Hugo Pratt the famed and revered Italian comic book straight adventure artist of Corto Maltese was in league with Milton Caniff and Alex Toth. Therefore, the cartoony, abstract, artsy images below that he did in tribute to Donald Duck (or Paperino as the Italians call Disney’s man mallard) in 1982 may surprise you.

(click for a closer look)

(click for a closer look)

…with a special guest superhero! Yes, an Arf Lovers Blog exclusive! Photographic proof that Captain America isn’t dead-and he sure seems happy to see Wonder Woman!

Here’s a fascinating photo from a cartoonists’ get-together in 1963. Be the first to identify the cartoonists in it and win a copy of the brand new Arf book, Arf Forum. I’m going to give you some hints. The fella in the far left in the back was not too long ago mentioned on this blog as having a visit to the hospital but, happily, is doing very well. He drew Golden Age comic book superheroes to a doe-eyed orphan in comic strips.The gentleman talking to him is a foo-mas cartoonist. He is featured in the said Arf Forum based on a visit I had to his home and studio and he’s mentioned in the Booklist review below.

The guy sitting and talking to the woman in the funny costume is actually a failed cartoonist whose work you’ll find in Arf Museum, the Arf book that preceeded Arf Forum. The next standing cartoonist won a Silver T-Square from the National Cartoonist Society in 1969. Finally, the inkslinger on the far right: I featured the original art from the first day his popular comic strip on the Arf Lovers Blog recently. He referred to himself as “the world’s oldest boy cartoonist”.

Send in your guesses to [email protected]. I’ll take the names of all the correct guessers, put ‘em in a hat and draw out a winner Friday. I’ll announce the winner then. If you already have an Arf Forum, and God Bless your soul, you can choose another one of my books. Go for it!

(click for a closer look)

Now for some great Arf Forum news: First I am thrilled that arguably the coolest bookstore in the world, St. Mark’s Bookstore in New York’s East Village, features Arf Forum front and center in their window and they have a giant stack prominently displayed right when you enter their fine store. And the Arf books are now proudly showcased in the Museum of Modern Art bookstore, this is a dream come true for me. And Eric Reynolds just sent this advanced review that will be appearing in Booklist, the important periodical religiously read by librarians ordering books for their libraries:

“For his third exploration of “the unholy marriage of art and comics,” cartoonist-designer Yoe unearthed another cornucopia of obscure and delightful artifacts. They include a sampling of Bill Holman’s
singularly screwball newspaper strip, Smokey Stover; excerpts from an experimental 1934 graphic novel in collage by German dadaist Max Ernst; an appraisal of the enigmatic William Ekgren’s bizarre 1950s
horror comics covers; and an assortment of caveman cartoons by early-twentieth-century hands.

Comics themselves are the subjects of some of the most beguiling entries, such as a metastrip in which Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse read and discuss their newspaper exploits, a 1941 fumetti in which scantily clad models purport to show how comics are made, an early story by Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee (a beleaguered comicbook editor defends his horror titles against an outraged citizen), and vintage photos of Rock Hudson and Elvis Presley enjoying the funnies. Those of a scholarly bent might wish for more documentation of these intriguing works, but Arf’s focus remains, appropriately, on the visual qua visual.”
— Gordon Flagg/Booklist

For more of a preview of Arf Forum click on the cover in the upper left of the blog. Or click now on the cover below and order one. Better yet, WIN a copy of Arf Forum by entering the contest. Good luck, Arf Lover!

(click here to order Arf Forum)

I’m posting this pretty late in the day because I’m busy getting ready for my appearances at the Licensing Show (where YOE! Studio will have a booth, #1549) and MoCCA Art Festival (where I’m speaking on Arf and also sharing a booth with the great Alexa Kitchen) and San Diego Comic Con (where I’ll be signing Arf books at the Fantagraphics booth). I’m hard at work preparing a special volume of Arf called Life is Short But Arf is Long just for these shows. This special Arf volume won’t be available in stores or from on-line retailers. More about that later. The point is, I’m under a lot of pressure.

But, not as much pressure as when “Doll Man Puts the Pressure on Tom Thumb”! Dave B. e-mailed this astounding art and points out, “I’ve never seen anything like this on a comic book cover before. You don’t have to use your imagination to see the symbolism this time”. Right you are, Dave! I trust this was worth the wait for Arf Lovers!

