequent in the initial Young Romance comics. Five out of ten Kirby splashes use floating heads; on the other hand this device is not used in any of the stories by Draut or Robinson and Meskin. This is another suggestion that Jack did not provide those artists with layouts. But the design technique does show up in the story “Dangerous Romance” in Young Romance #2. The story layout is similar to that Kirby would use for his own work, and this similarity is found throughout the story. The inking also seems to mimic S&K studio style. Note the abstract arc shadow in the splash, and something akin to should blots are sometimes used in the story (see the Inking Glossary for explanation of these terms). Even the penciling is reminiscent of Jack’s work. I do not believe this is an example of a heavy handed inker working over Kirby pencils. As far as I know no one has ever attributed the drawing of this story to Jack. So the conclusion I reach is that this is an example of an artist working from Kirby layouts and trying, not very successfully, to mimic Kirby as close as he was able. Unfortunately I have no idea who the artist was.

Young Romance #1 (September 1947) “Summer Song” page 6, art by Jack Kirby and an unidentified artist.

There was a time in the past that I did not believe “Summer Song” was penciled by Jack Kirby. I found that pages such as the one imaged above deviated in ways that could not be explained by some heavy handed inker. Christopher Harder (a fine S&K scholar) pointed out to me that the art seem to progress from very much like Kirby’s work in the beginning followed by work that looked less and less like Jack’s. You can see what he means be comparing the above image with another from early in the story that I provided last week in the first chapter of this serial post. I remained perplexed about the attribution of this story until one day Joe Simon showed me an article from a Marvel publication. I deeply regret not borrowing it, because I have not yet come across it again in Joe’s collection. It was an interview with an artist, I am sure it was either Joe Sinnott or John Romita. What I do remember clearly was one part where the artist describes approaching Simon and Kirby about a position they had open. The artist described the work as an in-betweener. He went on to say that Jack would draw the story pretty tightly to begin with and then get much looser and close it with some more tight pencils. The hired artist would then tighten up all in between pages and ink the whole thing. This would allow Jack to work more quickly and yet maintain some control over the final results. (Incidentally the artist interviewed said that S&K provided him with samples to work on to show how well he could do the work, but that he never followed through with it). When I read that interview I realized he was describing exactly what had been done in “Summer Song”. In fact when I reexamined the final page of the story it did look more Kirby-like then those done in the middle. It would not be accurate to call such an arrangement as Kirby layouts, Jack contribution was too much for that. Nor would it be correct to describe the other artists as just the inker, for he did much more then just ink Jack’s pencils. So I have decided to attribute the work to both artists. Unfortunately once again I have no idea who the second artist was. In The Complete Jack Kirby, Greg Theakston attributes the inking of this story to Charles Nicolas but gives no explanation how he came that that conclusion.

Not Kirby, My Date #4

by Harry Mendryk

Posted December 8, 2007 in 2007/12, 5 Studio, Artists, Hillman, Kirby Or Not, Meskin, Mort, Periods, Prize, Robinson, Jerry, Topic, z Archive and tagged Jack Kirby, Jerry Robinson, Joe Simon, Mort Meskin

My Date #2 (September 1947) art by Jack Kirby

My Date was a short-lived comic that Simon and Kirby produced for Hillman Publications in 1947. Perhaps mislead by the comics title, some today hold the belief that My Date was the first romance comic book. As I discussed in a post on this topic (The First Romance Comic) it is not a romance comic at all but rather Simon and Kirby’s take on teenage humor modeled on the popular Archie comics. For his contributions to the title Jack Kirby drew in a more cartoonish manner appropriate for the humor content. Jack’s altered penciling was not very drastic, it remains quite easy to identify his work. For instance, Kirby trademarks such as his exaggerated perspective can be found in the covers and stories that Jack provided.

My Date #4 (January 1948) art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin

All four My Date covers have traditionally been attributed to Jack Kirby, as for example by the Jack Kirby Checklist. I have long felt, and I am not alone in this, that the cover for My Date #4 was done by someone else. Gone are Jack’s exaggerated perspective, replaced by a relatively shallow depth of field viewed straight on. The drawing for My Date #4 is cartoonier then in the previous My Date covers. House-Date Harry looks rather different on issue #4 then on the covers for #2 and #3, or from their story art as well. The same is true for Swifty who also shows up on My Date #1 and #2 covers.

Young Romance #3 (January 1948) “Love or a Career” page 5 panel 5 and page 7 panel 4, art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin

Readers of my last post on the inking of Mort Meskin may have spotted the long close and narrow brush marks that are used on the My Date #4 cover to indicate the folds of the clothing. Not all of Meskin inking traits that I previously described are found, but I am nonetheless certain that Mort was the inker. This a bit surprising because at this time Meskin was still producing work mainly for DC and his first signed work for S&K studio would not appear for months later. Young Romance #3 has the same cover date as My Date #4 and in it is the story “Love or a Career”. Unfortunately this story is unsigned but Meskin’s inking is once again quite apparent. I will explain my full attribution of this art below when I discuss the first signed works. The art for “Love or a Career” is the closest match to the MD #4 cover that I have been able to find. Consideration has to be given for the more cartoony style used for the teenage humor comic, but see how close the female character is in the two panels I have selected from YR #3 compared to Sunny of MD #4, similarly shaped face, arching eyebrows, eyes and lips.

Justice Traps the Guilty #4 (May 1948) “Guilty Boys” page 1 panel 3 and page 5 panel 7, art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin

Some months later art very similar to YR #3 appears in “Guilty Boys” from Justice Traps the Guilty #4. This is another unsigned piece with Meskin apparently doing the inking. This crime story was appropriately rendered more realistically then My Date #4 but similarities still show up. Note the comparable button noses of the boys to Swifty and to a lesser extent House-Date Harry on MD #4. The two boys on the right in the page 1 panel has a smiling cheek line similar to that of House-Date Harry.

Young Romance #6 (July 1948) “The Inferior Male” page 7 panel 3 and page 8 panel 4, art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin (signed)

Going forward two months provides two stories that bear the dual signatures of Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin. The usual assumption is that the first signature designates the penciler and the second the inker. But I know nothing about how the Robinson and Meskin team worked so this may not be a safe assumption. Still it does look like Meskin’s inking while at least some of the figure drawing and compositions do not appear to be his. I have posted about “The Inferior Male” twice before (here and here). The correspondence between the art in YR #6 and that in YR #3 and JTTG #4 is close enough that the same artists were probably responsible for all. As seen in the above panels the female still looks like a more realistically drawn version of Sunny from the MD #4 cover.

Justice Traps the Guilty #5 (July 1948)”Murder Special Delivery” page 3 panel 3 and page 4 panel 1, art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin (signed)

Issue #5 of Justice Traps the Guilty also has the Robinson and Meskin signature. As might be expected there is great similarities with the YR #6 that came out in the same month. But this comparison is not perfect. In JTTG #5 the female leads start to take on the more stylized look that is typical of most of Meskin’s work for S&K. But the females have not adopted the more triangular face as done later by Mort so there still is a slight resemblance to Sunny from the MD #4 cover.

Real West Romances #5 (December 1949) “Tenderfoot In Love” page 2 panel 4 and page 8 panel 7 art by Mort Meskin (signed)

Mort Meskin would not show up again in S&K productions for over a year. By cover date of December 1949 things had clearly changed for Mort, the work would only be signed by him with no indication of any Robinson involvement. Meskin was no longer providing art for DC and this marks the start of a productive and consistent relationship with Simon and Kirby. In Real West Romances #5 the woman is drawn actually less stylized then found in the Robinson and Meskin’s piece in JTTG #5. Although not typical of Mort’s later work, the female in RWM #5 is not a very good match for that on My Date #4 either. This is largely due to the introduction of cheek bones that makes the face depart from the more simple geometry found on MD #4. Other similarities can still be found between the RWM #5 and MD #4, as for instance the old man’s eyebrows and smiling cheek line in the right panel as compared to House-Date Harry on MD #4.

Young Romance #16 (December 1949) “His Engagement Ring” page 1 splash, art by Mort Meskin (signed)

Meskin also appears during the same month in Young Romance #16. Once again Mort’s woman are not as stylized as they soon would be. but gone are the cheek bones that Mort provided woman in RWR #5. A resemblance to Sunny of MD #4 can still be seen, especially in the lady on the right of the above splash panel.

