I haven’t seen Kraven the Hunter. The movie has very mixed, mostly negative, reviews. For now, I’ll stick with the original Kraven, as drawn by Steve Ditko.
Satisfying a Kraving
Category: Cartooning
The Two Jacks
Two comic book artists who had an uncanny ability to put whatever they wanted on paper, seemingly without effort, were Jack Kirby and Jack Davis. They were able to work so quickly, it was as if they had a “drawing nerve,” sending what was in their minds directly to their drawing hands.
Davis left comics, except for MAD Magazine, to become perhaps the most successful commercial artist of all time. He was certainly the most prolific. This 1966 ink and wash drawing, borrowed from the Art of Jack Davis group on Facebook, was for a TV promotion of Guys and Dolls.
This pencil drawing was posted by Jack Kirby’s grandson Jermey on the Facebook group, Jack Kirby: The King of Comics.
Noteworthy Passings
Twin Peaks pushed the limits of network television beyond anything ever seen before. Co-created by David Lynch, who directed a half-dozen episodes, the series’ premise was shocking and it would never have aired if the subject matter hadn’t been presented in the surreal way that it was.
Jules Feiffer started in Will Eisner’s cartooning studio. His essay “The Great Comic Book Heroes” for Playboy in 1965 was well-timed for the Pop Art era. It was expanded into a popular and groundbreaking book.
Feiffer wrote the screenplay for the Mike Nichols movie Carnal Knowledge. Nichols talked Prue’s bestie friend, Cynthia O’Neal, into accepting a role.
Wallace & Gromit & Nick
I admire absolutely everything about Nick Parks’ creation Wallace & Gromit. If anyone were to suggest even a hint of criticism about the series, rather than express an appreciation of its very existence, I would cover my ears and hum.
Post-Washington Post
Ann Telnaes quit The Washington Post after a cartoon idea she submitted was rejected by the Editorial Page Editor. The cartoon is on Ann’s Substack post about her resignation.
https://anntelnaes.substack.com/p/why-im-quitting-the-washington-post
The rejection served only to widen the cartoon’s exposure, of course. The paper seems to be on a downward slide since Marty Baron retired.
At this point, Bezos may as well sell the Post for whatever he can get for it. If he hangs into it, and the editorial content starts turning in Trump’s favor, that will be the end.
Oh, look! Someone else is wearing Audio-Technica ATH-M20X headphones.
My take on the cartoon is that it’s far from the best work by Telnaes. The idea behind it is more obvious than it is clever. I would have rejected it for relying on the old “bags of money” symbolism.
I Magoofed!
Oops, I forgot about this image, that had been intended for a Christmas post. It’s too late for the holiday season, but the picture is worth enlarging to appreciate the wonderful pencil work.