(click for a closer look)

So, as you can see when you scroll below, I’ll be soon speaking about the Arf books at the MoCCA Art Festival, the home of all kinds of cool independent comics. This is, I think, the 5th year for the great event and it’s always held at the beautiful Puck building in NYC. I don’t think the young, snot-nosed cartoonists there know the grand history of the Puck Building. It was the headquarters of the brilliant humor magazine, “Puck”, of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Puck published the superstar cartoonists of the time like Gilliam, Zim and, my fave, Opper. I love this Opper cartoon below from a Puck tearsheet I have. I love trying to, impossibly probably, pinpoint the origins of cartooning cliches/classics/conventions (whatever you want to call them).  Is this the very first cartoon featuring the slipping on the banana peel gag?!? If it’s not the first maybe it’s the best, yo!

(click for a closer look)

ARR-r-r-r! Avoiding the Pirates 3 movie because you heard it isn’t a seaworthy vessel? Me, too. Instead of going to the flicks I’m gonna spend tonight reading the book “Driscoll’s Book of Pirates”. It’s a reprint from 1934 of a McNaught Syndicate comic strip written by Charles Driscoll and illustrated by Montfort Amory. Cool names to be creating pirate stories, huh? Driscoll wrote a least two other books on pirates, over 400 pirate short stories and many magazine articles on this, “his favorite subject”. Amory’s art style reminds me a bit of Wonder Woman’s wonderful H. G. Peter but a little tighter. Driscoll, in his introduction to the book, says Amory “knows his ships and pirates as well as you know your neighbors and their cars”. THIS is great swashbuckling adventure, eat your heart out, Johnny Depp!

(click for a closer look)

(click to read this comic)

(click to read this comic)

(click to read this comic)

(click to read this comic)

By the way, if you’d like to see more fascinating old comic strips, you can’t do better than to sail over to expert comics historian Allan Holtz’s Stripper’s Guide blog. I never miss a day of it’s amazing content! Stripper’s Guide shivers me timbers, and how many opportunities do you have to have your timber shivered on a daily basis? Click on the blog link in the right hand column of this page every day after visiting Arf Lovers, mate! ARRR-r-r-r-r-r!

Arf Lover David B. sends this video of Wonder Woman giving a lap dance. One wag on You Tube said, “Wonder Woman giving a lap dance is every boy’s fantasy”. Thank you, Mr. Obvious.

I will be speaking at the MoCCA Art Festival Sunday, June 24th, showing rare out takes from the Arf books and previews of what’s coming up in the future. I’m right after Kim Deitch and right before Joe Matt-two of my fave cartoonists. This year’s programing will be held at the MoCCA gallery, located at 594 Broadway, just two blocks from the Puck Building where the alternative comics fest is held. At the festival I’m honored to be sharing a table with the great cartoonist Alexa Kitchen.

When I visited Bill Holman, of Smokey Stover fame, to research the tribute that just ended up in the Arf Forum book he gave me lots of goodies. I didn’t have room for all of them in Arf Forum—but that’s why Al Gore invented the internet!

This is a photo of a fellow cartoonist spitting out wine to create Smokey’s visage. Darn, a couple of days ago when I pulled this out I remembered who Bill told me this was, but now for the life of me I can’t. Help me.

(click for a closer look)

Is this a hoot or what? Bill Holman does Little Orphan Annie! Pretty ribald title-Little Organ Fannie?Arf! Arf!

(click to read the comic)

Finally, Bill gave me this rare piece of sheet music. “What this country needs is FOO!” Boy, that more true than ever! For more Holman rarities, including unpublished art, get the Arf Forum book, hot off the presses—be the FOO-st on your block to have one!

(click for a closer look)

(click here to order Arf Forum)

A good comic book cover can intrigue you and make you want to buy the comic to read to find out what’s going on. I’m intrigued! What does it MEAN, “Doll Man Matches Fists With Elbows!”? What is that white liquid that that guy is laying face down in? Is Doll Man reaching out with his hand to touch that liquid? Or is Doll Man gonna steal that guy’s watch and ring? And what about that stack of money. I bet the answer to all this is somehow is in that stack of money. They say to answer puzzling questions to “follow the money.” Later, skater.

(click for a closer look)