It may be a little surprising that a S&K production would have a cover drawn by an artist other then Jack Kirby. The only other non-Kirby covers were also done by Meskin along with Bill Draut, John Prentice and Ann Brewster. Those were all Prize romance covers with cover dates of 1954 and 1955, a period when Jack and Joe were busy with Mainline, their self owned publishing company. The reason Simon and Kirby made an exception for My Date #4 is most likely the same. A few months previously Simon and Kirby had launched Young Romance with Prize comics. As typical for them, most of the initial art for Young Romance was drawn by Jack. They had more recently lauched Justice Traps the Guilty. Not only was this all a lot of work for Kirby, it also was work for which S&K would have a share in the profits. Their deal with Hillman was not as good and so My Date #4 would be the last comic Simon and Kirby produced for that publisher with the exception of a single Western cover (Western Fighters #1, April 1948).

Kirby Inkers, Mort Meskin

by Harry Mendryk

Posted November 30, 2007 in 2007/11, 5 Studio, 6 Mainline, Artists, Assorted, Harvey, Kirby Inkers, Meskin, Mort, Prize, Serial Posts, z Archive and tagged Jack Kirby, Mort Meskin

Jack Kirby had a lot of different inkers throughout his long and productive career. During the time of Jack’s collaboration with Joe Simon, most of his inkers were also artists that worked for the S&K studio. Mort Meskin, for one, had a extended and fruitful association with Simon and Kirby. The earliest S&K production that included a Meskin signature was “The Inferior Male” from Young Romance #6 (July 1948) (see previous posts here and here). That particular piece was also signed by Jerry Robinson, the usual assumption is that the first signature (in this case Robinson) was the penciler and the second (Meskin) was the inker. Here support is found in that at least some of the pencils do not appear to by Mort, while the inking is typical of his work that follows. The first work to be signed by Meskin alone came over a year later with “His Engagement Ring” (Young Romance #16, December 1949). There is an even earlier work then both of these that Meskin at least participated in (“Love Or A Career” in Young Romance #3 January 1948). To be honest I am holding back some information that I want to be the subject of my next week’s post. Although Mort’s earlier work for Simon and Kirby was sporadic, from 1950 on he became the most prolific of the studio artists. During this time Meskin’s output may have even exceeded Jack Kirby’s.

Young Romance #18 (February 1950) “I Own This Man”, pencils and inks by Mort Meskin

I provide above a splash by Meskin from early in his association with Simon and Kirby. It gives examples of a number of Mort’s spotting techniques. Mort’s most common brush method, actually used much more frequently than apparent in this splash, is to describe clothing folds by using two or more narrow brush lines in close or overlapping paths. These can be found in the pressman’s blue jacket. Note how what the original individual brush strokes are sometimes revealed at the ends of the folds. Another Mort inking style was to often distinctly outline shadows. Once again this splash does not provide the best examples but two of them are present one near the center of the wrestling mat while the other is near Mort’s signature. The wrestlers give Meskin the opportunity to do some real nice simple hatching. The lines vary from thin to quite bold. Often one and occasionally two lines are used to delimit a hatching area. This type of brushing technique is very reminiscent of the S&K Studio style picket fence work. (See the inking glossary for an explanation of my inking terms such as simple hatching and picket fence). I do not know enough about Meskin’s prior inking to say whether this is typical of his work at the time or if this shows he was influenced by the Studio style. The dark spot on the reporter’s right shoulder are suggestive of the Studio style’s shoulder blot. That is misleading as Mort always seems to use these in a way to suggest realistic shadows while in the Studio style they generally appear on both shoulders without any natural explanation.

Young Romance #37 (September 1951) “Just to be Near Him” page 2 panel 1, pencils and inks by Mort Meskin

Although it maybe debatable whether my first image represents true Studio style brushwork, later work can certainly be called that. In the above image the pickets of the picket fence inking have become bold and the rails more consistently applied. Mort would sometimes also use standard crosshatching, as seen on our far left and on the lower part of the woman’s dress. When doing so, he would frequently place the crossing lines at an acute angle so that the white spaces are elongated.

Young Romance #29 (January 1951) “Diagnosis: Love” page 5 panel 3, pencils and inks by Mort Meskin

The above panel provides a better example of Meskin’s penchant for outlining shadows. That the boldly brushed dark spot on the center man’s jacket is a shadow can be seen by the presence of the profile of a nose. Mort would occasionally have a dark shadow trace a path down one side of a figure, such as the man on our left.

Justice Traps the Guilty #56 (November 1953) “G-Man Payoff” page 5 panel 6, pencils and inks by Mort Meskin

When artists both draw and ink their own work the two art stages will sometimes reinforce one another. That is what I believe happened with the eyebrows that Mort gave his men. These eyebrows are inked with a method similar to how Meskin handled clothing folds, two or three narrow overlapping brush strokes would trace the path of the eyebrow. This resulted in eyebrows that were wide, simple and made somewhat angular turns. As we will see below, Mort became so entrenched in inking eyebrows this way that it could affected how he inked Kirby’s pencils.

The above panel also shows how Meskin would sometimes fill in part of a blank background with crosshatching. As is generally the case, here his lines meet at an acute angle, not at right angles some other inkers prefer.

Young Romance #30 (February 1951) “My Lord and Master” page 3 panel 1, pencils and inks by Mort Meskin

Sometimes Mort will use his brushwork to create a side of a figure that is both a narrow shadow and a wide outline. This does not show up often, but is very distinctive when it does. I am sure further study of Meskin’s abundant output will show other inking techniques that while not common can be useful in determining attributions.

Young Love #68 (December 1955), pencils and inks by Mort Meskin

Covers are important for the sale of a comic and the higher quality paper allows a superior printing. Therefore artists take more care in the creating artwork for covers. However the S&K studio artists usually did not get a chance to provide cover art, Jack Kirby would do all cover art when a photograph was not used. But when Simon and Kirby launched their own publication company, Mainline, Jack was so busy that for a year the covers for the Prize romance titles would be done by other artists, including Mort Meskin. On none of his romance covers would Mort use picket fence patterns or any of the other traits of S&K Studio style inking. For the spotting on Young Love #68 Mort relied mostly on his use of narrow brush strokes. Note how on YL #68 the back of the man’s jacket and pants has that narrow shadow or wide outline that we saw before.

Mort Meskin was such a prolific artist that the possibility of the use of assistants has to be considered. In preparation for writing this post I reviewed a lot of Mort’s work from 1950 to 1956, there is so much work that I did not have the time to review it all. This review confirmed my previous conviction, Mort had little if any assistance in inking his art. Almost all the spotting looked like it was done by the same hand.

Some of Meskin’s inking techniques are not limited to him alone. The use of narrow, often overlapping brush strokes can also be found in stories by George Roussos as well. This is not too surprising since Mort and George worked together in the late 40’s. The narrow brush strokes were not the only think George picked up from Mort, a lot of his penciling was clearly influenced by Meskin as well. Nonetheless Roussos did not adopt all Mort’s inking techniques so the two can be distinguished. However a discussion about Roussos will have to await another post. I will say that I have yet to find an example of Roussos inking Kirby (that is until the Silver Age).

Boys’ Ranch #4 (April 1951) “The Bugle Blows at Bloody Knife” page 8, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Mort Meskin

The Jack Kirby Checklist attributes most of the inking in the classic Boys’ Ranch to Joe Simon. Actually it is not hard to recognize Mort Meskin’s inking in much, if not most, of it, particularly after the first couple of issues. The biggest difficulty I faced with choosing an example of Mort inking Kirby from Boys’ Ranch was that I believe Mort was the penciler for at least some of the work in that title that has generally been credited to Jack. But the drawing in “The Bugle Blows at Bloody Knife” looks so much like Kirby’s that I am confident that he was the penciler. I am equally as confident that Meskin did the inking. Note the narrow clothing folds in panels 3, 4, 5 and 6. See how the shadows have a strong outline, most obvious in panel 4, but can even be found on the officer’s forehead in panel 1. The back of the soldier in panel 3 could be described as either a narrow shadow or wide outline. The eyebrows in panel 1 and 6 are simple with angular turns. All of these are typical Meskin traits.

