Category: Cartooning

Cannery Row Jury

I’m borrowing something from Cartoon Research. It’s a cartoon that really disturbed me as a little kid, so of course I watched every time it was on TV.

Jerry Beck & Co. have launched a streaming Internet cartoon channel. It’s on Twitch.tv, rather than YouTube. I think that’s a good idea, considering my last post. You can watch it for free, but full membership is $5/month. I’m considering joining up.

Bettie’s Bangs and Hard Knocks

Betty Page was a one-of-a-kind pinup girl. Appearing mostly in low-brow magazines, Bettie’s appeal was more kitschy than sleazy. Bettie (her preferred spelling) was happy to pose nude, but Irving Klaw never had her do that in his famous fetish photos. Personally, I don’t get the attraction of fetish material, and Bettie thought of it as a funny performance.

Bettie Page Reveals All, an affectionate yet unflinching portrait, is on Amazon Prime. The documentary is a bit amateurish, like the magazines Bettie appeared in, but I recommend it for both the cheesecake photos (there’s an old-fashioned term) and for Bettie’s life story.

For years, Bettie’s fans wondered where she was. The documentary really does reveal everything, including how she went from this…

… to this.

Bettie’s resurrection was thanks to comic book artist Dave Stevens. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Dave saved Bettie’s life, as the documentary explains. Bettie died less than a year after Dave’s untimely passing. Tim Estiloz, a comic book fan and friend, who I met through Joe Sinnott, once interviewed Bettie.

For MIH

Enjoyed my visit today. Thanks for the “therapy session.” 😉 Here’s the art by Alex Raymond I told you about, from a few years before his untimely death. Such superb work!

Definitely click to enlarge and enjoy.

P.S. Click here to browse Heritage Auctions’ comics and original art.