Author: (Johnson, Ferd). Johnson, Tom.
Title: Moon Mullins: Moon Convinces Kayo to Visit the Museum by Making It Sound Exciting, Describing a "Full-Color Spectacular" Featuring "Th' Top 40" of Each Century. Original Sunday Comic Strip Art Work Signed "Ferd + Tom Johnson", Though Likely Drawn & Inked by Tom Johnson.
Description: Tribune Company Syndicate, Inc. April 8, 1984. 1984. Tribune Company Syndicate, Inc. April 8, 1984. 1984. Very good. - An original pen & ink drawing consisting of 8 panels drawn across 3 rows on 16 inch high by 22-1/2 inch wide art board. The strip portrays the young Kayo asking the elderly Plushie where they are going to which Plushie replies that they are going "to improve our minds, Kayo". Coming to a sudden stop, Kayo exclaims "Yuk!". Moon steps in as Plushie is lecturing Kayo, claiming "You gotta know how to talk to th' kid, Plushie" He then goes on to proclaim "Hey, Kayo! It's like a full-color spectacular in there ... in 60 minutes, you can zoom in on th' best of everything!" .. "Highlights and lowlights! Behind the scenes with all-time winners in all categories!" "..Th' top 40 of th' 1700's, 1800's, and 1900's! and no commercials!" .. "It's sort of like watching th' Prime Time of civilization". Signed "Ferd + Tom Johnson" at the bottom center of the last panel with the date "4-8" penned to the left. The title, reproduced on a square of paper, is mounted at the top left of the first panel and the syndicates credits, printed on a strip of paper, are mounted vertically along the left edge of the lower panel. There are a couple of editorial markings in light blue graphite along the lower margin with crop marks pasted along the left & right margins. The number "60-01" is penned in black marker on the verso. Near fine. The American cartoonist Frank Willard (1893-1958) was sometimes known as Dok Willard. His syndicated comic strip "Moon Mullins", on which he worked alongside his assistant Ferd Johnson ran from 1923 to 1991. Educated at Chicago's Union Academy, where he illustrated the "Reflector" yearbook and Chicago's Academy of Fine Arts, he went on to work as a cartoonist for the Chicago Herald from 1914 to 1918. Serving in the First World War, he returned to work in the bullpen for Kings Features Syndicate, taking on whatever was assigned to him. From 1919 to 1923, he drew "The Outta Luck Club" for that syndicate. By the time Joseph Patterson came calling, looking for a lowlife strip to compete with "Barney Google", Willard was fed up with the King Syndicate which had consistently rejected new ideas he would propose. Willard jumped ship and created "Moon Mullins". The comic strip artist Ferdinand "Ferd" Johnson (1905-1996) was Willard's assistant nearly from the time the strip started in 1923. Starting with lettering and background, he was gradually responsible for the whole operation but still signed Willard's name to his work. Johnson only began signing his own name after Willard's sudden death in 1958. In later years, Ferd Johnson's son, Tom Johnson, gradually took charge of the Sunday strips. Very good .

Keywords: ILLUSTRATED; ORIGINAL DAILY COMIC STRIP ART; PEN & INK DRAWING; FRANK WILLARD; FERD JOHNSON; TOM JOHNSON; TWENTIETH CENTURY; 20TH CENTURY; MOON MULLINS; ILLUSTRATOR; MOON MULLINS; PLUSHIE; KAYO; MUSEUM; FGULL-COLOR SPECTACULAR; IMPROVING MINDS; PRIME


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