Police Trap #6 (September 1955) “Only the Guilty Run”, page 1, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Mort Meskin

The two gun carrying detectives in the background are so typical of Jack Kirby that he must have been the penciler. At a glance the inking appears typical S&K Studio style. But note how the clothing folds are long and narrow. The final giveaway is the thief’s eyebrows are simple with angular turns. There is little doubt that this is another example of Meskin inking Kirby.

Western Tales #32 (March 1956), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Mort Meskin

My final image is the cover of Western Tales #32. This work was not included in the Jack Kirby Checklist. The last time I posted on it I attributed both the pencils and inks to Joe Simon. The fact that it was not Kirby’s inking and the stiffness of the Indians (especially the one in the right foreground) suggested to me that Joe might be responsible. After all Simon has shown himself to be excellent at mimicking Kirby. However Crockett’s pose seems more dynamic then what Joe has ever done without using swipes, and it was just the sort of thing that Jack was so good at. Perhaps the awkward pose of the Indian on the right was due to the limited area left over from Davy’s figure. As for the inking it simply is not Kirby’s work. Note the long and narrow clothing folds, Davy’s angular eyebrows, and the way his back is outlined by a narrow shadow. None of these are Kirby traits but all are characteristic of Mort Meskin’s inking. This magnificently inked cover shows that Mort had complete mastery of the S&K Studio style. Mort’s brushwork has the same sort of bold confidence that Jack and Joe also possessed. Although it may not be a reliable enough trait to rely on in determining attributions, Meskin’s brush does seem a little more mechanical then either Simon’s or Kirby’s.

A few months after Western Tales #32 Meskin would stop providing work to Simon and Kirby. If the GCD is correct, Mort had actually returned to working for DC a couple of years earlier. Now having left S&K, DC would become Mort’s main source of income until he abandoned the comic book industry. Meskin’s final DC period overlaps Jack Kirby’s time there, however none of Kirby’s DC work that I have seen was inked by Mort.

I have not made a thorough examination of Jack Kirby’s work for the purpose of determining what ones were inked by Mort Meskin. I want to hold off on that effort until I review some more S&K artist/inkers. So far the only other one I have posted on was Marvin Stein.

Alex Toth on Mort Meskin

by Harry Mendryk

Posted December 23, 2006 in 2006/12, Artists, Meskin, Mort, z Archive.

Today I read an article by Alex Toth called “Homage to Mort Meskin: Maestro” that had been published in Robin Snyder’s History of the Comics (April 1992, v. 3, n. 4). Toth provided some interesting observations about Meskin’s talent. I think he was pretty much describing Mort’s work from the 40’s.

What I found most interesting was Alex’s description of the working method that he saw Mort use in the mid 40’s. Mort would use a soft pencil and a lot of smudging to produce an overall gray tone to the entire sheet of paper. Then Mort would use a kneaded eraser to remove gray to produce first the panel borders, then solid white shapes inside the panels including captions and work balloons as well as the figures. Only when he had completely blocked out the entire page did he proceed to use a pencil to provide the details.

This is a very different approach then what Joe Simon describes in his and Jim Simon’s book “The Comic Book Makers”. When Mort first came to work for Simon and Kirby he was unable to produce any pages of art. He was seemingly paralyzed by the blank page. Joe’s solution was to have someone each day put some scribbles of the page. Apparently it was not important what was initially placed on the paper, it was enough to free up Mort’s creative juices.

After the Simon and Kirby shop closed Mort did some work for DC. Presumable the unorthodox working procedure that Simon described changed. I cannot imagine DC editors would care enough to provide Mort with marked up pages.

The closing of Toth’s article about Meskin:

His meaning and intellect were not given the editorial, environmental or fiscal appreciation due him, and so, as in so many other cases in our curious profession, he was distressed enough with it until his only solace was to leave it- and so he did. The loss was ours…

Mort Meskin, a biography of one of the usual suspects

by Harry Mendryk

Posted June 7, 2006 in 2006/06, Artists, Meskin, Mort, z Archive.

When I did my previous post on Mort Meskin, I somehow missed an excellant biography on Mort. It is located at a web site called Top Two Three Films. Seems like a strange place for an article about a comic book artist. But it is the best write up on Meskin that I have read and is worth a visit.

Mort Meskin, the usual suspect #2

by Harry Mendryk

Posted April 22, 2006 in 2006/04, 4 DC (early), 5 Studio, 6 Mainline, Artists, Meskin, Mort, Periods, Prize, Prize, z Archive.

I gather that Mort Meskin is most famous for the work he did during the war. I’ve seen some of his Golden Lad covers and they are quite good. Because my main interest is in Simon and Kirby, I don’t have access to very much of the early Meskin material. However Mort worked at National Comics at the same time as Simon & Kirby, and fortunately some of the Adventure Comics have stories by Meskin. So I have some examples, including the splash page below (“Hitch A Wagon To The Stars”) from Adventure #82 with inking by George Roussos. Even at this time Mort had developed a reputation for being a rapid and prolific comic book artist. There is a story about Jack Kirby and Mort Meskin working side by side at DC each working on a rush job. And how their efforts resulting in a crowd gathering to watch both of them. By that time Jack was already well known, but many now began to take note of Mort’s talent.

Adventure #82 Starman
Adventure #82 (January 1943) Starman by Mort Meskin and George Roussos

Mort Meskin’s first contributions for a S&K production were some stories done with Jerry Robinson in Young Romance #6 (see below) and Justice Traps The Guilty #5 both July 1948. It appears to me that most of the penciling was done by Jerry while Mort’s contribution was largely inking.

YR #6 Inferior Male

Over a year later Meskin appears without Robinson as the penciler in Young Romance #16 and Real West Romances #5 both from December 1949. Once started Meskin would be frequently used not only for romance (Young Romance, Young Love, Young Brides and In Love), but also in crime (Headline, Justice Traps the Guilty and Police Trap) and horror (Black Magic).

Young Love #66

As Joe Simon tells the story in “The Comic Book Makers” initially when Mort was supplied with scripts he was unable to do the work. Joe then suggested that Mort should work in the S&K studio. Even in this environment Mort seemed to suffer from “artist’s block”. Then Joe hit on the idea of penciling some random marks on Mort’s page. No longer faced with a blank page, Mort was back to being a rapid penciler. As Joe tells the story, from then on every mourning it was someone’s responsibility to add those first random markings to Mort’s blank art boards. Mort was very prolific and did not seem to work exclusively for the S&K studio. During the period from January 1951 to January 1953 (cover dates) Mort actually produced more pages of art for the S&K studio then Jack Kirby did. Now this is not a completely fair comparison since Jack had more responsibility in the studio then just penciling. On the other hand the inking of Kirby pencils seemed to have been done by more then one hand, while as far as I can tell Meskin did all the inking for his own art at this time. Joe Simon once said about Mort’s work at the Simon & Kirby studio “He was probably the fastest, most inspired artist in the room, and certainly one of the most dependable.” Remember Jack was in that studio also, so this is no small praise.

Simon & Kirby Studio

That’s Mort “passing gas” in the center, along with Jack looking like he is about to hurl himself at the photographer. Joe looks amused by it all in the front. Jim Infantino and Ben Oda (letterer extraordinaire) are on the right but I have forgotten who that is on the left. I am not sure of the exact date for this photo, but Jim Infantino has a signed piece of work (“Let’s Talk Fashion”) in Young Romance #39 (cover date November 1951). Jim only worked for S&K for a relatively short time, so 1951 or 1952 is a good guess for the date of the photograph.

SWYD #1 The Dreaming Tower

Mort Meskin does not seem to get much attention nowadays. Even among the S&K artists he can easily be overlooked. He doesn’t have Kirby’s expressive and powerful drawing. Nor are his women as beautiful as those done by Bill Draut. Finally his comic art is not as realistic as John Prentice’s (usual suspect #3 who I will post on later). I admit when I first encountered Mort Meskin’s work I was not particularly impressed. But over time I began to realize that his strength was in his story telling. Often it is very unobtrusive. As you read Meskin’s work you may not even realize how he is manipulating what he is presenting. But if you have any doubts about how effectively he does it, take a look at the at the above page from “The Dreaming Tower” in Strange World of Your Dreams #1. The scenes he presents are rather ordinary. But the way he depicts them and his use of black gives the page an eerie effect that is just what the story needs. Kirby is one of the best story tellers, but he has never done anything like this. I am not saying that Mort was a better story teller then Jack. Just that each had their own unique approach.

By the way according to Joe, Strange World of Your Dreams owed its creation to Mort Meskin. In fact Mort is listed as an Associate Editor for the series. No other comic produced by Simon and Kirby have anyone other then Joe and Jack listed as an editor.

Sometime after the failure of S&K’s Mainline (about January 1955), the S&K studio disbanded. But I am still not sure if that happened at the same time as Mainline’s failure or if the studio lasted longer. Certainly by 1957 there was no studio since in that year Jack was doing work for DC without Joe. The last work Mort did for S&K was in Young Love #68 (cover date December 1955). Since Mort had been working in the S&K bullpen, perhaps about September 1955 marks the end of the studio also.

Mort Meskin has been nominated for the Eisner Hall of Fame this year. Although four artist will win that honor, there are some other impressive artists that were nominated (such as Jim Steranko). Fans don’t seem to talk about Meskin very much, so I despair that Mort will not receive enough votes. But if anyone deserves to belong in any comic Hall of Fame it sure would be Mort Meskin. There is an wonderful web site on him by his sons with an excellent biography. I really advise a careful visit. In particular be sure to read “The Second Comic Career of Mort Meskin” by Dylan Williams which is in the Comics section.

Mort Meskin Checklist

by Harry Mendryk

Posted February 1, 2006 in Artists, Meskin, Mort and tagged Checklist, meskin, Mort


Last update: 1/2/2012

Codes:
    s:  = signed
    a:  = signed with alias
    &:  = signed Simon and Kirby
    ?:  = questionable attribution
    r:  = reprint

Action (National/DC)
     42   Nov  1941    8p "The Vigilante"
   s 43   Dec  1941   13p "The Vigilante"
     44   Jan  1942   13p "Galloping Gold"
     45   Feb  1942   13p "The Head"
   s 46   Mar  1942   12p "Crimes in Color"
     47   Apr  1942   12p "The Green Cowled Menace"
     48   May  1942   12p "Crime's Caravan "
     49   June 1942   12p "The Rainbow Man"
   s 50   July 1942   12p "The Man Who Came Back"
     51   Aug  1942   12p "Guns, Gold, and Glory"
     52   Sept 1942   12p "Sing a Song of Six Guns"
     53   Oct  1942   12p "The Blackout Blues"
     54   Nov  1942   12p "The Rookie who Fought a Ghost"
     55   Dec  1942   12p "Bullets for Breakfast"
   s 56   Jan  1943   12p "The Man Who Came Back"
     57   Feb  1943   12p "The Feud of the Rimfire Ridge"
   s 58   Mar  1943   12p "The Dummy and the Dumbbell"
     59   Apr  1943   12p "Fiddler's Fee"
     60   May  1943   12p "Rainbow over Crimeville"
     61   June 1943   12p "The Cat and the Fiddler"
     62   July 1943   12p "The Crime Carnival"
     63   Aug  1943   12p "Dummy, Dummy & Dummy, Inc."
     64   Sept 1943   12p "The Treasure of Dead Man's Key"
     65   Oct  1943   12p "The Bard of Banditry"
     66   Nov  1943   10p "The Sword of Destiny"
   s 67   Dec  1943   10p "The Academy of Musical Crime"
     68   Jan  1944   10p "The Duke Goes to the Dogs"
     69   Feb  1944   10p "The Little Men Who Were There"
   a 70   Mar  1944   10p "A Challenge from the Pyramids"
     71   Apr  1944   10p "Alias Mr. Sunshine"
     72   May  1944   10p "The Guns of Killer Haines"
     73   June 1944   10p "Dirge on a Bull Fiddle"
     74   July 1944   10p "Wheels of Jeopardy"
     75   Aug  1944   10p "Blunderbuss Booty"
     76   Sept 1944   10p "The Mountain Without a Top"
     77   Oct  1944   10p "The Rainbow Man sees Red"
     78   Nov  1944   10p "Portraits for Plunder"
     79   Dec  1944   10p "Birds of Ill Omen"
     80   Jan  1945   10p "The Pillage of the Parthenon"
     81   Feb  1945   10p "The Chinatown Kid, Magician"
     82   Mar  1945   10p "Magnet for Mobsters"
     83   Apr  1945   10p "A Fortune for a Fossil"
     84   May  1945   10p "Three's a Crowd"
     85   June 1945    5p "Old Wyoming"
   a 86   July 1945   10p "Orient of the Occident"
     87   Aug  1945   10p "The Dummy Art Expert"
     88   Sept 1945   10p "Of Cops and Robbers"
     89   Oct  1945   10p "The Curse of the Khabod Q"
   a 90   Nov  1945   10p "Picayune Pilferers"
     91   Dec  1945   10p "The Fiddler's Jam Session"
   s 92   Jan  1946   10p "The Amazing Mr. Minute"
     93   Feb  1946   10p "Way Down East"
     94   Mar  1946   10p "The Escape of Elephant Al"
     95   Apr  1946   10p "The Burgling Bookman"
     96   May  1946   10p "Danger's Midgets"
     97   June 1946   10p "Animal Master"
     98   July 1946   10p "Treasure of the Ancients"
   ? 99   Aug  1946   10p "The Tiger's Skin"
     100  Sept 1946   10p ""
   ? 101  Oct  1946   10p "When East Goes West"

Adventure (National/DC)
   s 81   Dec  1942   10p "Starman's Lucky Star"
   s 82   Jan  1943   10p "Hitch A Wagon To The Stars"

All American Men of War (National/DC)
     13   Sept 1954    7p "The Three Tanks"

All For Love (Prize)
   ? 1    (v.1, n1)  Apr  1957    6p "Hollow Triumph"
   ? 1    (v.1, n1)  Apr  1957    1p "Take It Easy"- (text)
     2    (v.1, n2)  June 1957    6p "Leading Man"
     2    (v.1, n2)  June 1957    6p "Stay Feminine"

Battle Action (Timely/Atlas/Marvel)
     24   Aug  1956    5p "No Surrender"

Black Cat Mystery (Harvey)
     51   Aug  1954    5p "Punch & Rudy"
     57   Jan  1956    5p "The World Of Mr. Chatt"

Black Magic (Prize)
   s 1    (v.1, n1)  Oct  1950    6p "The Woman In The Mirror"
     1    (v.1, n1)  Oct  1950    5p "His Father's Footsteps"
     2    (v.1, n2)  Dec  1950    7p "The Cheerful Old Lady In Black"
   s 3    (v.1, n3)  Feb  1951    8p "A Curse On You"
     4    (v.1, n4)  Apr  1951    8p "A Man's Last Dream"
   s 4    (v.1, n4)  Apr  1951    6p "The Dead Don't Really Die"
     5    (v.1, n5)  June 1951    8p "Who Walks In My Dream"
     5    (v.1, n5)  June 1951    9p "Sleep, Perchance To Die"
     6    (v.1, n6)  Aug  1951    6p "The Masterpiece"
     7    (v.2, n1)  Oct  1951    8p "The Man Who Captured A Ghost"
     8    (v.2, n2)  Dec  1951    9p "Invisible Link"
     8    (v.2, n2)  Dec  1951    6p "The House That Tried To Kill Me"
     9    (v.2, n3)  Feb  1952    4p "Faith Healer"
     9    (v.2, n3)  Feb  1952    5p "The Ghost Of Chateau Bois"
     10   (v.2, n4)  Mar  1952    3p "Memory House"
     10   (v.2, n4)  Mar  1952    4p "The World Beyond Reality"
     10   (v.2, n4)  Mar  1952    7p "The Assassin"
     11   (v.2, n5)  Apr  1952    5p "Drop Me Of At The Cemetery"
     12   (v.2, n6)  May  1952    8p "It's Your Funeral"
     12   (v.2, n6)  May  1952    7p "A Giant Walks The Earth"- (Kirby pencils first page, inks part)
     13   (v.2, n7)  June 1952    7p "A Rag, A Bone And A Hank Of Hair"- (Kirby splash)
     14   (v.2, n8)  July 1952    8p "Choose A Face"
     15   (v.2, n9)  Aug  1952    7p "The Promised Land"
     17   (v.2, n11) Oct  1952    6p "Guardian Angel"
     19   (v.3, n1)  Dec  1952    4p "Return From The Grave"
     23   (v.3, n5)  Apr  1953    6p "Land Of The Dead"
     31   (v.5, n1)  July 1954    6p "Gargoyle"
     31   (v.5, n1)  July 1954    6p "The Half-Men"
     32   (v.5, n2)  Sept 1954    5p "The Devil Doll"

Black Magic (National/DC)
   r 4    (v.1, n4)  July 1974    5p "His Father's Footsteps"- (r BM #1 Oct 1950)
   r 5    (v.1, n5)  Sept 1974    8p "It's Your Funeral"- (r BM #12 May 1952)
   r 7    (v.1, n7)  Jan  1975    8p "Freak"- (r BM #17 Oct 1952)
   r 9    (v.1, n9)  May  1975    8p "Who Walks In My Dreams"- (r BM #5 Jun 1951)

Black Terror (Standard)
   s 27   June 1949   10p "The Haunt of Kowanchoo"

Boys' Ranch (Harvey)
     1    Oct  1950    2p "Introducing the Kid Cowboys"
   ? 1    Oct  1950    1p "Western Lore"
     2    Dec  1950    1p "The Original Cowboys"
     3    Feb  1951    1p "The Texas Rangers"
     3    Feb  1951    6p "I'll Fight You For Lucy"
   ? 5    June 1951    1p "How To Ride A Horse, Lesson 5, Using the Aids"

Chamber of Chills (Harvey)
     24   July 1954    5p "Credit and Loss"

Fighting Yank (Standard)
   s 28   July 1949   10p "The Crucible of Crime"
   s 28   July 1949    8p "Ho, For the Artist's Life"
   s 29   Aug  1949   10p "Fireworks on the Fourth"
   s 29   Aug  1949    4p "The Half-Horsepower Judge"
     29   Aug  1949    2p "The Fighting Yank's Submarine Patrol"- (illustrated text)
   s 29   Aug  1949    8p "Accidents for Sale"

Frankenstein (Prize)
     20   Aug  1952    6p "The Man Who Died Twice"
     21   Oct  1952    6p "Ghost of Jean Lafitte"- (text)
     27   Oct  1953    6p "So Red My Roses"
     29   Feb  1954    6p "Modern Achilles"
     29   Feb  1954    4p "Clinging Corpse"

Golden Lad (Spark)
     1    July 1945       [cover]
   s 1    July 1945    9p "The Heart of Gold"
   s 2    Nov  1945       [cover]
   s 2    Nov  1945    9p "The Haven for All"
   s 3    Feb  1946       [cover]
   s 3    Feb  1946    8p "The League of 1965"
     4    Apr  1946       [cover]
     4    Apr  1946       [contents]
   s 4    Apr  1946   11p "The Menace of the Minstrel"
   s 5    June 1946       [cover]

Headline (Prize)
   s 40   (v.5, n4)  Mar  1950    8p "The Man Of Many Faces"
     43   (v.6, n1)  Sept 1950    7p "Our Swords Will Find You"
     44   (v.6, n2)  Nov  1950    7p "Dynamite"
     45   (v.6, n3)  Jan  1951    8p "City In Terror"
     45   (v.6, n3)  Jan  1951    7p "Name Your Assassin"
     48   (v.6, n6)  July 1951    7p "Leech Of The Underworld"
     48   (v.6, n6)  July 1951    7p "Loophole"
     49   (v.7, n1)  Sept 1951    8p "Come Share My Tomb"
     49   (v.7, n1)  Sept 1951    7p "Female Of The Species"
     50   (v.7, n2)  Nov  1951    7p "Cross and Double Cross"
     52   (v.7, n4)  Mar  1952    7p "Coffin for a Killer"
     53   (v.7, n5)  May  1952    7p "The Accusing Corpse"
     54   (v.7, n6)  July 1952    7p "Shadow of the Gallows"
     55   (v.8, n1)  Sept 1952    7p "Mr. Underground"
     58   (v.8, n4)  Mar  1953    1p "Crime Oddities"
     61   (v.9, n1)  Sept 1953    6p "Brain of the Underworld"
     62   (v.9, n2)  Nov  1953    6p "Efficiency System"
     63   (v.9, n3)  Jan  1954    4p "Time To Kill"
     63   (v.9, n3)  Jan  1954    6p "Counterfeit G-Man"
     64   (v.9, n4)  Mar  1954    6p "Savage Circle"
     65   (v.9, n5)  May  1954    6p "Appointment with Death"
     66   (v.9, n6)  July 1954    3p "Murder Will Out"
     66   (v.9, n6)  July 1954    2p "Soft Touch"
     66   (v.9, n6)  July 1954    6p "G-Men Are Poison"
     67   (v.10, n1) Sept 1954    6p "Chain Reaction"
     68   (v.10, n2) Nov  1954    6p "Road To Alcatraz"
     69   (v.10, n3) Jan  1955    6p "Freezeout"
     70   (v.10, n4) Mar  1955    6p "Face of Death"
     70   (v.10, n4) Mar  1955    6p "Flames of Destruction"
     71   (v.10, n5) May  1955    6p "The Crusader"
     72   (v.10, n6) July 1955    6p "Ordeal By Fire"
     72   (v.10, n6) July 1955    6p "My Beat"
   s 73   (v.11, n1) Sept 1955    6p "Big Man"
     74   (v.11, n2) Jan  1956    7p "Money From Nowhere"
     75   (v.11, n3) Mar  1956    6p "Duke Kennedy"
     75   (v.11, n3) Mar  1956    6p "The Fight Fan"
     76   (v.11, n4) May  1956    6p "The Grafters"

House of Mystery (National/DC)
     60   Mar  1957    6p "The Thing in the Telescope"
     64   July 1957    6p "The Human Time Capsule"
     66   Sept 1957       [cover]
     66   Sept 1957    6p "The Girl in the Iron Mask"
     70   Jan  1958    6p "The Menace of the Maze"
     78   Sept 1958    6p "The 100 Lives of Napoleon Burke"
   s 137  Sept 1963    8p "The Girl from Two Worlds"

House of Secrets (National/DC)
     3    Mar  1957    6p "The Mystery of the Martian Menu"
     4    May  1957    6p "The Amazing Visions of Abel Innes"
     6    June 1957    6p "The Bewitched Costumes"
     19   Apr  1959    8p "The Man Who Turned to Gold"
     42   Mar  1961    8p "The Thief of Time"
     52   Feb  1962    9p "The Guardian Lion-Man"
     60   June 1962       [cover]
   s 60   June 1962   10p "Captive of the Cat Curse"
   ? 62   Oct  1962       [cover]
   s 62   Oct  1962   10p "The Three Faces of Fear"
   s 67   Aug  1964   12p "Doctor-7's Supernatural Ally"

In Love (Mainline)
     1    Sept 1954    2p "After The Honey-Moon"

Jumbo (Fiction House Magazines)
   s 1    Sept 1938    5p "Sheena"
   s 2    Oct  1938    4p "Sheena"

Justice Traps the Guilty (Prize)
     17   (v.3, n5)  Aug  1950    7p "The Statue Screams"
     19   (v.4, n1)  Oct  1950    7p "Deadlier Than The Male"
     20   (v.4, n2)  Nov  1950    8p "Curse Of Me-Meb"
     20   (v.4, n2)  Nov  1950    7p "Human Cargo"
   s 21   (v.4, n3)  Dec  1950    7p "O'Hara Had A Heart"
     21   (v.4, n3)  Dec  1950    7p "The Dead Can't Sleep"
     22   (v.4, n4)  Jan  1951    8p "Bad Medicine"
     22   (v.4, n4)  Jan  1951    7p "Hideout"
     23   (v.4, n5)  Feb  1951    8p "Prevue Of Death"
     23   (v.4, n5)  Feb  1951    7p "Bullets For Christmas"
     24   (v.4, n6)  Mar  1951    7p "A Handful of Death"
     27   (v.4, n9)  June 1951    7p "Houdini of the Underworld"
     28   (v.4, n10) July 1951    7p "Foto Frame-Up"
     29   (v.4, n11) Aug  1951    7p "Rat Hole"
     30   (v.4, n12) Sept 1951    7p "Trail Of Doom"
     30   (v.4, n12) Sept 1951    7p "Dead Man's Debt"
     31   (v.5, n1)  Oct  1951    7p "Angel Of Death"
     32   (v.5, n2)  Nov  1951    7p "A Very Careful Guy"
     33   (v.5, n3)  Dec  1951    7p "Monster On The Midway"
     34   (v.5, n4)  Jan  1952    7p "Dead Man's Double"
     35   (v.5, n5)  Feb  1952    6p "Fall Guy"
     36   (v.5, n6)  Mar  1952    7p "Find the Woman"
     37   (v.5, n7)  Apr  1952    6p "Breakout"
     38   (v.5, n8)  May  1952    5p "14 Carat Payoff"
     39   (v.5, n9)  June 1952    7p "Terror"
     40   (v.5, n10) July 1952    7p "One Way to the Chair"
     41   (v.5, n11) Aug  1952    8p "No Place To Hide"
   s 43   (v.6, n1)  Oct  1952    6p "Restless Dead"
     44   (v.6, n2)  Nov  1952    6p "The Hard Way"
     45   (v.6, n3)  Dec  1952    6p "Embezzlement"
     45   (v.6, n3)  Dec  1952    5p "Easy Money"
     47   (v.6, n5)  Feb  1953    5p "Payoff"
     48   (v.6, n6)  Mar  1953    6p "Web of Pain"
     49   (v.6, n7)  Apr  1953    5p ".38 Caliber Casanova"
     53   (v.6, n11) Aug  1953    6p "Boomerang"
     54   (v.6, n12) Sept 1953    5p "Fatal Mistake"
     55   (v.7, n1)  Oct  1953    4p "Rebound"
     56   (v.7, n2)  Nov  1953    5p "G-Man Payoff"
     56   (v.7, n2)  Nov  1953    6p "Side-Liner"
     57   (v.7, n3)  Dec  1953    6p "The Tri-State Terror"
     58   (v.7, n4)  Jan  1954    7p "Desert Justice"
     58   (v.7, n4)  Jan  1954    1p "Two-Gun Crowley"
     60   (v.7, n5)  Feb  1954    6p "Deadly Circle"
     60   (v.7, n5)  Feb  1954    5p "Homicide By Proxy"
     61   (v.7, n7)  Apr  1954    6p "Pretty Boy Floyd"
     62   (v.7, n8)  May  1954    6p "The Last Leap"
     62   (v.7, n8)  May  1954    1p "The Fall Guy"
     63   (v.7, n9)  June 1954    6p "Deadly Detour"
     63   (v.7, n9)  June 1954    5p "Big Wheel"
     64   (v.7, n10) July 1954    6p "The Gentleman Farmer"
     64   (v.7, n10) July 1954    6p "Double-Crosser"
     65   (v.7, n11) Aug  1954    6p "One Slug Short"
     65   (v.7, n11) Aug  1954    6p "Deadly Reunion"
     66   (v.7, n12) Sept 1954    6p "V.I.P."
     69   (v.8, n3)  Dec  1954    5p "Flames Of Sabotage"
     69   (v.8, n3)  Dec  1954    5p "Find The Corpse"
     70   (v.8, n4)  Mar  1955    6p "The Fix"
     72   (v.8, n6)  Mar  1955    6p "The Saucer Man"
     74   (v.8, n8)  May  1955    6p "Frameup"
     75   (v.8, n9)  June 1955    2p "Jackpot"
     76   (v.8, n10) July 1955    6p "Tour of Duty"
   s 78   (v.8, n12) Sept 1955    6p "The Motorcycle"
   s 80   (v.9, n1)  Feb  1956    5p "Silent Witness"

More Fun (National/DC)
   s 85   Nov  1942    8p "The Magic Formula"
   s 107  Jan  1946   10p "Vacation with Double Pay"

My Greatest Adventure (National/DC)
   s 57   July 1961    9p "A Beast Was My Judge"
   s 70   Aug  1962    8p "I Won the Doom Castle"

Out of the Shadows (Standard)
   s 14   Aug  1954    7p "Werewolf"

Pep (Archie)
   s 3    Apr  1940    6p "The Press Guardian"
   s 7    Aug  1940    6p "Perry Case the Press Guardian"
     9    Nov  1940    6p "Press Guardian"
   s 10   Dec  1940    6p "Press Guardian"
   s 11   Jan  1941    6p "Press Guardian"
   s 11   Jan  1941    6p "Midshipman"
   s 12   Feb  1941    6p "Midshipman"

Police Trap (Mainline)
     1    Sept 1954    4p "The Capture"

Police Trap (Super Comics)
   r 16   **** 1964    4p "The Capture"

Prize Comics Western (Prize)
     114  Nov  1955    6p "The Drifter"
   s 115  Jan  1956    6p "Bad Medicine"
     116  Mar  1956    6p "Lighting Draw"
   s 117  May  1956    6p "Weak Boy"
     117  May  1956    6p "Posse of the Border"
     118  July 1956    7p "Mystery of the Calico Pony"
   s 118  July 1956    6p "Thirsty Mule"

Real Fact (National/DC)
     10   Sept 1947       [cover]
     10   Sept 1947    6p "How a Movie Serial is Made"

Real West Romances (Prize)
   s 5    Dec  1949    8p "Tenderfoot In Love"
   s 6    Feb  1950    9p "Lies, Love and Hoss Liniment"
     6    Feb  1950    2p "Kiss In The Moonlight"- (illustrated text)

Strange Adventures (National/DC)
     168  Sept 1964    9p "I Hunted Toki the Terrible"

Strange World of Your Dreams (Prize)
     1    Aug  1952    2p "You Sent Us This Dream"
     1    Aug  1952    7p "The Dreaming Tower"
     2    Sept 1952    7p "I Lived 200 Years Ago"
     3    Nov  1952    8p "Edge Of Madness"
     4    Jan  1953    7p "Show Your Face"

Tales Of The Unexpected (National/DC)
     12   Apr  1957    6p "The Witch's Statues"
     13   May  1957    6p "The Thing from the Skies"
     13   May  1957    6p "The Thing from the Skies"
     15   July 1957    6p "The City of Three Dooms"
     15   July 1957    6p "The City of Three Dooms"
     16   Aug  1957    6p "I Was a Spy for Them"
     18   Oct  1957    6p "The Riddle of the Glass Bubble"
     18   Oct  1957    6p "The Riddle of the Glass Bubble"

Tom Corbett, Space Cadet (Prize)
     1    May  1955    7p "The Spaceship of Doom"
     1    May  1955    8p "Octopus Tree"
     1    May  1955    7p "The Spaceways of Peril"
   s 2    July 1955       [cover]
     2    July 1955    9p "The Outlaws of Uranus"
     2    July 1955    7p "The Invaders"
     2    July 1955    6p "Wolf Planet"
   s 3    Sept 1955       [cover]
   s 3    Sept 1955    8p "Dangerous Cargo"
   s 3    Sept 1955    7p "The Drifter"
     3    Sept 1955    7p "The Craters of Mercury"

Treasure (Prize)
   s 10   Dec  1946    6p "Know Your America"
     12   Fall 1947    6p "Know Your America"

Western Comics (National/DC)
     1    Jan  1948   12p "Jesse James Rides Again"
     3    May  1948   10p "Vigilante"
     4    July 1948   10p "The Four Notches of Hate"

Western Love (Prize)
   s 4    Jan  1950    8p "The Rancher's Daughter"
     5    Mar  1950    1p "Cowboy Romeo Or City Slicker"
   s 5    Mar  1950    9p "Lilly's Last Stand"

Western Tales (Harvey)
   r 32   Mar  1956    6p "I'll Fight You For Lucy"

Westerner (Toytown)
   s 10   Mar  1949   14p "Custer's Massacre"

Young Brides (Prize)
   s 1    (v.1, n1)  Sept 1952    8p "My Hero"
     2    (v.1, n2)  Nov  1952    7p "Wait For The Doctor"
     3    (v.1, n3)  Jan  1953    3p "What Advice Would You Have Given"
     3    (v.1, n3)  Jan  1953    8p "Bride And Broom"
     3    (v.1, n3)  Jan  1953    7p "Strange Honeymoon"
   s 4    (v.1, n4)  Mar  1953    8p "Under 21"
     5    (v.1, n5)  May  1953    7p "Don't Cry On My Shoulder"
     7    (v.2, n1)  Sept 1953    8p "Mind Your Own Marriage"
     10   (v.2, n4)  Dec  1953    1p "How He Proposed"
     11   (v.2, n5)  Jan  1954    6p "Too Beautiful To Be True"
     12   (v.2, n6)  Feb  1954    6p "Don't Take My Child From Me"
     14   (v.2, n8)  Apr  1954    6p "Faithless"
     15   (v.2, n9)  May  1954    7p "Husband At Large"
     16   (v.2, n10) June 1954       [cover]
     17   (v.2, n11) July 1954    7p "Act Of Faith"
     17   (v.2, n11) July 1954    6p "Mother To All"
     18   (v.2, n12) Sept 1954    6p "My Cheating Heart"
   s 22   (v.3, n4)  May  1955       [cover]
   s 23   (v.3, n5)  July 1955       [cover]

Young Love (Prize)
   s 8    (v.2, n2)  Apr  1950    8p "Danger, Soft Shoulder"
     8    (v.2, n2)  Apr  1950    1p "Which Is Your Dream Man?"
   s 9    (v.2, n3)  May  1950    8p "A Man In Her Room"
     9    (v.2, n3)  May  1950    2p "Problem Clinic"
   s 10   (v.2, n4)  June 1950    8p "My Backwoods Love"
   s 11   (v.2, n5)  July 1950    7p "Let's Try Again"
   s 11   (v.2, n5)  July 1950    7p "A Match For Any Man"
     11   (v.2, n5)  July 1950    2p "Problem Clinic"
     12   (v.2, n6)  Aug  1950    8p "Smooth Operator"
     12   (v.2, n6)  Aug  1950    2p "Problem Clinic"
   s 13   (v.2, n7)  Sept 1950    8p "In Trouble"
     13   (v.2, n7)  Sept 1950    2p "Problem Clinic"
     14   (v.2, n8)  Oct  1950    8p "Stay Out Of My Life"
   s 14   (v.2, n8)  Oct  1950    8p "Girls Like Her"
     16   (v.2, n10) Dec  1950    7p "The Upstairs Maid"
     16   (v.2, n10) Dec  1950    1p "When He Begins to Tire"- (text)
     17   (v.2, n11) Jan  1951    8p "I Saw Him First"
     17   (v.2, n11) Jan  1951    7p "I Promised Never To Marry"
     18   (v.2, n12) Feb  1951    8p "Unwilling Bride"
     18   (v.2, n12) Feb  1951    1p "Let's Talk Clothes"
     19   (v.3, n1)  Mar  1951    3p "Only Human"
     19   (v.3, n1)  Mar  1951    9p "Love Song In Blue"
     20   (v.3, n2)  Apr  1951    8p "The Cinderella Girl"
     20   (v.3, n2)  Apr  1951    8p "Love Parasite"
     20   (v.3, n2)  Apr  1951    3p "Will You Help Me"
   s 21   (v.3, n3)  May  1951    9p "Get Rid Of That Woman"
     21   (v.3, n3)  May  1951    8p "Second Try"
     22   (v.3, n4)  June 1951   10p "Meet The Folks"
     22   (v.3, n4)  June 1951    1p "There's Romance In The Stars"
     22   (v.3, n4)  June 1951    9p "The Breakup"
     23   (v.3, n5)  July 1951    9p "Maid To Order"
     24   (v.3, n6)  Aug  1951    3p "If Your Thinking Of Eloping"
     24   (v.3, n6)  Aug  1951    8p "Native Wedding"
     25   (v.3, n7)  Sept 1951    3p "Problem Clinic"
     25   (v.3, n7)  Sept 1951    9p "Marriage Bargain"
   s 26   (v.3, n8)  Oct  1951    8p "Let's Keep It Gay"
     26   (v.3, n8)  Oct  1951    2p "Problem Clinic"
     27   (v.3, n9)  Nov  1951    8p "The Brush Off"
     27   (v.3, n9)  Nov  1951    3p "Problem Clinic"
   s 27   (v.3, n9)  Nov  1951    9p "Fresh As Daisy"
   s 28   (v.3, n10) Dec  1951    8p "The Pest"
     28   (v.3, n10) Dec  1951    3p "Problem Clinic"
   s 28   (v.3, n10) Dec  1951    8p "The Other Woman"
     29   (v.3, n11) Jan  1952    8p "Love 'Em And Leave 'Em Guy"
     29   (v.3, n11) Jan  1952    5p "The Sensible Thing To Do"
     29   (v.3, n11) Jan  1952    2p "Problem Clinic"
     30   (v.3, n12) Feb  1952    1p "The Way They Met"
     30   (v.3, n12) Feb  1952    6p "Mel-Vin"
     30   (v.3, n12) Feb  1952    8p "Tired Of Her"
     31   (v.4, n1)  Mar  1952    6p "Razzle Dazzle Romance"
     31   (v.4, n1)  Mar  1952    8p "Baby Doll"
     32   (v.4, n2)  Apr  1952    9p "Love or Goulash"
     32   (v.4, n2)  Apr  1952    2p "Problem Clinic"
     32   (v.4, n2)  Apr  1952    9p "His Lucky Number"
     33   (v.4, n3)  May  1952    7p "Under My Skin"
     34   (v.4, n4)  June 1952    6p "Live It Up"
   s 35   (v.4, n5)  July 1952    5p "Mind Your Manners"
     35   (v.4, n5)  July 1952    3p "Problem Clinic"
     36   (v.4, n6)  Aug  1952    8p "Mister Fix-It"
     36   (v.4, n6)  Aug  1952    2p "What Advice Would You Have Given"
     36   (v.4, n6)  Aug  1952    7p "Man Of Mystery"
   s 38   (v.4, n8)  Oct  1952    8p "Take Care Of My Sweetheart"
     38   (v.4, n8)  Oct  1952    2p "Problem Clinic"
     39   (v.4, n9)  Nov  1952    7p "Marriage On The Rocks"
     39   (v.4, n9)  Nov  1952    6p "Lovers Quarrel"
     40   (v.4, n10) Dec  1952    2p "Problem Clinic"
   s 41   (v.4, n11) Jan  1953    8p "Forget Me, Fraulein"- (with Kirby touchups)
   s 42   (v.4, n12) Feb  1953    8p "Scarlet Sister"
     51   (v.5, n9)  Nov  1953    2p "What Advice Would You Have Given"
     52   (v.5, n10) Dec  1953    6p "Loving Sister"
     56   (v.6, n2)  Apr  1954       [cover]
     56   (v.6, n2)  Apr  1954    6p "I'll Buy Your Love"
   s 56   (v.6, n2)  Apr  1954    6p "Lola's Other Life"
     57   (v.6, n3)  May  1954    7p "Another Woman's Baby"
     57   (v.6, n3)  May  1954    8p "Beaten Woman"
     58   (v.6, n4)  June 1954    6p "Live, Love And Be Married"
     59   (v.6, n5)  July 1954    6p "Little Miss Know-It-All"
     60   (v.6, n6)  Aug  1954    6p "Outcast"
     61   (v.6, n7)  Sept 1954    6p "Tragedy For Three"
   s 65   (v.6, n11) June 1955       [cover]
   s 66   (v.6, n12) Aug  1955       [cover]
   s 67   (v.7, n1)  Oct  1955       [cover]
   s 67   (v.7, n1)  Oct  1955    6p "Change Of Heart"
   s 68   (v.7, n2)  Dec  1955       [cover]
   s 68   (v.7, n2)  Dec  1955    6p "No One To Marry"

Young Romance (Prize)
   s 16   (v.3, n4)  Dec  1949    7p "His Engagement Ring"
   s 18   (v.3, n6)  Feb  1950    8p "I Own This Man"
     19   (v.3, n7)  Mar  1950    1p "The Beauty Clinic"- (illustrated text)
   s 19   (v.3, n7)  Mar  1950    8p "The Fisherman's Daughter"
     20   (v.3, n8)  Apr  1950    1p "Do You Know Your Wolves"
     20   (v.3, n8)  Apr  1950    1p "That Well-Dressed Look"- (illustrated text)
   s 20   (v.3, n8)  Apr  1950    6p "The Prophecy"
   s 21   (v.3, n9)  May  1950    8p "The Woman Who Lost Him"
   s 22   (v.3, n10) June 1950    8p "Child Bride"
     24   (v.3, n12) Aug  1950    2p "Problem Clinic"
     24   (v.3, n12) Aug  1950    1p "The Little Things Remind Him Of You"
     24   (v.3, n12) Aug  1950    1p "Danger, Man Trap"
   s 24   (v.3, n12) Aug  1950    8p "Take A Chance"
     25   (v.4, n1)  Sept 1950    1p "Are You A Gold Digger"
     25   (v.4, n1)  Sept 1950    2p "Problem Clinic"
     26   (v.4, n2)  Oct  1950    2p "Problem Clinic"
     26   (v.4, n2)  Oct  1950    1p "Do Something Nice For Your Sweetheart"
     27   (v.4, n3)  Nov  1950    8p "Chase Me Till I Catch You"
   s 28   (v.4, n4)  Dec  1950    7p "His Father's Son"
     29   (v.4, n5)  Jan  1951    7p "Diagnosis: Love"
   s 29   (v.4, n5)  Jan  1951    8p "Three's A Crowd"
     30   (v.4, n6)  Feb  1951    9p "My Lord And Master"
     31   (v.4, n7)  Mar  1951    3p "Will You Help Me"
     31   (v.4, n7)  Mar  1951    6p "My Last Blind Date"
     32   (v.4, n8)  Apr  1951    8p "Painted Woman"
   s 33   (v.4, n9)  May  1951    8p "Take A Letter, Darling"
     34   (v.4, n10) June 1951    3p "Will You Help Me"
     34   (v.4, n10) June 1951    7p "Girl Friday"
     35   (v.4, n11) July 1951    7p "The Man Who Loves Shabby Sally"
     35   (v.4, n11) July 1951    9p "The Catskill Man-Chasers"
     36   (v.4, n12) Aug  1951    2p "Problem Clinic"
     36   (v.4, n12) Aug  1951    7p "Big Brother Blues"
     37   (v.5, n1)  Sept 1951    9p "Just To Be Near Him"
     37   (v.5, n1)  Sept 1951    3p "Problem Clinic"
     38   (v.5, n2)  Oct  1951    7p "His Dancing Teacher"
     38   (v.5, n2)  Oct  1951    3p "Problem Clinic"
     39   (v.5, n3)  Nov  1951    3p "Problem Clinic"
     39   (v.5, n3)  Nov  1951    5p "Marvin's Pearl"
     39   (v.5, n3)  Nov  1951    1p "The Way They Met"
   s 40   (v.5, n4)  Dec  1951    7p "The Red Dress"
     41   (v.5, n5)  Jan  1952    3p "Problem Clinic"
     41   (v.5, n5)  Jan  1952    2p "What Advice Would You Have Given"
     41   (v.5, n5)  Jan  1952    7p "Kill Her With Kindness"
     42   (v.5, n6)  Feb  1952    1p "The Way They Met"
     42   (v.5, n6)  Feb  1952    7p "The Green-Eyed Monster"
     42   (v.5, n6)  Feb  1952    8p "Marion's Husband"
     42   (v.5, n6)  Feb  1952    2p "What Advice Would You Have Given"
     43   (v.5, n7)  Mar  1952    3p "Problem Clinic"
     43   (v.5, n7)  Mar  1952    7p "Say It With Kisses"
     43   (v.5, n7)  Mar  1952    9p "Gentlemen Prefer Ladies"
     44   (v.5, n8)  Apr  1952   10p "A Bride for Father"
     44   (v.5, n8)  Apr  1952    9p "The Lady Says She's Innocent"
     45   (v.5, n9)  May  1952    8p "By Appointment Only"
   s 45   (v.5, n9)  May  1952    8p "Treat 'Em Rough"
     46   (v.5, n10) June 1952    6p "The Gal On The Flying Trapeze"
     46   (v.5, n10) June 1952    7p "Little Busybody"
   s 47   (v.5, n11) July 1952    7p "Love Me, Love My Dog"
     47   (v.5, n11) July 1952    2p "What Advice Would You Have Given"
     48   (v.5, n12) Aug  1952    7p "No Greater Love"
     49   (v.6, n1)  Sept 1952    1p "The Way They Met"
   s 50   (v.6, n2)  Oct  1952    8p "A Way With The Ladies"
     51   (v.6, n3)  Nov  1952    6p "Good Girl, Bad Girl"
     51   (v.6, n3)  Nov  1952    6p "Partners"
     52   (v.6, n4)  Dec  1952    8p "Ne'er Do Well"
     52   (v.6, n4)  Dec  1952    8p "Give Up Your Baby"
     53   (v.6, n5)  Jan  1953    1p "Problem Clinic"
   s 54   (v.6, n6)  Feb  1953    7p "Poison Pen"
     55   (v.6, n7)  Mar  1953    8p "Afraid To Go Home"
     58   (v.6, n10) June 1953    6p "Too Good For Me"
     59   (v.6, n11) July 1953    5p "You Stole My Girl"
     60   (v.6, n12) Aug  1953    2p "How Did You Meet Him"
     62   (v.7, n2)  Oct  1953    6p "Teen-Age Wildcat"
     63   (v.7, n3)  Nov  1953    1p "How He Proposed"
     63   (v.7, n3)  Nov  1953    2p "What Advice Would You Have Given"
     68   (v.7, n8)  Apr  1954    6p "Brotherly Love"
     68   (v.7, n8)  Apr  1954    6p "The Man I Couldn't Have"
     71   (v.7, n11) July 1954    6p "Only Love Endures"
     71   (v.7, n11) July 1954    6p "Forsaking All Others"

Jerry Robinson & Mort Meskin Checklist

by Harry Mendryk

Posted February 1, 2006 in Artists, Checklist, Meskin, Mort, Robinson & Meskin, Robinson, Jerry and tagged Checklist, Jerry, meskin, Mort, Robinson


Last update: 1/2/2012

Codes:
    s:  = signed
    a:  = signed with alias
    &:  = signed Simon and Kirby
    ?:  = questionable attribution
    r:  = reprint

Black Terror (Standard)
   s 23   June 1948   10p "The Eye of the Lady Serpent"
   s 23   June 1948   10p "Danger In The Air"
   s 24   Sept 1948    8p "The Revenge of Red Ann"
   s 24   Sept 1948    8p "The Lady Serpent Returns"
   s 25   Dec  1948    8p "The Girl Who Cleared Her Name"

Exciting (Standard)
   s 66   Mar  1949    9p "Grandpa Shows His Medals"

Fighting Yank (Standard)
     24   Mar  1949   10p "Larceny in the Lighthouse"
     25   Apr  1949   10p "The Crossroads of Crime"
     27   June 1949   10p "The Return of Fingers"
   s 27   June 1949    6p "Patriots on Parade"
   s 27   June 1949   10p "Taxi Terror"
   s 28   July 1949    7p "Swing Your Partner"
   s 29   Aug  1949   10p "Fight for Freedom"

Headline (Prize)
     28   (v.3, n4)  Feb  1948    7p "Postage Stamp Swindle"
     29   (v.3, n5)  Apr  1948    8p "The Night Of The Freak Murder"

Justice Traps the Guilty (Prize)
     4    (v.1, n4)  May  1948    9p "Guilty Boys"
   s 5    (v.1, n5)  July 1948    8p "Murder Special Delivery"

My Date (Hillman)
     4    Jan  1948       [cover]

Young Romance (Prize)
     3    (v.1, n3)  Jan  1948    8p "Love Or A Career"
     4    (v.1, n4)  Mar  1948    8p "I Love You Frank Gerard"
     5    (v.1, n5)  May  1948    7p "Jealousy"
     6    (v.1, n6)  July 1948    7p "The Love That Might Have Been"
   s 6    (v.1, n6)  July 1948    8p "The Inferior Male"

Simon and Kirby

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, their studio, and the artists who worked for them

Category Archives: Meskin, Mort

The Art of Romance, Chapter 3, The Field No Longer Their’s Alone

Horrible Mort Meskin

The Art of Romance, Chapter 2, Early Artists

Not Kirby, My Date #4

Kirby Inkers, Mort Meskin

Alex Toth on Mort Meskin

Mort Meskin, a biography of one of the usual suspects

Mort Meskin, the usual suspect #2

Mort Meskin Checklist

Jerry Robinson & Mort Meskin Checklist

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